JP6683158B2 - Amusement machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine having a motor control device for controlling a DC motor.

  2. Description of the Related Art A gaming machine such as a spinning-ball gaming machine or a ball-and-ball gaming machine is devised so as to enhance the player's interest and to make an effect that appeals to the player's sight, hearing or sense. In particular, a movable body, for example, a movable accessory or a rotating reel may be provided in the game machine in order to provide a visual appeal to the player. The moving range and moving speed of such a movable body are set in advance according to the effect. Therefore, generally, the amount of rotation per step is determined, and the movable body is driven by a stepping motor that can control the amount of rotation in steps. Then, a higher-order control device (for example, a processor unit for production (hereinafter, simply referred to as a production CPU) or a main control device) corresponds to a moving amount at which the movable body moves to a designated position according to the state of the game. By transmitting a command to rotate the stepping motor by the number of steps to the control circuit of the stepping motor, the stepping motor rotates by the number of steps, and as a result, the movable body moves to the designated position. In particular, a stepping motor is used to drive a rotating reel (also called a drum) of a spinning-game machine, which requires precise control of rotation and stop (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2016-185414, A

  Further, in recent years, in order to increase the interest of the player, it has been considered to increase the rotation speed of the rotating reel. In order to increase the rotation speed of the rotating reel, it is preferable to use a DC motor that can obtain a higher torque than the stepping motor and can be rotated at a higher speed, for driving the rotating reel.

  However, even when the rotating speed of the rotating reel is increased by using the DC motor, the rotating reel is required to be stopped at the designated required time after the stop instruction is given. This is because if the time required to stop as the rotation speed increases, the player feels that the rotating reel is moving slowly, and the player's interest may be diminished.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine having a motor control device capable of stopping a rotating DC motor in a designated required time.

  As one mode of the present invention, a gaming machine main body, a rotating reel rotatably arranged in the gaming machine main body, a DC motor for driving the rotating reel, and detection every time the DC motor rotates by a predetermined rotation angle. A gaming machine having a rotation angle sensor that outputs a signal and a motor control device that controls a DC motor is provided. In this gaming machine, the motor control device generates a drive signal according to the rotation torque generated by the DC motor, and a drive signal generation unit that outputs the drive signal, and a sensor interface unit that receives a detection signal from the rotation angle sensor. , A speed measurement unit that measures the rotation speed of the DC motor based on the received detection signal, and a drive signal brake for stopping the DC motor within the required stop time based on the specified required stop time and rotation speed It has a brake value calculation unit that calculates a value, and a stop unit that causes the drive signal generation unit to output a drive signal having the brake value over the required stop time.

  This motor control device calculates a braking rotation amount of the DC motor from a state in which the DC motor is rotating at the rotation speed to a stop, based on the measured rotation speed and the brake value of the DC motor. Based on the amount calculation unit, the stop position where the rotating reel stops, the current position of the rotating reel, and the braking rotation amount, the DC motor is started from the current position of the rotating reel until the output of the drive signal having the brake value is started. It is preferable to further include a brake start position determination unit that calculates the amount of idling rotation of the vehicle. In this case, it is preferable that the stop unit causes the drive signal generation unit to start the output of the drive signal having the brake value when the rotation amount of the DC motor from the current position of the rotating reel reaches the idling rotation amount. .

  Further, in this gaming machine, the brake start position determination unit of the motor control device determines the position of the rotary reel when the DC motor rotates by the braking rotation amount from the current position of the rotary reel among the plurality of candidates for the stop position of the rotary reel. It is preferable that the candidate closest to is set as the stop position.

  Furthermore, this gaming machine further has a host controller that generates a control command including a required stop time according to the state of the game, and the motor controller has a communication unit that receives the control command from the host controller. It is preferable.

  The gaming machine according to the present invention has an effect that the rotating DC motor can be stopped in a designated required time.

It is a schematic structure figure of a motor control device carried in a game machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram of a motor drive circuit. It is a figure which shows an example of the table showing the relationship between the drive signal applied to each switch of a motor drive circuit, and the rotation direction of a DC motor. It is a figure which shows an example of the format of a control command. It is a functional block diagram of a control circuit. It is a figure which shows an example of the stop position of the rotating reel which is an example of the movable body driven by a DC motor, and the relationship between braking rotation amount and brake start timing. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of the relationship between the time change of the position of the movable body and the time change of the rotation speed and drive signal of the DC motor. It is an operation | movement flowchart of a motor control process. It is a schematic perspective view of a spinning cylinder game machine provided with a motor control device according to an embodiment or a modification of the present invention. It is a schematic internal block diagram of the spinning drum game machine provided with the motor control device which concerns on embodiment or modification of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a motor control device mounted on a gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This motor control device is mounted on, for example, a spinning drum gaming machine, and controls a DC motor that drives a rotating reel that is an example of a movable body that the spinning drum gaming machine has. When the motor control device receives a control command for stopping the DC motor from the host control device, the motor control device stops the rotating DC motor for a specified required time.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a motor control device mounted on a gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the motor control device 1 includes a communication circuit 11, a register 12, a control circuit 13, a drive signal generation circuit 14, and a sensor interface circuit 15.
Each of these parts included in the motor control device 1 may be mounted as a separate circuit on a circuit board (not shown), or may be mounted as an integrated circuit in which these parts are integrated on the circuit board. May be.

  The motor control device 1 controls the DC motor 2 according to the control command received from the host control device. Specifically, the motor control device 1 rotates the DC motor 2 at the target rotation speed designated by the control command. In this embodiment, the motor control device 1 supplies the DC motor 2 with a drive signal that is generated by a pulse width modulation (PWM) method and that switches ON / OFF of the power supply to the DC motor 2. The output of the DC motor 2 controls the rotation speed of the DC motor 2. That is, the drive signal has a value (duty ratio in this embodiment) according to the magnitude of the rotating torque generated by the DC motor 2. As the duty ratio of the drive signal increases, the electric power supplied to the DC motor 2 also increases, and the rotational torque generated by the DC motor 2 also increases. As a result, the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 also increases. Then, the motor control device 1 receives a detection signal from the rotary encoder 4 each time the rotation shaft (not shown) of the DC motor 2 rotates by a predetermined angle, and detects the detection signal indicating that the DC motor 2 has rotated by the predetermined angle. The rotation speed of the DC motor 2 is calculated based on the signal. Then, when the motor control device 1 receives the control command for stopping the DC motor 2, a drive signal for stopping the DC motor 2 for a designated required time based on the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 at that time and the like. The brake value which is the value of, the brake start position at which the DC motor 2 starts to be braked, and the like are calculated, and the DC motor 2 is stopped according to the brake value and the brake start position.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the motor drive circuit 3. The motor drive circuit 3 has four switches TR1 to TR4. Note that each switch can be, for example, a transistor or a field effect transistor. Of these, two switches TR1 and TR3 are connected in series between the power supply and the ground. Similarly, two switches TR2 and TR4 are connected in series between the power supply and ground. The positive terminal of the DC motor 2 is connected between the switches TR1 and TR3, while the negative terminal of the DC motor 2 is connected between the switches TR2 and TR4. The switch terminals of the switches TR1 to TR4 (for example, if the switches TR1 to TR4 are transistors, they correspond to the base terminals, and if the switches TR1 to TR4 are field effect transistors, they correspond to the gate terminals). It is connected to the signal generation circuit 14. Then, the drive signal from the drive signal generation circuit 14 is input to the switch terminals of the switches TR1 to TR4.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table showing the relationship between the drive signal applied to each switch and the rotation direction of the DC motor 2.
As shown in the table 300, when the DC motor 2 is rotated in the normal direction, the pulse width corresponding to the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 set according to the PWM method is set in the switch terminal of the switch TR1 and the switch terminal of the switch TR4. A drive signal having a periodic pulse is applied. On the other hand, the drive signal is not applied to the switch terminal of the switch TR2 and the switch terminal of the switch TR3. As a result, the power supply voltage is applied to the positive terminal of the DC motor 2 only while the pulses are being applied to the switches TR1 and TR4, so that the DC motor 2 operates at a speed corresponding to the pulse width. Rotate forward.
When the DC motor 2 is normally rotated, a drive signal may be applied to either one of the switches TR1 and TR4 and the other may be always on.

On the other hand, when the DC motor 2 is rotated in the reverse direction, a drive signal having a periodic pulse according to the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 set according to the PWM method is applied to the switch terminal of the switch TR2 and the switch terminal of the switch TR3. To be done. On the other hand, the drive signal is not applied to the switch terminal of the switch TR1 and the switch terminal of the switch TR4. As a result, since the power supply voltage is applied to the negative terminal of the DC motor 2 only while the pulses are being applied to the switches TR2 and TR3, the DC motor 2 operates at a speed corresponding to the pulse width. Reverse.
When the DC motor 2 is rotated in the reverse direction, a drive signal may be applied to one of the switches TR2 and TR3 and the other may be always on.

  In the present embodiment, when braking the DC motor 2 while the DC motor 2 is rotating normally, the drive signal generation circuit 14 outputs a drive signal for rotating the DC motor 2 to the motor drive circuit 3. . Conversely, when the DC motor 2 is braked when the DC motor 2 is rotating in the reverse direction, the drive signal generation circuit 14 outputs a drive signal for rotating the DC motor 2 in the normal direction to the motor drive circuit 3.

  When the DC motor 2 is kept stationary, the switch terminal of the switch TR3 and the switch terminal of the switch TR4 are turned on, and the switch terminal of the switch TR1 and the switch terminal of the switch TR2 are turned off.

  Furthermore, when the DC motor 2 is not driven, the switch terminal of each switch is turned off.

  The rotary encoder 4 is an example of a rotation angle sensor, and can be, for example, an optical rotary encoder. The rotary encoder 4 is arranged, for example, so as to face a disc having a plurality of slits attached to the rotation shaft of the DC motor 2 along the circumferential direction with the rotation shaft as the center, and sandwiching the disc. And a light receiving element. Each time any slit is positioned between the light source and the light receiving element, the light from the light source reaches the light receiving element, whereby the rotary encoder 4 outputs a pulsed detection signal. As a result, the rotary encoder 4 outputs a detection signal each time the DC motor 2 rotates by a predetermined sampling angle. For example, by providing 50 slits on the disk along the circumferential direction centering on the rotation axis of the DC motor 2, the rotary encoder 4 has 50 slits during one rotation of the rotation axis of the DC motor 2. The detection signal of is output.

  Hereinafter, each part of the motor control device 1 will be described.

The communication circuit 11 connects the motor control device 1 to a host control device, for example. The host controller is, for example, a main control circuit or a performance CPU of a gaming machine in which the motor controller 1 is mounted. Then, the communication circuit 11 receives a control command having a plurality of bits that is serially transmitted from the host controller. Note that the communication circuit 11 may also receive a clock signal for synchronizing with each of a plurality of bits included in the control command from the higher-level control device in order to analyze the control command.
The control command is, for example, an operation of the DC motor 2 such as an instruction to start or stop the rotation of the DC motor 2, a target rotation speed of the DC motor 2, or a time required for the DC motor 2 to stop after being rotated. It includes operation information for identifying the. Note that, hereinafter, for convenience, in the state in which the DC motor 2 is rotating, the time required from when the DC motor 2 is braked until it is stopped is simply referred to as the stop required time.
The clock signal can be, for example, a signal having a rectangular pulse for each predetermined number of bits in the control command.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the format of the control command. As shown in FIG. 4, the control command 400 including operation information has a START flag 401, a device address 402, a rotation stop flag 403, control data 404, and an END flag 405 in order from the beginning. Further, the control command 400 may include a 1-bit spacer having a value of, for example, “0” between adjacent flags, addresses and data.

The START flag 401 is a bit string representing the beginning of the control command 400, and in the present embodiment, it is a bit string in which nine bits having a value of “1” are consecutive. The START flag 401 may be any bit string that does not match any other bit string in the control command 400.
The device address 402 is identification information for specifying the motor control device to be controlled by the control command 400, and is represented by a bit string having an 8-bit length in this embodiment. The device address 402 is determined by the communication circuit 11 as to whether or not it matches an identification address that is separately received from the host control device.

  The rotation stop flag 403 is a 1-bit flag indicating whether the DC motor 2 is rotated or stopped. In this embodiment, if the rotation stop flag 403 is “0”, the control command instructs the DC motor 2 to rotate regardless of the current state of the DC motor 2, and the rotation stop flag 403 is “1”. If so, the control command instructs to stop the DC motor 2.

  The control data 404 includes operation information of the DC motor 2 controlled by the motor control device 1. For example, when the rotation stop flag has a value instructing to rotate the DC motor 2, the control data 404 includes a rotation direction flag indicating the rotation direction of the DC motor 2 and speed data indicating the target rotation speed of the DC motor 2. Including and On the other hand, when the rotation stop flag has a value instructing to stop DC motor 2, control data 404 includes stop required time data indicating a stop required time.

  The rotation direction flag is, for example, a 1-bit flag. If the rotation direction flag is “0”, the motor control device 1 rotates the DC motor 2 in the normal direction, while the rotation direction flag is “1”. For example, the motor control device 1 reversely rotates the DC motor 2.

  The speed data is, for example, a bit string having a 4-bit length, and has any value of “0” to “15”. The value of the speed data and the target rotation speed have a one-to-one correspondence, and the motor control device 1 refers to, for example, a reference table showing the correspondence between the value of the speed data and the rotation speed, The target rotation speed corresponding to the value is determined. Then, the motor control device 1 rotates the DC motor 2 at the target rotation speed. For example, the larger the value of the speed data, the faster the target rotation speed.

  The stop required time data is, for example, a bit string having a 4-bit length, and has any value of “0” to “15”. The value of the required stop time data and the required stop time have a one-to-one correspondence, and the motor control device 1 refers to, for example, a reference table showing the correspondence relationship between the value of the required stop time data and the actual required stop time. By doing so, the required stop time corresponding to the value of the required stop time data is determined. Then, the motor control device 1 stops the DC motor 2 within the required stop time. For example, the larger the value of the required stop time data, the longer the required stop time. Therefore, the host controller can adjust the required stop time by changing the value of the required stop time data of the control command.

  The END flag 405 is a bit string indicating the end of the control command 400. The END flag 405 may be a bit string that does not match the START flag and other bit strings included in the control command.

  The required stop time may be notified to the motor controller 1 in advance, separately from the control command for stopping the DC motor 2. For example, the stop command time may be included in the control command including various kinds of setting information, which is notified from the host controller to the motor controller 1. In this case, the host controller does not have to notify the required stop time each time the DC motor 2 is stopped, so the control of the motor controller 1 and the DC motor 2 is simplified. Alternatively, the required stop time may be stored in advance in the register 12 of the motor control device 1.

  Further, when the control command stored in the register 12 is executed for the DC motor 2 controlled by the motor control device 1, the communication circuit 11 outputs an instruction completion signal indicating that the control set is executed. It may be output to the host controller. The instruction completion signal can be, for example, a single pulse signal.

The register 12 stores the control data written by the communication circuit 11 and included in the control command for the DC motor 2, and various kinds of information necessary for rotating or stopping the DC motor 2. Therefore, the register 12 has, for example, a volatile readable / writable memory circuit and a nonvolatile read-only memory circuit.
The register 12 may erase the control data when the control data included in the control command is read by the control circuit 13.

  The control circuit 13 has, for example, a processor and a non-volatile memory circuit. Then, the control circuit 13 refers to the control data read from the register 12 to determine the rotation direction of the DC motor 2. Further, the control circuit 13 determines the duty ratio of the drive signal based on the control data and the detection signal from the rotary encoder 4. Then, the control circuit 13 notifies the drive signal generation circuit 14 of the rotation direction and the duty ratio.

  In order to determine the duty ratio of the drive signal, the control circuit 13 refers to a speed table, which is stored in advance in the memory circuit and shows the correspondence between the value of the speed data and the duty ratio, The corresponding duty ratio is the duty ratio corresponding to the target rotation speed.

  Further, when the motor control device 1 receives the control command for stopping the DC motor 2, the control circuit 13 stops the DC motor 2 within the designated stop required time. The details of the process for stopping the DC motor 2 will be described later.

  The drive signal generation circuit 14 includes, for example, a variable pulse generation circuit capable of changing the width of a pulse to be output, and a periodic pulse signal, which is a drive signal, generated by the variable pulse generation circuit in any of the motor drive circuits 3. And a switch circuit for switching whether to output to the switch. Then, the drive signal generation circuit 14 generates a drive signal for driving the DC motor 2 according to the PWM method according to the duty ratio notified from the control circuit 13, and outputs the drive signal to any switch of the motor drive circuit 3. Output. The length of one cycle of the drive signal is, for example, 50 μsec. For example, when the rotation direction notified from the control circuit 13 is forward rotation, the drive signal generation circuit 14 outputs a periodic pulse signal to the switches TR1 and TR4 of the motor drive circuit 3. On the other hand, when the rotation direction notified from the control circuit 13 is reverse rotation, the drive signal generation circuit 14 outputs a periodic pulse signal to the switches TR2 and TR3 of the motor drive circuit 3.

  The sensor interface circuit 15 has an interface circuit that receives a detection signal from the rotary encoder 4. Then, the sensor interface circuit 15 outputs the detection signal to the control circuit 13 each time the detection signal is received.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the control circuit 13 regarding the stop processing of the DC motor 2. The control circuit 13 includes a speed measurement unit 21, a duty ratio calculation unit 22, a rotation amount calculation unit 23, a brake start position determination unit 24, and a brake start determination unit 25. Each of these units included in the control circuit 13 is mounted in the control circuit 13 as an individual arithmetic circuit, for example. Alternatively, each of these units included in the control circuit 13 may be a functional module according to a program executed on the control circuit.

The speed measurement unit 21 measures the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 at the start of the stop processing (hereinafter, referred to as a brake start speed) based on the detection signal from the rotary encoder 4. For example, when the stop processing is started, the speed measurement unit 21 counts the number of detection signals received during a certain period, and the rotation amount obtained by multiplying the number of detection signals by the sampling angle of the rotary encoder 4. Is divided by the fixed period to calculate the brake start speed.
The speed measurement unit 21 stores the calculated brake start speed in the register 12.

ここで、Ktは、直流モータ２及び直流モータ２により駆動される可動体（例えば、回転リール）のトルク定数であり、Keは、直流モータ２の逆起電力定数である。Rmは、直流モータ２の巻線抵抗であり、Vmは、直流モータ２に印加される駆動電圧である。Kt、Ke、Rm、Vmのそれぞれの値は、予めレジスタ１２に記憶される。また、Tltは、摩擦トルクであり、dθveは、直流モータ２にブレーキをかけ続けたときの逆転到達速度である。摩擦トルクTltは、例えば、モータ制御装置１が初期化動作を実行する際に、次式に従って算出され、レジスタ１２に記憶される。

ここで、dθeは、初期化動作の際に一定のデューティ比で直流モータ２を駆動した場合において最終的に到達し、一定となる回転速度（最終速度）であり、初期化動作の際に、速度計測部２１により測定される。 The duty ratio calculation unit 22 is an example of a brake value calculation unit, and calculates the duty ratio of the drive signal when the DC motor 2 is braked, based on the required stop time and the brake start speed. This duty ratio corresponds to an example of the brake value, and the higher the duty ratio, the more quickly DC motor 2 can be stopped. Hereinafter, the duty ratio when the brake is applied, which is calculated by the duty ratio calculation unit 22, is called a brake value.
In the present embodiment, the duty ratio calculation unit 22 calculates the brake value Vpwm [%] according to the following equation.

Here, Kt is a torque constant of the DC motor 2 and a movable body (for example, a rotating reel) driven by the DC motor 2, and Ke is a back electromotive force constant of the DC motor 2. Rm is a winding resistance of the DC motor 2, and Vm is a drive voltage applied to the DC motor 2. The respective values of Kt, Ke, Rm and Vm are stored in the register 12 in advance. Further, Tlt is a friction torque, and dθve is a reverse rotation reaching speed when the DC motor 2 is continuously braked. The friction torque Tlt is calculated according to the following equation and stored in the register 12 when the motor control device 1 executes the initialization operation, for example.

Here, dθe is a rotation speed (final speed) that finally reaches and becomes constant when the DC motor 2 is driven at a constant duty ratio during the initialization operation, and during the initialization operation, It is measured by the speed measuring unit 21.

ここでdθbsは、ブレーキ開始速度である。またtdnは、停止所要時間である。そしてτは、時定数である。τは、初期化動作において最終到達速度dθeを計測する際に、直流モータ２が静止した状態から最終到達速度dθeの63%の回転速度に達するまでに要する時間として、初期化動作の際に測定され、レジスタ１２に記憶される。 Further, the duty ratio calculation unit 22 calculates the reverse rotation reaching speed dθve according to the following equation.

Here, dθbs is the brake start speed. Also, tdn is the required stop time. And τ is a time constant. τ is the time required to reach the rotation speed of 63% of the final arrival speed dθe from the stationary state of the DC motor 2 when measuring the final arrival speed dθe in the initialization operation, and is measured during the initialization operation. Stored in the register 12.

  The duty ratio calculation unit 22 notifies the calculated brake value Vpwm to the rotation amount calculation unit 23, and also notifies the brake start determination unit 25 via the rotation amount calculation unit 23 and the brake start position determination unit 24.

回転量算出部２３は、制動回転量θdnをブレーキ開始位置決定部２４へ通知する。 Based on the calculated brake value Vpwm, the rotation amount calculation unit 23 determines the total amount of rotation angle of the DC motor 2 during the period from when the DC motor 2 starts to be braked until when the DC motor 2 stops (hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, The amount of rotation) is calculated. In this embodiment, the rotation amount calculation unit 23 calculates the braking rotation amount θdn according to the following equation.

The rotation amount calculation unit 23 notifies the braking rotation amount θdn to the brake start position determination unit 24.

  The brake start position determination unit 24 determines the brake start timing, which is the timing to start braking the DC motor 2, based on the braking rotation amount θdn and the current position and stop position of the movable body driven by the DC motor 2.

  For example, it is assumed that the movable body driven by the DC motor 2 is a rotating reel, the surface of the rotating reel is divided into a plurality of partial regions along the rotation direction, and one symbol is represented for each partial region. In such a case, it is required that any of the plurality of symbols displayed on the rotating reel stop at a predetermined position. Therefore, the brake start position is set so that the rotating reel stops in such a manner.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the stop position of the rotating reel, which is an example of a movable body driven by the DC motor 2, and the braking rotation amount θdn and the brake start position. In this example, a plurality of symbols 611 are represented on each of the three rotating reels 601 to 603 along the rotation direction thereof. Each rotating reel rotates on the same rotating shaft. In addition, in FIG. 6, it is assumed that each rotating reel rotates so that the symbol 611 moves from top to bottom.

  When each rotating reel is stopped, each rotating reel is driven so that one of the symbols is stopped at a stop position 612 common to each rotating reel. Therefore, for example, in order for the symbol 611a of the rightmost rotary reel 603 to stop at the stop position 612, a position (brake start position) preceding the stop position 612 by a rotation amount corresponding to the braking rotation amount θdn indicated by the arrow 613 is set. It suffices to start braking at the timing when the pattern 611a reaches 614. However, as shown in FIG. 6, when the current position of the symbol 611a is located before the brake start position 614, the rotation reel 603 rotates the current rotation until the symbol 611a reaches the brake start position 614. It is required to rotate while maintaining the speed (hereinafter, to rotate while maintaining the current rotational speed before starting the braking is referred to as idling). For example, in FIG. 6, the rotary reel 603 is required to idle by the rotation amount indicated by the arrow 615.

  Therefore, the brake start position determination unit 24 calculates the difference between the current positions from the stop position of the movable body driven by the DC motor 2, and determines the position obtained by subtracting the braking rotation amount from the difference as the brake start position.

  The current position of the movable body can also be determined by adding the total rotation amount from the start of rotation of the DC motor 2 to the present time to the initial position of the movable body, for example. Alternatively, when the movable body reaches a predetermined position, it is detected by a proximity sensor (not shown) or an optical sensor that detects light reflected by a mirror provided on the movable body, and the movable body detects the predetermined position. It is determined by the total rotation amount of the DC motor 2 from the time when the position is reached (for example, when the movable body is a rotating reel, the specific symbol appearing on the rotating reel reaches a predetermined position) to the present time. The total rotation amount is calculated by the total number of detection signals received from the rotary encoder 4 after the reference start timing (in the above example, the rotation start timing of the DC motor 2 or the timing when the movable body reaches a predetermined position). To be done.

  Further, when the movable body is a rotating reel in which a plurality of symbols are represented along the rotation direction as shown in FIG. 6, the stop position is set according to the width of the symbol in the rotation direction. That is, when any one of the symbols is located at the stop position 612, it is a candidate for the stop position. For example, when the surface of the rotating reel is equally divided into 12 areas along the rotation direction of the rotating reel, and one pattern is shown in each area, the rotation amount (rotation angle) is 30 ° , There are candidates for the stop position. Therefore, the brake start position determination unit 24 may set the candidate of the stop position closest to the position where the braking rotation amount is added to the current position of the movable body as the actual stop position. However, it is preferable that the actual stop position is set such that the rotation amount from the current position of the movable body to the actual stop position is larger than the braking rotation amount. In addition, the brake start position determination unit 24, in order to secure a margin for the time required for the calculation during the stop processing, next to the candidate of the stop position closest to the position where the braking rotation amount is added to the current position of the movable body, Alternatively, the next stop position candidate may be set as the actual stop position.

  The brake start position determination unit 24 notifies the brake start determination unit 25 of the idling rotation amount that is the rotation amount from the current position of the movable body to the brake start position.

  The brake start determination unit 25 is an example of a stop unit, and determines the rotation amount of the DC motor 2 from the current position of the movable body by the number of detection signals received from the rotary encoder 4, and the rotation amount is the idling rotation amount. Compare with. Then, when the rotation amount reaches the idling rotation amount, the brake start determination unit 25 causes the drive signal generation circuit 14 to rotate in the direction opposite to the current rotation direction and to generate a duty corresponding to the calculated brake value Vpwm. The output of the drive signal having the ratio is started. Then, the brake start determination unit 25 stops the DC motor 2 and the movable body driven by the DC motor 2 by causing the drive signal generation circuit 14 to continue to output the drive signal for the designated stop required time.

  It should be noted that when the specified stop required time elapses and the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 becomes zero, the control circuit 13 causes the drive signal generation circuit 14 to output a drive signal for maintaining the DC motor 2 in a stationary state. Good.

  FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an example of the relationship between the time change of the position of the movable body and the time change of the rotation speed and drive signal of the DC motor 2. In the top chart of FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents the position of the movable body, and in the second and bottom charts from the top of FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time. The polygonal line 701 represents the time change of the rotation speed of the DC motor 2, and the polygonal line 702 represents the time change of the duty ratio of the drive signal output from the drive signal generation circuit 14.

  From the current position of the movable body and the corresponding time t1 to the brake start position and the corresponding time t2, as shown by the polygonal line 701, the DC motor 2 rotates at a constant rotation speed before the start of the brake (brake start speed). To continue. Further, from time t1 to time t2, as indicated by a polygonal line 702, a drive signal having a duty ratio corresponding to the rotation speed is output.

  After time t2 when the movable body reaches the brake start position, a drive signal that has a duty ratio corresponding to the calculated brake value and that rotates in the reverse direction is output. Therefore, after the time t2, the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 decreases, and the rotation speed of the DC motor 2 becomes zero at the time t3 when the designated required stop time has elapsed from the time t2.

  FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of the stop processing executed by the motor control device 1. This stop processing is executed every time the motor control device 1 receives a control command from the host control device to stop the rotation of the DC motor 2.

  The speed measuring unit 21 measures the brake start speed based on the detection signal from the rotary encoder 4 (step S101). In addition, the duty ratio calculation unit 22 calculates the brake value Vpwm based on the specified required stop time and the brake start speed (step S102). Then, the rotation amount calculation unit 23 calculates the braking rotation amount dθn based on the calculated brake value Vpwm (step S103).

  The brake start position determination unit 24 sets, as the stop position, the candidate closest to the position obtained by rotating the DC motor 2 from the current position by the braking rotation amount dθn from the plurality of stop position candidates (step S104). Then, the brake start position determination unit 24 calculates the brake start position by subtracting the braking rotation amount dθn from the remaining rotation amount obtained by subtracting the current position from the stop position, and the idling from the current position to the brake start position. The rotation amount is calculated (step S105).

  The brake start determination unit 25 determines whether or not the rotation amount of the DC motor 2 from the current position has reached the idling rotation amount (step S106). If the rotation amount does not reach the idling rotation amount (step S106-No), the brake start determination unit 25 updates the rotation amount based on the detection signal received from the rotary encoder 4 (step S107). Then, the brake start determination unit 25 repeats the processing from step S106.

  On the other hand, if the rotation amount reaches the idling rotation amount (step S106-Yes), the brake start determination unit 25 causes the drive signal generation circuit 14 to notify the drive signal generation circuit 14 of the DC motor 2 until then. A drive signal having a duty ratio opposite to the rotation direction and having a duty ratio corresponding to the brake value Vpwm is output to the motor drive circuit 3 that drives the DC motor 2 (step S108). Then, the control circuit 13 ends the stop processing.

  As described above, this motor control device calculates the brake value for stopping the DC motor in the designated stop required time according to the rotation speed of the DC motor. Therefore, this motor control device can stop the DC motor from the rotating state in the designated required stop time. Therefore, this motor control device can stop the movable body driven by the DC motor within the required stop time regardless of the rotation speed of the DC motor. As a result, this motor control device increases the time required for the DC motor and the movable body to stop, thereby suppressing the player from feeling that the movable body operates slowly.

  According to the modification, when the stop position of the movable body driven by the DC motor is not limited, the brake start determination unit 25 causes the drive signal generation circuit 14 to determine the brake value when the brake value is calculated. The output of the drive signal having the duty ratio corresponding to may be immediately started. In this case, the rotation amount calculation unit 23 and the brake start position determination unit 24 may be omitted.

  According to another modification, the motor drive circuit 3 may be a circuit of a system that drives the DC motor 2 by pulse height modulation. In this case, the control circuit 13 specifies the pulse height to the drive signal generation circuit 14 so that the voltage having the pulse height corresponding to the target rotation speed or the brake value is applied to the DC motor 2. A drive signal may be generated.

The motor control device according to the above-described embodiment or modification may be mounted on a game machine such as a ball game machine or a spinning drum game machine.
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a spinning-roller gaming machine 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, which includes the motor control device according to the above-described embodiment or modification. Further, FIG. 10 is a schematic internal configuration diagram of the spinning-roller gaming machine 100. As shown in FIG. 9, the spinning-reel gaming machine 100 has a main body housing 101 which is a gaming machine main body, a drum unit 102, a start lever 103, and stop buttons 104a to 104c.

  Further, the spinning-roller gaming machine 100 has a main body housing 101 in which a control circuit 110 for controlling each unit of the spinning-roller gaming machine 100 and three rotating reels 102a to 102c included in the drum unit 102 are driven. It has motor control devices 111-1 to 111-3. The motor control devices 111-1 to 111-3 can be the motor control devices according to the above-described embodiments or modifications. Further, the spinning-roller gaming machine 100 temporarily stores medals and discharges medals according to control signals from a power supply circuit (not shown) and a control circuit for supplying electric power to each unit of the spinning-roller gaming machine 100. It has a medal storage and ejection mechanism (not shown).

  An opening 105a is formed in the upper center of the front surface of the main body casing 101, and a part of the drum unit 102 can be visually recognized through the opening 105a. A medal insertion slot 105c for inserting medals is formed on the upper surface of the frame 105b below the opening 105a.

  The drum unit 102 has three rotating reels 102a to 102c. Each of the rotating reels 102a to 102c is separately rotatable about a rotation axis (not shown) that is substantially parallel and substantially horizontal to the front surface of the main body housing 101. The surfaces of the rotating reels 102a to 102c are each divided into a plurality of regions having substantially the same width along the rotation direction, and various patterns are drawn for each region, and a part of these patterns is the opening 105a. It is visible to the player via. Further, the rotary reels 102a to 102c respectively have a built-in DC motor (not shown) and a motor drive circuit (not shown), and provide drive signals output from the corresponding motor control devices 111-1 to 111-3. As the DC motor rotates accordingly, the rotating reel also rotates.

  The start lever 103 is provided on the left side of the front surface of the frame 105b of the main body casing 101. In addition, stop buttons 104a to 104c are provided substantially in the center of the front surface of the frame 122. The stop buttons 104a to 104c correspond to the rotary reels 102a to 102c, respectively.

  A medal discharge port 105d for discharging medals is formed in the lower portion of the front surface of the main body casing 101. A medal tray 105e for preventing the ejected medals from falling is attached below the medal ejection port 105d.

  When the start lever 103 is operated after the medal has been inserted into the medal insertion slot 105c, a signal indicating that the start lever 103 has been operated is transmitted to the control circuit 110. Then, the control circuit 110 transmits a control command for rotating the corresponding DC motor to the motor control devices 111-1 to 111-3. Then, the motor control devices 111-1 to 111-3 start the rotation of the rotating reels 102a to 102c.

  After that, when any of the stop buttons 104a to 104c provided in the center of the front surface of the frame 105b of the main body casing 101 is pressed, the control circuit 110 outputs a signal indicating that the button has been pressed. Upon reception, the rotation of the rotary reel corresponding to the pressed button is stopped. Alternatively, the control circuit 110 stops, among the rotating reels 102a to 102c, the rotating reel whose corresponding stop button has not been pressed by the time a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of rotation, after the predetermined period has elapsed. At that time, the control circuit 110 transmits a control command for stopping the DC motor driving the rotating reel to the motor controlling device corresponding to the rotating reel for stopping the rotation among the motor controlling devices 111-1 to 111-3. To do. Then, the motor control device which has received the control command stops the corresponding DC motor at the required stop time designated by the control command, and accordingly stops one of the symbols on the rotary reel at a predetermined stop position. .

  Then, when all the rotating reels are stopped, if the same symbols are arranged in a line over all the rotating reels, the control circuit 110 ejects a predetermined number of medals corresponding to the symbols through the medal ejection port 105d.

  Thus, those skilled in the art can make various modifications according to the embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

1 Motor control device 2 DC motor 3 Motor drive circuit 4 Rotary encoder 11 Communication circuit 12 Register 13 Control circuit 14 Drive signal generation circuit 15 Sensor interface circuit 21 Speed measurement unit 22 Duty ratio calculation unit 23 Rotation amount calculation unit 24 Brake start position determination Part 25 Brake start determination unit 100 Spindle game machine 101 Main body casing 102 Drum unit 102a to 102c Rotating reel 103 Start lever 104a to 104c Stop button 110 Control circuit 111-1 to 111-3 Motor control device

Claims (3)

Gaming machine body,
A rotating reel rotatably arranged in the gaming machine body,
A DC motor for driving the rotating reel,
A rotation angle sensor that outputs a detection signal each time the DC motor rotates by a predetermined rotation angle,
A motor control device for controlling the DC motor,
Have
The motor control device,
A drive signal generation unit that generates a drive signal according to the rotation torque generated by the DC motor and outputs the drive signal;
A sensor interface unit that receives the detection signal from the rotation angle sensor,
A speed measurement unit that measures the rotation speed of the DC motor based on the received detection signal;
Based on a specified required stop time and the rotation speed, a brake value calculation unit for calculating a brake value of the drive signal for stopping the DC motor at the required stop time,
A braking rotation amount calculation unit that calculates a braking rotation amount of the DC motor from a state in which the DC motor is rotating at the rotation speed to a stop, based on the rotation speed of the DC motor and the brake value. ,
Based on the stop position where the rotary reel stops, the current position of the rotary reel, and the braking rotation amount, the output of the drive signal having the brake value is started from the current position of the rotary reel. A brake start position determination unit that calculates the idling rotation amount of the DC motor,
When the rotation amount of the DC motor from the current position of the rotating reel reaches the idle rotation amount, the drive signal generation unit starts the output of the drive signal having the brake value, and the stop A stop unit for outputting the drive signal having the brake value to the drive signal generation unit over a required time;
Gaming machine with. The brake start position determination unit is a candidate closest to the position of the rotary reel when the DC motor is rotated by the braking rotation amount from the current position of the rotary reel among the plurality of candidates for the stop position of the rotary reel. It is referred to as the stop position, the gaming machine according to claim 1. It further has a host controller that generates a control command including the required stop time according to the state of the game,
The motor control device further includes a communication unit that receives the control command from the host controller, the gaming machine according to claim 1 or 2.

Images