JP6255121B1 - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a gaming machine capable of suppressing damage to a driver IC due to a malfunction of a MOSFET. A power supply switch that can be switched between a supply state in which power is supplied from a power supply device to a driver IC and a supply stop state in which power supply from the power supply device to the driver IC is stopped is provided. After the switch is temporarily switched from the supply state to the supply stop state, a supply temporary stop process for returning to the supply state is executed. Furthermore, a provision supply time detecting means for detecting that the supply state has continued for a prescribed time or more is provided, and when the supply state has continued for a prescribed time or more, supply suspension processing is executed compared to before the supply time timer is detected. Configure to be easy. [Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine including a driver IC that drives a driving object and a control device that controls a driving mode of the driving object via the driver IC.

  A gaming machine such as a slot machine includes a plurality of driver ICs as an integrated circuit for driving a driving object such as an LED (light emitting diode). Such a driver IC includes a plurality of output channels, and reflects the driving mode received from the control device in the output pattern of each output channel, thereby driving the driven object in the driving mode received from the control unit. It is configured. Specifically, such a driver IC temporarily stores a drive mode (lighting pattern) input from a control device (production control board) in a shift register, like the LED driver described in Patent Document 1, The driving mode stored in the shift register at a predetermined timing is taken into the latch and reflected in the output pattern of the output channel (output terminal).

JP, 2009-072289, A FIG.

  By the way, the driver IC provided in the gaming machine is constituted by a plurality of MOSFETs (field effect transistors), but these MOSFETs may malfunction due to some cause and generate heat. The gaming machines installed in the amusement hall continue to be turned on from the morning opening to the evening closing, and in conventional gaming machines, power is supplied to the driver IC until the gaming machine is turned off. Therefore, if the discovery of such a malfunction is delayed, the entire driver IC may be heated by the heat generated by the malfunctioning MOSFET and damaged greatly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the present situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of suppressing damage to a driver IC due to a malfunction of a MOSFET.

  The present invention includes a driver IC that drives one or a plurality of driving objects, a control device that controls a driving mode of the driving object via the driver IC, and a power supply device that supplies power to the driver IC. A power supply switch that is switchable between a supply state in which power is supplied from the power supply device to the driver IC and a supply stop state in which power supply from the power supply device to the driver IC is stopped; A supply pause means for executing a supply pause process for returning to the supply state after the power supply switch is temporarily switched from the supply state to the supply stop state; and the supply by the supply pause means A temporary stop permitting means for permitting execution of the temporary stop process; and a specified supply time detecting means for detecting that the supply state has continued for a specified time or more. When the specified supply time detecting means detects that the state has continued for the specified time or longer, the temporary stop permitting means allows the supply temporary stop processing compared to before the detection by the specified supply time detecting means. This is a gaming machine that is easy to play. The present invention includes a configuration in which the temporary stop permission unit does not allow the supply temporary stop process at all until the predetermined supply time detection unit detects that the supply state has continued for a predetermined time or longer.

In such a configuration, since the supply pause process is occasionally executed and the power supply to the driver IC is stopped, even if the malfunctioning MOSFET in the driver IC generates heat, the supply pause process is performed to the MOSFET during the supply pause process. The MOSFET can be cooled by stopping the power supply. For this reason, the gaming machine of the present invention has an advantage that even if the discovery of the malfunction of the MOSFET is delayed, it is difficult to cause a large-scale destruction of the driver IC.
In addition, some MOSFET malfunctions may be restored to normal operation by re-powering the driver IC. However, even in the case of such a malfunction, if it is left for a long time without turning on the power again, it cannot be recovered due to heat generation. On the other hand, in the present invention, the power supply of the driver IC is turned on again by the supply suspension process, so that the malfunctioning MOSFET can be returned to the normal operation before becoming unrecoverable. For this reason, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the occurrence of failure of the driver IC can be reduced.
In particular, in the present invention, when the power supply to the driver IC continues for a specified time or longer, the supply suspension process is easily performed. For this reason, if the specified time is set to an appropriate time, supplying power to the driver IC in which the MOSFET has malfunctioned for a long time may cause the driver IC to be significantly damaged or the MOSFET to be unrecoverable. Can be prevented appropriately.

  In the present invention, the control device includes a plurality of effect patterns including a driving mode of the driven object, and includes an effect control unit that selectively executes effects in the plurality of effect patterns, The effect pattern includes a specific effect pattern for stopping all the driving objects driven by the driver IC for at least a predetermined time, and the supply temporary stopping means includes all the driving objects in the specific effect pattern. It is proposed to perform the supply suspension process during the period when the goods are stopped.

  In the present invention, during the supply pause process, the power supply to the driver IC is stopped and the drive object connected to the driver IC stops driving. When the temporary stop process is executed, the driving of the driven object is interrupted, and the effect of rendering is impaired. On the other hand, such a configuration has an advantage that the effect of rendering is not impaired by the execution of the supply pause process because the supply pause process is executed during the effect of stopping the driven object.

  Further, in the above configuration, when the specified supply time detecting means detects that the supply state has continued for the specified time or more, the effect is compared with before the detection by the specified supply time detecting means. It is proposed that the control means is in a state where it is easy to selectively execute the specific effect pattern.

  In such a configuration, if the power supply to the driver IC is continued for a specified time or longer, the specific effect pattern is easily executed and the opportunity for executing the supply pause process increases, so that the power supply to the driver IC is reduced. When the operation continues for a predetermined time or more, the supply temporary stop process can be quickly executed without impairing the effect.

  Furthermore, in the above-described configuration, the driving object is a motor or an LED, and the specific effect pattern is executed after an effect pattern that suggests the possibility that the expectation of profit in the game is increased or maintained, It is proposed that the effect control means can be executed as an effect pattern for suggesting or notifying that the suggested profit has not been obtained.

  It is relatively unsuitable to execute the specific effect pattern in which the driving of the driving object stops in the effect of exciting the game. For this reason, if an effect of a specific effect pattern is executed as an effect pattern when the player is discouraged by suggesting that no profit has been obtained, the player feels uncomfortable. It is possible to provide an opportunity for execution of the supply suspension process without any loss.

  Further, in the above configuration, the effect control means determines one or a plurality of profit giving effects that suggests giving the predetermined profit to the player in a state where it is determined that the predetermined profit is not given to the player. A series of fake effects including a pattern and a profit lost effect pattern for suggesting or notifying a player that the predetermined profit has not been granted after the profit giving effect pattern, and the supply state It is configured to make it easier to execute the fake effect compared to before the detection of the specified supply time detection unit, triggered by the detection of the specified supply time detection unit that has continued for more than the specified time, It is proposed that the specific effect pattern can be executed as the profit lost effect pattern by the effect control means.

  In such a fake effect, the player temporarily increases the expectation for the predetermined profit by executing the profit granting effect pattern, and is discouraged by executing the profit lost effect pattern thereafter. For this reason, in such a configuration, by executing the specific effect pattern as the lost profit effect pattern when the player is discouraged, it is possible to provide an opportunity to execute the specific effect pattern without making the player feel uncomfortable. There is an advantage that you can. In particular, in such a configuration, if the supply state continues for a predetermined time or more, a fake effect is easily performed. Therefore, when the supply state continues for an expected time or longer, the supply suspension process is executed in a relatively short time. be able to. Here, the fake effect is an effect that merely raises the player's expectation temporarily, and does not give a predetermined profit to the player. For this reason, in such a configuration, when the supply state continues for a specified time or more, the supply pause process is executed in a short time without affecting the appearance and without feeling uncomfortable for the player. It becomes possible to do.

  Further, in the present invention, the effect control means outputs a drive pattern signal indicating a drive mode of the drive object to the driver IC, and drives the drive object in a drive mode indicated by the drive pattern signal. When stopping all the driving objects in the specific performance pattern, the supply pause means temporarily stops the power supply to the driver IC by the supply pause process, It is proposed to stop all the driving objects.

  In such a configuration, when the specific effect pattern is executed, the driving object can be stopped by the supply pause process instead of the driving pattern signal, and thus there is an advantage that the control processing burden of the driving object can be reduced. .

  In the present invention, the power supply switch may be configured such that the power supply terminal of the driver IC is connected to the power supply line from the power supply device in the supply state and to the ground line in the supply stop state. Is done.

  In such a configuration, when the power supply switch is switched from the supply state to the supply stop state, the input voltage at the power supply terminal of the driver IC quickly decreases from the power supply voltage to the reference potential. The MOSFET of the driver IC can be cooled in a relatively short time. Therefore, according to this configuration, the execution time of the supply suspension process can be shortened.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the slot machine 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the slot machine 1 with a front door 3 opened. It is a state transition diagram which shows the transition aspect of a game state. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the slot machine 1 related to lighting control of the effect lamps 12a to 12d. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit of the upper right LED driver 15a. It is a timing chart which shows the operation mode of LED driver 15a-15d. It is a block diagram which shows the control circuit which concerns on control of the upper right LED board 14a. It is a timing chart which shows the example of execution of supply temporary stop processing. 3 is a functional block diagram of a sub control device 21. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control content of a reel stop time process.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a slot machine will be described according to the following examples. In the following embodiments, the driving object according to the present invention corresponds to the LED 16, and the driving mode of the driving object corresponds to the lighting / extinguishing pattern of the LED 16. In the following embodiments, the driver IC according to the present invention corresponds to the LED drivers 15a to 15d. Further, in the following embodiments, the control device according to the present invention corresponds to the sub-control device 21, and the drive pattern signal according to the present invention corresponds to the lighting pattern signal. Moreover, in the following embodiment, the specific effect pattern according to the present invention corresponds to the all-off effect pattern.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 2 of the slot machine 1 is opened forward and is covered by a front door 3 from the front. Three reels 9 with a plurality of types of symbols are arranged inside the housing 2, and a viewing window 4 for visually recognizing each reel 9 from the front is provided at the center of the front door 3. . On the front side of the front door 3, various switches such as bet switches 5 a and 5 b, a start switch 6, and a stop switch 7 used for a game operation are disposed below the viewing window 4. Further, an image display 10 for displaying an effect image is disposed above the viewing window 4. The image display 10 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, and is fitted into the upper part of the front door 3. And the effect lamps 12a-12d are arrange | positioned at the front side both sides of the front door 3. As shown in FIG.

  The effect lamps 12a to 12d are an upper right effect lamp 12a and an upper left effect lamp 12c disposed on both upper sides of the front door 3, and a lower right effect lamp 12b disposed on both lower sides of the front door 3. It comprises a lower left effect lamp 12d. Each of the effect lamps 12a to 12d is formed by covering an LED substrate on which a plurality of LEDs are mounted with a translucent cover body.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an image control device 22 that controls the image display 10 is disposed on the back side of the front door 3 and on the back side of the image display 10. A speaker 11 and the like are disposed on the back side of the front door 3. A medal selector 8 that detects medals inserted into the slot machine 1 is disposed on the back side of the front door 3. Further, the main control device 20 and the sub control device 21 are installed in the housing 2 at the upper side. These control devices 20 and 21 are made of a printed circuit board on which a microcomputer or the like is mounted, and are installed in a state of being accommodated in a case. A hopper unit 18 and a power supply device 24 are disposed below the reel 9. The power supply device 24 supplies power to various control devices and devices. Since the power supply device 24 is generally installed in a slot machine, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the game contents of the slot machine will be described.
In the slot machine of this embodiment, the reel 9 is rotated by the operation of the start switch 6 (hereinafter also referred to as “start operation”) to display the symbols in a variable manner, and then the reel 9 is stopped by the operation of the stop switch 7. The game is repeatedly executed in such a manner that the symbols are stopped and displayed on the active line, and the process is performed according to the symbol combination stopped and displayed on the active line. Specifically, one game is executed in the following order (1) to (5).
(1) Inserting medals The player directly inserts the number of medals required for one game (3), or operates the bet switches 5a and 5b to insert medals from credits.
(2) Start switch operation The player operates the start switch 6. In response to this start operation, the main control device 20 rotationally drives the reel 9 to display the symbols in a variable manner, and also performs a role lottery. In the role lottery, the main control device 20 extracts a random value, and determines whether or not a plurality of types of winning combinations are won based on the extracted random value.
(3) Stop switch operation When the player operates the stop switch 7 after the reel 9 reaches a constant rotational speed, the main control device 20 stops the rotation of the reel 9 corresponding to the operated stop switch 7. At this time, the main controller 20 determines the stop angle of the reel 9 based on the operation order and operation timing of the stop switch 7, the result of the winning lottery, etc., and stops the reel 9 at the angle.
(4) Winning determination The main control device 20 determines whether or not a winning combination has been won according to the form of the symbols stopped and displayed in the viewing window 4 when all the reels 9 have stopped.
(5) Winning process A process corresponding to the winning combination is executed.

The gaming state of the slot machine 1 will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 3, the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment has three game states: a normal section, a CZ state, and an AT activation state. The normal section and the CZ state are gaming states in which the number of medals expected to be acquired in the game is small and the payout rate is less than 100%. On the other hand, in the AT activation state, before the player operates the stop switch 7, an operation procedure capable of stopping the symbol may be notified in an advantageous manner to the player. The state is a gaming state in which the number of medals expected to be acquired in the game is large and the payout rate exceeds 100%.

  The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is first controlled in the normal section when the power is turned on or when the setting is changed. In the normal section, the CZ transition lottery is executed every game, and when the CZ transition lottery is won, the next game shifts to the CZ state. In the CZ state, the AT activation lottery is executed every game, and when the AT activation lottery is won, the next game shifts to the AT activation state. Here, the execution period of the CZ state is 10 games at the maximum, and if the AT activation lottery is not won during the 10 games, the CZ state ends and the normal section is restored. The AT activation state continues until the player has paid out the prescribed medal number, and when the number of medals paid out during the AT activation state reaches the prescribed medal number, the normal game is resumed from the next game.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the AT activation state in which the player can easily increase medals is the most advantageous gaming state for the player, and the AT activation state is shifted according to the result of the AT activation lottery. The possible CZ state is the second most advantageous gaming state for the player. The normal section is in a gaming state that is the third most advantageous (first disadvantage) for the player.

Below, with reference to FIG. 4, the control circuit which concerns on lighting control of the lamps 12a-12d for production is demonstrated.
The main control device 20 mainly executes control related to the progress of the game in the game of the slot machine 1, and includes a main microcomputer (not shown) including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output port, and the like. ing. On the other hand, the sub-control device 21 mainly performs control related to effects in the game of the slot machine 1 and includes a sub-microcomputer (not shown) including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output port, and the like. ing. The main control device 20 and the sub control device 21 are connected via a signal line, and the sub control device 21 executes processing corresponding to a command received from the main control device 20.

  Specifically, a command indicating the current game situation (game state, winning lottery result, game progress stage, etc.) is input to the sub-control device 21 from time to time. Then, the sub control device 21 determines an effect pattern as needed based on a command received from the main control device 20 or the like. The production pattern is defined by the lighting / extinguishing pattern of the LED 16, the output pattern of the speaker 11, the display pattern of the image display 10, and the like, and the sub-control device 21 executes the decided production pattern. A control signal or the like is transmitted to the effect lamps 12 a to 12 d and the speaker 11, and a command is transmitted to the image control device 22 in order to display a required image on the image display 10. The sub-control device 21 performs lottery (effect selection lottery) when determining the effect pattern so that the effect pattern is not uniform according to the game situation, and selects the effect pattern according to the lottery value. Configured to vary results.

  Each of the effect lamps 12a to 12d is formed by covering the LED substrates 14a to 14d with a translucent cover body. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the LED boards 14 a to 14 d is provided with eight LEDs 16 and one LED driver 15 a to 15 d that drives the eight LEDs 16. The LED boards 14a to 14d are connected to the sub-control device 21 via the relay device 23. The sub-control device 21 controls the lighting / extinguishing patterns of the LEDs 16 disposed in the effect lamps 12a to 12d via the LED drivers 15a to 15d. Specifically, when the sub control device 21 determines an effect pattern based on a command or the like from the main control device 20, in order to turn on / off each LED 16 with the lighting / extinguishing pattern defined in the effect pattern, A lighting pattern signal and a control signal are transmitted to the LED drivers 15a to 15d of the LED boards 14a to 14d. The lighting pattern signal is data in a serial format indicating a lighting / extinguishing pattern of the LED 16 by a bit pattern. In addition, power is supplied from the power supply device 24 to the LED drivers 15 a to 15 d and the LEDs 16 disposed on the LED boards 14 a to 14 d via the relay device 23.

  Next, the structure of each LED driver 15a-15d arrange | positioned by LED board 14a-14d is demonstrated. All the LED drivers 15a to 15d are driver ICs having the same circuit configuration. For this reason, in the following, the upper right LED driver 15a disposed on the upper right LED board 14a of the upper right effect lamp 12a will be described in detail, and an explanation regarding the LED drivers 15b to 15d disposed in the other effect lamps 12b to 12d will be described. Is omitted.

  The upper right LED driver 15a is a general-purpose LED lighting driver IC composed of a large number of MOSFETs. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper right LED driver 15 a is input to the output unit 30 having eight output channels OUT <b> 0 to OUT <b> 7 to which the LED 16 can be connected, and a signal from the sub-control device 21. Unit 31, a shift register 32 that temporarily stores the received lighting pattern signal, and a switching circuit that takes in the bit pattern of the lighting pattern signal stored in the shift register 32 and reflects it in the output patterns of the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 33.

  The input unit 31 includes six input terminals including an ENABLE terminal, a LATCH terminal, a CLOCK terminal, a SERIAL_IN terminal, a VDD terminal, and a GND terminal. Among these, the VDD terminal is a power supply terminal to which a power supply voltage of 5 V is input from the power supply device 24, and the GND terminal is a ground terminal to which a reference potential (0 V) is input from the ground. In addition, digital signals of “H” (5 V) or “L” (0 V) are input from the sub-control device 21 to the four input terminals of the ENABLE terminal, the LATCH terminal, the CLOCK terminal, and the SERIAL_IN terminal. Among these input terminals, the SERIAL_IN terminal is an input terminal to which a lighting pattern signal is input from the sub-control device 21 in a serial format. On the other hand, the ENABLE terminal, the LATCH terminal, and the CLOCK terminal are input terminals to which a control signal is input from the sub-control device 21, and three control signals of an enable signal, a latch signal, and a clock signal from the sub-control device 21, respectively. Is entered. The enable signal is a signal for switching the output of the output unit 30 between a valid state and an invalid state, and is input to the ENABLE terminal. The latch signal is a signal for reflecting the transmitted lighting pattern signal in the output pattern of the output unit 30, and is input to the LATCH terminal. The clock signal is a signal for synchronizing when the lighting pattern signal is transmitted, and is input to the CLOCK terminal.

  The shift register 32 takes in the lighting pattern signal input to the SERIAL_IN terminal bit by bit according to the clock signal and temporarily stores it. Specifically, the shift register 32 stores the most recent 8 bits of the bit pattern input to the SERIAL_IN terminal in the input order, and stores the stored 8-bit bit pattern in the output terminals Q0 to Q0 of the shift register 32. Q7 is configured to output to the switching circuit 33 in a parallel format.

  The switching circuit 33 is a register composed of eight latch circuits 37. Each latch circuit 37 is configured to receive the outputs of Q0 to Q7 of the shift register 32 and the latch signal. When the latch signal becomes “H”, the shift register 32 stores the signal at that time. The 8-bit bit pattern is fetched and stored in each latch circuit 37 one bit at a time. The 8-bit bit pattern captured and stored by each latch circuit 37 is output to the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 of the output unit 30 and reflected in the output patterns of the output channels OUT0 to OUT7.

  The output channels OUT0 to OUT7 of the output unit 30 are all configured with CMOS totem pole type output terminals. In FIG. 5, the inverting circuit 39 disposed before the output channels OUT1 to OUT7 is a simplified representation of the CMOS circuit 38 before the output channel OUT0, and all the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are the same circuit. It has a configuration. Each of the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 has an output of “L” (0 V) when “ON”, and an output of “H” (5 V) when “OFF”. Each LED 16 disposed on the upper right LED board 14a is connected to a 5V power source on the anode side and connected to each output channel OUT0 to OUT7 on the cathode side, and the connected output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are “ON”. It is configured to be in a lighting state at the time of, and to be turned off when “OFF”. Each output channel OUT <b> 0 to OUT <b> 7 is connected to a separate latch circuit 37 of the switching circuit 33. When the output Q of the connected latch circuit 37 is “H”, the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are “ON”, and the LEDs 16 connected to the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are lit. When the output Q of the connected latch circuit 37 is “L”, the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are “OFF”, and the LEDs 16 connected to the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are turned off. When the enable signal is input to the output unit 30 and the enable signal is “L”, all the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are set to “OFF” regardless of the output Q of the switching circuit 33. It is configured.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a control mode when the sub-control device 21 switches the output pattern of the upper right LED driver 15a.
When the sub-control device 21 switches the output pattern of the upper right LED driver 15a, first, as shown in FIG. 6, 8-bit lighting pattern signals d0 to d7 are transmitted to the upper right LED driver 15a together with the clock signal. On the other hand, the upper right LED driver 15a fetches and stores the transmitted lighting pattern signals d0 to d7 bit by bit in the shift register 32. Then, after transmitting the lighting pattern signals d0 to d7, the sub control device 21 temporarily switches the latch signal to the upper right LED driver 15a to “H”. Thereby, in the upper right LED driver 15a, the lighting pattern signals d0 to d7 are fetched from the shift register 32 to the switching circuit 33, and the lighting / extinguishing patterns of the eight LEDs 16 according to the ON / OFF of the output channels OUT0 to OUT7. However, it reflects the bit pattern of the lighting pattern signals d0 to d7.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the sub-control device 21 transmits the control signal and the lighting pattern signal to the upper right LED driver 15a, thereby converting the 8-bit bit pattern of the lighting pattern signal into the upper right. This is reflected in the ON / OFF pattern of the eight LEDs 16 on the LED substrate 14a. Further, the sub control device 21 transmits signals to the LED drivers 15b to 15d of the other three LED boards 14b to 14d in the same manner as the upper right LED driver 15a, so that each of the LED boards 14b to 14d is transmitted. The lighting / extinguishing pattern of the LED 16 disposed in 14d is controlled.

Below, the structure which concerns on the principal part of this invention is demonstrated.
FIG. 7 shows a circuit related to the control of the LED 16 of the upper right LED board 14a. As described above, the upper right LED board 14a is provided with the upper right LED driver 15a, and the cathode side of the LED 16 provided on the upper right LED board 14a is connected to the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 of the upper right LED driver 15a, respectively. Is done. In addition, the lighting pattern signal and the control signal are input from the sub control device 21 to each input terminal of the upper right LED driver 15a via the relay device 23. The upper right LED board 14 a is supplied with power of 5 V from the power supply device 24 via the relay device 23. This electric power is supplied to the VDD terminal of the upper right LED driver 15 a and the anode side of each LED 16.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the relay device 23 is provided with a power supply switch 26. The power supply switch 26 can be switched between a supply state in which power is supplied from the power supply device 24 to the LED boards 14a to 14d and a supply stop state in which power supply from the power supply device 24 to the LED boards 14a to 14d is stopped. It is. Specifically, the power supply switch 26 includes a power supply line 27 to the upper right LED board 14a, a power supply line 28 to which power of the power supply voltage 5V is supplied from the power supply device 24, and a ground line (earth wire) connected to the ground. 29) is connected. The power supply line 27 is connected to the VDD terminal of the upper right LED driver 15 a and the anode side of the LED 16.

  The power supply switch 26 connects the power supply line 27 to the power supply line 28 in the supply state. In such a supply state, a 5 V power supply voltage is supplied to the VDD terminal of the upper right LED driver 15 a and the anode side of each LED 16 via the power supply line 27, so that the lighting pattern signal output from the sub-control device 21 In response to the control signal, the LED 16 is turned on / off. The power supply switch 26 connects the power supply line 27 to the ground line 29 in a supply stop state. In such a supply stop state, the anode side of each LED 16 becomes the reference potential (0 V), and all the LEDs 16 are turned off. Further, when the input voltage at both the VDD terminal and the GND terminal of the upper right LED driver 15a becomes the reference potential, the switching circuit 33 of the upper right LED driver 15a is initialized, and all the outputs of the output channels OUT0 to OUT7 are “OFF”. It becomes.

  In FIG. 7, only the circuit related to the upper right LED board 14a is shown, but the power supply line 27 to the upper right LED board 14a branches between the relay device 23 and the upper right LED board 14a, and other LEDs It is also a power supply line to the boards 14b, 14c, 14d. For this reason, in the supply state of the power supply switch 26, power is equally supplied from all the four LED boards 14a to 14d from the power supply device 24, and in the supply stop state of the power supply switch 26, the four LED boards 14a to 14d. The power supply is stopped for all 14d. Note that power supply is stopped only in the four LED boards 14a to 14d when the power supply switch 26 is in a supply stop state, and power supply to other control devices and devices is continued.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the power supply switch 26 includes three transistors 36a to 36c. These transistors 36 a to 36 c are configured to be switched on and off according to the output voltage of the SWITCH terminal of the sub-control device 21. Specifically, when the output of the SWITCH terminal is “H” (5 V), the transistor 36 a disposed between the power supply line 27 and the power supply line 28 is turned on, and the power supply line 27 and the ground line 29 are turned on. When the transistor 36c disposed therebetween is turned off, the power supply switch 26 enters a supply state in which the power supply line 27 and the power supply line 28 are connected. On the other hand, when the output of the SWITCH terminal is “L” (0 V), the transistor 36 a disposed between the power supply line 27 and the power supply line 28 is turned OFF, and is disposed between the power supply line 27 and the ground line 29. When the provided transistor 36 c is turned on, the power supply switch 26 enters a supply stop state in which the power supply line 27 and the ground line 29 are connected. As described above, the power supply switch 26 is configured so that the sub-control device 21 can control the supply state and the supply stop state.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the sub-control device 21 includes a SERIAL_OUT terminal, a CLOCK terminal, a LATCH terminal, an ENABLE terminal, and a MONITOR terminal in addition to the SWITCH terminal described above. In FIG. 7, only the terminals related to the control of the upper right effect lamp 12a are shown in the sub-control device 21, and the other terminals are omitted. The SERIAL_OUT terminal is a terminal that outputs a lighting pattern signal to the upper right LED driver 15a. The CLOCK terminal, the LATCH terminal, and the ENABLE terminal are terminals that output control signals to the upper right LED driver 15a. The MONITOR terminal is a terminal for monitoring the state of the power supply switch 26. The MONITOR terminal is connected to the power supply line 27 to the LED boards 14a to 14d. The input voltage of the MONITOR terminal is H (5 V) when the power supply switch 26 is supplied, and L (0 V) when the supply is stopped. It becomes.

  The sub-control device 21 normally controls the power supply switch 26 to the supply state by controlling the output of the SWITCH terminal to “H” (5 V), but when the execution condition described later is satisfied, the SWITCH terminal Is set to “L” (0 V) only for 1 second, the power supply switch 26 is switched to the supply stop state for 1 second, and the supply temporary stop process for returning to the supply state after 1 second is executed. When the supply of power to the LED boards 14a to 14d (LED drivers 15a to 15d and the LED 16) is stopped by the supply pause process, all the LEDs 16 are turned off regardless of the state before the supply pause process is executed. Since the LED boards 14a to 14d are initialized by stopping the power supply, the sub-control device 21 does not output the lighting pattern signal and the control signal to the LED boards 14a to 14d even after the supply pause process is completed. All the LEDs 16 remain off. As described above, when the supply suspension process is executed, all the LEDs 16 are turned off for at least one second.

Hereinafter, the execution control of the supply suspension process will be described.
The sub-control device 21 executes supply temporary stop processing during execution of the all-off effect pattern. The all-off effect pattern is an effect that turns off all the LEDs 16 of the effect lamps 12a to 12d for 3 seconds. Further, in the all-off effect pattern, nothing is displayed on the display screen of the image display 10 and the output of the speaker is stopped during the three-second turn-off period. The sub-control device 21 starts the supply pause process simultaneously with the all-off effect pattern, and ends it one second after the start.

  The all-off effect pattern is an effect pattern that can be executed immediately after the reel 9 is stopped, and is executed only when the supply state of the power supply switch 26 continues for one hour or longer. Specifically, when all the reels 9 are stopped, the sub-control device 21 determines an effect immediately after the reels 9 are stopped, but at this time, when it is determined that the supply state continues for one hour or more. In addition, an all-off effect pattern is determined as an effect immediately after the reel 9 is stopped. That is, the supply suspension process is executed together with the all-off effect pattern immediately after the reel 9 is stopped, on condition that the supply state of the power supply switch 26 continues for one hour or longer.

  The sub-control device 21 includes a supply time timer for measuring the duration of the supply state. The supply time timer is a software timer realized by a sub microcomputer. The sub-control device 21 confirms the input of the MONITOR terminal at regular intervals, and when the input is “H” (5 V), determines that it is in the supply state and updates the supply time timer. Then, when the measurement time of the supply time timer reaches 1 hour, the sub-control device 21 switches the measurement expiration flag indicating that the supply state has continued for 1 hour to ON. Further, the sub-control device 21 resets the measurement time of the supply time timer and turns off the measurement expiration flag when the supply temporary stop process is executed.

  FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing an execution example of the supply temporary stop process. In the execution example of FIG. 8, at the time T0 when the reel 9 is rotating, the measurement time of the supply time timer reaches 1 hour. For this reason, the sub-control device 21 switches the measurement expiration flag from OFF to ON at time T0. At time T0, the power supply switch 26 is in a supply state, the power supply voltage of 5V is supplied to the VDD terminals of the LED drivers 15a to 15d, and the LED 16 connected to the LED drivers 15a to 15d is connected to the sub-control device. It is turned on or off according to the lighting pattern signal from 21.

  In the execution example of FIG. 8, when the measurement expiration flag is turned ON at the time T <b> 0, and then the rotation of the reel 9 is stopped at the time T <b> 1, the sub control device 21 determines the execution of the all-off effect pattern, The execution of the all-off lighting pattern is started. Further, since the execution condition of the supply pause process is satisfied at the time T1, the sub-control device 21 starts the supply pause process simultaneously with the all-off effect pattern at the time T1. Specifically, the sub-control device 21 starts the supply suspension process by switching the output of the SWITCH terminal to “L” (0 V) at time T1. Thereby, at the time of T1, the power supply switch 26 is switched to the supply stop state, the power supply to the LED drivers (VDD terminals) 15a to 15d and each LED 16 is stopped, and all the LEDs 16 are turned off. Further, the sub-control device 21 transmits a command to the image control device 22 and transmits a control signal to the speaker 11 at time T1 in order to execute the all-off effect pattern. The sub-control device 21 does not transmit a lighting pattern signal for turning off the LED 16 when executing the all-off effect pattern. This is because the LED 16 is turned off by switching the power supply switch 26 to the supply stop state. In addition, the sub-control device 21 resets the supply time timer and switches the measurement expiration flag to OFF at the time T1 with the start of the supply suspension process.

  Further, in the execution example of FIG. 8, the sub-control device 21 ends the supply suspension process at time T2 when 1 second has elapsed from T1. That is, the sub-control device 21 switches the output of the SWITCH terminal to “H” (5 V) and returns the power supply switch 26 to the supply state. Thereby, at time T2, the power supply to the LED drivers (VDD terminals) 15a to 15d and each LED 16 is resumed. Then, by restarting the power supply to the LED drivers 15a to 15d and the like, the input of the MONITOR terminal is switched from “L” (0V) to “H” (5V), and the supply time timer indicates the duration of the supply state. Start measurement.

  In the execution example of FIG. 8, the sub-control device 21 ends the execution of the all-off effect pattern at time T3 when 3 seconds have elapsed from T1. That is, the sub-control device 21 controls the image display 10 and the speaker 11 in order to execute the next effect pattern, and transmits a lighting pattern signal and a control signal to the LED drivers 15a to 15d.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, when the measurement time of the supply time timer reaches 1 hour during the game, the sub-control device 21 executes the all-off effect pattern with this as a trigger, and supplies it together with the all-off effect pattern. Perform a pause process. In the present embodiment, as in the existing slot machine, when a state in which no game operation is performed continues for a certain period of time, a so-called demonstration effect is executed. When the measurement time of the supply time timer reaches 1 hour during the execution of the demonstration effect, the sub-control device 21 executes the supply pause process without executing the all-off effect pattern. This is because even if the demonstration effect is interrupted for one second by the supply suspension process, there is little influence on the player.

  FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the sub-control device 21. As shown in FIG. 9, the sub-control device 21 includes an information receiving means 40, an effect control means 41, a temporary stop permission means 42, a supply temporary stop means 43, and a specified supply time detection means 44.

  The information receiving means 40 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 20 via a signal line.

  The effect control means 41 performs effect execution control. The effect control means 41 includes an effect determination means 54, an effect pattern storage means 55, an effect image control means 56, an audio control means 57, and a lamp control means 58. The effect determination means 54 executes the effect content determination lottery, and determines one effect pattern from a number of effect patterns as needed based on the lottery result and the command received from the main control device 20. When the measurement expiration flag is ON, the effect determining unit 54 determines the all-off effect pattern as an effect immediately after the reel 9 is stopped. The effect determining means 54 determines the execution of the demonstration effect when no command is received from the main control device 20 for a certain period. The effect pattern storage means 55 stores the drive modes of the image display 10, the speaker 11, and the effect lamps 12a to 12d for each effect pattern determined by the effect determination means 54. Information defining the driving mode of the image display 10 and the speaker 11 in the all-off effect pattern is also stored by the effect pattern storage means 55.

  The effect image control means 56, the sound control means 57, and the lamp control means 58 are driving modes defined by the effect pattern determined by the effect determination means 54, and the image display 10, the speaker 11, and the effect lamps 12 a to 12 d. Is to control. Specifically, the effect image control means 56 transmits a command to the image control device 22 to display a required image on the image display 10, and the sound control means 57 controls the speaker 11 to To output the sound. The lamp control means 58 outputs a lighting pattern signal and a control signal to the LED drivers 15a to 15d, and turns on / off the LED 16 in a manner indicated by the lighting pattern signal.

  The temporary stop permission means 42 determines whether or not the execution condition of the supply temporary stop process is satisfied, and permits the execution of the supply temporary stop process when the execution condition is satisfied. Specifically, the temporary stop permission means 42 determines whether or not the execution of the all-off effect pattern is determined by the effect determination means 54 when a command indicating the stop of all the reels 9 is received from the main control device 20. If it is determined that execution of the all-off effect pattern is determined, the supply temporary stop process by the supply temporary stop means 43 is permitted. Further, the temporary stop permission unit 42 permits the supply temporary stop unit 43 to execute the supply temporary stop process even when the measurement expiration flag is ON and the demonstration effect is being executed.

  The supply pause unit 43 controls execution of the supply pause process. The supply pause means 43 includes a switch switching means 60 that switches the output of the SWITCH terminal of the sub-control device 21 and a stop time timer 61 that measures the execution time of the supply pause process. The supply temporary stop unit 43 normally controls the output of the SWITCH terminal to “H” by the switch switching unit 60. When the supply suspension process is permitted by the suspension permission means 42, the switch switching means 60 switches the output of the SWITCH terminal from “H” to “L” and starts the stop time timer 61. When the stop time timer 61 reaches 1 second, the switch switching means 60 returns the output of the SWITCH terminal from “L” to “H”, and the execution of the supply pause process is terminated.

  The specified supply time detection means 44 detects that the supply state has continued for one hour or longer. The specified supply time detection unit 44 includes a supply time timer 62. The supply time timer 62 is a timer that measures the duration of the supply state by measuring the elapsed time from the time when the slot machine 1 is turned on or the time when the supply pause process is last executed. The specified supply time detection means 44 switches the measurement expiration flag from OFF to ON when the measurement time of the supply time timer 62 reaches 1 hour, and when the supply suspension process is executed, the measurement expiration flag is changed from ON. Switch to OFF and reset the measurement time of the supply time timer 62.

FIG. 10 shows the control content of the reel stop process executed by the sub control device 21 when all the reels 9 are stopped. Specifically, when the sub control device 21 receives a command indicating the stop of all the reels 9 from the main control device 20, the sub microcomputer of the sub control device 21 executes the reel stop process.
In the reel stop process, first, the sub-microcomputer executes the effect determination lottery (S101), and then determines whether or not the measurement expiration flag is ON (S102). Here, when it is determined that the measurement expiration flag is not ON, the one corresponding to the effect immediately after the reel 9 stops depending on the gaming state, the combination of the stopped symbols on the active line, the result of the effect determination lottery, etc. Is selected (S103), and the process proceeds to step S105. In step S103, an effect pattern other than the all-off effect pattern is selected regardless of the result of the effect determination lottery. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the measurement expiration flag is ON, the all-off effect pattern is selected as an effect immediately after the reel 9 is stopped (S104), and the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the sub microcomputer determines whether or not the all-off effect pattern is selected as the effect immediately after the reel 9 is stopped. If it is determined that the all-off effect pattern is not selected, the reel stop process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the all-off effect pattern has been selected, the stop time timer is started (S106), the output of the SWITCH terminal is switched to "L" (S107), and the supply pause process is started. Then, the measurement expiration flag is changed to OFF (S108), the measurement time of the supply time timer is reset (S109), and the reel stop process is terminated.

  In the reel stop process, steps S101 to S104 are processes related to the effect determining means 54, step S105 is a process related to the temporary stop permission means 42, and steps S106 and S107 are the supply temporary stop means 43. Steps S108 and S109 are processes related to the specified supply time detection means 44.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the supply of power to the LED boards 14a to 14d is stopped for one second by executing the supply temporary stop process. Here, during the supply suspension process, since the VDD terminal (power supply terminal) and the GND terminal (ground terminal) of the LED drivers 15a to 15d are both connected to the ground, a potential difference is generated between the MOSFETs in the LED drivers 15a to 15d. And no current flows regardless of whether it is malfunctioning or not. For this reason, in this embodiment, even if the MOSFETs of the LED drivers 15a to 15d generate heat due to malfunction, the MOSFETs can be temporarily cooled during the supply temporary stop process. As described above, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, even when the MOSFETs of the LED drivers 15a to 15d malfunction, the temperature of the MOSFET is suppressed by cooling the MOSFET every time the supply pause process is performed. Can do. Therefore, the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment has an advantage that even if the discovery of the malfunction of the MOSFETs of the LED drivers 15a to 15d is delayed, it is difficult to cause a large-scale destruction of the driver IC.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the sub-control device 21 detects that the supply state has continued for one hour or more, and executes supply suspension processing triggered by the detection, so that power is supplied to the LED boards 14a to 14d. Can be reliably prevented from continuing for hours. Further, the sub-control device 21 does not execute the supply pause process when the duration of the supply state is less than 1 hour, so the supply pause process is executed in a state where the heat generation amount of the MOSFET is small and the effect is poor. Can also be prevented.

  In addition, some malfunctions of the MOSFET may be restored to normal operation by turning on the power before it is damaged by heat generation. In this embodiment, the LED drivers 15a to 15d Since the power supply is turned on again at approximately one hour intervals, a malfunctioning MOSFET can be returned to normal operation before it becomes unrecoverable. Therefore, the slot machine 1 of the present embodiment has an advantage that the occurrence of failures in the LED drivers 15a to 15d can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, during the game, the supply pause process is executed during the execution of the all-off effect pattern that turns off all the LEDs 16 of the effect lamps 12a to 12d. There is an advantage that is not impaired. In particular, in this embodiment, in order to execute the all-extinguishing effect pattern when the duration of the supply state reaches 1 hour, when the duration of the supply state exceeds 1 hour, the supply suspension process is performed. There is an advantage that it can be executed promptly without impairing the production effect.

  In this embodiment, when the all-off effect pattern is executed, the sub-control device 21 does not transmit the lighting pattern signal to the LED drivers 15a to 15d, and temporarily supplies power to the LED drivers 15a to 15d by the supply pause process. Each LED 16 is extinguished by stopping. Thus, in the present embodiment, since the lighting pattern signal is not transmitted when the all-off effect pattern is executed, the burden of the control processing of the sub control device 21 can be reduced, and the effect pattern stored in the sub control device 21 can be reduced. There is an advantage that the amount of data can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, the VDD terminal is connected to the ground line 29 via the power supply line 27 when the power supply switch 26 is stopped. According to such a configuration, when the supply terminal is switched from the supply state to the supply stop state, compared with the configuration in which the connection between the VDD terminal (power supply line 27) and the power supply line 28 is simply disconnected in the supply stop state, The time required for the input voltage to drop from the power supply voltage (5 V) to the reference potential (0 V) can be shortened. Therefore, such a configuration has an advantage that the execution time of the supply suspension process can be shortened.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration of the first embodiment is partially changed. For this reason, about the structure which is common in Example 1, a common code | symbol is attached | subjected in a sentence and description is abbreviate | omitted. In addition, the profit provision effect pattern which concerns on this invention is corresponded to the effect pattern for CZ about the fake CZ effect, and is corresponded to the special zone precursor effect pattern about the fake special zone effect. The predetermined profit according to the present invention corresponds to the transition to the AT activation state for the fake CZ effect, and corresponds to the transition to the specialization zone for the fake special zone effect.

  In this embodiment, the AT activation state is composed of two game states, a normal AT zone and an additional specialization zone. At the start of the AT activation state, the normal AT zone is controlled, and the normal AT zone is added to the specialized zone at a predetermined timing. The additional special zone continues for 10 games, and returns to the normal AT zone after the completion of 10 games. In the extra special zone, the extra lottery is executed every game. Each time the extra lottery is won, the prescribed medal number related to the end condition of the AT activation state is added, and the execution period of the AT activation state is extended. Such a prescribed medal number is added only in the special zone for addition, and in this respect, the special zone for addition is in a gaming state that is more advantageous than the normal AT zone.

  The opportunity to move from the normal AT zone to the special zone is to win the special zone transfer lottery. The special zone transfer lottery is executed every game in the normal AT zone, and the special zone transfer lottery is won. From the next game, an additional special zone is started. The special zone transfer lottery is executed immediately after the start switch 6 is operated. Then, in the game won in the special zone transition lottery, immediately after the start switch 6 is operated, a special zone precursor effect pattern that suggests the transition to the special zone is executed. A specialized zone transition effect pattern for informing the transition to the zone is executed.

  In the present embodiment, when the transition is made from the CZ state to the normal section, the all-off effect pattern is executed. As in the first embodiment, the CZ state is a gaming state in which a maximum of 10 games are continued. If the AT activation lottery is won during the CZ state, the game will shift to a more advantageous AT activation state. If the AT activation lottery is not won, the game shifts to a more disadvantageous normal section after the end of 10 games. In the CZ state, the effect control means 41 of the sub-control device 21 selectively executes an effect pattern (CZ effect pattern) that suggests a transition to the AT activation state and increases the player's expectation. If the AT activation lottery is never won during the CZ state, the full turn-off effect pattern is executed at the end of the final game (the 10th game), so that the CZ state does not shift to the AT activation state. Inform the player that he will move to the leg.

  Further, in this embodiment, even when shifting from the AT state to the normal section, the all-off effect pattern is executed immediately after the reel 9 is stopped. As in the first embodiment, the AT activation state is a gaming state that continues until the prescribed medal number is paid out to the player, and when the prescribed medal number or more is paid out in the AT activation state, the game shifts to the normal section from the next game. Will be. The effect control means 41 of the sub-control device 21 executes the all-off effect pattern at the end of the game (the final game in the AT activated state) when more than the prescribed medal number is paid out in the AT activated state. The player is informed of the end of the AT activation state and the transition to the normal section.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the effect control means 41 of the sub-control device 21 enters the advantageous gaming state in spite of the state in which it is determined internally that the gaming state does not shift to the advantageous gaming state. An effect pattern that suggests the transition to the player may be executed, and then a series of fake effects may be executed to notify the player that the transition to the advantageous gaming state has not been made by executing the all-off effect pattern. . Such a fake effect includes a fake CZ effect that suggests a transition to an AT gaming state in a normal section, and a fake special zone effect that suggests a transition to an additional special zone in the normal AT zone.

  The fake CZ effect is an effect that executes the same effect pattern as the CZ state in which the transition to the AT activation state can be performed for 10 games in spite of the normal section in which the transition to the AT activation state is not performed. That is, in the fake CZ effect, the effect control means 41 first increases the player's expectation for the transition to the AT activation state by executing the same CZ effect pattern as in the CZ state. During the fake CZ effect, since the AT activation lottery is not performed, the effect control means 41 of the sub-control device 21 displays the all-off effect pattern at the end of the final game (10th game) of the fake CZ effect. By executing, the player is notified that the state has not been changed to the AT activation state. Then, after the end of the fake CZ effect, the effect in the normal normal section is resumed. As described above, since the fake CZ effect is difficult to distinguish from the CZ state, when the fake CZ effect is executed, the player feels as if the player has shifted to the CZ state, and the AT is activated during the execution of the CZ effect pattern. It will temporarily raise the expectation for the transition to the state. When the all-off effect pattern is executed at the end of the fake CZ effect, the player knows that the transition to the AT activation state has not been realized, and is disappointed. In the present embodiment, when the CZ transition lottery is won during the fake CZ effect, the fake CZ effect is ended halfway and the CZ state is started.

  The fake specialized zone effect is an effect of executing the specialized zone precursor effect pattern in the same manner as the game won in the specialized zone transfer lottery even though the game was lost in the specialized zone transfer lottery. Specifically, the production control means 41 determines execution of the fake special zone production according to the result of the production determination lottery when the special zone transition lottery is lost. When executing the fake special zone effect, immediately after the start switch 6 is operated, the special zone precursor effect pattern is executed to increase the player's expectation for the transition to the specialization zone. Let Then, the effect control means 41 notifies the player that the game cannot be added to the specialization zone by executing the all-off effect pattern at the end of the game. For this reason, when the fake special zone effect is executed, the player temporarily increases the expectation for the transition to the specialization zone with the execution of the special zone precursor effect pattern, and then turns off all the lights. You will be discouraged with the performance pattern.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the all-off effect pattern is executed immediately after the reel 9 is stopped in the following cases (a) to (d).
(A) When shifting from the CZ state to the normal section (b) When shifting from the AT activation state to the normal section (c) At the end of the fake CZ effect (except when shifting to the CZ state)
(D) At the end of the fake special zone effect In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, during the game, the supply pause process is executed along with the execution of the all-off effect pattern. . The above (a) and (b) are cases where the game state is shifted to a disadvantageous state at the present time, and (a), (c) and (d) are the improvement of the game state suggested to the player. Is not realized, and in any case, the player is discouraged. The all-off effect pattern is an effect in which all the LEDs 16 of the effect lamps 12a to 12d are turned off, and is relatively unsuitable as an effect to excite the game, but in this embodiment, the player is discouraged in this way. Since the all-off effect pattern is executed as the effect pattern in the case of the event, there is an advantage that the opportunity to execute the all-off effect pattern (supply pause processing) can be provided without causing the player to feel uncomfortable with the effect. There is.

  Also in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the measurement expiration flag is turned ON when the supply state continues for one hour or longer. Here, in the present embodiment, the effect control means 41 does not execute the fake CZ effect when the measurement expiration flag is OFF in the normal section, and when the measurement expiration flag is ON, the next game Thereafter, the fake CZ effect is executed. In addition, when the measurement expiration flag is OFF in the game that has been lost in the special zone transition lottery in the normal AT zone, the effect control means 41 executes the fake precursor effect pattern from the next game onward with a predetermined probability, and the measurement is completed. If the flag is ON, the fake precursor effect pattern is executed from the next game onward with a probability of 100%. As described above, in this embodiment, when the measurement expiration flag is turned ON, the fake effect is easily executed in the normal interval or the normal AT zone. Therefore, when the measurement expiration flag is turned ON, the normal interval or the normal interval is set. In the case of the AT zone, the all-off effect pattern is executed in a relatively short time with the fake effect. The CZ state and the added special zone are game states that end in a short period of time (10 games). When the transition is made from the CZ state to the normal section, the all-off effect pattern is executed. When the added special zone shifts to the normal AT zone, the fake special zone effect is executed in the normal AT zone after the transfer. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the measurement expiration flag is turned ON, the all-off effect pattern is executed in a short time regardless of which gaming state is set.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the supply state continues for one hour or longer, the production control unit 41 can easily execute the fake production, and thus the execution opportunity of the all-off production pattern (supply suspension process) is short. Provided in time. For this reason, in this embodiment, there is an advantage that the supply suspension process can be executed in a relatively short time when the supply state continues for one hour or more. In addition, since execution of the fake effect does not involve a transition of the game state and does not affect the appearance, in this embodiment, when the supply state continues for 1 hour or more, the appearance is affected. In addition, there is an advantage that the supply pause process can be executed in a short time without giving the player a sense of incongruity.

  Note that the gaming machine of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a slot machine, but the present invention is not limited to a slot machine and can be applied to a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine.

  In the above embodiment, the LED 16 controlled by the sub-control device 21 corresponds to the driving object of the present invention, but the driving object according to the present invention may be a motor. Further, the driving object according to the present invention may be an LED or a motor controlled by the main control device 20.

  The driver IC according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the LED drivers 15a to 15d of the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to all driver ICs configured by MOSFETs. For example, the LED drivers 15a to 15d in the above embodiments include a CMOS totem pole type output channel, but the driver IC according to the present invention may include an open drain type output channel. Absent.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the power supply to all LED driver 15a-15d is stopped simultaneously by a supply temporary stop process, the supply temporary stop process concerning this invention supplies the power supply to at least 1 driver IC. Any temporary stop may be used, and a plurality of supply pause processes for stopping power supply to individual driver ICs may be executed at different timings.

  In the above embodiment, the power supply switch 26 is disposed in the relay device 23. However, the power supply switch 26 according to the present invention is arranged in the sub-control device 21, the power supply device 24, the LED boards 14a to 14d, and the like. It is also possible to set up. In the above embodiment, the sub-control device 21 controls the execution of the supply suspension process. However, the supply suspension means, the suspension permission means, and the specified supply time detection means according to the present invention are the relay device 23, You may arrange | position to the power supply device 24 and LED board 14a-14d.

  In the above embodiment, the duration of the supply state is measured by the software timer in the sub-control device 21, but the duration of the supply state may be measured by the hardware timer. In the above embodiment, the sub-control device 21 is configured to determine whether or not it is in a supply state based on the input voltage of the MONITOR terminal and measure the duration of the supply state. Based on the control state of the switch 26 (output state of the SWITCH terminal), it may be determined whether or not the supply state is present, and the duration of the supply state may be measured.

  In the above embodiment, the supply pause process is executed during the execution of the all-off effect pattern. However, the supply pause process according to the present invention may be executed regardless of the contents of the effect.

  In the above embodiment, the VDD terminals of the LED drivers 15a to 15d are connected to the ground line 29 in the supply stop state of the power supply switch 26. However, in the supply stop state, the VDD terminal is connected to the ground line. It is possible to simply disconnect the connection between the VDD terminal and the power supply line 28 without connecting to the terminal 29. However, in this configuration, when the power supply switch 26 is switched to the supply stop state, the voltage of the VDD terminal and the GND terminal of the LED drivers 15a to 15d is delayed compared to the configuration of the above embodiment. It takes a relatively long time for cooling.

  Moreover, in the said Example, in the supply temporary stop process, the power supply to LED board 14a-14d is always stopped for 1 second, However, The stop time of the power supply in a supply temporary stop process may not be a fixed time. . In addition, it is desirable that the power supply stop time in the supply temporary stop process is 0.1 second to 10 seconds. If the power supply is stopped for less than 0.1 seconds, the MOSFETs of the LED drivers 15a to 15d may be insufficiently cooled, and if the power supply is stopped for 10 seconds or more, the effects by the effect lamps 12a to 12d are produced. This is because the effect is greatly impaired.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the regulation time which concerns on this invention is 1 hour, the regulation time which concerns on this invention is not restricted to 1 hour. The specified time according to the present invention is preferably 30 minutes or more. Even if a malfunctioning MOSFET does not generate much heat when power is supplied for 30 minutes, the cooling effect of the MOSFET is small even if the supply pause process is executed at intervals of less than 30 minutes, and the supply pause process produces an effect. This is because the limited demerits are larger. Further, the specified time according to the present invention is preferably less than 3 hours. This is because if the power is continuously supplied to the malfunctioning MOSFET for 3 hours or more, the MOSFET may be damaged by the heat generated by the MOSFET, or the LED drivers 15a to 15d may be greatly damaged.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sub-control device 21 is configured not to transmit the lighting pattern signal to the LED drivers 15a to 15d when the all-off effect pattern is executed. In parallel with the processing, a lighting pattern signal or a control signal for turning off the LED 16 may be transmitted.

  Further, in the above embodiment, it is configured to shift to the AT activation state from the normal section in which the AT activation lottery is not executed, through the CZ state in which the AT activation lottery is executed. You may comprise so that it may transfer to an AT activation state directly from a section. Specifically, a configuration is proposed in which when the AT activation lottery is executed in the normal section and the AT activation lottery is won, a transition is made to the AT activation state after a precursor period of several games. Further, in the case of such a configuration, a fake precursor period may be provided in which the same effect as during the precursor period is performed even though the AT activation lottery is not won.

1 slot machine (game machine)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image display device 11 Speaker 12a-12d Production lamp 14a-14d LED board 15a-15d LED driver (driver IC)
16 LED (object to be driven)
20 Main control device 21 Sub control device (control device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 22 Image control apparatus 23 Relay apparatus 24 Power supply apparatus 26 Power supply switch 41 Effect control means 42 Temporary stop permission means 43 Supply temporary stop means 44 Normal supply time detection means 54 Effect determination means 55 Effect pattern storage means 56 Effect image control means 57 Sound Control means 58 Lamp control means 60 Switch switching means 61 Stop time timer 62 Supply time timer

Claims (7)

A driver IC that drives one or more driving objects;
A control device for controlling the driving mode of the driven object via the driver IC;
In a gaming machine comprising a power supply device for supplying power to the driver IC,
A power supply switch that can be switched between a supply state in which power is supplied from the power supply device to the driver IC and a supply stop state in which power supply from the power supply device to the driver IC is stopped;
Supply temporary stop means for executing supply temporary stop processing for returning to the supply state after the power supply switch is temporarily switched from the supply state to the supply stop state;
Temporary stop permission means for allowing execution of the supply temporary stop process by the supply temporary stop means;
Provided with a specified supply time detection means for detecting that the supply state has continued for a specified time or more,
When the specified supply time detecting means detects that the supply state has continued for the specified time or longer, the temporary stop permitting means performs the supply temporary stop process compared to before the detection by the specified supply time detecting means. A game machine characterized in that it is in a state where it is easy to tolerate. The control device includes a plurality of effect patterns including a driving mode of the driven object, and includes an effect control unit that selectively executes effects with the plurality of effect patterns,
The plurality of performance patterns include a specific performance pattern that stops all the driving objects driven by the driver IC for at least a certain period of time,
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the supply pause unit executes the supply pause process during a period in which all the driving objects stop in the specific effect pattern.   When the specified supply time detecting means detects that the supply state has continued for the specified time or more, the effect control means is configured to display the specific effect pattern as compared to before the detection by the specified supply time detecting means. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein the game machine is in a state where it can be selectively executed. The driving object is a motor or an LED,
The specific effect pattern is an effect pattern that suggests or informs that the suggested profit has not been obtained after executing the effect pattern that suggests the possibility that the expectation of the profit in the game is increased or maintained. 4. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein the gaming machine can be executed by an effect control means. The production control means includes
In a state where it is determined that a predetermined profit is not given to the player, the predetermined profit is given after one or more profit giving effect patterns suggesting the player to give the predetermined profit, and the profit giving effect pattern. A series of fake effects including a lost profit effect pattern that suggests or informs the player that it has not been granted,
The fake effect is configured to be easier to execute than the detection by the specified supply time detecting means when the specified supply time detecting means detects that the supply state has continued for the specified time or longer. And
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the specific effect pattern can be executed as the profit lost effect pattern by the effect control means. The effect control means outputs a driving pattern signal indicating a driving mode of the driving object to the driver IC, and drives the driving object in a driving mode indicated by the driving pattern signal.
When stopping all the driving objects in the specific effect pattern, the supply temporary stopping means temporarily stops the power supply to the driver IC by the supply temporary stopping process. 6. The gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein an object is stopped.   The power supply switch connects a power supply terminal of the driver IC to a power supply line from the power supply device in the supply state, and connects to a ground line in the supply stop state. The gaming machine according to any one of 6.

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