JP7473047B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines.

2. Description of the Related Art A gaming machine having a container for housing an object is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-205029 A

However, the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines have a problem that there is room for improvement in the operation of the operating means arranged in the contained object . The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a gaming machine in which the operating means can be conveniently operated .

In order to achieve this object, the gaming machine described in claim 1 is provided with a housing that houses an object to be contained and is configured to be relatively displaceable with respect to a predetermined frame member, and is provided with: an operating means that is operable, arranged to be connected to the object contained in the housing, and configured to be capable of transmitting a signal that the object has been operated, an alarm means that is arranged on the front side of the gaming machine and is capable of notifying a front side of the gaming machine of information related to the operation of the operating means, a control means that is connected to the object to be contained by a first electrical connection line and controls the alarm means, and a power supply means that is connected to the object to be contained by a second electrical connection line, and the first electrical connection line, the second electrical connection line, and one or more other electrical connection lines are connected to the object to be contained, and at least one of the electrical connection lines is connected to the object to be contained. The device is configured to be able to notify information regarding the operation of the operating means when one electrical connection line and the second electrical connection line are connected to the contained object and at least one of the other electrical connection lines is disconnected, and the notifying means is configured to be able to notify information regarding a game when the first electrical connection line, the second electrical connection line, and the other electrical connection line are connected to the contained object, the container is configured to be able to be moved to the rear side of the gaming machine in conjunction with the relative displacement, and the gaming machine is configured to be able to notify information regarding the operation of the operating means in a manner that can be transmitted to the rear side of the gaming machine as well when the notifying means notifies information regarding the operation of the operating means to the front side of the gaming machine when the container is moved to the rear side of the gaming machine .

According to the gaming machine of the first aspect, the operating means can be conveniently operated .

1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of a pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board and the operating unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of the game board and the operating unit. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of the game board and the operating unit taken along line XIIa-XIIa in FIG. 10(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the game board and the operating unit taken along line XIIIa-XIIIa in FIG. A cross-sectional view of the game board and the operating unit taken along line XIV-XIV in Figure 9. 4A is a rear perspective view of the displacement regulation device, FIG. 4B is a front perspective view of the displacement regulation device, and FIG. 4C is a front perspective view of the displacement regulation device. FIG. FIG. 1A is a rear view of the contact member, FIG. 1B is a front view of the guide member, and FIG. 1C is a front view of the operating member. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a pachinko machine. A rear view of the game board and the operating unit. 21(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the game board and the operating unit taken along line XXIa-XXIa in FIG. 20. This is an exploded front oblique view of the game board and launch performance unit. This is an exploded rear oblique view of the game board and launch performance unit. This is an exploded front oblique view of the launch performance unit. This is an exploded rear oblique view of the launch performance unit. 26A is a side view of the first light emitting device as viewed in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 25, and FIG. 26B is a side view of the second light emitting device as viewed in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 25. A cross-sectional view of the game board and the launch unit taken along line XXVII-XXVII in Figure 2. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 34(a) is a plan view of the transmission arm member and the cover member as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXIVa in FIG. 28, (b) is a side view of the transmission arm member and the cover member as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXIVb in FIG. 34(a), and (c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the transmission arm member and the cover member along line XXXIVc-XXXIVc in FIG. 34(b). 35(a) is a plan view of the transmission arm member and the cover member as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXIVa in FIG. 28, (b) is a side view of the transmission arm member and the cover member as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVb in FIG. 35(a), and (c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the transmission arm member and the cover member along line XXXVc-XXXVc in FIG. 35(b). 28(a), (b) is a side view of the transmission arm member and the cover member as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIb in FIG. 36(a), and (c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the transmission arm member and the cover member along line XXXVIc-XXXVIc in FIG. 36(b). 28A is a plan view of a front transmitting member as viewed in the direction of an arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 , and FIG. 28B is a plan view of a rear transmitting member as viewed in the direction of an arrow XXXVIIb in FIG. 28 . FIG. 29 is a plan view of the injection device as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . FIG. 29 is a plan view of the injection device as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . FIG. 29 is a plan view of the injection device as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . FIG. 29 is a plan view of the injection device as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . 29A to 29F are plan views of the linear motion member, the collision member, the abutment member, and the front transmission member as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . 29A to 29E are plan views of the linear motion member, the collision member, the abutment member, and the front transmission member as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . 29A to 29F are plan views of the rear transmission member, the transmission arm member, and the cover member as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIIb in FIG. 28 . FIG. 29 is a plan view of the injection device as viewed in the direction of arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the changes over time in the output state of the detection sensor, the arrangement of the linear moving member, the arrangement of the collision member, the arrangement of the protrusion portion of the abutment member, and the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion of the transmission arm member associated with the rotation of the front transmission member and the rear transmission member. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the magnifying/reducing unit. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the magnifying/reducing unit. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the magnifying/reducing unit. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the magnifying/reducing unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the magnifying/reducing unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of the magnifying/reducing unit. This is an exploded front perspective view of the performance component. This is an exploded perspective view of the rear of the performance component. FIG. FIG. FIG. (a) is a front oblique view of the expansion/contraction movement member and the shielding design member, and (b) is a rear oblique view of the expansion/contraction movement member and the shielding design member. (a) is a front oblique view of the expansion/contraction movement member and the shielding design member, and (b) is a rear oblique view of the expansion/contraction movement member and the shielding design member. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13A and 13B are rear views of the effect component. A rear view of the performance component. 74(a) is a rear view of the performance member, and (b) is a top view of the performance member as viewed in the direction of arrow LXXIVb in FIG. 74(a). 75(a) is a rear view of the performance member, and (b) is a top view of the performance member as viewed in the direction of arrow LXXVb in Figure 75(a). A cross-sectional view of the performance component along line LXXVI-LXXVI in Figure 75. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the displacement and rotation unit. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the displacement and rotation unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the displacement and rotation unit; FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of the displacement and rotation unit; FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit taken along line LXXXIII-LXXXIII in FIG. 7. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wiring arm member. 13 is a perspective view of a path forming member of the wiring guide member. FIG. 86(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit as viewed in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 77, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit taken along line LXXXVIb-LXXXVIb in FIG. 86(a). 87(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit as viewed in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 77, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit taken along line LXXXVIIb-LXXXVIIb in FIG. 87(a). 88(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit as viewed in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 77, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit taken along line LXXXVIIIb-LXXXVIIIb in FIG. 88(a). 89(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit as viewed in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 77, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit taken along line LXXXIXb-LXXXIXb in FIG. 89(a). FIG. FIG. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of a center frame, a light guide plate effect means, and a decorative means. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of a center frame, a light guide plate effect means, and a decorative means. 1 is an exploded rear perspective view of a center frame, a light guide plate effect means, and a decorative means. 1 is an exploded rear perspective view of a center frame, a light guide plate effect means, and a decorative means. A cross-sectional view of the game board and the operating unit taken along line XCVI-XCVI in Figure 2. FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged front view of the first decorative member in range XCVII of FIG. 2 . FIG. 11 is a front view of a game board in a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view of a magnifying/reducing unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the changes over time in the output state of the detection sensor, the arrangement of the linear motion member, the arrangement of the collision member, the arrangement of the protrusion portion of the abutment member, and the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion of the transmission arm member, associated with the rotation of the front transmission member and the rear transmission member in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the changes over time in the output state of the detection sensor, the arrangement of the linear motion member, the arrangement of the collision member, the arrangement of the protrusion portion of the abutment member, and the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion of the transmission arm member, associated with the rotation of the front transmission member and the rear transmission member in the fifth embodiment. A cross-sectional view of the game board and launch unit in the sixth embodiment taken along a line corresponding to line XXVII-XXVII in Figure 2. FIG. 23 is a rear view of the pachinko machine according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 23 is a front perspective view of a board box according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view of the board box, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the board box. FIG. FIG. 109(a) is a partially enlarged front view of the box cover as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXa in FIG. 108, and FIG. 109(b) is a partially enlarged rear view of the box cover as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXb in FIG. FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of the box base, and FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the box base. 1A is a front perspective view of the main control device, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the main control device. A partially enlarged front oblique view of the main control device at portion CXIII of Figure 112(a). (a) is a front view of the main control unit as viewed in the direction of arrow CXIVa in Figure 112(a), (b) is a side view of the main control unit as viewed in the direction of arrow CXIVb in Figure 114(a), and (c) is a side view of the main control unit as viewed in the direction of arrow CXIVc in Figure 114(a). 1A is a partially enlarged front view of the board box when the key is operated to the OFF position, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged front view of the board box when the key is operated to the ON position. 115(a) is a partially enlarged side view of the board box as viewed in the direction of arrow CXVIa in FIG. 115(a), and (b) is a partially enlarged side view of the board box as viewed in the direction of arrow CXVIb in FIG. 115(b). 115(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate box taken along the section line CXVIIa-CXVIIa in FIG. 115(a), and (b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate box taken along the section line CXVIIb-CXVIIb in FIG. 115(a). 115(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate box taken along the section line CXVIIIa-CXVIIIa in FIG. 115(a), and (b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate box taken along the section line CXVIIIb-CXVIIIb in FIG. 115(a). 116(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate box taken along the section line CXIXa-CXIXa in FIG. 116(a), and FIG. 116(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate box taken along the section line CXIXb-CXIXb in FIG. 116(a). FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a pachinko machine. 121(a) is a partially enlarged rear view of the board box in the eighth embodiment, and (b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box taken along the section line CXXIb-CXXIb in FIG. 121(a). 13A is a front view of a board box in the ninth embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a schematic front view of a pachinko machine. 13A is a front view of a board box in the tenth embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a schematic front view of a pachinko machine.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, with reference to Figs. 1 to 97, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "pachinko machine") 10 will be described. Fig. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a front view of the game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

In the following explanation, the front side of the paper will be referred to as the front (front) side and the back side of the paper will be referred to as the rear (rear) side with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in Figure 1. Also, with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in Figure 1, the top side will be referred to as the upper (upper) side, the bottom side will be referred to as the lower (lower) side, the right side will be referred to as the right (right) side, and the left side will be referred to as the left (left) side. Furthermore, the arrows U-D, L-R, and F-B in the figure (see Figure 2, for example) indicate the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-back direction of the pachinko machine 10, respectively.

As shown in Figure 1, the pachinko machine 10 has an outer frame 11, whose outer shell is formed by wooden frames assembled into a roughly rectangular shape, and an inner frame 12, which is formed to roughly the same external shape as the outer frame 11 and is supported so as to be openable and closable relative to the outer frame 11. Metal hinges 18 are attached to the outer frame 11 at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), in order to support the inner frame 12, and the inner frame 12 is supported so as to be openable and closable towards the front, with the side where the hinges 18 are provided serving as the axis for opening and closing.

A game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having numerous nails and winning holes 63, 64, etc. is attached to the inner frame 12 so that it can be detached from the back side. A pinball game is played by balls (game balls) flowing down the front of the game board 13. The inner frame 12 is also fitted with a ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) that launches balls into the front area of the game board 13, and a launch rail (not shown) that guides the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a to the front area of the game board 13.

On the front side of the inner frame 12, there is a front frame 14 that covers the upper front side, and a lower tray unit 15 that covers the lower side. Metal hinges 19 are attached to two places, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), to support the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15, and the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15 are supported so that they can be opened and closed toward the front side, with the side where the hinges 19 are provided serving as the axis for opening and closing. The locks on the inner frame 12 and the front frame 14 can be released by inserting a special key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a specified operation.

The front frame 14 is fitted with decorative resin parts and electrical parts, and has a window 14c formed in a roughly elliptical shape at its approximate center. A glass unit 16 having two glass plates is disposed on the rear side of the front frame 14, and the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

The front frame 14 has an upper tray 17 for storing balls, which is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top and extends out to the front, and prize balls and loan balls are discharged into this upper tray 17. The bottom of the upper tray 17 is formed with a downward slope to the right when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), and this slope guides balls dropped into the upper tray 17 to the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4). In addition, a frame button 22 is provided on the top surface of the upper tray 17. This frame button 22 is operated by the player, for example, when changing the stage of the performance displayed on the third pattern display device 81 (see Figure 2) or when changing the content of the Super Reach performance.

The front frame 14 is provided with various light-emitting means such as lamps around its periphery (for example, corners). These light-emitting means change and control the light-emitting state by lighting or blinking in response to changes in the game state such as when a jackpot is hit or when a certain reach is reached, and play a role in enhancing the presentation effect during the game. The periphery of the window portion 14c is provided with illumination units 29-33 incorporating illumination units such as LEDs. In the pachinko machine 10, these illumination units 29-33 function as presentation lamps such as jackpot lamps, and when a jackpot is hit or when a reach is reached, each illumination unit 29-33 lights up or blinks due to the built-in LEDs lighting up or blinking, thereby notifying that a jackpot is being hit or that a reach is being reached just before a jackpot. In addition, the upper left corner of the front frame 14 when viewed from the front (see Figure 1) is provided with an indicator lamp 34 incorporating an illumination unit such as an LED that can indicate when prize balls are being paid out and when an error has occurred.

A small window 35 is formed by attaching transparent resin to the underside of the right-side illumination section 32 from the back side so that the back side of the front frame 14 can be seen, and the certificate stamps and the like affixed to the attachment space K1 (see Figure 2) on the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front of the pachinko machine 10. In addition, in order to create a more dazzling appearance, a plated member 36 made of chrome-plated ABS resin is attached to the area around the illumination sections 29-33 in the pachinko machine 10.

Below the window 14c, a ball lending operation unit 40 is provided. The ball lending operation unit 40 is provided with a number display unit 41, a ball lending button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball lending operation unit 40 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into the card unit (ball lending unit) (not shown) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are lent out according to the operation. Specifically, the number display unit 41 is an area where the remaining balance information of the card, etc. is displayed, and the built-in LED is lit to display the remaining balance in numbers as the remaining balance information. The ball lending button 42 is operated to obtain loan balls based on the information recorded on the card, etc. (recording medium), and loan balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a remaining balance on the card, etc. The return button 43 is operated when requesting the return of the card, etc. inserted into the card unit. In addition, in pachinko machines where balls are directly dispensed from a ball dispensing device to the upper tray 17 without going through a card unit, i.e., in so-called cash machines, the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is not necessary, but in this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation part of the ball dispensing operation unit 40 to make the parts configuration common. It is possible to standardize pachinko machines that use a card unit and cash machines.

The lower tray unit 15, located below the upper tray 17, has a lower tray 50 on the left side that is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top for storing balls that cannot be stored in the upper tray 17. An operating handle 51 is provided on the right side of the lower tray 50, which is operated by the player to shoot the ball into the front of the game board 13.

The operating handle 51 contains a touch sensor 51a for permitting the operation of the ball launching unit 112a, a launch stop switch 51b for stopping the launch of balls while the switch is being pressed, and a variable resistor (not shown) for detecting the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51 by changes in electrical resistance. When the operating handle 51 is rotated clockwise by the player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes in response to the amount of rotation, and the ball is launched with a strength (launch strength) corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, thereby hitting the ball into the front of the game board 13 with a flight amount corresponding to the player's operation. When the operating handle 51 is not being operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the launch stop switch 51b are turned off.

A ball removal lever 52 is provided on the lower front part of the lower tray 50 to be operated when discharging the balls stored in the lower tray 50 downward. This ball removal lever 52 is always biased to the right, and by sliding it to the left against this bias, the bottom opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls fall naturally from the bottom opening and are discharged. This ball removal lever 52 is usually operated with a box (commonly called a "senryo box") placed below the lower tray 50 to receive the balls discharged from the lower tray 50. As mentioned above, the operating handle 51 is disposed on the right side of the lower tray 50, and an ashtray 53 is attached to the left side of the lower tray 50.

As shown in Figure 2, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling a number of nails (not shown) and a windmill (not shown) for guiding balls, as well as rails 61, 62, a general winning port 63, a first winning port 64, a second winning port 640, a variable winning device 65, a through gate 67, a variable display unit 80, etc., to a base plate 60 machined into a roughly square shape when viewed from the front, and the peripheral portion of the board is attached to the back side (or front side) of the inner frame 12 (see Figure 1).

The base plate 60 is formed from a wooden plate member. The general winning opening 63, the first winning opening 64, the second winning opening 640, and the variable display unit 80 are arranged in through holes (see FIG. 5, for example) formed in the base plate 60 by router processing, and are fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with tapping screws or the like. The base plate 60 may be made of a light-transmitting resin material. In this case, it becomes possible for the player to see the various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 from the front side.

The central front portion of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window portion 14c (see Figure 1) of the front frame 14. The configuration of the game board 13 will be described below, mainly with reference to Figure 2.

An outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into an approximately arc shape is set up on the front of the game board 13, and an inner rail 61 formed of a strip-shaped metal plate like the outer rail 62 is set up inside the outer rail 62. The inner rail 61 and the outer rail 62 surround the front outer periphery of the game board 13, and the game board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see Figure 1) surround the front and back, forming a game area in front of the game board 13 where games are played based on the behavior of the ball. The game area is an area (where prize holes and the like are arranged and where shot balls flow down) that is partitioned in front of the game board 13 and is formed by the two rails 61, 62 and the resin outer edge member 73 that connects the rails.

The two rails 61, 62 are provided to guide the ball launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4) to the top of the game board 13. A return ball prevention member 68 is attached to the tip of the inner rail 61 (upper left in Figure 2), which prevents a ball that has been guided to the top of the game board 13 from returning back into the ball guide passage. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip of the outer rail 62 (upper right in Figure 2) at a position corresponding to the maximum flight part of the ball, and a ball launched with a certain amount of force or more hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back toward the center while its force is reduced.

At the lower left side of the game area when viewed from the front (lower left side of FIG. 2), the first pattern display devices 37A and 37B are provided, each equipped with a plurality of LEDs as light-emitting means and a seven-segment display. The first pattern display devices 37A and 37B display information according to the controls performed by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and mainly display the game status of the pachinko machine 10. In this embodiment, the first pattern display devices 37A and 37B are configured to be used differently depending on whether the ball has entered the first winning hole 64 or the second winning hole 640. Specifically, when the ball has entered the first winning hole 64, the first pattern display device 37A is activated, while when the ball has entered the second winning hole 640, the first pattern display device 37B is activated.

The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B also use LEDs to indicate whether the pachinko machine 10 is in a special mode, a time-saving mode, or a normal mode, whether it is fluctuating, whether the stopped symbol corresponds to a special mode jackpot, a normal jackpot, or a miss, and the number of reserved balls, while the seven-segment display device displays the number of rounds during a jackpot and any errors. The multiple LEDs are configured to emit different colors (e.g., red, green, blue), and the combination of these colors can indicate various game states of the pachinko machine 10 with a small number of LEDs.

In addition, in this pachinko machine 10, a lottery is held when a prize is won in the first winning slot 64 and the second winning slot 640. In the lottery, the pachinko machine 10 determines whether or not there is a jackpot (jackpot lottery), and if it determines that there is a jackpot, it also determines the type of jackpot. The types of jackpots that can be determined here include a 15R special jackpot, a 4R special jackpot, and a 15R regular jackpot. The first pattern display devices 37A, 37B not only show whether or not the result of the lottery is a jackpot as the stopping pattern after the fluctuation has ended, but also show a pattern according to the type of jackpot if there is a jackpot.

Here, a "15R special jackpot" is a special jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15, and a "4R special jackpot" is a special jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 4. A "15R normal jackpot" is a jackpot that transitions to a low probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15, and is in a time-saving state for a specified number of changes (for example, 100 changes).

The "high probability state" refers to a state in which the probability of a jackpot increases after the jackpot as an added value, that is, when the probability is fluctuating (during a probability change), in other words, a state in which it is easy to transition to a special game state. In this embodiment, the high probability state (during a probability change) includes a game state in which the probability of hitting the second symbol, which will be described later, is increased and the ball is likely to enter the second winning hole 640. The "low probability state" refers to a time when the probability change is not in progress, and refers to a state in which the probability of a jackpot is normal, that is, a state in which the probability of a jackpot is lower than when the probability change is in progress. In addition, the time-saving state (during time-saving) of the "low probability state" refers to a game state in which the probability of a jackpot is normal and the probability of a jackpot remains the same, only the probability of a jackpot increases, and the ball is likely to enter the second winning hole 640. On the other hand, the pachinko machine 10 is in a normal state, which is neither a probability change nor a time-saving state (a state in which neither the probability of a jackpot nor the probability of a jackpot for the second symbol is increased).

During the special rate or time-saving period, not only does the probability of winning the second symbol increase, but the time that the electric device 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is opened is also changed and set to a longer time than during normal play. When the electric device 640a is in an open state (open state), it is easier for the ball to win the second winning slot 640 than when the electric device 640a is in a closed state (closed state). Therefore, during the special rate or time-saving period, it is easier for the ball to win the second winning slot 640, and the number of times the jackpot lottery is held can be increased.

The change between the open and closed states of the electric device 640a occurs due to the opening and closing action of an opening and closing plate that has a rotation axis at the bottom end and rotates and displaces in a manner that tilts or stands up toward the play area. When the electric device 640a is in the open state, it is configured so that the ball can be easily guided along the top surface of the opening and closing plate to the second winning hole 640, and when the electric device 640a is in the closed state, the opening and closing plate blocks the space between the play area and the second winning hole 640, making it difficult for the ball to enter the second winning hole 640.

In addition, during the probability bonus or time-saving period, instead of changing the opening time of the electric role 640a associated with the second winning slot 640, or in addition to changing the opening time, the number of times the electric role 640a opens with one win may be increased compared to normal. Also, during the probability bonus or time-saving period, the winning probability of the second symbol may not be changed, and at least one of the time when the electric role 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is opened and the number of times the electric role 640a opens with one win may be changed. Also, during the probability bonus or time-saving period, the time when the electric role 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is opened and the number of times the electric role 640a opens with one win may not be changed, and only the winning probability of the second symbol may be changed to be increased compared to normal.

In the play area, there are arranged a plurality of general winning holes 63 through which 5 to 15 balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters the hole. In addition, a variable display unit 80 is arranged at a position visible through the center of the play area (behind the window of the base plate 60). The variable display unit 80 is provided with a third pattern display device 81 consisting of a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply abbreviated as "display device") that performs a variable display of a third pattern while synchronizing with the variable display in the first pattern display device 37A, 37B, triggered by the winning (initial winning) in the first winning hole 64 and the second winning hole 640, and a second pattern display device (not shown) consisting of an LED that displays a variable display of a second pattern, triggered by the passage of a ball through the through gate 67. In addition, a center frame 86 is arranged on the base plate 60 so as to surround the third pattern display device 81 in a front view.

The third symbol display device 81 is composed of a large liquid crystal display of about 9 inches to 19 inches, and the display contents are controlled by the display control device 114 (see FIG. 4), so that, for example, three symbol rows, upper, middle, and lower, are displayed. Each symbol row is composed of multiple symbols (third symbols), and these third symbols are scrolled horizontally for each symbol row, so that the third symbols are variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. The third symbol display device 81 of this embodiment performs decorative display according to the display of the first symbol display device 37A, 37B, while the display of the game state associated with the control of the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4) is performed by the first symbol display device 37A, 37B. Note that the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, a reel instead of a display device.

The second symbol display device performs a variable display in which a "circle" and an "x" symbol as display symbols (second symbol (not shown)) are alternately lit for a predetermined period of time each time the ball passes through the through gate 67. In the pachinko machine 10, when it is detected that the ball has passed through the through gate 67, a winning lottery is held. If the winning lottery results in a winning lottery, the second symbol display device displays a static "circle" symbol after the second symbol is displayed in a variable manner. If the winning lottery results in a losing lottery, the second symbol display device displays a static "x" symbol after the third symbol is displayed in a variable manner.

The pachinko machine 10 is configured so that when the variable display in the second pattern display device stops at a predetermined pattern (in this embodiment, a "circle" pattern), the electric device 640a attached to the second winning port 640 is activated (opened) for a predetermined period of time.

The time it takes for the second symbol to change display is set to be shorter during a special probability or time-saving mode than during normal game mode. As a result, during special probability and time-saving mode, the second symbol changes display in a short time, so more winning lotteries can be held than during normal game mode. This increases the chances of winning in the winning lottery, giving the player more opportunities for the electric device 640a of the second winning slot 640 to be in an open state. Therefore, during special probability and time-saving mode, it is possible to create a state in which it is easier for the ball to win the second winning slot 640.

Note that if the state is such that the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 640 during a special probability or time-saving period by increasing the probability of winning, increasing the opening time or number of times the electric device 640a opens for one win, or by other methods, the time it takes for the second symbol to change display may be kept constant regardless of the game state. On the other hand, if the time it takes for the second symbol to change display is set shorter during a special probability or time-saving period than during normal times, the probability of winning may be kept constant regardless of the game state, and the opening time or number of times the electric device 640a opens for one win may be kept constant regardless of the game state.

The through gate 67 is attached to the game board 13 in the area to the right of the variable display unit 80, and is configured to allow a portion of the ball launched onto the game board 13 to pass through. When a ball passes through the through gate 67, a winning lottery for the second symbol is held. After the winning lottery, a variable display is performed on the second symbol display device, and if the winning lottery results in a winning lottery, a "○" symbol is displayed as the stopping symbol of the variable display, and if the winning lottery results in a losing lottery, an "X" symbol is displayed as the stopping symbol of the variable display.

The number of times that a ball passes through the through gate 67 can be reserved up to a maximum of four times in total, and the number of reserved balls is displayed by the above-mentioned first pattern display devices 37A, 37B, and is also displayed by lighting the second pattern reserved lamp (not shown). There are four second pattern reserved lamps, the maximum number of reserved balls, and they are arranged symmetrically below the third pattern display device 81.

The change in the second pattern may be displayed by switching on and off a number of lamps in the second pattern display device as in this embodiment, or may be displayed using a part of the first pattern display device 37A, 37B and the third pattern display device 81. Similarly, the second pattern hold lamp may be turned on by a part of the third pattern display device 81.

In addition, the maximum number of balls that can be held for passing through the through gate 67 is not limited to four times, but may be set to three times or less, or five times or more (e.g., eight times). In addition, the number of through gates 67 that can be installed is not limited to one, but may be, for example, two.

The installation position of the through gate 67 is not limited to the right side of the variable display unit 80, but may be, for example, on the left, right, or bottom of the variable display unit 80. The number of reserved balls is indicated by the first symbol display device 37A, 37B, so the second symbol reserved lamp may not be lit.

A first winning hole 64 into which a ball can enter is disposed below the variable display unit 80. When a ball enters this first winning hole 64, a first winning hole switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 turns on. When the first winning hole switch turns on, a lottery for a jackpot is held by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37A.

On the other hand, a second winning hole 640 into which a ball can enter is disposed on the lower right side of the through gate 67 when viewed from the front. When a ball enters this second winning hole 640, a second winning hole switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the second winning hole switch is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is held by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37B. Note that the location of the second winning hole 640 is not limited to this. For example, it may be below the first winning hole 64 when viewed from the front, or it may be to the left of the center of the game area.

The first winning port 64 and the second winning port 640 are also each one of the winning ports through which five balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters the winning port. In this embodiment, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning port 64 is the same as the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning port 640, but the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning port 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning port 640 may be different numbers, for example, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning port 64 may be three, and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning port 640 may be five.

An electric device 640a is attached to the second winning opening 640. This electric device 640a is configured to be able to open and close, and is usually in a closed state (reduced state), making it difficult for the ball to win the second winning opening 640. On the other hand, when the second pattern display device displays a "○" pattern as a result of the variable display of the second pattern, which is triggered by the passage of the ball through the through gate 67, the electric device 640a opens (expands), making it easier for the ball to win the second winning opening 640.

As mentioned above, during the special rate and time-saving period, the probability of the second symbol winning is higher than during normal play, and the time it takes for the second symbol to change is also shorter, so the "○" symbol is more likely to appear in the change display of the second symbol, and the number of times the electric device 640a is in the open state (expanded state) increases. Furthermore, during the special rate and time-saving period, the time that the electric device 640a is open is also longer than during normal play. Therefore, during the special rate and time-saving period, it is possible to create an environment in which the ball is more likely to win the second winning slot 640 than during normal play.

The probability of winning a jackpot when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 and when a ball enters the second winning slot 640 is the same in both low and high probability states. However, the probability of a 15R special jackpot being selected as the type of jackpot to be selected when a jackpot occurs is set higher when a ball enters the second winning slot 640 than when a ball enters the first winning slot 64. On the other hand, the first winning slot 64 does not have the electric device 640a found in the second winning slot 640, and the ball is always capable of winning.

Therefore, during normal play, the electric device 640a associated with the second winning port 640 is often in a closed state, making it difficult to win at the second winning port 640. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for a big win by shooting the ball toward the first winning port 64, which does not have the electric device 640a, so that the ball passes to the left of the variable display unit 80 (the so-called "left shot") and having the ball win at the first winning port 64, thereby gaining more opportunities to win the big win lottery.

On the other hand, during the special bonus period or the time-saving period, the electric device 640a attached to the second winning slot 640 is likely to be opened by passing the ball through the through gate 67, making it easier to win at the second winning slot 640. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to shoot the ball toward the second winning slot 640 so that it passes to the right of the variable display device 80 (the so-called "right hit"), passing through the through gate 67 to open the electric device 640a and aiming for a 15R special bonus jackpot by winning at the second winning slot 640.

Unlike the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment, when the game board 13 is configured symmetrically, it is possible to aim for the first winning slot 64 with a "right hit" and for the second winning slot 640 with a "left hit". Therefore, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment does not require the player to change the way the ball is shot between "left hit" and "right hit" depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in a special mode, a time-saving mode, or a normal mode). This eliminates the hassle of having to change the way the ball is shot.

On the other hand, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment is configured so that it is not possible to aim at the first winning slot 64 with a "right hit", and so that a ball shot with a "left hit" does not pass through the through gate 67. Therefore, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment can request the player to change the way the ball is shot between "left hit" and "right hit" depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in a special mode, a time-saving mode, or a normal mode). Therefore, by adding a game feature that changes the way the ball is shot, it is possible to prevent the game from becoming sluggish.

The variable winning device 65 (see FIG. 2) is disposed to the right of the first winning port 64, and the specific winning port 65a is disposed in the approximate center of the variable winning device 65. In the pachinko machine 10, when a jackpot lottery performed due to winning in the first winning port 64 or the second winning port 640 results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (variable time) has elapsed, the first pattern display device 37A or the first pattern display device 37B is turned on to show the jackpot stop pattern, and the stop pattern corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the third pattern display device 81 to indicate the occurrence of the jackpot. After that, the game state transitions to a special game state (jackpot) in which the ball is more likely to win. In this special game state, the specific winning port 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds have elapsed, or until 10 balls have won).

This specific winning opening 65a is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed, and after this closure, the specific winning opening 65a is opened again for a predetermined time. The opening and closing operation of this specific winning opening 65a can be repeated up to, for example, 15 times (15 rounds). The state in which this opening and closing operation is taking place is one form of a special game state that is advantageous to the player, and the player is paid out a larger number of prize balls than usual as an addition of game value (game value).

The special game state is not limited to the above-mentioned form. A large opening that opens and closes separately from the specific winning opening 65a is provided in the game area, and when the LED corresponding to the big win is lit in the first pattern display device 37A, 37B, the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time, and while the specific winning opening 65a is open, a ball enters the specific winning opening 65a, triggering the large opening provided separately from the specific winning opening 65a to be opened for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times, and a game state may be formed as a special game state. In addition, the specific winning opening 65a is not limited to one, and one or more than two (for example, three) may be arranged, and the arrangement position is not limited to the right of the first winning opening 64, but may be, for example, the lower right side of the first winning opening 64, the lower left side of the first winning opening 64, the left or right side of the variable display unit 80, or above.

The right corner of the lower side of the game board 13 is provided with an attachment space K1 for attaching stamps, identification labels, etc., and the stamps, etc. attached to the attachment space K1 can be seen through a small window 35 in the front frame 14 (see Figure 1).

The game board 13 is provided with an outlet 71. Balls that flow down the game area and do not win in any of the winning holes 63, 64, 65a, 640 are guided through the outlet 71 to a ball discharge path (not shown). The outlets 71 are arranged in pairs on the left and right of the second winning hole 640.

The game board 13 has many nails planted in it to appropriately distribute and adjust the direction in which the balls fall, and various parts (gimmicks) such as windmills are also arranged on it.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear side of the pachinko machine 10 is mainly equipped with control board units 90, 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is unitized with a main board (main control device 110), a voice lamp control board (voice lamp control device 113) and a display control board (display control device 114). The control board unit 91 is unitized with a payout control board (payout control device 111), a launch control board (launch control device 112), a power supply board (power supply device 115) and a card unit connection board 116.

The back pack unit 94 is a unit consisting of the back pack 92, which forms the protective cover, and the payout unit 93. In addition, each control board is equipped with an MPU as a one-chip microcomputer that controls each part, ports for communicating with various devices, a random number generator used in various lotteries, a clock pulse generating circuit used for time counting and synchronization, etc. as necessary.

The main control device 110, the voice lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114, the payout control device 111 and the launch control device 112, the power supply device 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are each stored in the board boxes 100-104. The board boxes 100-104 each include a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and the box cover are connected to each other to store the respective control devices and boards.

The board box 100 (main control device 110) and the board box 102 (dispensing control device 111 and launch control device 112) are connected to the box base and box cover by a sealing unit (not shown) so that they cannot be opened (connected by a crimping structure). A sealing seal (not shown) is attached to the connection between the box base and the box cover, spanning the box base and the box cover. This sealing seal is made of a brittle material, and if you try to peel off the sealing seal to open the board box 100, 102 or forcefully open the board box 100, 102, it will be cut into the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or sealing seal, you can know whether the board box 100, 102 has been opened.

The payout unit 93 is equipped with a tank 130 located at the top of the back pack unit 94 and opening upward, a tank rail 131 connected to the bottom of the tank 130 and gently sloping toward the downstream side, a case rail 132 connected vertically to the downstream side of the tank rail 131, and a payout device 133 provided at the most downstream part of the case rail 132, which pays out balls using a specified electrical configuration of a payout motor 216 (see Figure 4). The tank 130 is successively replenished with balls supplied from the island equipment of the game hall, and the payout device 133 pays out the required number of balls as appropriate. A vibrator 134 is attached to the tank rail 131 to impart vibration to the tank rail 131.

The payout control device 111 is also provided with a state recovery switch 120, the firing control device 112 with a variable resistor control knob 121, and the power supply device 115 with a RAM erase switch 122. The state recovery switch 120 is operated to clear ball jams (return to normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as ball jamming in the payout motor 216 (see FIG. 4). The control knob 121 is operated to adjust the firing force of the firing solenoid. The RAM erase switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on to return the pachinko machine 10 to its initial state.

Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

The main control device 110 is equipped with an MPU 201, which is a one-chip microcomputer that is an arithmetic device. The MPU 201 contains a ROM 202 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 201, a RAM 203 that is a memory for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 202, and various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission/reception circuit. In the main control device 110, the MPU 201 executes the main processes of the pachinko machine 10, such as the jackpot lottery, the display settings on the first pattern display devices 37A, 37B and the third pattern display device 81, and the lottery for the display results on the second pattern display device.

In addition, in order to instruct the sub-control devices such as the dispensing control device 111 and the voice lamp control device 113 to operate, various commands are sent from the main control device 110 to the sub-control devices via a data transmission/reception circuit, but such commands are sent only in one direction, from the main control device 110 to the sub-control devices.

RAM 203 has various areas, counters, and flags, as well as a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of MPU 201 and the return addresses of control programs executed by MPU 201 are stored, and a work area (working region) in which various flags, counters, I/O values, etc. are stored. Note that RAM 203 is configured so that it can retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from power supply device 115 even after power to pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in RAM 203 is backed up.

When the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, the stack pointer and the values of each register at the time of the power outage (including the occurrence of a power outage; the same applies below) are stored in RAM 203. On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including the power turned on when the power outage is resolved; the same applies below), the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power outage based on the information stored in RAM 203. Writing to RAM 203 is performed by main processing (not shown) when the power supply is turned off, and the restoration of each value written to RAM 203 is performed during start-up processing (not shown) when the power supply is turned on. Note that the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of MPU 201 is configured to receive a power outage signal SG1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and when the power outage signal SG1 is input to MPU 201, NMI interrupt processing (not shown) is immediately executed as a power outage processing.

The MPU 201 of the main control device 110 is connected to an input/output port 205 via a bus line 204 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input/output port 205 is connected to the payout control device 111, the sound lamp control device 113, the first pattern display device 37A, 37B, the second pattern display device, the second pattern reservation lamp, and solenoids 209 consisting of a large opening solenoid for driving the opening and closing plate of the specific winning port 65a in the forward and backward directions and a solenoid for driving the electric role 640a, and the MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input/output port 205.

The input/output port 205 is also connected to various switches 208, which are made up of a group of switches (not shown) and a group of sensors including a slide position detection sensor S and a rotation position detection sensor R, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 (described below) provided in the power supply device 115. The MPU 201 executes various processes based on the signals output from the various switches 208 and the RAM erase signal SG2 output from the RAM erase switch circuit 253.

The payout control device 111 drives the payout motor 216 to control the payout of prize balls and loan balls. The MPU 211, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 212 that stores the control program executed by the MPU 211, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 213 that is used as a work memory, etc.

The RAM 213 of the payout control device 111, like the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, has a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and the return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 211 are stored, and a work area (working area) in which the values of various flags, counters, I/O, etc. are stored. The RAM 213 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power supply of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. Note that, like the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is also configured to receive a power outage signal SG1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and when the power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, an NMI interrupt process (not shown) is immediately executed as a power outage process.

The MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 is connected to an input/output port 215 via a bus line 214 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, payout motor 216, launch control device 112, etc. are each connected to the input/output port 215. In addition, although not shown, a prize ball detection switch for detecting the paid-out prize balls is connected to the payout control device 111. Note that the prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111, but is not connected to the main control device 110.

When the main control device 110 issues an instruction to launch a ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the strength of the ball launch corresponds to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a is equipped with a launch solenoid and electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and electromagnet are permitted to operate when certain conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operating handle 51, and on condition that the launch stop switch 51b for stopping the launch of the ball is off (not operated), the launch solenoid is excited in response to the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51, and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51.

The audio lamp control device 113 controls the output of audio from the audio output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the output of turning on and off the lamp display device (such as the illumination units 29-33 and the display lamp 34) 227, and the setting of the display mode of the third pattern display device 81 performed by the display control device 114, such as variable performance (variable display) and advance notice performance. The MPU 221, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 222 that stores the control program executed by the MPU 221, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 223 used as a work memory, etc.

An input/output port 225 is connected to the MPU 221 of the audio and lamp control device 113 via a bus line 224 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input/output port 225 is connected to the main control device 110, the display control device 114, the audio output device 226, the lamp display device 227, other devices 228, the frame button 22, etc. The other devices 228 include the drive motors MT1, MT2, MT3, MT4, MT5, etc.

The voice lamp control device 113 determines the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 based on various commands (variation pattern command, stop type command, etc.) received from the main control device 110, and notifies the display control device 114 of the determined display mode by commands (display variation pattern command, display stop type command, etc.). The voice lamp control device 113 also monitors input from the frame button 22, and when the frame button 22 is operated by the player, instructs the display control device 114 to change the stage displayed on the third symbol display device 81 or change the performance content during a super reach. When the stage is changed, a back image change command including information about the changed stage is sent to the display control device 114 so that the third symbol display device 81 displays a back image corresponding to the changed stage. Here, the back image refers to an image displayed on the back side of the third symbol, which is the main image to be displayed on the third symbol display device 81. The display control device 114 displays various images on the third symbol display device 81 according to the command sent from this voice lamp control device 113.

The voice lamp control device 113 also receives a command (display command) from the display control device 114 that indicates the display content of the third pattern display device 81. Based on the display command received from the display control device 114, the voice lamp control device 113 outputs a voice corresponding to the display content of the third pattern display device 81 from the voice output device 226 in accordance with the display content, and also controls the turning on and off of the lamp display device 227 in accordance with the display content.

The display control device 114 is connected to the sound lamp control device 113 and the third pattern display device 81, and controls the display of the third pattern display device 81, such as the variable performance of the third pattern, based on commands received from the sound lamp control device 113. The display control device 114 also transmits display commands to the sound lamp control device 113 as appropriate, notifying the display contents of the third pattern display device 81. The sound lamp control device 113 can match the display of the third pattern display device 81 with the sound output from the sound output device 226 by outputting sound from the sound output device 226 in accordance with the display contents indicated by the display commands.

The power supply unit 115 has a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each unit of the pachinko machine 10, a power failure monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruption due to a power failure or the like, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 provided with a RAM erase switch 122 (see FIG. 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltage to each of the control devices 110-114, etc. through a power supply path not shown. In summary, the power supply unit 251 takes in an externally supplied 24-volt AC voltage, generates a 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as the various switches 208, solenoids such as the solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies the necessary voltages to each of the control devices 110-114, etc.

The power failure monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit for outputting a power failure signal SG1 to each NMI terminal of the MPU 201 of the main control unit 110 and the MPU 211 of the dispensing control unit 111 when the power is cut off due to a power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 252 monitors the voltage of 24 volts DC, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251, and when this voltage falls below 22 volts, it determines that a power failure (power failure, power cut) has occurred and outputs a power failure signal SG1 to the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111. By outputting the power failure signal SG1, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111 recognize the occurrence of a power failure and execute NMI interrupt processing. The power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the 5 volt voltage, which is the drive voltage of the control system, at a normal value for a sufficient time to execute the NMI interrupt processing, even after the voltage of 24 volts DC becomes less than 22 volts. Therefore, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111 can normally execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (not shown).

The RAM clear switch circuit 253 is a circuit for outputting a RAM clear signal SG2 to the main control device 110 to clear the backup data when the RAM clear switch 122 (see FIG. 3) is pressed. When the main control device 110 inputs the RAM clear signal SG2 when the pachinko machine 10 is powered on, it clears the backup data and sends a payout initialization command to the payout control device 111 to clear the backup data in the payout control device 111.

Next, the structure of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 will be described. FIG. 5 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500, and FIG. 6 is an exploded rear perspective view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500. Note that in FIGS. 5 and 6, the liquid crystal display device (variable display unit 80) disposed in the opening 511a of the rear case 510 is omitted, and the rear side is shown as being visible through the opening 511a. In addition, FIG. 2 will be referred to as appropriate in the explanation of FIGS. 5 and 6.

The operating unit 500 includes a rear case 510 formed in a box shape with the front side open from a bottom wall portion 511 and an outer wall portion 512 erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall portion 511. The rear case 510 is formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front by forming a rectangular opening 511a in the center of the bottom wall portion 511. The opening 511a is formed to a size that corresponds to the outer shape (outer edge) of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 (i.e., capable of dividing the display area of the third pattern display device 81 when viewed from the front).

The rear case 510 is provided as a flat plate extending from the front end of the outer wall 512 along the rear surface of the game board 13 (e.g., arranged parallel to the rear surface), and includes a support plate portion 513 that provides surface support for the game board 13 in the assembled state (see FIG. 2).

The support plate portion 513 has a positioning protrusion 513a that protrudes toward the front side and has a shape that can fit into a fitting recess (not shown) formed in the base plate 60 of the game board 13, and a number of insertion holes 513b that are drilled so that fastening screws that are fastened to the base plate 60 can be inserted through them.

The rear case 510 is positioned relative to the base plate 60 by fitting the positioning protrusion 513a into the fitting recess of the base plate 60, and the fastening screw is inserted into the insertion hole 513b and screwed into the base plate 60, thereby fixing the game board 13 and the operating unit 500 together, thereby improving the overall rigidity of the game board 13 and the operating unit 500.

The shape of the positioning protrusion 513a is not limited in any way, and various forms are exemplified. For example, it may be a protrusion with an outer shape slightly smaller than the inner shape of the mating recess of the base plate 60 (circular or oval in this embodiment), or it may be a protrusion with a shape (even smaller outer shape) that increases the mating gap in consideration of workability during assembly. Furthermore, if the inner shape of the mating recess is formed into a rectangular shape, it is naturally assumed that the shape of the positioning protrusion 513a will also be rectangular correspondingly.

As described above, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling a number of nails (not shown) and a windmill (not shown) for guiding balls to a base plate 60 machined into a roughly square shape when viewed from the front, as well as rails 61, 62, a general winning opening 63, a first winning opening 64, a second winning opening 640, a through gate 67, a variable winning device 65, a center frame 86 configured to be fitted from the front side into a window portion 60a (see Figure 90) opened in the base plate 60, a ball flow-down unit 150 configured to allow balls discharged from the game area to flow down, and a launch performance unit 300 configured to be able to launch a granular member 320 (see Figure 54) toward the front side of the third pattern display device 81, and the peripheral portion is attached to the inner frame 12 (see Figure 1) in a manner that it is positioned opposite and fixed to the surface of the inner frame 12.

The base plate 60 is formed into a plate shape from a light-transmitting resin material, and is configured to allow the player to easily see the various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 from the front side. This allows the players to see the structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 regardless of the shape or arrangement of the base plate 60, and can be used for various effects.

For example, even if the ball flow-down unit 150 is disposed on the back side of the base plate 60, the back side can be seen through the base plate 60, so the balls flowing down the ball flow-down unit 150 can be seen. In this embodiment, the ball flow-down unit 150 is designed taking into consideration the effect of the balls being seen, but details will be described later.

If there are any areas that you do not want players to see, you can deal with this by attaching a sealant with low light transmittance (or no light transmittance).

The center frame 86 is placed in a through hole formed in the base plate 60 by router processing, and is fixed to the base plate 60 from the front side of the game board 13 with tapping screws or the like.

The launching performance unit 300 receives the granular members 320 (see FIG. 54), and the partition member 310 that defines the range within which the granular members 320 can scatter is positioned inside the center frame 86, allowing the granular members 320 to be launched toward the inside of the center frame 86. This allows a player viewing the display of the third pattern display device 81 through the inner window of the center frame 86 to effectively view the granular members 320 scattering in front of the third pattern display device 81. Details of the launching performance unit 300 will be described later.

The operation unit 500 is disposed on the rear side of the game board 13, and various light emitting means and various operation units are disposed inside. That is, the operation unit 500 comprises a rear case 510, a zoom unit 600 disposed on the upper inside part of the rear case 510, and a displacement/rotation unit 800 disposed symmetrically on the left and right inside of the rear case 510.

Specifically, the zoom unit 600 is disposed above the opening 511a, and the displacement/rotation unit 800 is disposed on the bottom wall 511 of the rear case 510 at positions to the left and right of the opening 511a. First, an overview of the operation control of the operation unit 500 will be described.

Figures 7 to 11 are front views of the operating unit 500 showing an example of the operation control of the operating unit 500 in chronological order. Note that Figure 7 illustrates the scaling unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800 in a performance standby state, Figure 8 illustrates the scaling unit 600 in an extended state and the displacement rotation unit 800 in a performance standby state, and Figure 9 illustrates the scaling unit 600 in an enlarged state and the displacement rotation unit 800 in a performance standby state.

In addition, FIG. 10 illustrates the zoom unit 600 in a standby state and the displacement and rotation unit 800 in the upper end state, and in FIG. 11, the displacement and rotation unit 800 on the left side is in the upper end state, and the displacement and rotation unit 800 on the right side is in the lower end state.

As shown in Figures 7 to 11, the displacement trajectory of the zoom unit 600 and the displacement trajectory of the displacement rotation unit 800 partially overlap when viewed from the front. Therefore, for example, when the displacement rotation unit 800 is in the upper end performance state (see Figure 10), if the zoom unit 600 changes state from the performance standby state, there is a possibility of collision.

In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the state change of the scaling unit 600 from the standby state for performance is controlled so as to be executable on the condition that the displacement rotation unit 800 is in the standby state for performance, and the state change of the displacement rotation unit 800 from the standby state for performance is controlled so as to be executable on the condition that the scaling unit 600 is in the standby state for performance, thereby making it possible to prevent the scaling unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800 from overlapping when viewed from the front. This makes it possible to improve the degree of freedom in the placement of the scaling unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800 (it is possible to allow the front and rear positions to overlap).

As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the zoom unit 600 is configured so that the performance elements 700 can be displaced downward while being gathered in one place, and after the downward displacement, the components of the performance elements 700 are separated from each other while positioned in front of the display area of the third pattern display device 81, and the operation is controlled so that the area visible when viewed from the front is increased (see Figure 9).

Then, the zoom unit 600 is controlled so that the performance components 700 are reassembled (see Figure 8), displaced upward while assembled and arranged in one place, and returned to the performance standby state shown in Figure 7.

The state changes shown in Figures 10 and 11 are executed when the zoom unit 600 is in a standby state. As shown in Figures 7, 10, and 11, the displacement and rotation unit 800 is configured so that the horizontal slide member 840 can be displaced from the standby state in a direction that has not only a vertical component, but also a horizontal component.

In this embodiment, the horizontal slide member 840 is displaced along a path curve S1 that is set by a mechanism described below. The path curve S1 includes a common arc portion S1a having an arc shape centered on each center point C1, and an advance/retreat path portion S1b that extends downwardly to the left and right from the lower end of the common arc portion S1a.

In FIG. 10, a pair of left and right lateral slide members 840 are positioned at the upper end position of the common arc portion S1a, and in FIG. 11, the left lateral slide member 840 is positioned at the upper end position of the common arc portion S1a, while the right lateral slide member 840 is positioned at a position above the lower end position of the common arc portion S1a.

Therefore, when the left-side lateral sliding member 840 is controlled to be displaced downward and the right-side lateral sliding member 840 is controlled to be displaced upward from the state shown in FIG. 11, the player can visually perceive as if the lateral sliding member 840 is rotating around the center point C1 located toward the center of the third pattern display device 81.

In other words, the horizontal sliding member 840 can be viewed as part of a rotating performance body of the same size as the display area of the third pattern display device 81, improving the freedom of performance using the horizontal sliding member 840.

FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) are cross-sectional views of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 taken along line XIIa-XIIa in FIG. 7, FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are cross-sectional views of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 taken along line XIIIa-XIIIa in FIG. 9, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 9.

Note that the game board 13 is not shown in Figures 7 and 9, but Figures 12 to 14 show the game board 13 attached to the front side of the operating unit 500 (see Figure 2).

In addition, Figures 12(a) and 13(a) show an example of a state in which the granular material 320 is retained downward, and Figures 12(b) and 13(b) show an example of a state in which the granular material 320 is launched and scattered.

In the performance standby state shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the central portion of the collective arrangement of the performance member 700 of the zoom unit 600 is positioned above the partition member 310 of the launch performance unit 300, and is configured so that most of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 can be seen through the partition member 310.

On the other hand, in the expanded state shown in Figures 13(a) and 13(b), the performance member 700 is placed closely behind the partition member 310 of the launch performance unit 300, and is concealed by the performance member 700 (see Figure 9), so that most of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 is obscured and cannot be seen.

Since the displacement trajectory of the zoom unit 600 does not interfere with the partition member 310, it is possible to control the launch performance unit 300 to perform an action performance of launching the granular member 320 at the partition member 310, regardless of the position of the zoom unit 600.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), the granular member 320 is positioned below the lower edge of the display area of the third pattern display device 81, and is launched on a path that slopes upward as it moves forward, hitting the front wall of the partition member 310 and rising while bouncing within the area formed by the partition member 310.

This allows the player to see the granular member 320 as if it is coming towards them, which increases the player's interest in the effects that use the granular member 320.

In addition, by configuring it in this way, the range in which the granular material 320 is scattered can be moved closer to the player, and it is possible to avoid reducing the freedom of placement of components arranged in the game area, such as the first winning port 64 (see Figure 2).

In other words, the waiting position for the granular members 320 that are launched toward the partition member 310 of this embodiment can be a position directly below the partition member 310 or a position closer to the front. However, in this case, since the launch performance unit 300 is disposed in the space behind the first winning opening 64, it becomes difficult to secure space for the guide path that guides the balls that enter the first winning opening 64, and it may become necessary to move the position of the first winning opening 64 to deal with this.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the partition member 310 is positioned at the frontmost position, and the standby position of the granular member 320 is positioned diagonally rearward, so that space can be secured behind the first winning opening 64, allowing the ball guide path to be arranged without any problems, and preventing a situation in which the first winning opening 64 cannot be freely positioned from occurring.

When the granular members 320 are controlled to be launched in the state shown in FIG. 12(a), as shown in FIG. 12(b), the player can see the granular members 320 scattering inside the partition member 310 together with the display in the display area of the third pattern display device 81. This allows the player to visually recognize a combination of the planar display and the movement of the granular members 320 displacing three-dimensionally.

When the granular members 320 are controlled to be launched in the state shown in FIG. 13(a), as shown in FIG. 13(b), the scattering of the granular members 320 inside the partition member 310 and the change in state of the zoom unit 600 can be shown to the player together. In this case, for example, by matching the timing of the scattering of the granular members 320 with the timing of the displacement of the performance member 700 of the zoom unit 600 in a scattering manner, the player can see the scattering of the granular members 320 in front of the zoom unit 600, whose state is changing, and the impact of the change in state of the zoom unit 600 can be enhanced.

Here, as a method of producing an effect in accordance with the change in state of the zoom unit 600, it is also possible to consider a method of switching the display of the third pattern display device 81 in accordance with the change in state of the zoom unit 600.

However, in this embodiment, when the third pattern display device 81 is positioned behind the zoom unit 600 and most of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 is blocked by the zoom unit 600, even if the display of the third pattern display device 81 is switched, it is difficult to see the display, and it is considered difficult to produce an effective effect.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the partition member 310 that defines the area into which the granular members 320, which perform actions in accordance with the state changes of the zoom unit 600, are scattered is positioned on the front side of the zoom unit 600, so that even in a situation where the zoom unit 600 blocks most of the display area of the third pattern display device 81, the granular members 320 are still easily visible to the player.

Furthermore, by constructing the granular member 320 from a small member, it is possible to prevent the zoom unit 600 from becoming difficult to see, compared to when the granular member 320 is constructed from a large member.

Therefore, even when most of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 is obscured by the zoom unit 600, the presentation effect of the zoom unit 600 can be improved.

In addition, the effect of visually viewing the scattering of granular material 320 in combination with the zoom unit 600 can be used as is to visually view the scattering of granular material 320 in combination with the displacement and rotation unit 800.

In other words, like the zoom unit 600, the displacement rotation unit 800 can change between a state in which the horizontal sliding member 840 is positioned away from the display area of the third pattern display device 81 (performance standby state, see Figure 7) and a state in which the horizontal sliding member 840 is positioned in front of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 (performance bottom end state, performance top end state, see Figures 10 and 11), so that, depending on the state, it is possible to execute a performance in which the scattering granular members 320 are visually combined with the display of the third pattern display device 81, and a performance in which the scattering granular members 320 are visually combined with the horizontal sliding member 840 of the displacement rotation unit 800.

In this case, as explained above, the zoom unit 600 can effectively create a presentation by scattering the granular members 320 in accordance with the displacement of the mode in which the presentation member 700 is dispersed. However, in the displacement rotation unit 800, the granular members 320 are scattered in accordance with the rotation of the rotatably arranged feather-shaped members 854, which makes it appear as if air is flowing due to the rotation of the feather-shaped members 854 (the feather-shaped members 854 are rotating at such a high speed that an air flow is created), thereby improving the presentation effect of the displacement rotation unit 800.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the scattering of the granular material 320 can be used both to create a visual effect in combination with the display area of the third pattern display device 81, and to create a visual effect in combination with the zoom unit 600 or the displacement and rotation unit 800.

As shown in FIG. 14, the rear end line BL1 of the first light irradiation device 330, which is part of the launch performance unit 300 and is positioned directly above the lateral sliding member 840 of the displacement rotation unit 800, is positioned behind the front end line FL1 of the displacement rotation unit 800 on the cross section shown in FIG. 14. Therefore, depending on the displacement trajectory of the lateral sliding member 840 of the displacement rotation unit 800 (for example, if the lateral sliding member 840 continues to displace directly upward from the state shown in FIG. 14), there is a possibility that the first light irradiation device 330 and the displacement rotation unit 800 may collide.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the advance/retract path section S1b is set as a path that can avoid collision between the launch performance unit 300 and the displacement rotation unit 800. In other words, by setting the advance/retract path section S1b as a path that passes through the gap provided diagonally between the ejection device 400 of the launch performance unit 300 and the first light irradiation device 330, the degree of freedom in setting the rear end line BL1 and the front end line FL1 can be improved, and the rear end line BL1 is configured to be displaced upward beyond the first light irradiation device 330 that sets the rear end line BL1, and a large displacement range of the displacement rotation unit 800 can be ensured.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the performance member 700 is displaced, the performance member 700 and the partition member 310 are positioned close to each other in the front-to-rear direction. In a playable state, the performance member 700 and the partition member 310 are positioned to an extent that a gap can be maintained between them, but it is not intended to ensure a gap between the performance member 700 and the partition member 310 even during transportation. Therefore, during transportation, it is desirable to maintain the performance member 700 at the upper end position of the displacement range and to regulate the partition member 310 and the performance member 700 so that they are not positioned close to each other.

Returning to FIG. 6, the operation unit 500 is equipped with a displacement restriction device 180 that is fastened and fixed to the rear case 510. The displacement restriction device 180 is configured so that its state can be changed by manual operation from the rear of the rear case 510, and in the restricted state, it restricts the downward displacement of the zoom unit 600 from the performance standby state.

By adopting the displacement control device 180, it is possible to facilitate shipping and transporting the pachinko machine 10 even when the central opening of the base plate 60 is blocked, as in this embodiment.

In more detail, in the past, the displacement of the movable part was suppressed by stuffing the area where the movable part would displace with shock-absorbing material (cushioning material such as cotton) and removing the shock-absorbing material after the game arrived at the game hall, which sometimes prevented the movable part from displacing during shipping or transportation. However, if the central opening of the base plate 60 is blocked as in this embodiment (see FIG. 12(a)), there is no penetration for removing the shock-absorbing material, and therefore the shock-absorbing material cannot be removed without disassembling the game board 13 and the back case 510, which can cause a great burden on the game hall.

To address this issue, the present embodiment employs a displacement forming device 180. This allows the state of the displacement regulating device 180 to be switched between a regulated state in which the upward and downward displacement of the zoom unit 600 is regulated, and a deregulated state in which the regulation is released, without releasing the fixation of the game board 13 and the rear case 510. Below, we will first explain the details of the configuration of the displacement forming device 180, and then explain the details of the state changes.

Figure 15(a) is a rear perspective view of the displacement restriction device 180, Figure 15(b) is a front perspective view of the displacement restriction device 180, and Figure 15(c) is a front perspective view of the displacement restriction device 180.

Note that Figs. 15(a) and 15(b) show the displacement regulation device 180 in the unregulated state, and Fig. 15(c) shows the displacement regulation device 180 in the regulated state. As shown in Figs. 15(a) to 15(c), the displacement regulation device 180 switches between the regulated state and the unregulated state by the cylindrical portion 183d appearing and disappearing from the abutment member 181. In the regulated state of the displacement regulation device 180, the cylindrical portion 183d protrudes to the inside of the rear case 510 and is configured to be able to engage with the regulated hole 657 of the zoom unit 600, but details will be described later.

Figure 16 is an exploded rear perspective view of the displacement restriction device 180, Figure 17 is an exploded front perspective view of the displacement restriction device 180, Figure 18(a) is a rear view of the abutment member 181, Figure 18(b) is a front view of the guide member 182, and Figure 18(c) is a front view of the operating member 183.

As shown in Figures 16 to 18, the displacement restriction device 180 mainly comprises an abutment member 181 that is arranged in abutment against the rear case 510 (see Figure 6), a guide member 182 that is arranged on the rear side of the abutment member 181 and fastened to the abutment member 181 and guides the operating member 183 in the front-rear direction, an operating member 183 whose displacement is guided by the guide member 182, and a coil spring 184 that is arranged between the operating member 183 and the abutment member 181 and is configured to apply a biasing force toward the rear side to the operating member 181.

Since the operating member 183 is formed in a generally elliptical shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from behind, the abutment member 181 and guide member 182 that house the operating member 183 are also formed in a generally elliptical shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from behind, so that the external shape of the displacement restriction device 180 is generally elliptical and long in the left-right direction when viewed from behind.

The abutment member 181 is designed mainly in a plate shape to increase the holding force by increasing the contact area with the rear case 510, and has a wall extending from the end of the plate toward the rear side to hold the guide member 182. It is equipped with insertion holes 181a drilled at the left and right ends through which fastening parts protruding from the rear case 510 are inserted, cylindrical holding part 181b protruding toward the rear side in a double cylindrical shape that allows coil spring 184 to be placed in the gap, and engaged part 181c that constitutes a well-known latch mechanism in relation to operating member 183 and is configured to be able to engage with operating member 183.

The guide member 182 includes a main body portion 182a that is elliptical and annular and extends in the front-rear direction along the outer periphery of the abutting member 181, a screw insertion portion 182b through which a fastening screw is inserted that is screwed into the fastening portion inserted into the insertion hole 181a, a fastening portion 182c through which a fastening screw is inserted into the abutting member 181, a retaining portion 182d that protrudes radially inward at the rear end of the main body portion 182a, and a protrusion 182e that protrudes radially inward in the front-rear direction on the upper and lower inner parts of the main body portion 182a.

With this configuration, by fastening the contact member 181 and the guide member 182 together, the operating member 183 can be positioned between the contact member 181 and the guide member 182 and held in place so that it cannot fall off. However, in this embodiment, the fastening direction is set to limit the circumstances under which the contact member 181 and the guide member 182 can be disassembled.

In other words, in this embodiment, the fastening screw for fastening the contact member 181 and the guide member 182 is inserted from the front side of the contact member 182 (the side covered by the rear case 510), so when the displacement restriction device 180 is attached to the rear case 510, the fastening screw cannot be touched. Therefore, the contact member 181 and the guide member 182 can be disassembled only when the displacement restriction device 180 is removed from the rear case 510.

The fastening screw for fastening the displacement restriction device 180 to the rear case 510 is inserted into the screw insertion portion 182b from the rear side of the guide member 182, so that it can be easily accessed when the rear side of the rear case 510 is exposed (see FIG. 19), making it easy to remove the displacement restriction device 180 from the rear case 510.

The operating member 183 is provided with a main body 183a formed in a cup shape with an elliptical outer shape when viewed from behind that is slightly smaller than the retaining portion 182d of the guide member 182 and open at the front side, a flange portion 183b that projects radially outward from the front edge of the main body 183a, a groove portion 183c recessed into the flange portion 183b, a cylindrical portion 183d that protrudes cylindrically from the center of the bottom of the main body 183a to the front side, an arc-shaped protrusion portion 183e that protrudes from the cylindrical portion 183d to the front side in an arc shape with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring 184, and an engagement portion 183f that protrudes at a position where it can engage with the engaged portion 181c of the abutting member 181 and that can form a well-known latch mechanism in relation to the engaged portion 181c.

An oval-shaped sticker is attached to the back surface of the plate of the operating member 183. This sticker has a concave shape formed on one of the short ends (see FIG. 15(a)), and by positioning this concave shape facing upwards, it is easy to prevent mistakes in the up-down position during assembly.

By making the main body 183a elliptical, it is easy to prevent the operating member 183 from being rotated. In other words, even if the operating member 183 is about to be rotated, the rotation is restricted by abutting against the main body 182a of the guide member 182.

The flange portion 183b is formed larger than the retaining portion 182d of the guide member 182 in rear view, which prevents the operating member 183 from falling off the guide member 182. In other words, the operating member 183 is displaceable in the front-rear direction when the flange portion 183b is held between the abutment member 181 and the guide member 182.

The grooves 183c are formed at positions corresponding to the protrusions 182e of the guide member 182, and serve to allow the operating member 183 to move smoothly forward and backward. In this embodiment, since the protrusions 182e are formed in two places on the upper side and one place on the lower side, the grooves 183c are also formed in two places on the upper side and one place on the lower side. This makes it possible to prevent incorrect assembly of the operating member 183 by mistakenly placing it upside down.

The cylindrical portion 183d is inserted through the center of the coil spring 184, and is configured to be insertable into the central opening of the cylindrical holding portion 181b of the abutment member 181. When the cylindrical portion 183d protrudes from the central opening of the abutment member 181, as described below, the cylindrical portion 183d engages with the regulated hole 657 of the zoom unit 600, regulating the upward and downward displacement of the performance member 700.

In other words, in this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 183d can be used both as a portion that regulates the upward and downward displacement of the performance member 700 of the zoom unit 600 and as a portion that supports the coil spring 184.

The arc-shaped protrusion 183e is arranged so that it can be placed opposite the outer diameter side of the coil spring 184, and is placed opposite the large diameter cylindrical portion of the cylindrical holding portion 181b of the abutment member 181 in the front-rear direction. When the operating member 183 is pressed in, the arc-shaped protrusion 183e and the cylindrical holding portion 181b abut before other portions, so that the load generation area can be increased and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a large load locally.

The arc-shaped protrusion 183e is not circular, but is formed as an interrupted arc, with the engagement portion 183f disposed at the point where the circle is interrupted. This makes it possible to prevent the engagement portion 183f from being too far apart from the cylindrical portion 183d and the coil spring 184.

The state change of the operating member 183 will be explained. The operating member 183 is biased toward the rear side by the coil spring 184. When the operating member 183 is pushed toward the front side against this biasing force, a latch mechanism consisting of the engaging portion 183f and the engaged portion 181c comes into action, and each time the operating member 183 is pushed in beyond the minimum stroke at which the latch mechanism acts, it alternates between the restricted state described above and the unrestricted state.

In this way, since the latch mechanism is configured to be able to change states, there is a risk that the displacement restriction device 180 will unintentionally change state if the operating member 183 is displaced by the above-mentioned minimum stroke amount due to a large external force being applied to the pachinko machine 10, not just when the operating member 183 is intentionally operated.

For example, if an unintentional change in state of the displacement control device 180 occurs due to an impact during shipment or vibration during transport while the displacement control device 180 is in the regulated state, the scaling unit 600 may be displaced from the performance standby state (a state in which the performance member 700 is positioned at the upper displacement end). If the performance member 700 that has been displaced from the performance standby state is positioned close to the partition member 310 (see FIG. 13) and is subjected to an impact during shipment or vibration during transport, there is a risk that the performance member 700 will collide with the partition member 310 of the launch performance unit 300, and there is a risk that the performance member 700 or the partition member 310 will be damaged.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the engagement portion 183f is disposed at a position (off-centered to the right) away from the position (central position) where the biasing force is applied to the operating member 183, and the gap dimension between the groove portion 183c of the operating member 183 and the protrusion 182e of the guide member 182 is set large, intentionally lowering the position maintaining ability of the operating member 183.

This allows the attitude of the operating member 183 relative to the guide member 182 to be inclined in advance, thereby increasing the displacement resistance of the operating member 183. Therefore, the amount of displacement of the operating member 183 in the forward/rearward direction due to unintended external forces can be suppressed.

The relationship between the displacement restriction device 180 and the operation unit 500 will be explained. Figure 19 is a front perspective view of the pachinko machine 10 with the front frame 14 open, Figure 20 is a rear view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500, and Figures 21(a) and 21(b) are cross-sectional views of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 taken along line XXIa-XXIa in Figure 20.

Note that FIG. 21(a) illustrates the displacement restriction device 180 in a restricted state, and FIG. 21(b) illustrates the displacement restriction device 180 in a released state.

As shown in FIG. 19, the displacement restriction device 180 is disposed on the opening/closing base end side (left side) of the inner frame 12, and is configured so that an operator can reach out and touch it by opening the back pack 92 relative to the inner frame 12. This position is opposite the side (opening/closing tip side, right side) from which an operator who opens the inner frame 12 to perform work enters, so it is possible to prevent the operator from unintentionally touching the displacement restriction device 180 when opening the inner frame 12.

As shown in Figures 21(a) and 21(b), the engaging portion 183f and the engaged portion 181c that constitute the latch mechanism described above are formed on the right side of the displacement restriction device 180. Because the operating member 183 is loosely supported, not all of the load that presses the operating member 183 is used to move the operating member 183 back and forth, but is also used to change the posture of the operating member 183.

For example, when the right side of the operating member 183 is pressed in, even if the right side moves back and forth sufficiently, the position of the operating member 183 may change, and the left side may not be pressed in sufficiently.

Therefore, if the purpose is to push in the displacement restriction device 180 to switch the state, it is easier for the operator to create the necessary displacement in the displacement restriction device 180 and successfully switch the state of the displacement restriction device 180 by pinpointing and pushing in the part where the latch mechanism is formed.

In this embodiment, as described above, the engaging portion 183f and the engaged portion 181c that constitute the latch mechanism are formed on the right side of the displacement restriction device 180, and the worker enters from the right side to operate the displacement restriction device 180, so the worker can reach the displacement restriction device 180 with minimal movement. Therefore, the worker can easily perform the operation of pinpointing and depressing the portion that forms the latch mechanism.

In addition, the change in posture when the operating member 183 is pressed occurs in a manner that the pressing surface (the surface formed on the base end side of the cylindrical portion 183d) faces the side being pressed. Therefore, the greater the amount of pressing, the easier it is for the operator's pressing load to be transmitted to the operating member 183.

In the restricted state shown in FIG. 21(a), the cylindrical portion 183d of the operating member 183 is inserted into the restricted hole 657 of the transmission gear 650, restricting the displacement of the transmission gear 650. This makes it possible to prevent the state of the zoom unit 600 from changing.

The displacement direction of the transmission gear 650 (the direction of rotation about the front-rear axis) and the displacement direction of the operating member 183 (front-rear direction) are perpendicular to each other, so the operating member 183 can be prevented from receiving a load in the displacement direction from the transmission gear 650. This makes it possible to effectively restrict the displacement of the transmission gear 650 without requiring a strong structure for the forming portion of the latch mechanism.

In this way, by setting the displacement regulation device 180 in the regulated state, the state of the enlargement/reduction unit 600 can be maintained, so the use of the displacement regulation device 180 is not limited to transportation. For example, after installation in an amusement machine store, during maintenance, the displacement regulation device 180 can be set in the regulated state to maintain the state of the enlargement/reduction unit 600, allowing for safe and easy maintenance of the displacement rotation unit 800, which will be described later.

In other words, in the case where the displacement trajectory of the zoom unit 600 and the displacement trajectory of the displacement rotation unit 800 partially overlap as in this embodiment, even if the drive motor MT2 of the zoom unit 600 malfunctions during maintenance work on the displacement rotation unit 800, the state (position) of the zoom unit 600 can be maintained by the displacement control device 180, so that the zoom unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800 can be prevented from colliding with each other.

If the displacement restriction device 180 is in a restricted state before the power is turned on to the pachinko machine 10, the displacement restriction device 180 can be switched to a non-restricted state by pressing in the operating member 183 of the displacement restriction device 180 (see FIG. 21(b)). This allows the transmission gear 650 to be displaced, and the zoom unit 600 can be caused to perform a performance action involving a state change.

Here, we will explain how, before turning on the power, the front frame 14 and the inner frame 12 are slightly opened relative to the outer frame 11, and by looking in from the open end side (right side), it is possible to check whether the displacement restriction device 180 is in the unrestricted state.

As shown in FIG. 21(a), when the displacement restriction device 180 is in the restricted state, the operating member 183 is disposed forward of the shaped portion of the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510, so that when viewed from the right side, the operating member 183 is hidden by the shaped portion of the bottom wall portion 511.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 21(b), when the displacement restriction device 180 is in the released state, the operating member 183 is positioned to protrude further toward the rear side than the shaped portion of the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510, so that when viewed from the right side, the operating member 183 is visible in a position protruding from the bottom wall portion 511.

Therefore, as a check before turning on the power, the operator can confirm that the displacement restriction device 180 is in the released state by slightly opening the front frame 14 and the inner frame 12 relative to the outer frame 11 without fully opening the front frame 14 and the inner frame 12 relative to the outer frame 11, and visually checking that the operating member 183 protrudes from the bottom wall portion 511 when viewed from the right side.

In this embodiment, the rear case 510 is made of a colorless transparent resin material, and the operating member 183 is made of a red transparent resin material, which improves the visibility of the operating member 183.

Here, we will explain the case where the power is turned on while the displacement restriction device 180 is in the restricted state and the cylindrical portion 183d is inserted into the restricted hole 657 of the transmission gear 650 of the zoom unit 600 (see FIG. 21(a)). In this embodiment, when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on while the displacement restriction device 180 is in the restricted state, it is determined from the output of the detection sensor SC7 (see FIG. 52) that the state of the zoom unit 600 has not changed during the power-on operation, and a position detection error message accompanying this determination is displayed by the third pattern display device 81.

By showing this position detection error display to a staff member at the gaming machine store, it is possible to make him/her aware that the state of the displacement control device 180 may not have been changed. Note that this error display is displayed when the presence or absence of a change in the state of the zoom unit 600 is detected, and is not a detection of the state of the displacement control device 180.

In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to output an alarm regarding the state of the displacement control device 180 by utilizing the position detection error display that is normally provided in the zoom unit 600, without preparing any additional programs or display materials for the error display. This makes it possible to reduce design costs.

In this embodiment, when the power is turned on while the cylindrical portion 183d is inserted into the restricted hole 657 of the transmission gear 650 of the zoom unit 600 in the restricted state of the displacement restriction device 180 (see FIG. 21(a)), the operation member 183 cannot be pushed in while the power is on, and it is required to turn off the power at one point, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the operation member 183 may be configured to be operable even while the power is on.

The configuration for disabling the pushing operation of the operating member 183 can be set arbitrarily. For example, the pushing operation can be disabled by friction generated between the transmission gear 650 and the operating member 183, or a large diameter portion can be provided on the base end side of the cylindrical portion 183d of the operating member 183, and during the displacement of the transmission gear 650, the rear surface of the plate of the transmission gear 650 and the large diameter portion of the cylindrical portion 183d engage with each other at the front and rear to limit the displacement of the operating member 183.

As a different situation, an example of pushing in the operating member 183 of the displacement restriction device 180 during maintenance at an amusement machine store will be described. In this embodiment, pushing in the operating member 183 is not only possible when the restricted hole 657 of the zoom unit 600 matches the cylindrical portion 183d in the front and rear.

For example, even if the operating member 183 is pressed in while the zoom unit 600 is in the extended state (see FIG. 8) during maintenance, the displacement restriction device 180 changes state to the restricted state. In this case, the cylindrical portion 183d is positioned on the displacement trajectory of the transmission gear 650 of the zoom unit 600, so that when a driving force is generated after maintenance is completed and the transmission gear 650 is displaced, the displacement is restricted by the cylindrical portion 183d.

In this embodiment, the device is configured to be able to determine that the displacement of the transmission gear 650 is restricted, and by displaying an error (notifying of an abnormality) based on this determination, it is possible to notify the gaming machine store staff that the displacement restriction device 180 remains in a restricted state, as will be described in more detail below.

As a result, it is possible to determine the state of the displacement control device 180 by using the device that detects the state of the zoom unit 600, without having to provide a separate device for detecting the state of the displacement control device 180.

The displacement restriction device 180 can be operated either before or after the game board 13 and the operating unit 500 are attached to the inner frame 12. After attachment to the inner frame 12, not only is it necessary to open the inner frame 12, but it is also necessary to open the back pack 92 relative to the inner frame 12. Therefore, it is preferable to operate the displacement restriction device 180 before attachment to the inner frame 12, if possible.

Referring back to Figures 5 and 6, in this embodiment, in addition to the third symbol display device 81, the above-mentioned launch performance unit 300, the enlargement/reduction unit 600, and the displacement/rotation unit 800 are provided as performance devices to enhance the game. These performance devices will be described in order, starting with the launch performance unit 300.

Figure 22 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13 and the launch performance unit 300, and Figure 23 is an exploded rear perspective view of the game board 13 and the launch performance unit 300. As shown in Figures 22 and 23, when the launch performance unit 300 is in an assembled state, the partition member 310 is positioned opposite the light guide plate 161. In other words, it is possible to perform a performance in which the light guide plate 161 and the partition member 310 are overlapped and visible to the player.

The partition member 310 is made of a colorless, light-transmitting resin material, so the player can see the granular members 320 scattered inside, and it is possible to create an effect in which the light guide plate 161 and the scattered granular members 320 are superimposed on each other for the player viewing the area surrounded by the center frame 86.

Figure 24 is an exploded front perspective view of the launch performance unit 300, and Figure 25 is an exploded rear perspective view of the launch performance unit 300. In Figures 24 and 25, the partition member 310 is shown exploded.

As shown in Figures 24 and 25, the launch performance unit 300 includes a partition member 310 arranged inside the center frame 86 (see Figures 22 and 23) and forming a box shape with an open bottom, a plurality of granular members 320 arranged so as to be displaceable inside the partition member 310, an ejection device 400 arranged in a manner that blocks the open bottom portion so that the granular members 320 do not fall out of the partition member 310, a first light irradiation device 330 arranged on the right side of the partition member 310, and a second light irradiation device 340 arranged on the left side of the partition member 310.

The partition member 310 is made of a light-transmitting resin material and includes a front plate portion 311, which is a plate-like portion located at the forefront, a curved plate portion 312 formed integrally below the front plate portion 311, a rear partition portion 313 having a bottom plate portion parallel to the front plate portion 311 and arranged opposite the rear side of the front plate portion 311 and having blocking walls extending from the left and right sides and the top of the bottom plate portion to the front side to block the gap, a rear partition lower portion 314 formed integrally below the rear partition portion 313 and capable of forming a path between the curved plate portion 312 and the curved plate portion 312 that communicates with the internal space IE1 (see FIG. 12(a)) formed between the front plate portion 311 and the rear partition portion 313, and an irregular through portion 315 formed through the rear partition lower portion 314.

The size of the partition member 310 is not limited in any way, but in this embodiment, the size of the window portion surrounding the light guide plate 161 inside the center frame 86 is formed to be approximately the same as the size of the partition member 310 when viewed from the front. In other words, the light guide plate 161 and the front panel portion 311 are formed to have approximately the same shape.

This allows the components for hiding the edges of the light guide plate 161 to also be used to hide the edges of the partition member 310. This eliminates the need for dedicated components for hiding the edges of the partition member 310, reducing the number of components, while preventing the display from being interrupted by the edges of the partition member 310 being seen overlapping the display by the third pattern display device 81, thereby maintaining the visibility of the display by the third pattern display device 81.

The internal space IE1 serves as the range within which the granular components 320 can scatter, but if this space is too wide, the granular components 320 will scatter too much, and it will be necessary to use a very large number of granular components 320 to create a powerful effect. For this reason, it is better to create a relatively narrow space so that a small number of granular components 320 can be visually perceived at a high density to create a powerful effect.

On the other hand, if the space is made too narrow, there is a risk of clogging with the granular material 320. In contrast, in this embodiment, the front-to-rear width of the internal space IE1 is ensured to be approximately the same as the front-to-rear width between the left-right central portion 312b of the curved plate portion 312 and the lower portion 314 of the rear section. Therefore, clogging with the granular material 320 in the internal space IE1 and sudden deceleration during ejection can be avoided, compared to when the front-to-rear width is shortened.

Furthermore, since the left and right portions 312a of the curved plate portion 312 are positioned closer to the lower portion 314 of the rear section than the left and right central portion 312b, the movement path of the granular material 320 near the left and right portions 312b can be narrower than the movement path of the granular material 320 near the left and right central portion 312b.

In other words, when the granular member 320 is ejected into the internal space IE1 by the ejection device 400, the movement path of the granular member 320 can be concentrated near the left-right center portion 312b, making it easier for the granular member 320 to reach near the center of the internal space IE1. This makes it easier for the player to see the granular member 320.

In addition, after the granular member 320 reaches near the center of the internal space IE1, the granular member 320 collides with the front panel portion 311 and scatters around the internal space IE1. This allows the player to visually see as if the granular member 320 exploded from near the center of the internal space IE1 and is scattering in all directions, thereby enhancing the impact of the movement presentation of the granular member 320.

The curved plate portion 312 functions as a portion that receives the granular material 320 when the granular material 320 ejected into the internal space IE1 falls. With this in mind, in this embodiment, the curved plate portion 312 is designed to slope downward toward the rear side and toward the center of the left and right.

As a result, regardless of where the granular member 320 is placed in the internal space IE1, the granular member 320, which is displaced downward under its own weight, can be displaced downward toward the rear side while being brought closer to the center on the left and right sides.

Furthermore, the degree of downward inclination in the left and right portions 312a of the curved plate portion 312 is configured so that the downward inclination toward the left and right center is steeper than the downward inclination toward the rear side. This allows the tendency of the granular material 320 to move downward to the left and right center in preference to displacement toward the rear side. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the granular material 320 attempts to move toward the rear side all at once at the left and right end positions where the granular material 320 is likely to be densely packed due to the configuration of the injection device 400 described below, causing the granular material 320 to become stuck (clogged) during the downward displacement.

In addition, the degree of downward inclination toward the rear side at the left and right central portion 312b of the curved plate portion 312 is configured to be steeper than the degree of downward inclination toward the left and right central portion at the left and right portions 312a of the curved plate portion 312. This makes it easier to prevent the granular material 320 from becoming congested during the flow.

In contrast, the lower part 314 of the rear section is formed as a flat plate with a plate portion arranged opposite the rear side of the curved plate portion 312 and an inclination angle that is approximately the same as that of the left-right central portion 312b of the curved plate portion 312 in a side view (see FIG. 12(a)) (the distance between the left-right central portion 312b becomes slightly wider as it approaches the front side, i.e., the angle with respect to the horizontal direction is larger).

In this embodiment, the angle of inclination of the lower part 314 of the rear section relative to the vertical direction is set to be equal to (slightly larger than) the angle of inclination of the displacement direction of the collision member 420 that ejects the granular material 320 relative to the vertical direction.

As a result, the incidence angle of the granular material 320 with respect to the lower part 314 of the rear section is the same regardless of the direction of emission of the granular material 320, which can vary from left to right, and the resistance applied to the granular material 320 by the lower part 314 of the rear section can be made almost uniform.

The irregular penetration portion 315 is formed in a shape that allows the lid member 480 to be inserted, and has short portions that extend vertically at both left and right ends, and a long portion that curves and extends horizontally in a manner that connects the upper ends of the short portions. The penetration direction is formed so as to slope obliquely upward from the rear side to the front side with respect to the plate surface of the rear section lower portion 314 (see FIG. 12(a)). As a result, the acute angle portion of the rear section lower portion 314 that constitutes the irregular penetration portion 315 (the lower portion of the irregular penetration portion 315 in FIG. 12(a)) is not positioned opposite the injection direction of the granular material 320.

This reduces the possibility of the granular member 320 colliding with an acute angle when the granular member 320 is ejected, thereby avoiding localized loads on the granular member 320 and the lower part of the rear section 314, and preventing cracks or chips from occurring in the granular member 320 and the lower part of the rear section 314.

As shown enlarged in Figures 24 and 25, the granular member 320 is made of a relatively soft resin material (at least softer than the resin material forming the partition member 310) and is formed in a roughly soccer ball shape (a 32-sided polygon consisting of 12 regular pentagons and 20 regular hexagons, i.e. a semi-regular polyhedron), and has non-penetrating recesses 321 recessed along multiple parallel straight lines.

The non-through recess 321 can reduce the weight of the granular member 320 and shift the center of gravity of the granular member 320 from the geometric center position. That is, in the linear direction in which the non-through recess 321 is formed, flesh remains on the side where the non-through recess 321 is not formed, so the center of gravity can be shifted to the side where the non-through recess 321 is not formed.

This allows the standby position of the granular member 320 to be adjusted. That is, the standby position of the granular member 320 can be adjusted to a position in which the non-penetrating recess 321 faces upward (see FIG. 24).

In this case, the load from the injection device 400 can be received by the surface on the side where the non-penetrating recess 321 is not formed (see FIG. 25), making it easier to avoid damage or chipping of the granular member 320. Furthermore, since the non-penetrating recess 321 faces the injection direction side when it is injected with the load from the injection device 400, the surface on the side where the non-penetrating recess 321 is formed can be caused to collide with the front plate portion 311. This makes it easier for the load to be absorbed by the deformation of the granular member 320 when colliding with the front plate portion 311, reducing the possibility of damaging the front plate portion 311.

The first light irradiation section 330 includes a fixed plate section 331 fastened to the rear side of the rear partition section 313, an illumination board 332 fastened to the right side of the fixed plate section 331, and a cover section 333 disposed to the right of the illumination board 332, fastened to the fixed plate section 331, and formed to be able to accommodate the illumination board 332 between the fixed plate section 331 and the cover section 333.

The illumination board 332 has light emitting units 332a such as LEDs arranged on both the left and right sides, and light having an optical axis in the left-right direction is emitted from the light emitting units 332a. The fixed plate unit 331 and the cover unit 333 are formed from a resin material with low light transmittance, and through holes 331a, 333a are drilled at positions corresponding to the light emitting units 332a. This allows the light to be visually recognized as being divided into granules.

The light emitted from the illumination board 332 to the right has the purpose of illuminating the right-hand path (right-hand play path) of the play area where the through gate 67 and other devices (see Figure 2) are located. The light emitted to the left will be described later.

The fixing plate 331 and the lid 333 are formed from a resin material with low light transmittance (or no light transmittance), and through holes 331a, 333a are drilled at the position corresponding to the light irradiation portion 332a. This allows the light irradiated from the light irradiation portion 332a to be visually recognized as light divided into particles, and the illumination board 332 is shielded by the fixing plate 331 and the lid 333 in an area away from the light irradiation portion 332a, preventing it from being visible.

The second light irradiation section 340 includes a fixing plate section 341 fastened to the rear side of the rear partition section 313, an illumination board 342 fastened to the left side of the fixing plate section 341, and a lid section 343 disposed to the left side of the illumination board 342, fastened to the fixing plate section 341, and formed to be able to accommodate the illumination board 342 between the fixing plate section 341 and the fixing plate section 341.

While the fixed plate portion 341 is formed from a resin material with low light transmittance (or no light transmittance), the cover portion 343 is formed from a colorless resin material that is light transmittance. Therefore, when viewed from the left, the illuminated board 342 is visible, but in this embodiment, the left side portion of the center frame 86 (see Figure 2) is configured to extend far to the left. This makes it possible to narrow the player's field of vision in advance, and prevents the left side of the illuminated board 342 from being seen when viewed from the front.

This allows light to be emitted through the transparent lid 343 while preventing the illuminated board 342 from being visible.

Light emitting units 342a such as LEDs are provided on both the left and right sides of the illumination board 342. Light having an optical axis facing forward is emitted from the light emitting unit 342a provided on the left side. One purpose of this light is to illuminate the left side of the center frame 86 while avoiding illuminating the left side path of the play area.

Here, a configuration different from the one in which the light emitted from the light emitting section 342a of the right-side illumination board 332 is actively directed toward the play area is adopted in consideration of the playability of this pachinko machine 10 (normally, play is performed by hitting with the left hand, and during the special mode, time-saving mode, and jackpot mode, play is performed by hitting with the right hand). This will be explained below.

The playing area of this pachinko machine 10 has a high degree of freedom in the path that the balls can flow down on the left side of the playing area, so during normal play, the player can adjust the ball launch intensity so that the balls flow down the path of their choice. Therefore, if the light emission intensity on the left side of the playing area is made too high, the visibility of the balls will be reduced, which will hinder the adjustment of the ball launch intensity and may cause dissatisfaction among the player.

On the other hand, when shooting a ball to the right side of the play area, the player basically shoots the ball with maximum shooting strength. The momentum of the shot ball is suppressed by the return rubber 69, and the ball's freedom of choice for the flow path downstream is significantly reduced, and it tends to follow the same path.

In more detail, in this embodiment, a single guide path DL1 (see Figure 2) is formed downstream of the second winning opening 640, wide enough for one ball to pass through, and all balls that do not enter the second winning opening 640 pass through the guide path DL1 and head toward the variable winning device 65 or general winning opening 63 located downstream.

In this way, since there is little need to adjust the ball's launch intensity, even if the visibility of the ball becomes poor on the right side of the play area (particularly where the guide path DL1 is formed), it is unlikely that this will interfere with play, and it is possible to execute a performance with high light emission intensity within this range.

For these reasons, in this embodiment, the illumination board 332 located on the right side is provided with a light emitting section 332a that directs light toward the play area, while the illumination board 342 located on the left side is provided with a light emitting section 342a that does not direct light toward the play area. This makes it possible to perform effective light-emitting effects while minimizing player dissatisfaction.

Light having an optical axis facing rightward is emitted from the light emitting unit 342a disposed on the right side. A through hole 341a is drilled in the fixed plate 341 at a position corresponding to the light emitting unit 342a. This allows the light emitted from the light emitting unit 342a to be visually recognized as light divided into particles, and prevents the illumination board 342 from being blocked by the fixed plate 341 in an area away from the light emitting unit 342a and being visually recognized. The object illuminated by the light emitting unit 342a disposed on the right side will be described later.

Figure 26(a) is a side view of the first light irradiation device 330 as viewed in the direction of the arrow R in Figure 25, and Figure 26(b) is a side view of the second light irradiation device 340 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in Figure 25. In Figures 26(a) and 26(b), the outer shape of the partition member 310 is shown by imaginary lines.

As shown in FIG. 26(a), the light irradiation unit 332a arranged on the left side of the first light irradiation device 330 includes an LED whose optical axis passes through the partition member 310 and an LED whose optical axis passes through the rear side of the partition member 310.

This allows not only the effect of shining light onto the granular member 320 inside the partition member 310, but also the effect of shining light onto other movable means (the zoom unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800) arranged on the rear side of the partition member 310.

As shown in FIG. 26(b), the light irradiation section 342a arranged on the right side of the second light irradiation device 340 does not have any LEDs whose optical axis passes through the partition member 310, and is composed only of LEDs whose optical axis passes through the back side of the partition member 310.

This makes it possible to suppress the light emission intensity toward the interior of the partition member 310 while improving the light irradiation intensity toward other movable means (the zoom unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800) arranged on the rear side of the partition member 310.

By suppressing the light emission intensity into the partition member 310 in the second illumination device 340, the comfort of playing in normal conditions can be improved. That is, in playing in normal conditions, the player's line of sight is not fixed, but is directed mainly toward the left side of the play area, the display of the third pattern display device 81, or the vicinity of the first winning opening 64, so the player often looks at the range from the center to the left side of the play area.

In this case, when light is irradiated from the second illumination device 340 into the interior of the partition member 310, it shines at a position similar to the play area and toward the front, which creates backlighting for a player looking to the left of the play area, and this may reduce the player's visibility of the play area.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the light irradiation unit 342a of the second irradiation device 340 is positioned toward the rear side, and the play area is separated from the light irradiation unit 342a, thereby reducing the degree of effect that the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 342a has on the visibility of the play area.

In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to execute a light emission effect in which the inside of the center frame 86 is illuminated with high intensity when viewed from the front, while reducing the degree to which the light irradiated from the light irradiation section 342a of the second irradiation device 340 illuminates the play area. Therefore, it is possible to execute an effect in which the zoom unit 600 and the displacement rotation unit 800 (see FIG. 5) are illuminated, without reducing the visibility of the play area.

Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 and launch unit 300 taken along line XXVII-XXVII in Figure 2. That is, in Figure 27, the game board 13 and launch unit 300 are illustrated, and the operation unit 500 is omitted. Also, the directions of light emitted from the first light irradiation device 330 and the second light irradiation device 340 are diagrammatically illustrated with arrows.

As shown in FIG. 27, the second light irradiation device 340 is disposed on the left side and rear side of the vertically placed board unit 167, which will be described later and which irradiates light onto the light guide plate 161. This allows light emission effects to be performed without the light from the light irradiation unit 342a being incident on the light guide plate 161, so that the light effects using the light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 342a can be separated from effects that illuminate the light guide plate 161.

When using the light guide plate 161 as in this embodiment, depending on the light irradiation path, the light guide plate 161 may emit light unintentionally, which may reduce the presentation effect. In particular, since light irradiated around the light guide plate 161 (for example, the front side of the center frame 86) tends to make the light guide plate 161 shine, there is a risk that it will be necessary to suppress the emission intensity, which reduces the freedom of presentation.

In contrast, according to the present embodiment, the light from the light irradiation unit 342a is configured to travel while avoiding the light guide plate 161, which improves the degree of freedom in setting the irradiation intensity of the light from the light irradiation unit 342a. This improves the degree of freedom in the light emission effect around the light guide plate 161.

Referring back to Figures 24 and 25, the explanation will be given below. The injection device 400 is disposed below the partition member 310, and is a device on which the granular material 320 that flows downward from the internal space IE1 of the partition member 310 (see Figure 12 (a)) is placed.

Figures 28, 29, and 30 are front exploded perspective views of the injection device 400, and Figures 31, 32, and 33 are rear exploded perspective views of the injection device 400. Note that Figures 28 and 31 show an overview of the configuration of the injection device 400, Figures 29 and 32 show details of the configuration of a portion of the injection device 400 that is located closer to the front side, and Figures 30 and 33 show details of the configuration of a portion of the injection device 400 that is located closer to the rear side. In addition, in the explanation of Figures 28 to 33, Figures 24 and 25 will be referred to as appropriate.

As shown in Figures 28 to 33, the injection device 400 includes, as fixed members, a fixed member 350 fastened to the partition member 310 (see Figure 24), a space forming member 360 fastened to the rear side of the fixed member 350 and configured to be able to form a space between the fixed member 350 and the fixed member 350 in which other movable members can be accommodated, a limiting member 370 fastened to the rear side of the space forming member 360 and limiting the forward and backward displacement of the electrical wiring and transmission arm member 470 described later, and an intermediate member 401 disposed between the fixed member 350 and the space forming member 360 and having a keyhole-shaped opening 402 drilled in the center.

The fastening screw used to fasten the fixing member 350 to the partition member 310 is inserted into the partition member 310 from the front side. Therefore, when removing the fixing member 350 from the partition member 310, it is necessary to loosen and remove the fastening screw with a screwdriver. However, when the game board 13 and the launch unit 300 are assembled (see FIG. 12(a)), the base plate 60 is positioned on the front side of the fixing member 350, so that the screwdriver cannot be inserted into the fastening screw.

Therefore, the launch unit 300 can be removed from the game board 13 as a preparation for removing the fixed member 350 from the partition member 310. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the fixed member 350 is mistakenly removed from the partition member 310 while the launch unit 300 is attached to the game board 13, causing the granular member 320 to be ejected from the fixed member 310.

The injection device 400 includes a linear motion member 410, which is displaceably disposed between the intermediate member 401 and the fixed member 350 and through which a plurality of metal rods MB1 fixed to the front side of the intermediate member 401 are inserted and which is configured to be displaceable in a linear motion, a collision member 420, which is disposed above the linear motion member 410 and supported to be displaceable along the displacement direction of the linear motion member 410 and has an arch-shaped collision surface on the upper part, and a contact member 430, which is disposed below the linear motion member 410 and which is configured to be able to change between a state in which it can contact in the displacement direction of the linear motion member 410 and a state in which it cannot contact.

The injection device 400 includes a front transmission member 440 that is formed to be capable of transmitting load to the linear motion member 410 and the abutment member 430, rotatably supported by the space forming member 360, and has gear teeth formed on its outer circumferential surface, as members displaceably arranged between the intermediate member 401 and the space forming member 360, a drive gear 450 that is fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor MT1 that is fastened and fixed to the fixed member 350 and engages with the gear teeth of the front transmission member 440, and a rear transmission member 460 that is disposed on the opposite side of the flange portion 444 of the front transmission member 440 with respect to the drive gear 450, and is fastened and fixed to the rotation transmission member 440.

The injection device 400 is provided with a transmission arm member 470 that is rotatably supported on a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the front transmission member 440 and configured to be displaceable by the action of the rear transmission member 460 as a member displaceable on the rear side of the space forming member 360, and a cover member 480 that is rotatably supported on a rotation axis that is a straight line facing the left-right direction and displaces due to the load received from the transmission arm member 470.

The design concept of the injection device 400 having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained. In the injection device 400, the fixed intermediate member 401 and the space forming member 360 divide the arrangement range of the components into three along the protruding direction of the shaft portion 362 protruding from the space forming member 360. Of the arrangement ranges thus divided, the driving force of the drive motor MT1 is generated in the middle range where the drive gear 450 that rotates by the driving force of the drive motor MT1 is disposed, and this driving force is transmitted to the front range and the rear range, respectively, causing displacement of each component in the front range and the rear range.

Based on this design concept, the intermediate member 401 and the space forming member 360 are each provided with an opening for transmitting driving force. That is, the intermediate member 401 has an opening 402 that is drilled in a keyhole shape, and the space forming member 360 has an opening 361 that is drilled in a lemon shape (approximately oval shape).

The transmission of the driving force is completed in the front range of the intermediate section 401 and the rear range of the space forming member 360, so below we will explain the details of the configuration in the order of the front range and the rear range, and then we will explain the details of the configuration of the intermediate range and the operating mode.

First, the description will focus on the front range. As shown in Figures 29 and 32, the intermediate member 401 includes the above-mentioned opening 402, a plurality of cylindrical protrusions 403 that protrude from the upper end toward the front side in a cylindrical shape, a plurality of coil springs SP1 whose upper ends are supported by the cylindrical protrusions 403, a plurality of rod fixing parts 404 that are arranged in symmetrical positions so that a plurality of metal rods MB1 can be fixed, and a support column part 405 that protrudes in a cylindrical shape toward the front side near the lower end, and the lower ends of the coil springs SP1 are hooked onto each of a plurality of claw parts 411 formed on the lower end of the linear motion member 410.

The natural length of the coil spring SP1 is formed to be shorter than the distance between the cylindrical protrusion 403 and the claw portion 411 when the linear motion member 410 is positioned at the upper end position. Therefore, the linear motion member 410 is constantly biased by the coil spring SP1, and before the driving force is transmitted from the intermediate range, the linear motion member 410 is positioned at the upper end position due to the biasing force. The coil spring SP1 is positioned diagonally below the linear motion member 410, which is also intended to concentrate the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 on the side where the granular material 320 is likely to accumulate.

The linear motion member 410 includes the above-mentioned claw portion 411, a plurality of insertion portions 412 formed to allow the metal bar MB1 to be inserted therethrough, a trapezoidal protrusion portion 413 protruding in a trapezoidal shape from the upper end portion at the center of the left and right, a linear protrusion portion 414 extending in the left and right direction at approximately the center position in the vertical width direction on the rear side, a lower protrusion portion 415 formed as a protrusion shorter than the protrusion portion 414 below the protrusion portion 414, and a displacement restriction portion 416 protruding from the lower end portion at the center of the left and right toward the front side.

The trapezoidal protrusion 413 is formed so that it can come into contact with the collision member 420 when the linear motion member 410 is positioned at the upper end position. In other words, the linear motion member 410 is formed so that only the trapezoidal protrusion 413 can come into contact with the collision member 420, and the portion other than the trapezoidal protrusion 413 does not come into contact with the collision member 420.

The protrusion 414 and the lower protrusion 415 are the parts that receive load from other components when the load is transmitted, and will be described in detail later.

The displacement regulating portion 416 is a portion that abuts against the buffer member 352 of the fixed member 350 in the displacement direction, and this abutment regulates the displacement of the linear motion member 410 (the upward displacement end point is set).

The collision member 420 includes a curved plate portion 421 that forms an arch-shaped collision surface, a flat plate portion 422 that extends from the rear end of the curved plate portion 421 in parallel to the plane of displacement of the linear motion member 410, a plurality of guide holes 423 that are drilled in the shape of a long hole extending along the extension direction of the plate portion 422, and a buffer member 424 that is fixed at the lower end of the left and right center of the plate portion 422 at a position opposite to the displacement direction of the trapezoidal protrusion portion 413 and is arranged to be able to abut against the trapezoidal protrusion portion 413.

The cylindrical protrusion 403 is inserted into the guide hole 423. That is, the cylindrical protrusion 403 serves both as a part that supports the upper end of the coil spring SP1 and as a part that guides the displacement of the collision member 420.

The buffer member 424 is formed as a small square piece from a highly durable and flexible resin material. Although not particularly limited, nylon resin, urethane resin, etc. can be used. In this case, the characteristics of the resin material can soften the load and impact when the buffer member 424 and the trapezoidal protrusion 413 of the linear motion member 410 come into contact, and the occurrence of damage or chipping of the trapezoidal protrusion 413 can be suppressed.

The abutment member 430 is formed in a long, approximately triangular plate shape, and includes a support hole 431 drilled at one end of the long plate as a circular opening through which the support column 405 can be inserted, a protrusion 432 that protrudes from the other end of the long plate toward the rear side with a circular cross section, and a hook-shaped protrusion 433 that protrudes from a position between the support hole 431 and the protrusion 432 toward the front side with a hook-shaped cross section.

The support hole 431 is an opening through which the support column 405 is inserted, thereby allowing the abutment member 430 to be rotatably supported by the support column 405.

The protruding portion 432 and the hook-shaped protruding portion 433 are the parts that receive load from other components when the load is transmitted, and will be described in detail later.

The fixing member 350 includes a motor fixing section 351 on which the above-mentioned drive motor MT1 is arranged and fixed, a buffer member 352 arranged so as to be able to abut against the displacement regulating section 416, a number of fastening recesses 353 formed as recesses capable of receiving the tip of the circular protrusion 403 and configured so that a fastening screw inserted from the front side into the inner through hole can be screwed into the female thread formed in the circular protrusion 403 to be fastened and fixed, and a guide section 354 composed of an inclined surface that narrows from the front side and from the left and right directions, and which guides the displacement of the granular member 320 (see Figure 24).

The buffer member 352 is formed as a small square piece from a highly durable and flexible resin material. Although not particularly limited, nylon resin, urethane resin, etc. can be used. In this case, the characteristics of the resin material can soften the load and impact when the buffer member 352 and the displacement regulating portion 416 of the linear motion member 410 come into contact, and the occurrence of damage or chipping of the displacement regulating portion 416 can be suppressed.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the buffer members 352, 424 are disposed at multiple locations where the linear motion member 410 abuts at the end of the displacement in the biasing direction. As a result, as described below, even if the linear motion member 410 is displaced upward at high speed due to the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 and is suddenly stopped, the load received by the linear motion member 410 at the time of the sudden stop can be absorbed by the deformation of the buffer members 352, 424, and the load can be distributed to multiple locations.

The cylindrical protrusion 403 and the fixed member 350 are connected via the fastening recess 353, and to release this connection, it is necessary to turn and remove the fastening screw inserted into the connecting recess 353. On the other hand, since this fastening screw is inserted from the front side of the fixed member 350, it is configured so that a screwdriver cannot be inserted into the fastening screw when the game board 13 and the launch performance unit 300 are assembled (see Figure 12).

This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the fastening screw is accidentally loosened when the game board 13 and the launch performance unit 300 are assembled, causing the fastening between the fixed member 350 and the intermediate member 401 to become loose.

Next, the rear range will be described. As shown in Figures 30 and 33, the space forming member 360 includes the above-mentioned opening 361, the shaft portion 362 that protrudes cylindrically from the approximate center position of the back plate portion toward the front side, a pair of left and right guide inclined surfaces 363 formed as inclined surfaces on the upper surface of the plate-shaped portion extended toward the front side at the left and right ends of the upper end position of the back plate portion, a pair of left and right protruding support portions 364 that are disposed below the left and right inner sides of the guide inclined surfaces 363 and protrude from the back plate portion to the front side, a plurality of support pillar portions 365 that are formed cylindrically at both left and right ends, arranged on the same line, and formed to a size that can support the cover member 480, a torsion spring SP2 that is wound around the left support pillar portion 364 and generates a biasing force toward the side that retracts the cover member 480, and a cylindrical protrusion 366 that protrudes cylindrically on the back side at the upper left of the opening 361.

As described below, the shaft portion 362 is a portion that rotatably supports the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460. In accordance with this, a wall portion having an inner surface in an arc shape centered on the shaft portion 362 is extended from the rear plate portion of the space forming member 360 to the front side. This wall portion can cover the interior front transmission member 440 and rear transmission member 460.

The guide inclined surface 363 is configured so that the inclination of the left and right inner surfaces is flush with the left and right inner surfaces of the guide section 354 (see Figure 32), and is formed so that it can guide the flowing granular material 320 toward the collision member 420 (the center side on the left and right).

The protruding support portion 364 is formed so that its protruding tip abuts against the back surface of the intermediate member 401 and its upper surface is flush with the intermediate member 401. This flush upper surface supports the left and right ends of the curved plate portion 421 when the collision member 420 is positioned at the lower end position.

The support pillars 365 have different shapes on the left and right. That is, on the right side, they are formed as small-diameter cylinders that protrude outward on the left and right, while on the left side, they are formed as cylinders with an inner diameter large enough to receive the cylindrical portion of the left cover member 489.

The cylindrical protrusion 366 is a part that is inserted into the transmission arm 470 to rotatably support the transmission arm 470. A large-diameter head screw is fixed to the female screw formed at the tip of the cylindrical protrusion 366, thereby supporting the transmission arm 470 so that it cannot fall off.

The transmission arm member 470 is a long member that is formed in a roughly V-shaped appearance and includes a support hole 471 that is drilled with a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 366 and through which the cylindrical protrusion 366 is inserted, a cylindrical protrusion 472 that protrudes from one end in the longitudinal direction toward the front side in parallel with the axial direction of the support hole 471, and a transmission protrusion 473 that protrudes in a cylindrical shape from the other end in the longitudinal direction along a plane perpendicular to the axis of the support hole 471.

The cylindrical protrusion 472 passes through the opening 361 of the space forming member 360 and protrudes to the front side, and is formed so as to be able to engage with the rear transmission member 460. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion 472 changes in accordance with a change in the posture of the rear transmission member 460, and the posture of the transmission arm member 470 changes, as will be described in detail later.

A restricting member 370 is disposed on the rear side of the cylindrical protrusion 472. That is, the restricting member 370 is a plate-shaped member that is fastened and fixed to the rear side of the space forming member 360, and includes a covering plate portion 371 that covers the movement path of the cylindrical protrusion 472 from the rear side, and a plurality of holding claw portions 372 that are formed in a claw shape for the purpose of holding or bundling the electrical wiring.

The covering plate portion 371 is disposed close to the rear side of the transmission arm member 470 and restricts the displacement of the cylindrical protrusion 472 to the rear side (the rear side in the rotational axis direction of the transmission arm member 470). This makes it possible to prevent the cylindrical protrusion 472 from moving away from the rear transmission member 460, and therefore makes it possible to prevent the engagement between the cylindrical protrusion 472 and the rear transmission member 460 from being released.

The pressing claw portion 372 is a portion that temporarily fastens the electrical wiring connected to the drive motor MT1 and the detection sensor SC4 between the rear side plate of the space forming member 360. This prevents the electrical wiring from being displaced (e.g., the electrical wiring is displaced due to vibration, etc.) and ensures an entry path for other components, so that the horizontal slide member 840 and the feather-shaped member 854 (see Figures 10 and 12) of the displacement and rotation unit 800 can be displaced along a path that includes a position close to the injection device 400, as described above.

The transmission protrusion 473 is inserted into the cover member 480 and is used to transmit the driving force to the cover member 480.

The cover member 480 is a member configured to be movable in and out of the partition member 310 through the irregular through-hole 315 (see FIG. 12(a)) of the partition member 310, and includes a curved plate-shaped advance/retract portion 481, a plurality of extension plate portions 485 extending in the same direction from both the left and right ends of the advance/retract portion 481, a plurality of receiving portions 486 that are received coaxially with the support column portion 365 at the extension end of the extension plate portion 485, and a transmission axis formed in the left extension plate portion 485 in the shape of a curved long hole. The right cover member 488 has a transmission hole 487 through which the transmission protrusion 473 of the support member 470 is inserted, a cylindrical portion that surrounds the right receiving portion 486, a through hole through which a fastening screw that is fastened to the female screw formed at the tip of the support column 365 can be inserted while surrounding the receiving portion 486, and is prevented from coming off by the fastening screw, and a left cover member 489 has a cylindrical portion that is inserted into the left receiving portion 486 and an elongated hole-shaped portion that is continuous with the transmission hole 487.

The left cover member 489 is formed with abutment surfaces 489a-489c that are not drilled along the axial direction like drill holes, but are formed functionally; details will be described later.

The cross-sectional shape of the advance/retract section 481 of the lid member 480 is an arc centered on the rotation axis assumed for the receiving section 486, so that the load from the outer diameter side (the load applied from the granular member 320) is directed toward the rotation axis. However, rather than simply being a divided pipe, the radius of the arc and the length of the formation are changed according to the left and right positions. The design intent behind this is explained below.

First, the advance/retract section 481 has a protruding section 482 that protrudes toward the entry side at the left/right center position. The protruding section 482 is formed so that the protruding width becomes shorter the further outward to the left/right, and the end face on the entry side is formed with an incline toward the left/right outside. As a result, when the protruding section 482 comes into contact with another component (in this embodiment, granular member 320 (see FIG. 24) is assumed), a load can be applied to the component in the left/right outward direction, and the component can be pushed outward to the left/right.

Secondly, as described above, the advance/retract portion 481 is configured to be able to enter the partition member 310 through the irregular penetration portion 315 (see FIG. 25) of the partition member 310, and since the protrusion portion 482 enters the partition member 310 first, the arc radius of the advance/retract portion 481 is shortened at the center position on the left and right where the protrusion portion 482 is formed.

This makes it possible to minimize positional deviations that may occur at the point where the entry into the irregular penetration section 315 begins (the center of the left and right of the protruding section 482), thereby preventing the occurrence of a malfunction in which the advance/retreat section 481 is unable to enter the irregular penetration section 315.

Thirdly, the arc radius is longer near the left and right outer sides of the advance/retract section 481, as opposed to the left and right central position of the protrusion section 482. The main purpose of this is to avoid contact with the granular members 320. In other words, in this embodiment, the granular members 320 (see FIG. 12(a)) placed on the upper surface of the collision member 420 are retained near the left and right outer sides due to the shape of the curved plate section 421.

This retention pattern is not completely uniform on the left and right sides, and may be uneven on the left and right sides. For example, an extremely large amount of granular members 320 may be retained on the right side, and if sufficient space is not secured, the unevenly retained granular members 320 may collide with the advance/retract section 481.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the arc radius of the advancing/retreating section 481 is made longer near the left and right outer parts where the granular material 320 tends to accumulate in large amounts. This ensures that the distance between the advancing/retreating section 481 and the curved plate section 421 is sufficiently long in advance, so that even if the granular material 320 accumulates unevenly, it is possible to avoid collision between the granular material 320 and the advancing/retreating section 481.

Another design concept will now be explained. The extension plate portion 485 is formed on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lid member 480, with the end face on the entry side formed as a recess toward the evacuation side. This makes it possible to prevent the extension plate portion 485 from colliding with the retained granular material 320.

In addition, even if the cover member 480 is placed at the end of the displacement on the entry side before the granular material 320 has completely flowed down, the granular material 320 can be configured to be large enough to pass through the gap between the recessed portion of the extension plate portion 485 and the curved plate portion 312 of the partition member 310 (see Figure 25), thereby allowing the granular material 320 to be collected at the top of the collision member 420.

The left and right receiving sections 486 have different shapes. That is, the left receiving section 486a on the left side is formed in a circular cylindrical shape, and the right receiving section 486b on the right side is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape (half-pipe shape), which is a design that takes assembly into consideration.

Referring back to Figures 28 and 31, the support pillar 365 that supports the lid member 480 extends outward in the left-right direction, particularly on the right side. Therefore, if both receiving portions 486 of the lid member 480 are formed in a circular cylindrical shape, it is necessary to divide the advance/retract portion 481 in order to assemble the lid member 480 to the support pillar 365.

As described above, in this embodiment, the lid member 480 moves forward and backward through the irregular penetration portion 315 (see FIG. 25). The irregular penetration portion 315 must be configured to allow the lid member 480 to be moved forward and backward relative to the partition member 310, while also being configured to prevent the granular member 320 from being discharged from the partition member 310. In other words, the irregular penetration portion 315 cannot be made unlimitedly large, and the design freedom of the irregular penetration portion 315 is limited.

Here, if the shape of the lid member 480 is distorted to such an extent that it cannot pass through the irregular shaped penetration portion 315, it will not be able to move forward or backward, so precision in the shape is required. On the other hand, if the advance/retract portion 481 of the lid member 480 is formed by joining multiple parts, there is a possibility that the shape will be distorted due to factors such as assembly errors.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the shapes of the receiving portions 486 are different on the left and right sides, making it unnecessary to separate the advance/retract portion 481. In the assembly process, the left receiving portion 486a is first positioned on the axially outer side (left side) of the support column portion 365, and the left cover member 489 is inserted into the left receiving portion 486a while being inserted into the support column portion 365, thereby positioning the left receiving portion 486a coaxially with the support column portion 365.

At this time, the right receiving portion 486b is positioned so that the support column portion 365 faces the open side of the half cylinder. The left cover member 489 can be fastened and fixed to the extension plate portion 485 by inserting fastening screws through the multiple screw insertion holes formed in the left cover member 489 and screwing them into the extension plate portion 485 on the left side of the lid member 480.

After this, the right cover member 488 is attached from the outside in the axial direction and supported so that it cannot fall off by the screw head of the fastening screw that is screwed into the female thread formed at the tip of the right support column portion 365, allowing the lid member 480 to be rotatably supported relative to the space forming member 360.

The design concept of the transmission protrusion 473 of the transmission arm member 470 and the left cover member 489 will be described with reference to Figures 34 to 36. Figures 34 to 36 show the displacement of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 in chronological order.

Figure 34(a) is a plan view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXIVa in Figure 28, Figure 34(b) is a side view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXIVb in Figure 34(a), and Figure 34(c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 along the line XXXIVc-XXXIVc in Figure 34(b).

Figure 35(a) is a plan view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXIVa in Figure 28, Figure 35(b) is a side view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVb in Figure 35(a), and Figure 35(c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 taken along the line XXXVc-XXXVc in Figure 35(b).

Figure 36(a) is a plan view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXIVa in Figure 28, Figure 36(b) is a side view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIb in Figure 36(a), and Figure 36(c) is a partial cross-sectional view of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 taken along the line XXXVIc-XXXVIc in Figure 36(b).

Figures 35 and 36 show the process in which the transmission protrusion 473 of the transmission arm member 470 is displaced upward from the state shown in Figure 34, and the advance/retract portion 481 of the cover member 480 is displaced to the advance side. In detail, Figure 36 shows the cover member 480 in a state where it is positioned at the advance side end of the displacement range, Figure 34 shows the cover member 480 in a state where it is positioned at the retreat side end of the displacement range, and Figure 35 shows the cover member 480 in a state where it is positioned in the middle of the displacement range.

As shown in Figures 34 to 36, in this embodiment, the rotation axis of the transmission arm member 470 and the rotation axis of the cover member 480 are not parallel. In more detail, a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the transmission arm member 470 (the plane shown in Figure 34(a)) and a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cover member 480 (the plane shown in Figure 34(b)) are perpendicular to each other.

Therefore, without any countermeasures, the contact area will usually change as the posture of the transmission protrusion 473 that contacts the left cover member 489 changes. For example, if the inner surface of the opening of the left cover member 489 is formed by a surface that extends parallel to the axial direction of the lid member 480, and the longitudinal direction of the transmission protrusion 473 is inclined relative to the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 34(a), it is believed that the upper surface of the transmission protrusion 473 will contact the left cover member 489 at a position toward the right (near the support hole 471 of the transmission arm member 470).

On the other hand, when the longitudinal direction of the transmission protrusion 473 is aligned with the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 36(a), it is believed that the upper surface of the transmission protrusion 473 abuts against the left cover member 489 across the width of the left cover member 489.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 34(c), 35(c), and 36(c), the left cover member 489 is designed in a shape that allows the upper surface of the transmission protrusion 473 and the upper surface of the opening of the left cover member 489 to abut across the left and right width directions in response to changes in the posture of the transmission protrusion 473.

That is, the left cover member 489 has a first contact surface 489a that contacts the transmission protrusion 473 when the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the retract side, a second contact surface 489b that is formed with a smaller inclination in the left-right direction than the first contact surface 489a, and a third contact surface 489c that is formed with a smaller inclination in the left-right direction than the second contact surface 489b and contacts the transmission protrusion 473 when the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the left cover member 489 is designed so that the inclination in the left-right direction of the shape of the upper side of the opening is maximum at the first abutment surface 489a and gradually decreases as it approaches the rotation axis of the lid member 480.

In more detail, since the contact position between the transmission protrusion 473 and the upper side of the opening of the left cover member 489 changes in the axial radial direction of the lid member 480 as the transmission arm member 470 rotates, the inclination at the contact position between the transmission protrusion 473 and the upper side of the opening of the left cover member 489 is designed to be an inclination angle that follows the upper surface of the transmission protrusion 473 in that contact state.

As a result, when the transmission arm member 470 and the left cover member 489 are in contact with each other, the contact area between the transmission protrusion 473 and the left cover member 489 can always be secured regardless of the position of the transmission arm member 470, thereby preventing the transmission protrusion 473 from being subjected to a localized load (overload) from the left cover member 489.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inclination angle of the transmission protrusion 473 is maximized in the left-right direction (the width direction of the left cover member 489) at the timing when the cover member 480 begins to be displaced against gravity, which is the timing when a large load is generated, so that the contact area (contact length) between the transmission protrusion 473 and the left cover member 489 can be maximized.

This allows the area that bears the load applied to the transmission protrusion 473 to be increased, and the load applied per unit area to be reduced, thereby improving the durability of the transmission protrusion 473.

On the other hand, according to this embodiment, when the cover member 480 is positioned at the end of the displacement on the entry side, the inclination angle of the transmission protrusion 473 is along the left-right direction (the width direction of the left cover member 489), so in addition to the contact area (contact length) between the transmission protrusion 473 and the left cover member 489 being small, the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 is at its maximum, and there is a possibility that an overload will occur on the transmission protrusion 473.

To address this issue, in this embodiment, when the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side, the proportion of the weight of the cover member 480 that is loaded on the transmission protrusion 473 is reduced.

That is, as shown in FIG. 36(b), when the lid member 480 is positioned at the end of the displacement on the entry side, the advance/retract portion 481, which accounts for most of the weight of the lid member 480, is positioned on the opposite side (front side) of the transmission protrusion 473 in the front-to-rear direction with respect to the rotation axis O1 of the lid member 480. Therefore, most of the weight of the lid member 480 occurs in a direction that displaces the lid member 480 toward the entry side, and the load applied to the transmission protrusion 473 can be reduced.

In this case, the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 applied to the cover member 480 is at its maximum, but since most of the weight of the cover member 480 is generated against the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2, at least a portion of the biasing force can be offset by the weight of the cover member 480.

This reduces the load applied to the transmission protrusion 473 compared to when most of the force of the torsion spring SP2 is transmitted to the transmission protrusion 473 when the cover member 480 is positioned at the end of the displacement on the entry side.

As described above, in this embodiment, the contact position between the transmission protrusion 473 and the left cover member 489 changes in the axial radial direction of the rotation axis O1 of the lid member 480. In more detail, the distance between the contact position between the transmission protrusion 473 and the left cover member 489 and the rotation axis of the lid member 480 during the process of displacing the lid member 480 from the retracted side position to the entered side position is configured to be longest when the lid member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the retracted side.

In addition, the inclination of the first abutment surface 489a is designed so that the normal at the abutment position with the transmission protrusion 473 in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis O1 of the lid member 480 follows an arc centered on the rotation axis O1 of the lid member 480 (the inclination angle is small), so that the load transmitted from the transmission protrusion 473 to the lid member 480 can be generated along an arc centered on the rotation axis O1 of the lid member 480.

As a result, when the load begins to be transmitted from the transmission protrusion 473 to the lid member 480, the arm length of the moment generated in the lid member 480 becomes longer, thereby reducing the load required to rotate the lid member 480.

As an innovation in the shape of the transmission protrusion 473 itself, as shown in FIG. 34(c), the transmission protrusion 473 has a groove 473a formed along the longitudinal direction. That is, the transmission protrusion 473 has a groove 473a formed along the longitudinal direction from the front side to the back side to a position beyond the center in the width direction.

As a result, the transmission protrusion 473 is compressively deformable in the direction of contact with the left cover member 489, so that the load at the time of contact can be relieved by deformation, and the contact area can be easily increased by deformation.

As shown in Figures 34(b), 35(b), and 36(b), the curved plate portion 312, which is disposed opposite the advance/retract portion 481 of the lid member 480, is formed in a shape that follows the same plane from left to right. Therefore, due to the shape of the advance/retract portion 481 and the protruding portion 482, the distance between the lid member 480 and the curved plate portion 312 becomes shorter toward the center in the left-right direction.

The radius of the protruding portion 482 of the lid member 480 at the center position on the left and right is designed to be less than the distance (length) from the rotation axis O1 to the curved plate portion 312. This makes it possible to prevent the protruding portion 482, which has the maximum penetration width, from colliding with the curved plate portion 312, and therefore prevents the lid member 480 and the curved plate portion 312 from colliding and being damaged when the lid member 480 over-rotates slightly (to an extent caused by design errors for each component).

Returning to Figures 28 and 31, the explanation will focus on the intermediate range. The drive gear 450 is meshed with the front transmission member 440, and the rear transmission member 460 is fastened and fixed to the front transmission member 440. As a result, as the drive gear 450 rotates, the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 rotate integrally around the shaft portion 362 of the space forming member 360. In the following explanation, the counterclockwise rotation as viewed from the front (as viewed from the front transmission member 440 side) is defined as the positive rotation.

The front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 have structures formed on the opposing sides to ensure their relative positions and rigidity, and have shapes formed on the opposite sides to be used for driving force transmission. Details of the shapes used for driving force transmission are described below.

37(a) is a plan view of the front transmission member 440 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28, and FIG. 37(b) is a plan view of the rear transmission member 460 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIb in FIG. 28. The directions of the arrows XXXVIIa and XXXVIIb are set as directions parallel to the rotation axes of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460.

As shown in FIG. 37(a), the front transmission member 440 includes a main body plate portion 441 having a substantially circular plate shape, a groove forming portion 442 that protrudes in the axial direction toward the center side from the edge of the main body plate portion 441 and has a groove recessed on the inside, a support hole 443 that is a circular opening drilled in the center of the main body plate portion 441 to a size that allows the shaft portion 362 to be inserted, a flange portion 444 that is covered by gear teeth formed on the main body plate portion 441, a detection target portion 445 that extends radially outward from the flange portion 444 and is formed so as to be able to enter the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4 (see FIG. 32), and a transmission protrusion 446 that protrudes parallel to the rotation axis from a position eccentric to the support hole 443 on the support hole 443 side of the groove formed in the groove forming portion 442.

The groove forming portion 442 is recessed with a groove formed with a groove width slightly longer than the diameter of the protruding portion 432 so that the protruding portion 432 of the abutting member 430 (see FIG. 28) can enter, and the groove is provided with a first groove portion 442a formed along a first arc shape, a second groove portion 442b in which the protruding portion 432 is guided by the forward rotation of the front transmission member 440 with the protruding portion 432 of the abutting member 430 placed in the first groove portion 442a, a third groove portion 442c formed on the opposite side of the first groove portion 442a with respect to the second groove portion 442b and formed along an arc shape with a larger diameter than the arc serving as the reference for the first groove portion 442a, and a fourth groove portion 442d connecting the third groove portion 442c and the first groove portion 442a.

The second groove 442b and the fourth groove 442d share the common role of connecting the first groove 442a and the third groove 442c, but they do not share the same angular range. In other words, the fourth groove 442d has a smaller angular range than the second groove 442b, and is designed so that the change in the distance between the groove and the support hole 443 relative to the rotation angle of the front transmission member 440 is rapid.

The transmission protrusion 446 is not simply cylindrical, but has a groove 446a formed in a straight line connecting the center and a point on the outer diameter side along the protruding direction. This allows the degree of deformation of the transmission protrusion 446 in response to a load input from the radial direction to be changed according to the input angle of the load. In other words, the transmission protrusion 446 can be formed so that the degree of deformation is maximized when a load is input from a direction perpendicular to the straight line that serves as the reference for the groove 446a.

As shown in FIG. 37(b), the rear transmission member 460 includes a main body plate portion 461 formed in a generally circular disk shape with a diameter similar to that of the flange portion 444 of the front transmission member 440, a groove forming portion 462 that protrudes in the axial direction of the main body plate portion 461 and has a groove recessed into its inner side, and a non-contact opening portion 463 that is drilled in the center of the main body plate portion 461 with an inner diameter sufficiently larger than the base side outer diameter of the shaft portion 362 and is formed to avoid contact with the shaft portion 362.

The main body plate portion 461 includes a weight portion 461a that is formed by expanding radially in an area where the groove portion is not formed in the groove forming portion 462 and does not function as a groove. The weight portion 461a is an adjustment portion formed for the purpose of correcting the deviation of the center of gravity of the rear transmission member 460, which undergoes rotational displacement, from the rotation axis.

In this embodiment, the center of gravity of the rear transmission member 460 and the front transmission member 440, which rotate and displace as one unit, is calculated when viewed as one unit, and the position and weight of the weight portion 461a are calculated and formed integrally with the rear transmission member 460 in order to correct the center of gravity to the rotation axis. This makes it possible to align the centers of gravity of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 with the rotation axis, thereby suppressing changes in the posture of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 relative to the rotation axis.

The groove forming portion 462 is recessed with a groove formed with a groove width slightly longer than the diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 (see FIG. 28) so that the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 can enter, and the groove is provided with a first groove portion 462a formed along a first arc shape, a second groove portion 462b into which the cylindrical protrusion 472 is guided by the rear transmission member 460 rotating forward (rotating clockwise when viewed from the rear) with the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 placed in the first groove portion 462a, a third groove portion 462c formed on the opposite side of the first groove portion 462a with respect to the second groove portion 462b and formed along an arc shape with a larger diameter than the arc that is the reference for the first groove portion 462a, and a fourth groove portion 462d that connects the third groove portion 462c and the first groove portion 462a.

The second groove portion 462b and the fourth groove portion 462d share the common role of connecting the first groove portion 462a and the third groove portion 462c, but they do not share the same angular range. In other words, the fourth groove portion 462d has a significantly larger angular range (approximately 180 degrees) than the second groove portion 462b, and is designed so that the change in the distance between the groove and the non-contact opening portion 463 relative to the rotation angle of the rear transmission member 460 is gradual.

Below, we will explain an example of the displacement mode that is possible with the injection device 400. First, we will explain an overview of the displacement mode of the injection device 400.

38, 39, 40, and 41 are plan views of the ejection device 400 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIa in FIG. 28. Note that the fixing member 350 is omitted in FIGS. 38, 39, 40, and 41, allowing the internal structure of the ejection device 400 to be seen. To facilitate understanding, the coil spring SP1 is shown in imaginary lines as a schematic diagram that allows the change in length to be grasped.

In Fig. 38 to Fig. 41, the displacement of the ejection device 400 is illustrated in chronological order. That is, Fig. 38 illustrates the state immediately after the granular material 320 flows down toward the collision member 420 and stops, Fig. 39 illustrates the performance standby state of the ejection device 400, Fig. 40 illustrates the firing standby state in which the ejection device 400 is waiting for the firing timing, and Fig. 41 illustrates the firing state in which the ejection device 400 has executed the firing performance. Note that Fig. 41 illustrates the state in which the granular material 320 is still resting on the collision member 420, but immediately after this, the granular material 320 scatters in the normal direction of the curved plate portion 421.

In the state shown in FIG. 38, the collision member 420 is supported by the linear motion member 410, and the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the retreat side. Note that the state in which the cover member 480 has been displaced from the state shown in FIG. 38 to the displacement end position on the entry side will be described as the performance standby state of the ejection device 400 (see FIG. 39).

In the performance standby state shown in FIG. 39, the lid member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side, so that the lid member 480 can partially block the player's line of sight to the granular member 320. This can reduce the player's focus on the granular member 320, allowing the player to take their eyes off the subsequent displacement of the granular member 320 and the collision member 420 positioned below it.

In the firing standby state shown in FIG. 40, the impact member 420 is suspended with the cylindrical protrusion 403 abutting the upper inner surface of the guide hole 423, and the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the retracted side. In addition, as described below, the displacement of the linear motion member 410 is restricted by the abutment member 430, and the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 is accumulated.

In the firing state shown in FIG. 41, the position of the cover member 480 is maintained at the displacement end position on the retracted side, and the collision member 420 is bounced off by the linear motion member 410 and rises, stopping at a position where the cylindrical protrusion 403 abuts against the lower inner surface of the guide hole 423. The collision member 420 is then displaced downward by its own weight or the weight of the granular member 320, returning to the position shown in FIG. 38.

The granular material 320 that is splashed off by the collision member 420 and scattered is guided toward the center of the left and right sides due to the shape of the curved plate portion 312 (see Figure 25) of the partition member 310, and then guided toward the collision member 420 (see the arrows shown diagrammatically in Figure 38).

In this embodiment, when the granular material 320 is guided toward the collision member 420, the collision member 420 is positioned relatively high, so the depth of the saucer shape formed by the guide portion 354 of the fixed member 350 (see FIG. 32) and the upper surface of the curved plate portion 421 of the collision member 420 is set shallow.

Therefore, due to its shape, it may not be possible to accommodate a plurality of granular members 320 in an uneven manner. In this embodiment, the partition member 310 is designed to accommodate a number of granular members 320 that cannot be accommodated unevenly.

As a result, even if, for example, the granular materials 320 start to return in large numbers to the right side of the collision member 420, when the granular materials 320 return later, the previously returned granular materials 320 will create a slope on the right side of the collision member 420 that slopes downward as it moves toward the left, and the granular materials 320 that return later will flow to the left along this slope. In other words, they will flow to the left by riding on top of the granular materials 320.

This reduces the left-right bias of the granular members 320 that accumulate on the upper surface of the curved plate portion 421 of the collision member 420, thereby reducing the bias in the arrangement of the granular members 320 (differences in the way they scatter) in each firing performance.

When the granular member 320 is guided toward the collision member 420, the collision member 420 is positioned at a midpoint in the displacement section, and only contacts the lower linear member 410 at one point, the trapezoidal protrusion 413. Therefore, the collision member 420 is allowed to change its posture by the amount of the gap that occurs between the cylindrical protrusion 403 and the guide hole 423. In other words, it is allowed to change its posture by rotating around an axis parallel to the axis of one of the cylindrical protrusions 403.

As explained above, for example, if the granular members 320 begin to return in large numbers to the right side of the collision member 420, the collision member 420 will change position such that the right side is lower than the left side, and in this case, the top of the curved plate portion 421 will be displaced relatively to the right.

As a result, it becomes easier to guide the granular material 320, which flows down near the left-right center position of the guide section 354 (see FIG. 32) and returns to the collision member 420 side, to the left side. For example, before the collision member 420 changes its posture, the left-right center position of the guide section 354 and the top position of the curved plate section 421 are the same when viewed from the front, and it is thought that the granular material 320, which flows down just past the left-right center position of the guide section 354, will flow to the left or right depending on the difference in the point of contact between the granular material 320 and the curved plate section 421, and will be distributed almost evenly to the left or right.

On the other hand, when the collision member 420 changes position, the top of the curved plate portion 421 is shifted to the right relative to the left-right center position of the guide portion 354, and the granular material 320 flowing down exactly at the left-right center position of the guide portion 354 is thought to be guided to the left along the slope of the curved plate portion 421. This makes it easier for the granular material 320 that returns later to flow down to the side with less stagnant granular material 320, making it easier to distribute the granular material 320 approximately evenly to the left and right.

Note that changes in the posture of the collision member 420 are not always tolerated in the same way. For example, when the ejection device 400 is in a firing standby state (see FIG. 40), the cylindrical protrusions 403 are located at the upper end positions of both of the pair of guide holes 423, and the collision member 420 is suspended from two symmetrical points, so changes in the posture of the collision member 420 are suppressed compared to when the ejection device 400 is in a performance standby state.

In addition, for example, when the ejection device 400 is in the firing state (see FIG. 41), the cylindrical protrusions 403 are disposed at the lower end positions of both of the pair of guide holes 423, and the upward displacement of the collision member 420 is restricted at two symmetrical points, so that the change in the posture of the collision member 420 is suppressed compared to when the ejection device 400 is in the standby state for performance.

In addition, when the collision member 420 receives a load from the linear motion member 410, the load is a biasing force generated by a pair of coil springs SP1 that expand and contract in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pair of guide holes 423, so the posture of the collision member 420 tends to be stable.

This makes it possible to suppress changes in the posture of the collision member 420 from the firing standby state to the firing state. This makes it possible to stabilize the scattering of the granular member 320 that is scattered under load from the collision member 420 when the granular member 320 is in the same retention state (left/right bias in the number of granules).

As described above, when the ejection device 400 executes the firing performance, the granular material 320 scatters, then flows down along the internal shape of the partition member 310 (see FIG. 25), returns to the upper surface of the curved plate portion 421 of the collision member 420, and returns to the standby state for the performance. That is, in this embodiment, the ejection device 400 is configured to be able to repeatedly execute the state changes shown in FIG. 38 to FIG. 41. The relationships between the structures of the ejection device 400 that enable these state changes to be executed are described in detail below.

Figures 42(a) to 42(f) and Figures 43(a) to 43(e) are plan views of the linear motion member 410, the collision member 420, the abutment member 430, and the front transmission member 440 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIa in Figure 28.

In addition, in Figures 42(a) to 42(f) and Figures 43(a) to 43(e), the external shapes of the linear motion member 410, the collision member 420, and the abutment member 430 are shown with imaginary lines, and the external shapes of the protrusion portion 414 and lower protrusion portion 415 of the linear motion member 410, the buffer member 424 of the collision member 420, and the protrusion portion 432 and hook-shaped protrusion portion 433 of the abutment member 430, which are involved in the load transmission between them, except for the external shapes, are shown with solid lines, with the interiors shown transparent, and the front transmission member 440 arranged on the back side of them shown without being hidden.

In order to facilitate understanding of the displaceable section of the collision member 420, the outer shape of the cylindrical protrusion 403 is shown in solid lines, its interior is shown transparent, and the front transmission member 440 arranged on its rear side is shown without being hidden.

In addition, to make it easier to understand the relationship with drive control, the placement of the detection sensor SC4 is shown in phantom lines.

In Figures 42 and 43, the change in the arrangement of the linear motion member 410, the collision member 420, and the contact member 430 (hereinafter, also referred to as "each component member" in the explanation of Figures 42 and 43) accompanying the forward rotation of the front transmission member 440 is illustrated in chronological order. Each will be explained in order below.

Figure 42(a) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the ejection device 400 is in a standby state. As shown in Figure 42(a), when the ejection device 400 is in a standby state, the detected portion 445 of the front transmission member 440 begins to enter the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the drive motor MT1 is driven and controlled in forward rotation, the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4) of the audio lamp control device 113 can determine that the ejection device 400 is in a standby state for performance by detecting a change from a state in which the detectable portion 445 of the front transmission member 440 is not positioned in the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4 to a state in which the detectable portion 445 is inserted.

Figure 42(b) illustrates the arrangement of each component in a state in which the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440 abuts against the protrusion 414 of the linear motion member 410 and begins to press down the linear motion member 410. From the state shown in Figure 42(b), the front transmission member 440 begins to press down the linear motion member 410 against the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 (see Figure 38).

Therefore, between Figures 42(a) and 42(b), the linear motion member 410 and the front transmission member 440 are not in contact, and so direct load transmission between the members is blocked. Therefore, for example, even if the granular member 320 (see Figure 38) flows down and collides with the collision member 420, causing the collision member 420 to vibrate slightly, the direct transmission of the vibration or load to the front transmission member 440 can be blocked.

Figure 42(c) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the collision member 420 is positioned at the lower end position of the displacement range and the contact between the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420 begins to be released.

From the state shown in FIG. 42(b) to the state shown in FIG. 42(c), the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420 are displaced downward together. In this state, the collision member 420 and the linear motion member 410 are in contact with each other, and the linear motion member 410 and the front transmission member 440 are in contact with each other, so that the vibration and load generated when the granular member 320 collides with the collision member 420 can be indirectly transmitted to the front transmission member 440.

On the other hand, the load generated by the granular member 320 colliding with the collision member 420 is a load in a direction that pushes the linear motion member 410 down, which is a direction that moves the linear motion member 410 away from the transmission protrusion 446, which is the contact point with the transmission member 440. Therefore, the effect that the load and vibration transmitted to the front transmission member 440 have on the positive rotational displacement of the transmission member 440 can be reduced.

The effects on the positive rotational displacement are not limited in any way. For example, the effects include causing the speed controlled for the rotational displacement to differ from the actual speed, or impeding the rotational displacement and causing the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) to heat up.

Figure 42(d) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430 is positioned at the end position of the first groove portion 442a of the front transmission member 440 and the abutment member 430 begins to tilt.

The abutment member 430 is not given a biasing force from another biasing means, but is a member that changes its posture according to the shape of the groove forming portion 442. From FIG. 42(d) onwards, the number of members displaced by the front transmission member 440 increases to two, the linear motion member 410 and the abutment member 430, but since the displacement direction of the abutment member 430 is the same as the direction of displacement due to its own weight, the state of the load received by the front transmission member 440 is substantially unchanged from the state prior to FIG. 42(d) in which only the linear motion member 410 was displaced.

Figure 42(e) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the linear motion member 410 is disposed at the lower end position of the displacement range. As shown in Figure 42(e), when the linear motion member 410 is disposed at the lower end position, the linear motion member 410 and the abutment member 430 are still disposed apart from each other.

After the state shown in FIG. 42(e), the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440 starts to displace upward. Therefore, the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 (see FIG. 38) applied to the linear motion member 410 is generated in a direction that pushes the transmission protrusion 446 forward, so that the load required for the rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the change in posture of the abutment member 430 can be assisted by the biasing force of the coil spring SP1. This reduces the burden on the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38).

Figure 42(f) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430 is positioned at the end position of the second groove portion 442b of the front transmission member 440 and the abutment member 430 has finished tilting.

As shown in FIG. 42(f), the linear motion member 410 and the contact member 430 are still positioned apart, but after the state shown in FIG. 42(f), the position of the contact member 430 is maintained (position change is prevented) when the protrusion 432 of the contact member 430 is positioned in the third groove portion 442c.

Therefore, with regard to the subsequent contact between the linear motion member 410 and the contact member 430, the manner of contact can be made softer compared to when the linear motion member 410 and the contact member 430 come into contact with each other at a speed in the opposing directions.

In Fig. 43(a), for ease of understanding, the same state as Fig. 42(f) is shown. In Fig. 43(b), the arrangement of each component is shown in a state in which the linear motion member 410 is displaced upward as the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440 is displaced upward, and the lower protrusion 415 of the linear motion member 410 and the hook-shaped protrusion 433 of the abutment member 430 begin to abut.

The state shown in FIG. 43(a) to the state shown in FIG. 43(d) corresponds to the firing standby state (see, for example, FIG. 40).

The lower protrusion 415 and the hook-shaped protrusion 433 have protruding portions at the tips of the opposing sides that protrude toward the opposing sides. This makes it possible to prevent slippage at the contact position between the lower protrusion 415 and the hook-shaped protrusion 433, and allows the lower protrusion 415 and the hook-shaped protrusion 433 to contact stably.

In the state shown in FIG. 43(b), the end position of the detected portion 445 of the front transmission member 440 is positioned in the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4. Therefore, when the front transmission member 440 rotates forward from the state shown in FIG. 43(b), the detected portion 445 retreats from the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4, and this state change is output to the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4).

In other words, in this embodiment, when the drive motor MT1 is driven and controlled in a forward rotational direction, the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4) of the voice lamp control device 113 detects a change from a state in which the detected portion 445 of the front transmission member 440 is positioned in the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4 to a state in which the detected portion 445 is retracted from the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4, and is controlled to determine that the ejection device 400 has transitioned to a firing standby state.

From the state shown in FIG. 43(b) onward, the displacement of the linear motion member 410 is restricted by the abutment member 430. The linear motion member 410 is biased by the coil spring SP1 (see FIG. 38), which applies a load to the abutment member 430 in a direction that causes the abutment member 430 to stand up, but the displacement of the abutment member 430 is restricted by the groove forming portion 442 preventing the displacement of the protrusion 432.

The contact between the protrusion 432 and the groove forming portion 442 is between a circularly curved surface (the outer surface of the protrusion 432) and an arc-shaped surface (the inner surface of the third groove portion 442c), so the load generated at this time is directed toward the center of the circle.

In other words, in the state shown in FIG. 43(b), the load applied from the protrusion 432 to the groove forming portion 442 is directed toward the rotation axis of the front transmission member 440, so that the load applied from the protrusion 432 can be prevented from affecting the rotation of the front transmission member 440, and the displacement of the protrusion 432 can be restricted regardless of the drive state of the front transmission member 440.

Therefore, in the firing standby state shown in FIG. 43(b), even after the power supply to the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) is released, the state shown in FIG. 43(b) can be maintained. This makes it possible to suppress heat generation from the drive motor MT1 compared to a configuration in which the drive motor MT1 must always be powered in the firing standby state, for example, and therefore improves the degree of freedom in setting the drive control of the drive motor MT1.

This is advantageous in that, for example, when the ejection device 400 is driven and controlled in conjunction with the display performance of the third pattern display device 81, there are no restrictions on the setting of the length of the display performance from the standby state to the firing state from the viewpoint of heat generation of the drive motor MT1.

Figure 43(c) shows the arrangement of each component when the protruding portion 432 of the abutment member 430 is positioned at the end position of the third groove portion 442c of the front transmission member 440 and the abutment member 430 begins to stand up.

After the state shown in FIG. 43(c), the position of the groove forming portion 442 that abuts against the protrusion 432 changes from the third groove portion 442c, so the direction of the load applied from the protrusion 432 to the groove forming portion 442 shifts from the rotation axis of the front transmission member 440.

Therefore, in order to de-energize the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) and maintain the firing standby state, it is necessary to de-energize the drive motor MT1 before the state shown in FIG. 43(b) changes to the state shown in FIG. 43(c).

In Figure 43(d), the hook-shaped protrusion 433 of the abutting member 430 is withdrawn from the displacement trajectory of the lower protrusion 415 of the linear motion member 410, thereby releasing the restriction on the upward displacement of the linear motion member 410, and the linear motion member 410 is displaced upward by the biasing force accumulated in the coil spring SP1 (see Figure 38), and the arrangement of each component is illustrated in the state in which the collision member 420 is bounced upward. The state shown in Figure 43(d) corresponds to the firing state (see Figure 41).

The displacement of the abutment member 430 in the upright direction basically occurs along the shape of the groove forming portion 442 of the front transmission member 440, so the driving force is generated from the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38). On the other hand, since the displacement of the linear motion member 410 is not restricted by the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440, the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 (see FIG. 38) transmitted to the abutment member 430 via the linear motion member 410 also acts to assist the displacement of the abutment member 430 in the upright direction.

In this embodiment, the displacement direction of the abutment member 430 caused by the driving force of the drive motor MT1 and the displacement direction of the abutment member 430 caused by the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 applied via the linear motion member 410 are configured to be the same in the upright direction, so that the driving force and biasing force applied to the abutment member 430 can be generated in a manner that complements each other.

Figure 43(e) shows the arrangement of each component when the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430 is positioned at the end position of the fourth groove portion 442d of the front transmission member 440 and the abutment member 430 has finished standing up.

After the state shown in FIG. 43(e), the position of the groove forming portion 442 that abuts against the protruding portion 432 of the abutting member 430 becomes the first groove portion 442a. As a result, the load applied from the protruding portion 432 to the groove forming portion 442 is directed toward the rotation axis of the front transmission member 440, so that the effect that the load applied from the protruding portion 432 to the groove forming portion 442 has on the rotation of the front transmission member 440 can be reduced.

For example, in this embodiment, the biasing force accumulated in the coil spring SP1 (see FIG. 38) was applied to the abutment member 430 until just before the state shown in FIG. 43(d), so it is expected that the load generated in the direction of raising the abutment member 430 in the displacement after FIG. 43(d) will also increase. Therefore, without any countermeasures, there is a risk that the rotation of the front transmission member 440 will be hindered by the displacement in which the abutment member 430 rises.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as soon as the abutment member 430 finishes standing up, the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430 is placed in the first groove 442a, and the load applied from the abutment member 430 to the front transmission member 440 via the protrusion 432 is directed toward the rotation axis of the front transmission member 440. This makes it easier to avoid the rotation of the front transmission member 440 being hindered by the displacement of the abutment member 430 as it stands up.

From the state shown in FIG. 43(e), the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) is driven in a direction that rotates the front transmission member 440 forward, and when it is detected that the detected portion 445 has entered the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4, the drive motor MT1 is controlled to stop, thereby returning the ejection device 400 to a performance standby state, and the control program of the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4) is designed so that the state changes shown in FIG. 42 and FIG. 43 can be controlled as a series of firing performances.

In the above explanation with reference to Figures 42 and 43, the firing execution control in which the front transmission member 440 is rotated once in the forward direction from the performance standby state of the firing device 400 has been described as an example of control of the firing device 400. In the firing execution control, in the firing state, the impact member 420 is bounced off by the linear motion member 410 which rises due to the biasing force of the coil spring SP1, and the performance in which the granular member 320 is scattered is executed.

This effect is flashy and can attract the player's attention because the granular members 320 are scattered into the player's field of vision. For example, near the end of a long reach that continues for several minutes without the player knowing whether it is a jackpot or not, if it is a jackpot, the effect can be increased by switching to a firing state and scattering the granular members 320, thereby increasing the player's interest.

On the other hand, if it is not a jackpot (if it is a miss), scattering the granular material 320 may lead the player to mistakenly believe that it is a jackpot, which is not desirable.

In addition, if the drive motor MT1 (see Figure 38) of the ejection device 400 is not driven at all when the launch state is not entered (in the case of a miss), the player will be able to tell from the driving sound of the drive motor MT1 whether the result of the long reach being executed will be a jackpot or a miss, which may reduce the player's interest.

In contrast, in this embodiment, in the event of a miss, the ejection device 400 is put into a firing standby state, and then the drive motor MT1 is controlled to rotate the front transmission member 440 in the reverse direction, so that the ejection device 400 can return to the performance standby state without going through the firing state of the ejection device 400.

In other words, for example, by controlling the drive motor MT1 to rotate the front transmission member 440 in the reverse direction (clockwise) from the state shown in FIG. 43(c), each component can be displaced in the reverse direction of the above-mentioned time series.

In this case, by pushing down the linear motion member 410 and releasing the contact between the linear motion member 410 and the contact member 430 (see FIG. 42(f)) before the contact member 430 starts to displace in the upright direction (see FIG. 42(e)), it is possible to avoid friction occurring when the contact between the linear motion member 410 and the contact member 430 is released.

In addition, from Figure 42 (e) onwards, the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 (see Figure 38) applied to the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission protrusion 440 via the linear motion member 410 acts in a direction that assists the rotation of the front transmission protrusion 440, so that the magnitude of the driving force required of the drive motor MT1 (see Figure 38) can be reduced.

In this case, the upward displacement of the linear motion member 410 is not instantaneous due to the elastic return of the coil spring SP1 (see FIG. 38), but is configured as a gradual displacement accompanying the displacement of the transmission protrusion 446.

This makes it possible to prevent the linear motion member 410 from bouncing off the collision member 420, and therefore allows the ejection device 400 to return to the standby state (see FIG. 42(a)) without performing the effect of scattering the granular members 320.

In order to bring the front transmission member 440 into the state shown in FIG. 42(a) after the reverse rotation, the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) may be driven and controlled to rotate the front transmission member 440 forward until it is detected that the detection target portion 445 has retreated from the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4 and that the detection target groove 445 has re-entered the detection groove of the detection sensor SC4.

This allows both the presentation control that scatters the granular material 320 and the presentation control that does not scatter the granular material 320 to be executed using the same preparatory action accompanying the driving of the drive motor MT1. Therefore, it is possible to present the jackpot or loss in a way that makes it easy for the player to tell whether it is a big win or a loss, and it is also possible to prevent the player from being able to predict the outcome based on differences in the driving sounds.

In particular, according to this embodiment, in the firing standby state (see FIG. 43(c)), the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) can be de-energized to temporarily eliminate the drive sound of the drive motor MT1. This makes it more difficult to tell from the drive sound whether the drive direction is the same or has been reversed, compared to when control is performed to switch the drive direction while the drive motor MT1 continues to be driven.

Therefore, even if the drive motor MT1 is controlled to be driven prior to the timing of the winning/losing notification in the performance and a drive sound is generated, it is difficult to determine the direction of the drive, so it is possible to avoid a situation in which the player is unable to know the winning/losing result.

This allows drive control of the drive motor MT1 to begin prior to the timing of the win/loss notification without the risk of the player learning the win/loss result from the drive sound, allowing for more flexibility in the timing of stopping the drive motor MT1 in the firing standby state. In other words, it is no longer necessary to stop the drive motor MT1 just before the firing state, and even if the drive motor MT1 is stopped well before the firing state, it does not interfere with the subsequent performance, so it is possible to avoid a situation in which the drive motor MT1 over-rotates against control and unintentionally enters the firing state.

Figures 44(a) to 44(f) are plan views of the rear transmission member 460, the transmission arm member 470, and the cover member 480 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIb in Figure 28.

In Figure 44, the change in the position of the transmission arm member 470 and the cover member 480 (hereinafter, in the explanation of Figure 44, also referred to as "each component member") associated with the forward rotation (clockwise) of the rear transmission member 460 is illustrated in chronological order. The following explains each in order.

Figure 44(a) illustrates the arrangement of each component member when the ejection device 400 is in a standby state (see Figure 42(a)). As shown in Figure 44(a), when the ejection device 400 is in a standby state, the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 is positioned at the end position of the third groove portion 462c of the rear transmission member 460, and the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side.

The cover member 480 receives a biasing force from the torsion spring SP2 (see FIG. 33) toward the retracted side, which generates a load that pushes down the transmission protrusion 473 of the transmission arm member 470 via the cover member 480. This load is transmitted to the rear transmission member 460, and unless countermeasures are taken, this may affect the rotation of the rear transmission member 460.

In contrast, in this embodiment, in the state shown in FIG. 44(a) and subsequent states, the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 abuts against the third groove portion 462c of the groove forming portion 462, and a load is applied to the rear transmission member 460 through the abutment point. However, since the abutment is between a circular curved surface and an arc-shaped surface, the load generated by the abutment is directed toward the center of the circle.

The load applied to the groove forming portion 462 via the cylindrical protrusion 472 is therefore directed toward the rotation axis of the rear transmission member 460, so that the effect of the load applied to the groove forming portion 462 via the cylindrical protrusion 472 on the rotation of the rear transmission member 460 can be reduced.

Figure 44(b) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 is positioned at the end position of the third groove portion 462c of the rear transmission member 460, and the cover member 480 is still positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side.

Figure 44(c) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 is positioned at the middle position of the fourth groove portion 462d of the rear transmission member 460, and the cover member 480 is positioned at approximately the middle position of the displacement range.

The change in the position of the transmission arm member 470 basically occurs along the shape of the groove forming portion 462 of the rear transmission member 460, so the driving force for this change in position is generated by the drive motor MT1 (see Figure 38) that rotates the rear transmission member 460.

On the other hand, the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 (see FIG. 33) acts in a direction that presses down the transmission protrusion 473 of the transmission arm member 470 via the cover member 480, and at the same time, this biasing force acts in a direction that displaces the cylindrical protrusion 472 upward, so that the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 also acts to assist the change in posture of the transmission arm member 470.

In this embodiment, the direction of change in posture of the transmission arm member 470 caused by the driving force of the drive motor MT1 and the direction of change in posture of the transmission arm member 470 caused by the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 applied via the cover member 480 are both configured to be the same in the clockwise direction, so that the driving force and biasing force applied to the transmission arm member 470 can be generated in a manner that complements each other.

Figure 44(d) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 is positioned at the end position of the fourth groove portion 462d of the rear transmission member 460, and the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the retracted side.

In the state shown in FIG. 44(d), the cover member 480 is maintained at the end of the displacement on the retracted side by the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 (see FIG. 33). In addition, the transmission protrusion 473 of the transmission arm member 470 and the left cover member 489 are arranged in a non-contact state.

This makes it possible to avoid a load being applied to the transmission protrusion 473 even when there is no need to displace the cover member 480 toward the entry side, and reduces the degree of fatigue accumulation in the transmission arm member 470.

Figure 44(e) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 is positioned midway through the first groove portion 462a of the rear transmission member 460, and the cover member 480 is still positioned at the displacement end on the retracted side.

After the state shown in FIG. 44(e), the firing standby state (see FIG. 43(b)) is established. From the firing standby state to the firing state, the cover member 480 is positioned at the end of the displacement on the retraction side, and is configured to be able to avoid collision with the ejected granular member 320 (see FIG. 41).

Figure 44(f) illustrates the arrangement of each component when the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 is positioned at the end position of the first groove portion 462a of the rear transmission member 460, and the cover member 480 is still positioned at the displacement end position on the retracted side.

From the state shown in FIG. 44(e) to the state shown in FIG. 44(f), the ejection device 400 passes through the firing state (see FIG. 41). Then, by continuing the forward rotation from the state shown in FIG. 44(f), the cover member 480 is positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side, and returns to the performance standby state (see FIG. 44(a)).

Here, the state shown in FIG. 44(f) is the state after the firing performance has been executed, so there is no load transmission from the linear member 410 or the abutment member 430 to the front transmission member 440 (see, for example, FIG. 43(e)). Therefore, the amount of the driving force of the drive motor MT1 (see FIG. 38) that is distributed to the front transmission member 440 can be made very small.

As a result, even if a large driving force is required because the direction of displacement of the cover member 480 is against the biasing force of the torsion spring SP2 (see Figure 33), most of the driving force of the drive motor MT1 can be used as a driving force for rotating other components that abut against the rear transmission member 460, so sufficient driving force can be ensured.

Figure 45 is a plan view of the ejection device 400 as viewed in the direction of the arrow XXXVIIa in Figure 28. Note that in Figure 45, the fixing member 350 is omitted, allowing the internal structure of the ejection device 400 to be seen.

In Figure 45, the linear motion member 410, the collision member 420, and the abutment member 430 are illustrated in the same manner as explained in Figures 42 and 43. In order to facilitate understanding of the displaceable section of the collision member 420, the outer shape of the cylindrical protrusion 403 is illustrated in solid lines, its interior is illustrated transparently, and the front transmission member 440 arranged on the rear side is illustrated without being hidden.

Figure 45 shows a state in which the linear motion member 410 is positioned at the end of the upward displacement (e.g., in a performance standby state, see Figure 42 (a)), the front transmission member 440 is driven in the reverse rotational direction, and the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440 abuts against the lower protrusion 415 of the linear motion member 410 from below, restricting further rotational displacement.

In this manner, in this embodiment, a limit is set for the displacement mode permitted for the front transmission member 440. That is, in driving in the forward rotation direction, as shown in Figures 42 and 43, the front transmission member 440 can be driven continuously without being restricted in displacement, whereas in driving in the reverse rotation direction, when the displacement angle exceeds the permitted angle, the displacement of the transmission protrusion 446 of the linear motion member 410 is restricted, and further continuous driving is restricted.

If the drive motor MT1 continues to be driven while the displacement is restricted, there is a risk that the drive motor MT1 will heat up and become damaged. Therefore, in this embodiment, damage to the drive motor MT1 is avoided by placing a limit on the drive control in the direction that rotates the front transmission member 440 in the reverse direction, as will be described in detail later.

Figure 46 shows the changes over time in the output state of the detection sensor SC4, the arrangement of the linear motion member 410, the arrangement of the collision member 420, the arrangement of the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430, and the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470, associated with the rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460.

Note that Figure 46 does not show the relative relationship between the range of change in the positional change of each component, but shows a rough guide to the relative relationship of the timing at which the positional change occurs. Also, the positional change of the linear motion member 410 corresponds to the change in the biasing force accumulated in the coil spring SP1.

In addition, in FIG. 46, the horizontal axis shows the approximate rotation angle of forward rotation from the performance standby state (FIG. 42(a) and FIG. 44(a)). That is, 0 degrees corresponds to FIG. 42(a), 66 degrees corresponds to FIG. 42(b), 125 degrees corresponds to FIG. 42(c), 162 degrees corresponds to FIG. 42(d), 202 degrees corresponds to FIG. 42(e), 219 degrees corresponds to FIG. 42(f) and FIG. 43(a), 228 degrees corresponds to FIG. 43(b), 266 degrees corresponds to FIG. 43(c), 287 degrees corresponds to FIG. 43(d), and 295 degrees corresponds to FIG. 43(e).

In addition, in Figure 46, 0 degrees corresponds to Figure 44(a), 21 degrees corresponds to Figure 44(b), 96 degrees corresponds to Figure 44(c), 173 degrees corresponds to Figure 44(d), 304 degrees corresponds to Figure 44(e), and 360 degrees corresponds to Figure 44(f).

In Figure 46, the performance standby state is used as the reference (angle is 0 degrees), and the forward rotation angle of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 is plotted on the horizontal axis, with the state changes in each of the above-mentioned components corresponding to that angle being plotted. Note that the change in the arrangement of each component due to drive control in forward rotation corresponds to the change to the right in Figure 46, and the change in the arrangement of each component due to drive control in reverse rotation corresponds to the change to the left in Figure 46.

As shown in FIG. 46, by rotating the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 in the reverse direction before the launch state (angle is 287 degrees), the displacement speed of the collision member 420 when it is displaced upward is slower than the displacement speed when the collision member 420 is displaced upward when it reaches the launch state. In other words, in this embodiment, the speed of the upward displacement of the collision member 420 can be configured in multiple ways.

After the launch state is exceeded, the collision member 420 has already risen, so the reverse rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 is restricted midway (see Figure 45). On the other hand, it is not possible to determine from the output state of the detection sensor SC4 alone whether the positions of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 are between the launch state (angle of 287 degrees) and the performance standby state (angle of 360 degrees).

For example, when the position of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 is between the firing state (angle of 287 degrees) and the performance standby state (angle of 360 degrees), even if the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned back on, the MPU 221 (see Figure 4) cannot determine whether the position restricts the reverse rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460.

In contrast, in this embodiment, when the power is turned back on, if there is a suspicion that the positions of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 are between the launch state (angle of 287 degrees) and the performance standby state (angle of 360 degrees), i.e., if the detection target portion 445 is not positioned in the detection sensor SC4 (if the output of the detection sensor SC4 is OFF), the drive motor MT1 is controlled to rotate in a direction that rotates the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 forward.

This rotation returns the ejection device 400 to a standby state for performance, and then the device is configured to control the execution of each performance. This prevents the rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 from being unintentionally restricted and the drive motor MT1 from overheating after a control loss, such as when the power is turned back on.

In this embodiment, the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 are rotationally driven at a rotational speed that stabilizes the position of the granular member 320 (see FIG. 38) from the firing state (angle is 287 degrees) to the state where the position of the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470 begins to change (angle is 304 degrees).

For example, if the arrangement stabilizes 2 seconds after launch, the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 can be controlled to rotate at 8 degrees per second (45 seconds/revolution) to prevent the granular material 320 from becoming caught in the lid member 480 (see Figure 38) during the downward flow.

The rotational speeds of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 are not limited to this and can be set arbitrarily. For example, they may be rotated at four times the normal speed. In this case, the lid member 480 can start to be displaced toward the entry side at a timing when the granular member 320 starts to flow down. In this case, the displacement of the lid member 480 can be completed before the granular member 320 is positioned in the direction of travel of the lid member 480.

In this state, by stopping the drive in the performance standby state, the granular material 320 can be piled up above the lid member 480, so that the granular material 320 can be gathered toward the left-right center along the shape of the lid member 480. After that, by controlling the drive of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 in the forward rotation direction, the lid member 480 is displaced toward the retraction side, and the granular material 320 falls from the lid member 480 and lands on the collision member 420.

In this way, by controlling the rotational speeds of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 to be different, it is possible to configure multiple modes in which the granular member 320 reaches the collision member 420.

This allows the relative position of each granular member 320 (each spherical member) to the collision member 420 to be changed for each launch execution control. Therefore, for example, by configuring the granular members 320 with multiple spherical members of different shapes and colors, the appearance of the launched granular members 320 (the arrangement and displacement direction of each granular member 320) can be made different, improving the presentation effect.

Let us return to Figures 5 and 6. In this embodiment, in addition to the third symbol display device 81, the above-mentioned launch presentation unit 300, the enlargement/reduction unit 600, and the displacement/rotation unit 800 are provided as presentation devices to enhance the game. Next, the enlargement/reduction unit 600 will be described.

Figures 47 and 48 are front perspective views of the zoom unit 600, and Figures 49 and 50 are rear perspective views of the zoom unit 600. Figures 47 and 49 show the zoom unit 600 in a standby state, and Figures 48 and 50 show the zoom unit 600 in an extended state.

As shown in Figures 47 to 50, the zoom unit 600 includes a performance member 700 that can be raised and lowered in the center position in the left-right direction and is configured to be able to perform light emission, and a hemispherical lighting device 613 that is fixedly positioned to the left and right of the performance member 700.

By using the performance component 700 and the hemispherical lighting device 613 to create a light-emitting performance, light can be emitted from the front side of the third pattern display device 81 (see Figure 7) toward the player, creating a brilliant visual performance.

Figure 51 is an exploded front perspective view of the zoom unit 600, and Figure 52 is an exploded rear perspective view of the zoom unit 600. In Figures 51 and 52, the performance member 700 is illustrated in an assembled state. As shown in Figures 47 and 49, in the assembled state, the tip of the lower arm member 630 connected to the performance member 700 is positioned on the front side of the rear plate portion 611, but in Figures 51 and 52, it is conveniently positioned on the rear side of the rear plate portion 611.

As shown in Figures 51 and 52, the zoom unit 600 comprises a main body member 601 having a left-right elongated shape that is fastened to the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510 (see Figure 5), a front cover member 610 that is disposed on the front side of the main body member 601 and has a design surface, a pair of upper arm members 620 that are rotatably supported on the cylindrical shaft portion 603 of the main body member 601 and are linked in a meshing relationship, and a pair of lower arm members 620 that are connected to the upper arm members 620 at their middle portions and change their posture as the upper arm members 620 rotate. It comprises a member 630, a drive motor MT2 fastened to the back side of the main body member 601, a transmission gear 650 that meshes with the drive gear of the drive motor MT2 and engages with the upper arm member 620 on the left side so as to be able to transmit the driving force of the drive motor MT2 and is rotatably supported on the main body member 601, a torsion spring SP3 with an annular portion attached to the main body member 601 that applies an upward biasing force to the upper arm member 620, and a performance member 700 that is connected to the tip of the lower arm member 630.

The main body member 601 is formed in a long plate shape and includes a pair of guide holes 602, which are long holes arranged in a straight line, a pair of cylindrical shafts 603 that protrude cylindrically in both the front and rear directions from symmetrical positions, a pair of arc-shaped holes 604 that are drilled in an arc shape with the cylindrical shafts 603 as the central axis, a cylindrical shaft 605 that protrudes cylindrically from the left side to the rear side, an arc-shaped hole 606 that is drilled in an arc shape with the cylindrical shaft 605 as the central axis, and a detection sensor 607 that is fastened and fixed to the rear side in a circular shape centered on the cylindrical shaft 605 with the detection groove facing the cylindrical shaft 605 side.

The guide hole 602 is formed with a vertical width that is slightly longer than the outer diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 632 of the lower arm member 630. The guide hole 602 functions as a long hole that guides the displacement of the lower arm member 630 by inserting the cylindrical protrusion 632 of the lower arm member 630 through it.

The cylindrical shaft portion 603 has a portion that protrudes from the front side and is inserted into a support hole 621 in the upper arm member 620, rotatably supporting the upper arm member 620. A large-diameter head screw is screwed into the female thread formed at the tip of the cylindrical shaft portion 603, thereby supporting the upper arm member 620 so that it cannot fall off.

The cylindrical shaft portion 603 has a protruding portion on the rear side that is inserted into the coiled main body of the torsion spring SP3, thereby stabilizing the position of the torsion spring SP3.

One arm of the torsion spring SP3 is pressed from above by the protruding portion 601a that protrudes in an L-shape from the back side of the main body member 601, and the other arm is engaged with the biased portion 625 of the upper arm member 620. As a result, the elastic recovery force of the torsion spring SP3 acts in a direction that presses down the biased portion 625, so that the upper arm member 620 is biased in a direction that displaces the connecting portion 623 upward.

The arc-shaped hole 604 is a through hole for passing the biased portion 625 of the upper arm member 620 through to the rear side of the main body member 601. This allows the biased portion 625 of the upper arm member 620 to be configured to be engageable with the torsion spring SP3.

The cylindrical shaft portion 605 is inserted into the support hole 653 of the transmission gear 650 and rotatably supports the transmission gear 650. A large-diameter head screw is screwed into the female thread formed at the tip of the cylindrical shaft portion 605, thereby supporting the transmission gear 650 so that it cannot fall off.

The arc-shaped hole 606 is a through hole for passing the cylindrical protrusion 654 of the transmission gear 650 through to the front side of the main body member 601. This allows the transmission hole 624 of the upper arm member 620 and the transmission gear 650 to be configured to be engageable. A large-headed screw is screwed into the female screw formed at the tip of the cylindrical protrusion 654 of the transmission gear 650, so that the upper arm member 620 is supported by the transmission gear 650 so that it cannot fall off.

The detection sensor 607 has a detection groove into which the detectable plate portion 655 of the transmission gear 650 can enter, and is configured to be able to determine whether the transmission gear 650 is positioned to put the zoom unit 600 into a standby state for performance, or whether it is positioned elsewhere.

The front cover member 610 is a thin member formed from a resin material with low light transmittance and fastened to the main body member 601. It comprises a rear plate portion 611 formed in the left and right center, a front plate portion 612 formed on the left and right outer sides from the joining position of the left and right upper ends of the rear plate portion 611 and formed to protrude further toward the front side than the rear plate portion 611, and a hemispherical lighting device 613 fastened to the front side of the front plate portion 612 and configured to be able to emit light.

The rear plate 611 is disposed on the front side of the cylindrical shaft 603 of the main body member 601, and blocks the view so that the cylindrical shaft 603 cannot be seen. The rear side of the rear plate 611 is provided with an overhanging abutment portion 611a that avoids the movement trajectory of the gear portion 622 of the upper arm member 620, overhangs toward the rear side with a dimension slightly longer than the front-to-rear width of the gear portion 622, and abuts against the main body member 601 at a surface.

This makes it possible to stabilize the fastening state of the rear plate portion 611 to the main body member 601, and to configure the upper arm member 620 to be displaced in the space partitioned by the rear plate portion 611 and the main body member 601. In other words, the change in posture of the upper arm member 620 (for example, a change in posture such as bending with respect to the rotation axis) can be suppressed on both sides in the axial direction, so the state of the upper arm member 620 can be stabilized.

The front plate 612 is a plate-like portion that is arranged on the front side of the upper arm member 620 and the lower arm member 630 and is configured so that the structural parts of these members are not visible to the player. It has a pair of sliding surfaces 612a formed on the left and right sides as planes parallel to the front plate portion of the main body member 601, and a wiring recess 612b formed as a recess that opens to the rear side in the plate portion that protrudes from the upper left end toward the rear.

The sliding surface 612a is assembled and fastened to the lower arm member 630 from the front side, and is configured as a flat surface on which the pressing member PC1, which is formed with low friction due to its shape and material, can slide. In other words, the pressing member PC1, which is fixed midway in the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 630, is a flat plate surface that is formed along the trajectory that displaces in response to the displacement of the lower arm member 630.

The shape of the side of the pressing member PC1 facing the sliding surface 612a is an approximately semicircular shape that protrudes toward the sliding surface 612a, and is configured so that when the pressing member PC1 and the sliding surface 612a come into contact, they form a point contact. This reduces the resistance that occurs between the pressing member PC1 and the sliding surface 612a, making it easier to smoothly displace the lower arm member 630.

The sliding surface 612a and the pressing member PC1 are not in constant contact with each other, but a gap is provided. On the other hand, the sliding surface 612a and the pressing member PC1 are configured to come into contact with each other and limit the displacement of the lower arm member 630 toward the front side before the amount of displacement of the lower arm member 630 toward the front side exceeds the allowable amount.

In this embodiment, the allowable amount of displacement of the lower arm member 630 toward the front side is set based on the dimensional relationship between the rear side plate portion of the partition member 310 (see FIG. 13(a)) and the performance member 700. In other words, the allowable amount of displacement of the lower arm member 630 toward the front side is set to a dimension such that the performance member 700, in the position assumed from the position of the lower arm member 630, does not come into contact with the partition member 310.

In other words, according to this embodiment, the sliding surface 612a abuts against the pressing member PC1, limiting the displacement of the lower arm member 630 toward the front side, thereby preventing the performance member 700 of the zoom unit 600 from abutting against the partition member 310.

The sliding part 612a on the right side is formed in an arc shape that follows the trajectory of the pressing member PC1, while the sliding part 612a on the left side is formed as a large plane that includes the arc shape as the trajectory of the pressing member PC1, but the functions of the left and right sliding parts 612a are the same. That is, it is sufficient that at least the arc shape as the trajectory of the pressing member PC1 is formed in a plane, and the shape of the other parts can be set arbitrarily. For example, as in the right part of this embodiment, the sliding part 612a may be formed to be limited to an arc shape as the trajectory of the pressing member PC1, and the other parts may be configured to protrude toward the rear side (protruding toward the rear side due to the effect that the design part on the front side is arranged closer to the rear side), or the periphery of the sliding part 612a may be configured in a similar plane shape as in the left part of this embodiment.

In addition to the forward displacement of the lower arm member 630 being limited by the contact between the pressing member PC1 and the sliding portion 612a, the forward displacement of the upper arm member 620 is restricted by the torsion spring SP3 and the fastening screw fastened to the cylindrical protrusion 654. That is, by limiting the forward displacement of the lower arm member 630 and also the displacement of the upper arm member 620, it is possible to avoid the generation of large localized loads.

The wiring recess 612b is a recess that functions as a passageway for the electrical wiring that passes through the base end through-hole 635a of the lower arm member 630. That is, the electrical wiring that reaches between the rear case 510 and the zoom unit 600 passes through the wiring recess 612b, passes through the base end through-hole 635a of the lower arm member 630, and is then guided to the tip side of the lower arm member 630 and passed through the performance member 700.

In this way, by inserting the electrical wiring into the zoom unit 600 from above, it is possible to easily prevent the electrical wiring from loosening and drooping downwards, even when the long lower arm member 630 connected to the performance member 700 is displaced significantly in the left-right direction due to displacement (in this embodiment, it is displaced a distance of approximately half the left-right width of the rear case 510).

The hemispherical lighting device 613 is a device that includes a hemispherical lens member and directs light emitted from a light-emitting means such as an LED disposed on the rear side of the device through the hemispherical lens member to the front side. In this embodiment, the optical axis of the light emitted from the light-emitting means is configured to be inclined downward toward the center in the left-right direction.

This makes it easier to improve the player's attention to the light emitted from the hemispherical lighting device 613, compared to when the optical axis of the light emitted from the hemispherical lighting device 613 faces in the front-to-rear direction. For example, it makes it easier for the light to enter the field of view of a player who is looking at the center of the third pattern display device 81, and it makes it easier for the player to notice the light by shining the light on the performance member 700 in an extended or expanded state.

The upper arm member 620 is formed in a long plate shape and includes a support hole 621 formed as a circular hole with a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical shaft portion 603 so that the cylindrical shaft portion 603 can be inserted therethrough, a gear portion 622 formed on an arc centered on the support hole 621 and configured to be able to mesh with each other on the pair of upper arm members 620, a connecting portion 623 drilled in a circular shape at the end in the long direction and configured to be able to insert the cylindrical protrusion 631 of the lower arm member 630, a transmission hole 624 formed only in the left upper arm member 620 and formed as an elongated hole with a width slightly longer than the outer diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 654 of the transmission gear 650, and a biased portion 625 protruding from the back side of the upper arm member 620 and having a hook-shaped tip.

The transmission hole 624 has a transmission portion 624a formed along a straight line passing through the center of the support hole 621, and a clearance portion 624b that extends continuously from one end of the transmission portion 624a along an arc centered on the rotation axis of the transmission gear 650.

The transmission portion 624a functions as a portion that receives the driving force transmitted via the transmission gear 650, and the clearance portion 624b functions as a portion that blocks the transmission of the driving force, as will be described in detail later.

The biased portion 625 is a portion with which one end of the arm of the torsion spring SP3 engages, and the upper arm member 620 receives a biasing force via this biased portion 625 in a direction that displaces the left and right outer sides of the upper arm member 620 upward.

In addition, the engagement between the hook-shaped tip of the biased portion 625 and the torsion spring SP3 can restrict the forward displacement of the upper arm member 620 (see Figure 49).

The lower arm member 630 is made of a long plate member and is generally symmetrical, except that the left arm has a path for electrical wiring, and includes a cylindrical protrusion 631 that protrudes cylindrically from the middle position in the longitudinal direction toward the rear side, a cylindrical protrusion 632 that protrudes cylindrically from left and right outer positions toward the rear side relative to the cylindrical protrusion 631, a support hole 633 that is circularly drilled in the front-rear direction at left and right inner positions relative to the cylindrical protrusion 631, and a plurality of arc-shaped holes 634 that are formed through the support hole 633 along a pair of arcs centered on the support hole 633.

The cylindrical protrusion 631 is inserted into the connecting portion 623 of the upper arm member 620, and a large-diameter head screw is screwed into the female thread formed at the tip of the cylindrical protrusion 631 from the rear side, thereby supporting the lower arm member 630 against the upper arm member 620 so that it cannot fall off.

The cylindrical protrusion 632 is inserted into the guide hole 602 of the main body member 601 via a collar member C1 that is formed into a cylindrical shape to reduce resistance, and a large-diameter head screw is screwed into the female thread formed at the tip of the cylindrical protrusion 632 from the back side, so that the lower arm member 630 is supported on the main body member 601 so that it cannot fall off.

The support hole 633 and the arc-shaped hole 634 are used to connect to the performance member 700. Due to the relationship with the placement portion 635 described below, the thickness of the part where the arc-shaped hole 634 is formed is configured to be thicker at the lower part than at the upper part. As a result, when the performance member 700 is placed at the lower end position, the thick parts can support the performance member 700 by embracing it from both sides, effectively preventing the performance member 700 from changing its posture to a forward tilting posture.

The left lower arm member 630 also has a placement section 635 that is open toward the rear side to form a space for passing electrical wiring along the length of the arm body, and a thin-walled lid section 636 that is disposed on the rear side of the placement section 635 and functions as a lid for the placement section 635.

The placement portion 635 has a base end through hole 635a drilled in the front-rear direction at the end of the cylindrical protrusion 632.

The base end through hole 635a is a through hole for passing electrical wiring arranged in the placement portion 635 in the front-rear direction. That is, the electrical wiring arranged in the placement portion 635 passes through the base end through hole 635a from the front side, is guided to the placement portion 635, and passes from the placement portion 635 to the tip side of the lower arm member 630.

The lower arm member 630 has a boundary along the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 630, and in the performance standby state, the lower meat part 637 arranged below the boundary is formed recessed toward the back side. In other words, the upper side with the tangent line as the boundary is formed as a thin plate part.

In the right-side lower arm member 630, this lower meat portion 637 is reinforced by multiple ribs extending in the short direction. In the left-side lower arm member 630, the lower meat portion 637 forms the upper wall portion of the placement portion 635, and is configured to be able to guide electrical wiring inside, and is reinforced by fastening and fixing a thin-walled lid portion 636 that is disposed as a lid on the guide path.

The electrical wiring passes through the inside of the lower arm member 630 (between the placement portion 635 and the thin-walled lid portion 636) and is guided toward the performance member 700, preventing the electrical wiring from coming into contact with the members (e.g., the upper arm member 620) that are placed in front of and behind the lower arm member 630. This prevents the electrical wiring from becoming entangled or rubbing against these members, causing damage to the electrical wiring.

The lower arm member 630 includes the above-mentioned pressing member PC1, which is assembled from the front side, as well as a pressing member PC1 made of the same material and assembled from the rear side. The lower arm member 630 is configured to be able to abut the main body plate portion of the main body member 601 at the front and rear via this pressing member PC1. Note that the main body member 601 and the pressing member PC1 are not in constant contact with each other, but have a slight gap therebetween, and when the lower arm member 630 is displaced toward the rear side, they abut and function to limit the displacement, similar to the case of the front pressing member PC1.

In other words, the lower arm member 630 is configured to have pressure members PC1 attached to both the front and rear sides and to be able to come into contact with the main body member 601 or the front cover member 610 via the pressure members PC1, which makes it easy to limit displacement in the front-rear direction and makes it easier to reduce the resistance to vertical displacement when displacement is limited.

The tip of the pressing member PC1 that is attached from the rear side is positioned closer to the rear side than the rear end of the upper arm member 620. This makes it possible to prevent the upper arm member 620 from coming into contact with the main body member 601 even if the tip of the pressing member PC1 is displaced toward the rear side to the extent that it comes into contact with the main body member 601. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the upper arm member 620 from coming into contact with the main body member 601 or the front cover member 610 that are arranged in front of or behind it.

This configuration is particularly effective when the lower arm member 630 is prone to unintentional displacement in the front-rear direction. For example, in this embodiment, the tip of the lower arm member 630 is located near the rear end surface of the performance member 700, and the center of gravity of the performance member 700 and the connection position between the performance member 700 and the lower arm member 630 are misaligned in the front-rear direction, so it can be said that this configuration makes it easy for the lower arm member 630 to be displaced in the front-rear direction. In addition, the configuration makes it easy for the lower arm member 630 to be displaced in the front-rear direction due to the displacement mode of the lower arm member 630 and the driving displacement of the performance member 700 itself.

The transmission gear 650 includes a semicircular main body 651 formed in a substantially semicircular plate shape, a gear portion 652 engraved in a gear shape on the radially outer side of the semicircular main body 651, a support hole 653 formed as a circular hole through which the cylindrical shaft portion 605 can be inserted on the central axis of the semicircular shape of the semicircular main body 651, a cylindrical protrusion 654 protruding in a cylindrical shape from the outer diameter end of the semicircular main body 651 to the front side, a detected plate portion 655 formed in a plate shape at the circumferential end of the semicircular main body 651 and thin enough to enter the detection groove of the detection sensor 607, a thickened portion 656 formed by increasing the thickness between the detected plate portion 655 and the support hole 653, and a restricted hole 657 formed by increasing the thickness in the front-rear direction at a position on the support hole 653 side of the thickened portion 656.

The gear section 652 is arranged in mesh with the drive gear of the drive motor MT2, and the driving force of the drive motor MT2 is directly transmitted to it.

The cylindrical protrusion 654 passes through the arc-shaped hole 606 of the main body member 601 and is disposed inside the transmission hole 624 of the upper arm member 620. This allows the driving force to be transmitted to the upper arm member 620 via the cylindrical protrusion 654 as the transmission gear 650 rotates. The cylindrical protrusion 654 is inserted into a collar member whose outer diameter is slightly shorter than the width of the transmission hole 624, and a fastening screw with a large head diameter is screwed into the female threaded portion formed at the protruding tip of the cylindrical protrusion 654, thereby supporting the collar member and upper arm member 620 so that they cannot fall off, and restricting the forward displacement of the upper arm member 620.

The thickened portion 656 and the restricted hole 657 are configured to be able to engage with the displacement restriction device 180 (see FIG. 6). The restricted hole 657 is disposed on the support hole 653 side (at a position closer to the support hole 653), so that the load (moment) transmitted from the transmission gear 650 to the displacement restriction device 180 is reduced when the displacement restriction device 180 is in the restricted state (see FIG. 21(a)).

In addition, the design concept for the thickness of the transmission gear 650 is to set the thickened portion 656 as a location that must be able to withstand the load caused by engagement with the displacement regulation device 180. In other words, by forming the locations where engagement with the displacement regulation device 180 cannot occur with a thin wall, it is possible to reduce the material costs required for the transmission gear 650.

Figure 53 is an exploded front perspective view of the performance member 700, and Figure 54 is an exploded rear perspective view of the performance member 700. Note that Figures 51 and 52 will be referred to as appropriate in the explanation of Figures 53 and 54.

As shown in Figures 53 and 54, the performance member 700 includes a plate-shaped main body 710 connected to the tip of the lower arm member 630, a functional plate section 720 fastened to the front side of the plate-shaped main body 710, a rotating plate 730 arranged between the functional plate section 720 and the plate-shaped main body 710 and supported so as to be rotatable and displaceable relative to the functional plate section 720, an expandable displacement member 740 arranged between the rotating plate 730 and the functional plate section 720 and configured to be capable of displacement similar to that of a magic hand in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating plate 730, a drive motor MT3 fastened to the front side of the functional plate section 720 and a drive gear MG3 arranged on the back side of the functional plate section 720, a light-emitting performance device 750 fastened to the front side of the functional plate section 720 and performing a light-emitting performance, and a plurality of shielding design members 760 fastened to the tips of the plurality of expandable displacement members 740 and combined to block the passage of light on the front side of the light-emitting performance device 750 in a performance standby state.

The plate-shaped main body 710 includes a pair of cylindrical protrusions 711 protruding from symmetrical positions toward the rear side in a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter slightly shorter than the inner diameter of the support hole 633 of the lower arm member 630, a plurality of auxiliary protrusions 712 protruding from positions on an arc centered on the cylindrical protrusions 711 toward the rear side in a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter slightly shorter than the width of the arc-up hole 634 of the lower arm member 630, a through hole 713 drilled in the front-rear direction at a position between the pair of cylindrical protrusions 711, a wiring guide member 714 arranged below the through hole 713 and open only on the front side, and a pressing member PC1 arranged on the rear side of the plate.

The through hole 713 is a through hole for passing the electrical wiring DK1, which passes through the lower arm member 630 and is guided between the placement portion 635 and the thin-walled cover portion 636 toward the front side. In the section from the tip of the lower arm member 630 to the through hole 713, the electrical wiring DK1 is guided by a wiring guide member 714. This makes it possible to eliminate the possibility of the electrical wiring DK1 coming into contact with other members or being visible to the player, even in the limited section from the lower arm member 630 to the through hole 713.

In addition to guiding the electrical wiring DK1, the wiring guide member 714 has an upper surface that slopes downward toward the rear side, and therefore also functions to soften contact with the lower end of the rear plate portion 611 of the front cover member 610.

In other words, the upper surface of the wiring guide member 714 is positioned opposite the rear plate portion 611 of the front cover member 610 when the performance member 700 is displaced upward, and even if the performance member 700 is misaligned toward the rear side, the wiring guide member 714 abuts against the rear plate portion 611, so that the performance member 700 can be returned to the front side during the upward displacement along the slope of the upper surface of the wiring guide member 714.

The pressing member PC1, like the wiring guide member 714, is arranged to be slidable with the rear plate portion 611 of the front cover member 610. That is, in this embodiment, during the upward displacement of the performance member 700, the pressing member PC1 arranged at the upper end and the wiring guide member 714 arranged at the lower part are configured to be able to abut against the rear plate portion 611 of the front cover member 610, so that the position at which the load for maintaining the posture of the performance member 700 is generated can be separated.

Figure 55 is a front view of the functional plate portion 720. In explaining Figure 55, refer to Figures 53 and 54 as appropriate.

The functional plate portion 720 is formed in a substantially plate-like shape from a resin material, and includes a cylindrical portion 721 that is cylindrically protruded toward the rear side at the center and has the inside of the cylinder penetrated therethrough, an arc-shaped hole 722 that is drilled along an arc shape coaxial with the central axis of the cylindrical portion 721, a sensor arrangement portion 723 that is formed so that the detection sensor SC7 can be arranged at one end of the arc-shaped hole 722, a motor fixing portion 724 that has an opening through which the drive shaft of the drive motor MT3 can be inserted and is formed so that the drive motor MT3 can be fastened and fixed, a radially long hole 725a that is aligned with a straight line passing through the central axis of the cylindrical portion 721, and the radially long hole 725b that is aligned with the radially long hole 725a. The guide holes 725 are made up of a pair of intersecting elongated holes 725b that intersect at right angles with the guide holes 725a (five pairs in this embodiment), a plurality of extended plate sections 726 (five in this embodiment) that extend radially outward on the extension lines of the radial elongated holes 725a, a pair of auxiliary protrusions 727 (one pair for each extended plate section 726 in this embodiment) that protrude from the rear end of the flat section disposed at the extension base end of the extended plate section 726 at both ends in the width direction of the extended plate section 726, and a pair of columnar protrusions 728 that protrude from the vicinity of the radially outer end toward the rear side in a columnar shape.

The cylindrical portion 721 is arranged so that its rear end abuts against the plate-shaped main body 710, and is fastened to the plate-shaped main body 710 with its internal through hole communicating with the through hole 713 of the plate-shaped main body 710. At this time, the fastening screw is inserted into the plate-shaped main body 710 from the rear side of the plate-shaped main body 710, and the threaded portion is screwed into the female thread formed at the rear end of the cylindrical portion 721.

As a result, the functional plate portion 720 is fastened to the plate-shaped main body 710, and a through hole is formed in its center, and in this embodiment, the electrical wiring DK1 is guided to the front side through this through hole.

The electrical wiring DK1 (see FIG. 76) guided to the front side is connected to the detection sensor SC7 fastened to the sensor placement part 723 and the drive motor MT3 fastened to the motor fixing part 724. This allows the detection sensor SC7 and the drive motor MT3 to be energized.

The arc-shaped hole 722 is a through hole that allows the detectable portion 731a of the rotating plate 730 to protrude to the front side, and the position of the rotating plate 730 can be determined by the detectable portion 731a entering the detection groove of the detection sensor SC7.

The guide hole 725 is a group of through holes formed with a width that allows the guided protrusions 741b, 741c, and 742a of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 to be positioned, and includes a radial long hole 725a formed along a straight line extending radially from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 721, and a pair of intersecting long holes 725b formed in a long hole shape along straight lines perpendicular to the straight line that serves as the reference for the radial long hole 725a on both sides of the outer diameter side end of the radial long hole 725a.

The radial long holes 725a and the intersecting long holes 725b function to limit the displacement of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740, and the extension plate portion 726 and the auxiliary protrusion portion 727 function to correct the posture of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 in the assembled arrangement state, as will be described in detail later.

The columnar protrusion 728 is configured so that its rear end can abut against the plate-shaped main body 710. In the abutting state, a fastening screw is inserted into the plate-shaped main body 710 from the rear side and screwed into the female screw formed on the tip side of the columnar protrusion 728, thereby fastening and fixing the functional plate 720 to the plate-shaped main body 710.

In the assembled state, the columnar protrusion 728 is inserted into the arc-shaped hole 732 of the rotating plate 730, limiting the rotation angle of the rotating plate 730. In other words, the columnar protrusion 728 serves both as a part for fastening the functional plate 720 to the plate-shaped main body 710 and as a part for limiting the rotation angle of the rotating plate 730.

Figure 56 is a front view of the rotating plate 730, and Figure 57 is a side view of the rotating plate 730. In explaining Figures 56 and 57, refer to Figures 53 and 54 as appropriate.

The rotating plate 730 is made of a resin material and has a generally circular disk shape. The rotating plate 730 has a cylindrical portion 731 that protrudes from the center toward the front side and penetrates the inside of the cylinder, a plurality of arc-shaped holes 732 that are drilled along an arc shape that is coaxial with the central axis of the cylindrical portion 731, a plurality of guide holes 733 (five in this embodiment) that are formed as long through holes at a position that is on the outer diameter side of the cylindrical portion 731 and on the inner diameter side of the arc-shaped holes 732, and an extended claw portion 734 that extends radially outward in a claw-like manner at a position corresponding to the guide hole 733.

The cylindrical portion 731 has an inner diameter designed to be slightly longer than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 721 of the functional plate portion 720, and includes a detectable portion 731a that extends from the front end toward the front side and is formed so as to be able to enter the detectable groove of the detection sensor SC7 through the arc-shaped hole 722 of the functional plate portion 720, and a gear portion 731b that is formed on the outer periphery in a gear shape that can mesh with the drive gear MG3 of the drive motor MT3.

The arc-shaped hole 732 is an opening in which the columnar protrusion 728 of the functional plate portion 720 is positioned, and is formed with a length that ensures a rotation angle of the rotating plate 730 of just under 120 degrees.

The guide holes 733 are each formed in the same shape, and include a small diameter arc portion 733a formed in an arc shape centered on the central axis of the cylindrical portion 731, a large diameter arc portion 733b that is longer from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 731 than the small diameter arc portion 733a, and a connecting portion 733c that connects the large diameter arc portion 733b and the small diameter arc portion 733a.

The form of the connecting portion 733c is not limited in any way, but in this embodiment, it is formed so that the change in length from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 731 per unit angle changes according to the position. In particular, in this embodiment, the change in length from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 731 per unit angle near the small diameter arc portion 733a and the large diameter arc portion 733b is designed to be relatively small.

This reduces the resistance that occurs when a load is transmitted to the expansion and contraction displacement member 740, and improves the presentation effect by making the displacement speed of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 non-uniform.

The extended claw portion 734 is formed in a claw shape that projects in a clockwise direction when viewed from the front, and is configured to be engageable with the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 arranged on the front side. The extended claw portion 734 includes a rear claw portion 734a formed toward the rear side in the thickness direction, and a front claw portion 734b formed closer to the front side than the rear claw portion 734a. In this embodiment, the rear claw portion 734a and the front claw portion 734b are separated at approximately the middle position of the thickness dimension of the extended claw portion 734.

The extended claw portion 734 functions as a portion that engages with the first guided protrusion 743b and the second guided protrusion 744b of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740. The front side claw portion 734b and the back side claw portion 734a correspond to the second guided protrusion 744b and the first guided protrusion 743b, whose protruding tip positions from the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 are different in the front and rear, respectively, and guide them radially inward in order, as will be described in detail later.

In this embodiment, the extension claw portion 734 is formed so that the extension claw portion 734 arranged on the lower side has a longer extension length than the extension claw portion 734 arranged on the upper side. In this embodiment, the extension length is made longer in both the circumferential and radial directions. This makes it possible to mitigate the effects of gravity.

That is, even if the expansion and contraction displacement members 740 are configured with the same shape, the relationship between the displaceable direction and the direction of gravity is different, so the displacement caused by the action of gravity is different for each expansion and contraction displacement member 740. For example, the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 arranged on the lower side will sag due to its own weight and displace in a direction away from the rotation axis of the rotating plate 730, so that without measures, the first guided protrusion 743b of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 will be positioned radially outward of the extension claw portion 734, and there is a possibility that the extension claw portion 734 will fail to guide it radially inward.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the extension length of the extension claw portion 734 located on the lower side is designed to be sufficiently long in consideration of the sagging of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740, so that the extension claw portion 734 can stably guide the radially inward.

On the other hand, even if the expandable/contractible member 740 arranged on the upper side is displaced due to its own weight, the displacement is in the direction approaching the rotation axis of the rotating plate 730, so there is a low possibility that the extended claw portion 734 will fail to guide radially inward. Therefore, by forming the extended claw portion 734 on the upper side short rather than extending it longer than necessary, it is possible to reduce material costs and make the rotating plate 730 smaller.

The expandable/contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760 will be described with reference to Figures 58 and 59. In the description of Figures 58 and 59, Figures 53 and 54 will also be referenced as appropriate.

Figure 58(a) is a front perspective view of the expandable/contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760, Figure 58(b) is a rear perspective view of the expandable/contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760, Figure 59(a) is a front perspective view of the expandable/contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760, and Figure 59(b) is a rear perspective view of the expandable/contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760.

In Figures 58(a) and 58(b), of the five sets of telescopic displacement members 740 and shielding design members 760, the set that is placed at the top is illustrated in a state in which they are arranged together, while in Figures 59(a) and 59(b), the same set is illustrated in a state in which they are separated.

The telescopic displacement member 740 is a member that constitutes a link mechanism composed of multiple long members arranged in two layers, front and rear. Therefore, in the following description, the plane on which the multiple long members arranged on the front side of the telescopic displacement member 740 can be displaced is also referred to as the front layer plane, and the plane on which the multiple long members arranged on the rear side can be displaced is also referred to as the rear layer plane.

The telescopic displacement member 740 is provided with a pair of base end side members 741 arranged in two layers, front and rear, and pivotally supported at their lower ends for relative rotation, a pair of first long members 742 pivotally supported at the upper ends of the base end side members 741 for relative rotation, a pair of second long members 743 pivotally supported at the upper ends of the first long members 742 for relative rotation, and a tip adjustment member 744 having a guide long hole 744a extending linearly to guide the upper ends of the second long members 742.

The base end side member 741, the first long member 742, and the second long member 743, which are configured as a front-rear pair, are designed so that the length in the long direction and the support position are identical to each other in the pair.

The base end member 741 includes a transmitted protrusion 741a that protrudes cylindrically from the lower end of the member on the rear plane side toward the back surface side, a guided protrusion 741b that protrudes cylindrically from the back surface on which the cylindrical protrusion 741a protrudes toward the front surface side and is inserted into the member on the front plane side, and a guided protrusion 741c that protrudes cylindrically from the upper end of the member on the rear plane side toward the front surface side and is inserted into a through hole drilled in the lower end of the first long member 742.

The transmitted protrusion 741a is arranged in the guide hole 733 (see FIG. 56) of the rotating plate 730 and is configured to be displaced radially as the rotating plate 730 rotates.

The guided protrusions 741b and 741c are arranged in the guide hole 725 of the functional plate portion 725 and are guided in the longitudinal direction. The guided protrusion 741b is arranged in the radial elongated hole 725a, and the guided protrusion 741c is arranged in the intersecting elongated hole 725b (see FIG. 55).

The first long member 742 is supported on a front-rear axis at approximately the middle position in the long direction so that it can rotate relative to the front. It has a guided protrusion 742a that protrudes cylindrically from the lower end of the member on the rear plane side to the front side and is inserted into the upper end of the base end member 741 on the front plane side.

The guided protrusion 742a is placed in the intersecting elongated hole 725b of the functional plate portion 725 and is guided in its longitudinal direction (see Figure 55).

The second long member 743 is supported at approximately the middle position in the long direction on a front-to-rear axis for relative rotation, and is cylindrically protruding from the upper end of the member on the front plane side toward the front side, and protruding from the upper end of the member on the rear plane side with a diameter of approximately the width of the member until it is flush with the front end face of the member on the front plane side. It is equipped with a pair of support protrusions 743a that protrude cylindrically from the protruding tips toward the front side, and a first guided protrusion 743b that protrudes cylindrically from approximately the middle position of the member on the rear plane side toward the back side.

The first guided protrusion 743b is guided by the rear claw portion 734a of the extended claw portion 734 of the rotating plate 730, and receives a load in the radially inward direction due to this guidance (see Figure 56).

The tip adjustment member 744 is a member to which the shielding design member 760 is fastened and fixed on the front side, and is equipped with a pair of guide long holes 744a that are drilled in a long hole shape extending in a linear direction with a width that allows the support protrusions 743a of the second long member 743 to be inserted, and a second guided protrusion 744b that protrudes cylindrically from the center position in the long direction to the rear side.

The second guided protrusion 744b has a protruding tip positioned forward of the protruding tip of the first guided protrusion 743b, and is guided by the front claw portion 734b of the extended claw portion 734 of the rotating plate 730, and receives a load in the radially inward direction due to this guidance (see Figure 57).

The second guided protrusion 744b does not have a circular tip shape, and has a chamfered inclined surface on the side facing the adjacent inclined surface 734c (see FIG. 57) as the rotating plate 730, which has a rotation center on the transmitted protrusion 741a side, rotates and displaces in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from behind (see FIG. 59(b)).

This inclined surface makes it possible to prevent excessive resistance when the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 comes into contact with the extended claw portion 734 of the rotating plate 730, even if the position of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 is slightly misaligned in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in Figures 58(b) and 59(b), when the telescopic displacement members 740 are arranged collectively and when they are separated, the support protrusions 743a arranged at the tip of the second elongated member 743 of the telescopic displacement member 740 are arranged at both outer ends or both inner ends of the guide elongated hole 744a of the tip adjustment member 744. This makes it possible to stabilize the arrangement (longitudinal arrangement) of the tip adjustment member 744 relative to the pair of support protrusions 743a.

The shielding design member 760 is fastened to the front side of the tip adjustment member 744, extends from the fastening part toward the front side, and is inclined from the tip of the extension toward the front side so as to cover the expandable displacement member 740. It is a generally triangular member when viewed from the front, and has a shaped part that extends from the tip of the extension parallel to the plane along which the expandable displacement member 740 displaces (front layer plane or rear layer plane).

The shielding design component 760 is configured to conceal the decorative component 752 on the rear side from view by attaching colored (red in this embodiment) reflective sheets to the front and back, and is provided with an extended plate portion 761 at the right end that extends to the right in a plate shape so that a plate surface is formed along the rear surface of the component.

The extension plate portion 761, like the main body of the shielding design member 760, has colored (red in this embodiment) reflective sheets attached to the front and back, and is positioned opposite the rear side of the left end of the shielding design member 760 located to the right when viewed from the front (adjacent in the clockwise direction), and is configured to abut against the rear side if the shielding design member 760 shifts in position toward the rear side, thereby preventing the shift.

The positioning of the extension plate portion 761 is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the front surface of the plate may be positioned shifted toward the rear side of the rear surface of the main body of the shielding design member 760. In this case, when multiple shielding design members 760 are displaced to the collective arrangement position, it is possible to avoid the main body of the shielding design member 760 and the extension plate portion 761 coming into contact (colliding) along the displacement direction (displacement plane) of the shielding design member 760 or the expandable displacement member 740.

This effect becomes more pronounced the farther the extension plate portion 761 is positioned from the main body of the shielding design member 760, but by positioning the extension plate portion 761 at least a distance that is allowable for the shielding design member 760 as a positional deviation in the front-to-rear direction of the shielding design member 760, it is possible to avoid the extension plate portion 761 and the main body of the shielding design member 760 coming into contact (colliding) along the displacement direction (displacement plane) of the shielding design member 760 or the expandable displacement member 740.

The shape of the front surface of the extension plate portion 761 may be formed as an inclined surface, or as a flat surface with a normal in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, it is configured as an inclined surface that approaches the rear side the further away from the shielding design member 760 it is.

As a result, even if the shielding design member 760 is displaced to a grouped arrangement position (see Figure 63) with the shielding design member 760 to the right of the topmost shielding design member 760 as viewed from the front being slightly shifted toward the rear side relative to the topmost shielding design member 760, the forward/backward positional shift of the shielding design member 760 to the right as viewed from the front can be corrected along the front inclination of the extension plate portion 761 of the topmost shielding design member 760. This makes it easier to align the relative forward/backward positions of adjacent shielding design members 760.

Also, as shown in FIG. 58(b), the second long member 743 of the expandable/contractible member 740 supporting the shielding design member 760 is arranged so that the member supporting the right side of the shielding design member 760 is arranged on the rear layer plane, and the member supporting the left side of the shielding design member 760 is arranged on the front layer plane, and the middle parts of the pair of second long members 743 cross in a manner that overlaps front to back, making it easy to tilt the shielding design member 760 into a position in which the left side is arranged forward compared to the right side.

The configuration of the expandable/contractible displacement members 740 that support the shielding design members 760 is the same for all five sets, so each shielding design member 760 is common and configured so that the left side portion is easily tilted into a position positioned further forward than the right side portion (the side on which the extension plate portion 761 is formed).

By tilting the position of this shielding design member 760, the extension plate portion 761 can be positioned away from the back side of the shielding design member 760 that is arranged opposite the extension plate portion 761. In this state, the shielding design member 760 is displaced to the assembled position, thereby preventing the main body of the shielding design member 760 and the extension plate portion 761 from coming into contact (colliding) along the displacement direction (displacement plane) of the shielding design member 760 or the expandable displacement member 740.

When five sets of shielding design elements 760 are arranged together (see Figure 53), the shielding design elements 760 are arranged in a circle, and all of the shielding design elements 760 are prevented from shifting toward the rear side by the extension plate portion 761 of the shielding design element 760 to the left (counterclockwise when viewed from the front).

According to this configuration, the shielding design component 760 is prevented from shifting forward by the extension plate portion 761 abutting the shielding design component 760 to the right (clockwise direction when viewed from the front). Therefore, by arranging the five sets of shielding design components 760 facing each other in the front-to-back direction, it is possible to prevent each of the five sets of shielding design components 760 from shifting forward or backward.

The interlocking between the rotating plate 730 and the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 will be described with reference to Figures 60 and 61. Figures 60 and 61 are front views of the functional plate portion 720. In Figures 60 and 61, the guide hole 733 of the rotating plate 730 is illustrated by imaginary lines, and an example of the external arrangement of the transmitted protrusion 741a and the guided protrusions 741b, 741c, and 742a of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 is illustrated.

Figure 60 shows the state in which the expandable/contractible members 740 are arranged together (see Figure 58), and Figure 61 shows the state in which the rotating plate 730 has rotated approximately 120 degrees counterclockwise when viewed from the front, and the expandable/contractible members 740 are dispersed (see Figure 59).

In this embodiment, the guided protrusions 741b, 741c, and 742a are guided along the guide hole 725, and the position of the transmitted protrusion 741a arranged in the guide hole 733 is displaced in a direction approaching the rotation axis of the rotating plate 730 as the rotating plate 730 rotates, thereby changing the state of the expandable/contractible member 740.

In this state change, the guided protrusions 741c, 742a are still maintained on the outer diameter side of the functional plate portion 720, so the shielding design member 760 is configured to be displaceable so as to protrude toward the outer diameter side based on the position of the guided protrusions 741c, 742a, but details will be described later.

Referring back to Figures 53 and 54, the light-emitting performance device 750 comprises an illumination board 751 with an opening in the center, and a decorative member 752 formed from a light-transmitting resin material and disposed on the front side of the illumination board 751. An opening is formed in the center of the illumination board 751, and the decorative member 752 is formed in a dome shape that protrudes toward the front side, so that an area for disposing the drive motor MT3 can be secured.

An opening 751a is formed in the center of the illumination board 751. Inside the opening 751a, the drive motor MT3 and the electrical wiring guided through the lower arm member 630 are arranged. The larger the opening 751a, the easier it is to arrange the drive motor MT3 and the electrical wiring, but this limits the area in which the LEDs serving as light-emitting means can be arranged, so from the standpoint of light-emitting performance, it is preferable that the opening 751a is small.

Since it is not possible to place an LED in the opening 751a, the front side of the opening tends to be dark and easily seen. In this embodiment, this problem is addressed by dividing the structure of the decorative member 752 into two parts.

That is, the decorative member 752 comprises a light-transmitting member 752a formed from a colorless, light-transmitting resin material, and a mirror-like member 752b that is attached to the light-transmitting member 752a from the front side and has a mirror-like visible surface (e.g., silver-plated).

An opening is formed in the center of the light-transmitting member 752a, and the center of the mirrored member 752b is closed, so that the mirrored member 752b can be positioned where the drive motor MT3 is located when viewed from the front. This allows the player to see reflected light from light irradiation from other directions (for example, light irradiation from the hemispherical lighting device 613) even if there is no light irradiation from the LEDs from the back side, preventing the front side of the opening 751a from appearing dark.

The following describes the vertical displacement of the performance member 700 of the zoom unit 600. Figures 62 to 64 are front views of the zoom unit 600 showing the downward displacement of the performance member 700 in chronological order. Note that in Figures 62 to 64, the front cover member 610 is omitted from the illustration in order to make it easier to understand.

Figure 62 shows the zoom unit 600 in a standby state, Figure 63 shows the performance member 700 in the middle of descending from the standby state, and Figure 64 shows the zoom unit 600 in an extended state.

The mid-descent state shown in FIG. 63 is illustrated as a state in which the rotation angle of the lower arm member 630 is half the rotation angle of the lower arm member 630 from the performance standby state to the extended state. In this embodiment, the rotation angle of the upper arm member 620 is also half the same.

As shown in FIG. 62, when the zoom unit 600 is in a standby state, the cylindrical protrusion 654 is positioned at the boundary between the transmission section 624a and the clearance section 624b of the upper arm member 620. In other words, the cylindrical protrusion 654 immediately enters the transmission section 624a and is positioned at a position where it can begin to move the performance member 700 downward, which is the standby state of the zoom unit 600.

This standby state is a state that can be switched in response to the execution of an effect that suggests that the effect member 700 of the zoom unit 600 will be displaced downward by the effect members, including the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 7) arranged in the pachinko machine 10, and before the suggested effect is executed, the cylindrical protrusion 654 is positioned on the clearance portion 624b side.

As described above, the clearance portion 624b is a shaped portion that extends continuously from one end of the transmission portion 624a along an arc centered on the rotation axis of the transmission gear 650, and is positioned so as to overlap the arc-shaped hole 606 in the front-rear direction in the state shown in FIG. 62.

Therefore, the load applied to the cylindrical protrusion 654 through the transmission hole 624 of the upper arm member 620 is directed toward the rotation axis of the transmission gear 650, and does not function as a load that rotates the transmission gear 650. Therefore, regardless of whether or not the drive motor MT2 (see FIG. 51) is energized, the displacement of the upper arm member 620 can be regulated, and this makes it possible to regulate the displacement of the performance member 700 connected to the lower arm member 630 connected to the upper arm member 620.

Note that even if the performance suggesting that the performance member 700 will be displaced downward as described above is ultimately a performance pattern in which the performance member 700 does not displace downward, in this embodiment, the zoom unit 600 is controlled to change its state to a performance standby state.

In this case, immediately after the player is notified that the performance member 700 will not be displaced downward, the drive motor MT2 (see FIG. 51) is driven in a direction that causes the transmission gear 650 to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the front, in order to return the cylindrical protrusion 654 to the clearance portion 624b side.

As a result, when a performance is performed that suggests that the performance member 700 will be displaced downward, it is possible to prevent the subsequent performance related to the performance member 700 from being predicted due to differences in the driving sound of the drive motor MT2.

The clearance portion 624b also functions to reduce the precision required for the drive stop position when the drive motor MT2 is rotated in the direction to raise the performance member 700. In other words, when the performance member 700 is being driven to raise, the performance member 700 is already positioned at the upper end displacement end position in the state shown in FIG. 62, and the subsequent displacement of the cylindrical protrusion 654 is simply a sliding displacement along the clearance portion 624b.

And no matter where the cylindrical protrusion 654 is positioned in the clearance portion 624b, there is no difference in the function of regulating the displacement of the upper arm member 620. Therefore, since it is permissible to set the stopping position of the cylindrical protrusion 654 with low accuracy, the rotation speed of the drive motor MT2 (see FIG. 51) when displacing the performance member 700 upward can be set high, rather than being limited to the rotation speed at which the transmission gear 650 can be stopped immediately when the detected plate portion 655 enters the detection sensor 607 (see FIG. 52). This allows the upward movement speed of the performance member 700 to be set high.

In addition, even if the rising speed is excessively high, when the upper arm member 620 abuts against the cylindrical protrusion 654, the load applied to the cylindrical protrusion 654 is directed in the radial direction of the transmission gear 650, and therefore does not function to displace the cylindrical protrusion 654 in the rotational direction. Therefore, even if the rising speed is excessively high, the displacement of the upper arm member 620 can be restricted at the position where it abuts against the cylindrical protrusion 654.

Furthermore, even if the rising speed is excessive, the upper arm member 620 will restrict the upward displacement of the lower arm member 630, as will be described in more detail below.

As shown in Figures 62 to 64, the change in the left-right distance between the ends of a pair of lower arm members 630 (the left-right distance between the ends arranged in the guide holes 602 of the main body member 601) is set to be greater from the mid-descent state to the extended state compared to the change from the performance standby state to the mid-descent state.

In this way, by increasing the displacement speed between the ends of the pair of lower arm members 630 in association with the downward displacement of the performance member 700, the lower arm members 630 supporting the performance member 700 can be visually perceived as being rapidly displaced in the width direction, and the player can be made to see as if the displacement speed of the performance member 700 is rapidly increasing, improving the performance effect of the upward and downward displacement of the performance member 700.

Figures 65 to 67 are rear views of the zoom unit 600 showing the downward displacement of the performance member 700 in chronological order. Note that in Figure 65, Figure 65(b) is also shown as a diagram in which the main body member 601 and front cover member 610 are omitted for ease of understanding.

Figures 65(a) and 65(b) show the zoom unit 600 in a standby state, Figure 66 shows the performance member 700 in the middle of descending from the standby state, and Figure 67 shows the zoom unit 600 in an extended state.

As shown in FIG. 65(a), when the zoom unit 600 is in a standby state, the detectable plate portion 655 of the transmission gear 650 is retracted from the detection groove of the detection sensor 607. In other words, in this embodiment, before the performance suggesting that the performance member 700 is to be displaced downward, the drive motor MT2 is stopped with the detectable plate portion 655 positioned in the detection groove of the detection sensor 607, and the drive motor MT2 is controlled to change to a standby state for the zoom unit 600 by stopping the drive motor MT2 once at a position where it is determined that the detectable plate portion 655 has retracted from the detection groove of the detection sensor 607 when the performance suggestion is performed.

Conversely, when the transmission gear 650 is rotated in the direction that displaces the performance member 700 upward, if it is determined that the detectable plate portion 655 has entered the detection groove of the detection sensor 607, the drive motor MT2 is controlled to be de-energized, so that the transmission gear 650 can be stopped at a position where it has entered the clearance portion 624b slightly from the position of the cylindrical protrusion 654 in the performance standby state, and the displacement of the upper arm member 620, the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 can be regulated as described above.

In this embodiment, when it is determined that the detected plate portion 655 has entered the detection groove of the detection sensor 607, the drive motor MT2 is not immediately stopped, but is controlled so that the drive motor MT2 is stopped after a time delay sufficient for the position of the cylindrical protrusion 654 to be positioned at the end of the clearance portion 624b, regardless of whether the drive speed is maintained or decelerated.

This allows the transmission gear 650 to stop at a position where the columnar protrusion 654 is positioned at the end of the clearance portion 624b. At this position, the cylindrical portion 183 of the displacement restriction device 180 can be inserted into the restricted hole 657 of the transmission gear 650 (see FIG. 21(a)). Even if the transmission gear 650 stops slightly out of position, the cylindrical portion 183 can be easily inserted into the restricted hole 657 because a tapered surface is formed at the tip of the cylindrical portion 183 (see FIG. 15(c)).

The position of the restricted hole 657 when the cylindrical portion 183 can be inserted is a position that is rotated slightly clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 65(a) when viewed from the rear, and is set to a position that partially overlaps with the restricted hole 657 shown in FIG. 65(a).

Therefore, for example, even if the operating member 183 of the displacement regulating device 180 is pressed in to place the displacement regulating device 180 in the regulated state (see FIG. 15(c)) in the state shown in FIG. 66 or FIG. 67, and then the transmission gear 650 is driven and controlled to rotate in a direction that displaces the performance member 700 upward, the displacement of the transmission gear 650 is obstructed by the cylindrical portion 183, and the state shown in FIG. 65(a) is not reached.

Even though the drive motor MT2 continues to drive, the detected plate portion 655 does not enter the detection groove of the detection sensor 607, so the MPU 221 (see Figure 4) can determine that there is a displacement defect in the transmission gear 650.

Based on this determination, an abnormality can be reported by, for example, displaying an error message on the third pattern display device 81 (see Figure 4) indicating a displacement error in the zoom unit 600. This notification can let the gaming machine store staff know that the displacement control device 180 may remain in a restricted state.

This allows notifications such as error displays related to the displacement of the zoom unit 600 to be used to communicate information about the status of the displacement control device 180 to staff at the gaming machine store. This makes it unnecessary to provide a separate device for detecting the status of the displacement control device 180.

The stopping position of the transmission gear 650 has a margin equivalent to the length of the margin 624b of the transmission hole 624, so the rotational speed of the transmission gear 650 can be set high. However, if the rotational speed of the transmission gear 650 is too high when the performance member 700 is displaced upward, the upward movement speed of the lower arm member 630 suspended from the upper arm member 620 becomes too high, and there is a possibility that the lower arm member 630 will collide with the upper arm member 620.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the direction in which the performance member 700 is displaced toward the performance standby state is set to the opposite direction to the direction of gravity (upward), so that downward acceleration can be constantly applied to the lower arm member 630, and the vertical load at the contact position when the lower arm member 630 collides with the upper arm member 620 can be reduced.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 65(b), the upper surface shape of the lower meat portion 637 of the lower arm member 630 is formed along the lower surface shape of the upper arm member 620, so that the contact area when the lower arm member 630 collides with the upper arm member 620 can be increased. This makes it possible to avoid the occurrence of large localized loads on the upper arm member 620 and the lower arm member 630, and prevents the upper arm member 620 or the lower arm member 630 from being damaged or broken.

In this way, the lower arm member 630 is configured to be able to abut against the underside of the upper arm member 620 with a sufficiently wide abutment area, so even if the rotation speed of the transmission gear 650 when displacing the performance member 700 upward is excessive and the upward movement speed of the lower arm member 630 suspended from the upper arm member 620 becomes excessive, the upward movement of the lower arm member 630 can be regulated by the upper arm member 620, whose displacement is regulated by the cylindrical protrusion 654 as described above. This makes it possible to prevent the performance member 700 from being displaced upward beyond its position in the performance standby state.

The state shown in Figures 66 and 67 corresponds to a state in which the upper arm member 620, the lower arm member 630, and the performance member 700 are displaced downward from the performance standby state by the driving force of the drive motor MT2 against the biasing force of the torsion spring SP3.

In the state shown in FIG. 66, the auxiliary protrusion 712 of the performance member 700 is positioned at the middle position of the arc-shaped hole 634 of the lower arm member 630, and in the state shown in FIG. 67, the auxiliary protrusion 712 of the performance member 700 is positioned at the end of the arc-shaped hole 634 of the lower arm member 630, similar to the state shown in FIG. 65.

This allows the degree to which the lower arm member 630 holds the performance member 700 (the degree to which it stabilizes its posture) to be changed. In other words, the degree to which the lower arm member 630 holds the performance member 700 can be made higher in the performance standby state or the extended state compared to the mid-descent state.

In other words, it is possible to easily prevent the performance member 700 from changing its position in the direction of rotation around the cylindrical protrusion 711. For example, if the auxiliary protrusion 712 is positioned at the middle position of the arc-shaped hole 732 and the displacement in the direction of rotation is not restricted (see FIG. 66), there is a possibility that the performance member 700 will change its position in the direction of rotation around the right-side cylindrical protrusion 711.

In this embodiment, the performance member 700 is supported by a pair of left and right lower arm members 630 at two points, including the left cylindrical protrusion 711, but when the performance member 700 changes its position in the direction of rotation around the right cylindrical protrusion 711, the displacement direction of the left cylindrical protrusion 711 faces the short side direction of the lower arm member 630, i.e., the direction that displaces the lower arm member 630. Therefore, the change in position of the performance member 700 may be visibly caused without being restricted by the lower arm member 630, which may cause a sense of discomfort to the player.

In contrast, in this embodiment, in the extended state, when the performance member 700 changes its posture in the direction of rotation around the right cylindrical protrusion 711, the lower arm member 630 is positioned so that the displacement direction of the left cylindrical protrusion 711 is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the lower arm member 630. This allows the posture change of the performance member 700 to be effectively limited by the lower arm member 630, and prevents the performance member 700 from changing its posture to a degree that is noticeable.

In addition, in the extended state, the pair of auxiliary protrusions 712 on the right side are positioned at the end positions of the arc-shaped holes 732, so that the abutment between the auxiliary protrusions 712 and the arc-shaped holes 732 can prevent the performance member 700 from changing its position in the clockwise direction as viewed from the rear, centered on the right cylindrical protrusion 711. Note that, as described above, the position change in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from the rear is restricted by the displacement direction of the left cylindrical protrusion 711 being aligned along the longitudinal direction of the left lower arm member 630.

Similarly, in the extended state, the pair of auxiliary protrusions 712 on the left side are positioned at the end positions of the arc-shaped holes 732, and the abutment between the auxiliary protrusions 712 and the arc-shaped holes 732 prevents the performance member 700 from changing its position in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from the rear, centered on the left cylindrical protrusion 711. Note that, as described above, the position change in the clockwise direction as viewed from the rear is restricted by the displacement direction of the right cylindrical protrusion 711 being aligned along the longitudinal direction of the right lower arm member 630.

Furthermore, the auxiliary protrusion 712 functions to suppress not only changes in the position of the performance member 700 in the rotational direction (rotational direction around an axis extending in the front-to-back direction), but also changes in the position of the tilt direction (rotational direction around an axis extending in the left-to-right direction) and the position of the swing direction (rotational direction around an axis extending in the up-to-down direction).

For example, the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 are not only connected by a pair of left and right cylindrical protrusions 711, but also by auxiliary protrusions 712 arranged above the cylindrical protrusions 711 and auxiliary protrusions 712 arranged below the left and right outer sides of the cylindrical protrusions 711. This allows the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 to be connected in three positions, up and down, thereby suppressing changes in the tilting direction of the performance member 700.

In addition, the auxiliary protrusion 712, which is located above the cylindrical protrusion 711, is located halfway along the long main body of the lower arm member 630 (at the base side of the arc-shaped hole 634), so that the long main body of the lower arm member 630 can withstand the load caused by changes in the position of the performance member 700 in the tilting direction.

Furthermore, as described above, the pressing member PC1 is disposed on the long body portion of the lower arm member 630 (see Figures 64 and 67), and the fore-and-aft displacement of the lower arm member 630 is restricted by the body member 601 or the front cover member 610 via the pressing member PC1.

In this way, when a load caused by a change in the posture of the performance member 700 is applied to the long main body portion of the lower arm member 630 and the lower arm member 630 receives a load in the bending direction along the long axis, a change in the posture of the performance member 700 can be firmly prevented by utilizing a configuration that restricts the displacement of the lower arm member 630.

In addition, as described above, the auxiliary protrusions 712, which are located on the left and right outer sides (below) of the cylindrical protrusions 711, can increase the connection position between the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700, and can suppress the posture of the performance member 700 from changing in the lateral direction relative to the lower arm member 630.

In this embodiment, the connection position between the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 is located on a horizontal plane that passes through the vertical center of the plate-shaped main body 710 of the performance member 700. Note that in this embodiment, the center of gravity of the performance member 700 is located on the same horizontal plane.

This allows the amount of displacement in the forward and backward directions to be minimized when the performance member 700 changes its position by leaning forward around the connection with the lower arm member 630, and also allows the amount of displacement in the forward and backward directions to be minimized when the performance member 700 changes its position by leaning backward around the connection with the lower arm member 630.

In other words, even if there is a possibility that multiple types of posture changes may occur in the performance member 700, the forward/rearward displacement of the performance member 700 can be suppressed regardless of which of the multiple posture changes occurs, so that any posture change can be accommodated.

As a result, even if the front-to-back distance between the performance member 700 and the partition member 310 (see FIG. 13(a)) is narrowed, it is possible to prevent the performance member 700 from rubbing against or colliding with the partition member 310, thereby making it less likely that damage to the performance member 700 or deterioration of the design parts will occur, or that reduced visibility (reduced transparency) will occur due to damage or scratches to the partition member 310.

When the performance member 700 is positioned at the lower end position, the transmission gear 650 abuts against the shape of the main body member 601 in the rotational direction, and further rotation is restricted. Therefore, even if the drive motor MT2 continues to be driven, the upper arm member 620, the lower arm member 630, and the performance member 700 can be prevented from being excessively displaced simply by accumulating driving force in the transmission gear 650.

In this embodiment, in the extended state shown in FIG. 67, a driving force that is slightly greater than the force of the torsion spring SP3 is continuously applied, and the performance member 700 is controlled to prevent bouncing back and being displaced upward.

This allows the force of the torsion spring SP3 to be set large (for example, large enough to lift the performance member 700) while still allowing the performance member 700 to be stably stopped at the lower end position.

On the other hand, when the performance member 700 starts to move upward, the biasing force of the torsion spring SP3 can be utilized, thereby preventing excessive load from being placed on the drive motor MT2.

For example, when starting to displace upward, after releasing the driving force for stably positioning the performance member 700 at the lower end position, the driving force of the drive motor MT2 is generated after waiting for the performance member 700 to start to displace upward due to the force of the torsion spring SP3 (by providing a waiting time before the drive motor MT2 starts to drive), so that the driving force can be applied to the performance member 700 after it has started to displace.

This reduces the burden on the drive motor MT2 compared to when the performance member 700 is displaced upward while stopped.

In Figures 65 to 67, the change in the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK1 passing through the lower arm member 630 is shown by imaginary lines, and the inner surface shape of the wiring guide member 714 for guiding the electrical wiring DK1 is shown by hidden lines.

As shown in FIG. 65(b), the electrical wiring DK1 passes through the front side of the thin-walled cover portion 636 of the lower arm member 630, passes through the inner diameter side of the arc-shaped hole 634, is guided to the inside of the wiring guide member 714, and passes through the through hole 713 to the front side.

As shown in Figures 65 to 67, tension in the electrical wiring DK1 that may occur due to the relative displacement of the lower arm member 630 with respect to the performance member 700 is offset by the excess length of the electrical wiring DK1 that is pre-positioned inside the wiring guide member 714. This allows the displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 to be completed near the wiring guide member 714, thereby suppressing displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 on the front side of the through hole 713 and inside the lower arm member 630.

The shape of the inner surface of the wiring guide member 714 is formed in an arc shape with its center on the electrical wiring DK1 side. This reduces the load that the electrical wiring DK1 receives from the wiring guide member 714.

In addition, the shape of the lower arm member 630 where the arc-shaped hole 634 is formed functions to guide the displacement of the electrical wiring DK1. For example, when the performance member 700 is displaced upward from the extended state of the zoom unit 600 (see FIG. 67), the shape of the lower arm member 630 where the arc-shaped hole 634 is formed is configured in such a way that it can push the electrical wiring DK1 toward the wiring guide member 714.

This allows the electrical wiring DK1 to be stably inserted and removed from the wiring guide member 714, allowing the state of the zoom unit 600 to change stably.

As shown in Figures 65 to 67, the auxiliary protrusion 712, which is located on the front side of the thin-walled lid portion 636 and is placed in the arc-shaped hole 634 that is mostly hidden by the thin-walled lid portion 636, is positioned in a position that is visible from the rear only when in the extended state (see Figure 67).

The auxiliary protrusion 712 is the part that is guided into the arc-shaped hole 634, and at the same time, it is a fastening part that is used to connect the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700. Therefore, to assemble (or disassemble) the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700, it is necessary to screw a fastening screw into (or remove) the auxiliary protrusion 712.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the state in which the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 are assembled (or disassembled) can be limited to the extended state of the zoom unit 600. This can improve assembly efficiency and maintenance efficiency. It can also prevent the performance member 700 and other components from being damaged as a result of assembly or maintenance being performed with the performance member 700 positioned in an intermediate position.

Next, we will explain the displacement (enlargement/reduction displacement) that occurs with the change in state of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 of the performance member 700. In this embodiment, the degree of expansion/reduction displacement of the performance member 700 is variably controlled by the positioning of the performance member 700.

Figure 68 is a front view of the zoom unit 600, and Figure 69 is a rear view of the zoom unit 600. In Figures 68 and 69, the front cover member 610 is omitted for ease of understanding.

Figures 68 and 69 show the zoom unit 600 in the middle of descending. As shown in Figures 68 and 69, when the zoom unit 600 is in the middle of descending, the performance member 700 is not controlled to expand and displace until the expandable and contractible displacement member 740 separates at its maximum diameter, but is controlled to allow expansion and displacement up to an intermediate position.

In other words, the rotation angle of the rotating plate 730 is limited by shortening the drive time of the drive motor MT3 (see FIG. 53). This prevents the size of the performance member 700 from becoming excessively large when viewed from the front, and increases the amount of posture change permitted for the performance member 700 from the viewpoint of avoiding contact with the partition member 310 (see FIG. 22).

At an intermediate position during the expansion displacement of the performance member 700, the decorative member 752 is partially covered by the shielding design member 760 (the outer diameter side portion is covered). In terms of the arrangement of the decorative member 752 when viewed from the front, the light-transmitting member 752a is arranged in a position (gap position) that is not covered by the performance member 700, and the mirror member 752b is arranged in a position other than the position where the light-transmitting member 752a is visible, including the position covered by the performance member 700.

This improves the visibility of the light emitted from LEDs and the like arranged on the illumination board 751 (see Figure 53) through the light-transmitting member 752a, and also improves the presentation effect of the mirror member 752b by reflecting the light that passes through the light-transmitting member 752a and is reflected on the back side of the shielding design member 760 by the mirror member 752b.

For example, as a presentation mode of the mirror member 752b, when light is not emitted from the LEDs of the illumination board 751 (see FIG. 53), the mirror member 752b can reflect the background color of the shielding design member 760 (red in this embodiment) and make it visible to the player.

On the other hand, when light is emitted from the LEDs of the illumination board 751, the color reflected from the mirror member 752b can be a mixture of the background color of the shielding design member 760 and the color of the light emitted from the LEDs. Therefore, the appearance of the mirror member 752b can be changed by the light passing through parts other than the mirror member 752 (for example, the light-transmitting member 752a).

The control mode is not limited in any way. For example, the shielding design element 760 may be stopped in the state shown in FIG. 68 and then controlled to return to the assembled arrangement state, or the driving direction of the drive motor MT3 (see FIG. 53) may be switched between forward and reverse in small increments from the state shown in FIG. 68 to vibrate the shielding design element 760 in the radial direction.

When controlling the shielding design member 760 to vibrate, the displacement of the shielding design member 760 can be made even more complex. In this embodiment, in the state of expanded displacement to an intermediate position, as shown in FIG. 69, the position of the support protrusion 743a located at the tip of the second elongated member 743 of the expandable displacement member 740 is set to the intermediate position of the guide elongated hole 744a of the tip adjustment member 744. This allows the tip adjustment member 744 to be displaced in the elongated direction of the guide elongated hole 744a, so the shielding design member 760 can be displaced not only in the radial direction but also in the circumferential direction.

While making it possible to achieve such displacement, when the shielding design components 760 are arranged together or when they are displaced radially to their maximum extent, the support protrusions 743a arranged at the tip of the second elongated member 743 can be positioned at both ends of the guide elongated hole 744a of the tip adjustment member 744, thereby returning the circumferential arrangement of the shielding design components 760 to their original positions (see Figures 58(b) and 59(b)).

In addition, the intermediate positions permitted for the enlargement displacement of the performance member 700 are not limited to the positions shown in FIG. 69, but can be set arbitrarily. For example, it may be a position slightly shifted from the assembled arrangement state, or it may be a position slightly before the position of maximum enlargement displacement.

When the extension plate portion 761 is expanded and displaced to a position slightly shifted from the collective arrangement state (for example, a position where it is seen overlapping with the opposing shielding design member 760 when viewed from the front), the extension plate portion 761 fills the gap between the shielding design members 760, allowing the player to visually perceive the collective arrangement state as being maintained.

In this embodiment, a red reflective sheet is attached to the extension plate portion 761, just like the main body portion of the shielding design member 760, so that even if the red color of the extension plate portion 761 is visible in the gap between the shielding design members 760, it is difficult to distinguish whether the red color is the color of the extension plate portion 761 or the color of the shielding design member 760.

Unlike this embodiment, the extension plate portion 761 may be painted in another color (e.g., gold) to make it more noticeable when it is visible in the gap between the shielding design members 760 when the performance member 700 is enlarged and displaced to a position slightly shifted from the assembled arrangement state.

In this embodiment, the light-transmitting member 752a is formed from a colorless, light-transmitting resin material, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it may be formed from a red resin material.

In this case, even if the shielding design members 760 are displaced beyond the overlap with the extension plate portion 761 from the assembled arrangement state, the light-transmitting members 752a visible in the gaps between the shielding design members 760 are visible in red, just like the shielding design members 760, so the player can see that the shielding design members 760 are at least partially connected to each other.

On the other hand, when light is emitted from the LEDs on the illumination board 751 (see Figure 53), the light-transmitting members 752a visible in the gaps between the shielding design members 760 can be made to emit light and stand out, improving the effect of the light-emitting presentation.

Figure 70 is a front view of the zoom unit 600, and Figure 71 is a rear view of the zoom unit 600. In Figures 70 and 71, the front cover member 610 is omitted for ease of understanding.

70 and 71 show the extended state of the zoom unit 600 and the expanded state of the performance member 700. As shown in Figs. 70 and 71, when the zoom unit 600 is in the extended state, the performance member 700 is controlled so that it can be expanded and displaced until the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 separates at its maximum diameter.

As a result, the size of the performance member 700 when viewed from the front is maximized, and the amount of posture change permitted for the performance member 700 is minimized in terms of avoiding contact with the partition member 310 (see FIG. 22). Note that the measures taken to suppress posture changes in the performance member 700 are as described above.

When the performance component 700 is in the expanded state, the shielding design component 760 is positioned away from the decorative component 752 when viewed from the front. Therefore, the appearance of the light reflected on the mirror component 752b when light is irradiated from the LEDs on the illumination board 751 (see FIG. 53) can be changed from when the performance component 700 is positioned midway through the expansion displacement.

In other words, the reflection of the background color of the shielding design member 760 is suppressed, making it easier for the player to see the background color of the mirror member 752b (silver in this embodiment). Therefore, even in a control mode in which the same color of light continues to be emitted from the LED of the illumination board 751 (see Figure 53) when the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 is displaced and the shielding design member 760 is expanded and displaced, the color of the light that is perceived by the player viewing the decorative member 752 can be changed over time.

In more detail, for example, when white light is emitted from the illumination board 751, the background color (red) of the shielding design component 760 is visible near the start of the expansion, while the color of the letters of the shielding design component 760 weakens (narrows in range) as the expansion displacement progresses, and at the end of the expansion displacement, the background color (silver) of the mirror component 752b becomes more visible. This makes it possible to change the color of the light perceived by the player without changing the color of the emitted light.

In this embodiment, the control mode is not one in which the enlargement displacement shown in Figures 68 and 69 and the enlargement displacement shown in Figures 70 and 71 occur consecutively, but rather the enlargement displacement of the performance member 700 is controlled to be performed while the vertical position of the performance member 700 is fixed.

In other words, the vertical displacement of the performance members 700 is controlled so that it can be performed only when the performance members 700 are arranged together. This makes it possible to prevent the shielding design member 760 from colliding with other components such as the hemispherical front device 613 (see Figure 47).

In addition, the performance member 700 may be controlled to be able to expand its displacement during its up and down displacement, taking into consideration the avoidance of collisions with other components and configuring it so that collisions with other components do not cause problems with displacement.

The radial contraction displacement of the shielding design member 760 will be described with reference to Figures 72 to 75. Figures 72(a), 72(b), 73, 74(a) and 75(a) are rear views of the performance member 700 showing the contraction displacement of the performance member 700 in chronological order. Figure 74(b) is a top view of the performance member 700 as viewed in the direction of arrow LXXIVb in Figure 74(a), and Figure 75(b) is a top view of the performance member 700 as viewed in the direction of arrow LXXVb in Figure 75(a).

In Fig. 72(a), Fig. 72(b), Fig. 73, Fig. 74(a) and Fig. 75(a), in order to facilitate understanding, the plate-shaped main body 710 is omitted, and the rotating plate 730 is shown rotating counterclockwise in rear view with Fig. 72 as the reference. In Fig. 74(b) and Fig. 75(b), the rotating plate 730b is further omitted.

Figure 72(a) shows the state in which the shielding design member 760 of the performance member 700 is dispersed at its maximum diameter (see Figures 70 and 71), and Figure 72(b) shows the state in which the shielding design member 760 of the performance member 700 is expanded and displaced to an intermediate position (see Figures 68 and 69).

In the state shown in FIG. 72(a), the transmitted projection 741a of the expansion/contraction member 740 is located at the boundary between the small diameter arc portion 733a and the connecting portion 733c of the rotating plate 730, and in the state shown in FIG. 72(b), the transmitted projection 741a of the expansion/contraction member 740 is located midway along the connecting portion 733c of the rotating plate 730.

Figure 73 shows the state in which the first guided protrusion 743b of the expandable/contractible member 740 arranged on the lower side begins to come into contact with the rear claw portion 734a of the rotating plate 730, and Figure 74 shows the state in which the first guided protrusion 743b of the expandable/contractible member 740 arranged on the lower side is guided by the rear claw portion 734a of the rotating plate 730 and reaches a position just before the assembled arrangement state.

Since the influence of gravity differs between the components placed on the upper side and the components placed on the lower side, the displacement patterns of the expandable and contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760 differ between the components placed on the upper side and the components placed on the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 73, when the upper expandable/contractible member 740 and the shielding design member 760 are positioned close to the rotating plate 730 due to their own weight, the lower expandable/contractible member 740's own weight acts in a direction away from the rotating plate 730, so it hangs down in a direction away from the rotating plate 730 to an extent that is allowed by the gap between the guide hole 733 and the transmitted protrusion 741a.

This sagging portion is lifted by the load from the extended claw portion 734 of the rotating plate 730, and the lower expandable displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760 reach the position of the assembled arrangement state. Therefore, the timing when the shielding design members 760 reach the assembled arrangement state is not simultaneous for all five members, but at least the upper three are faster than the lower two.

This allows the performance member 700 to be displaced stably to the assembled arrangement state. In other words, if the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760 are placed first, and the upper telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760 reach the assembled arrangement state with force and collide with the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760, fatigue will accumulate in the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760, which may cause early damage.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, when the upper telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760 are placed first, and then the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760 are placed in a collective arrangement, the weight of the member is generated in a direction that opposes the displacement of the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760, so the force of the collision with the upper telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760 can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the accumulation of fatigue due to the collision of the telescopic displacement member 740 and shielding design member 760.

In FIG. 74, the transmitted projection 741a of the expansion/contraction member 740 is positioned at the boundary between the large-diameter arc portion 733b and the connecting portion 733c of the rotating plate 730. Immediately after this, the expansion/contraction member 740 is pushed all the way by the rear claw portion 734a and is placed in a gathered arrangement state. Meanwhile, the second guided projection 744b of the tip adjustment member 744 is positioned away from the front claw portion 734b.

Figure 75 shows the assembled arrangement state of the performance member 700. In other words, the rotating plate 730 is shown rotated counterclockwise in rear view to the end position where the columnar protrusion 728 of the functional plate 720 is positioned at the end of the arc-shaped hole 732 of the rotating plate 730.

Figure 76 is a cross-sectional view of the performance member 700 taken along line LXXVI-LXXVI in Figure 75. As shown in Figure 76, when the performance member 700 is in a collective arrangement state, the surface on the central axis side of the rear claw portion 734a abuts against the first guided protrusion 743b of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740, restricting radial outward displacement of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740.

In addition, the surface of the front claw portion 734b on the central axis side abuts against the second guided protrusion 744b of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740, restricting the radially outward displacement of the expansion/contraction displacement member 740. At this time, the second guided protrusion 744b and the first guided protrusion 743b abut in the radial direction with a front-to-rear width in the protruding direction, thereby stabilizing the arrangement and posture of the second long member 743 and the tip adjustment member 744.

Furthermore, the front surface of the tip adjustment member 744 is configured to be able to slide on the back surface of the extension plate portion 726. During this sliding process, the protruding tip of the second guided protrusion 744b of the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 abuts against the inclined surface 734c of the rotation plate 730 in the front-to-rear direction, and since the inclined surface 734c is inclined in the rotation direction (the closer it is to the assembled arrangement state, the more it is inclined in such a way that it protrudes toward the front side), the inclined surface 734c can apply a load to the front side of the second guided protrusion 744b.

As a result, in a configuration in which the tip adjustment member 744 is sandwiched between the extension plate portion 726 of the functional plate portion 720 and the inclined surface 734c of the rotating plate 730, as the rotating plate 730 rotates and the performance member 700 approaches the assembled arrangement state, the tip adjustment member 744 can be displaced toward the front side in a manner in which the tip adjustment member 744 is gradually brought into close contact with the extension plate portion 726.

Therefore, while preventing an excessive increase in the resistance caused by the rotation of the rotating plate 730, the load applied to the tip adjustment member 744 in the fore-and-aft direction is gradually increased, stabilizing the fore-and-aft position and posture of the tip adjustment member 744, thereby stabilizing the fore-and-aft position and posture of the shielding design member 760 and allowing the shielding design member 760 to be closely arranged without gaps when arranged together.

With reference to Figures 74(b) and 75(b), we will explain how the load applied to the second guided protrusion 744b can correct the posture inclination of the shielding design member 760. The configuration of each shielding design member 760 is the same, and the configuration of the expandable displacement member 740 that displaces the shielding design member 760 is also the same.

As described above, the shielding design component 760 is configured to be easily tilted so that the side on which the extension plate portion 761 (see FIG. 59(a)) is formed in the width direction (the right side in the case of the shielding design component 760 positioned at the top, see FIG. 74(b)) is positioned further back than the opposite side.

This is due to the manner in which the second long member 743 is formed, and this attitude inclination also occurs in the tip adjustment member 744 to which the shielding design member 760 is fastened and fixed. Due to the inclination of the attitude of this tip adjustment member 744, the tip position of the second guided protrusion 744b is more likely to shift in position to the clockwise direction when viewed from the rear (to the left in the case of the shielding design member 760 located at the top, see Figure 74(b)) compared to the tip position of the first guided protrusion 743b (which protrudes in the front-to-rear direction).

On the other hand, the rotating plate 730 has the extended claw portion 734 positioned opposite the second guided protrusion 744b in the clockwise direction as viewed from the rear, and is rotatably displaced so as to apply a load in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from the rear to the second guided protrusion 744b.

That is, for example, when the inner diameter side surface of the front claw portion 734b or the front side surface of the inclined surface 734c (see Figures 56 and 57) abuts against the second guided protrusion 744b, the tip position of the second guided protrusion 744b can be returned to the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the rear, thereby reducing the degree of inclination of the attitude of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760 (eliminating the inclination). This makes it easier to eliminate the inclination of the attitude of the shielding design member 760 at the position where the performance member 700 is assembled.

The load on the second guided protrusion 744b is configured to occur from the state shown in FIG. 74 to the state shown in FIG. 75. Therefore, in the process of state changes of the performance member 700 shown in chronological order in FIG. 72 to FIG. 75, the attitude inclination of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760 is maintained until the shielding design member 760 is positioned at the small diameter end (reduced end) of the displacement tolerance range (see FIG. 74), and then a posture change can be caused to eliminate (correct) the attitude inclination of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760.

In other words, by maintaining the tilted posture of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760 while the shielding design members 760 are approaching each other, it is easier to avoid the main body of the shielding design member 760 and the extended plate portion 761 from coming into contact (colliding), while by eliminating (correcting) the tilted posture of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760 after the shielding design members 760 have completely approached each other, the plate portion located at the forefront of the shielding design member 760 can be positioned flush, making it easier to create a sense of unity for the shielding design members 760 in the assembled position.

The state shown in Figure 74(b) is illustrated as the state in which the posture shift of the shielding design member 760 is at its maximum. Furthermore, posture shift on the opposite side to that shown in Figure 74(b) is configured to be less likely to occur due to the front-to-rear arrangement of the second long member 743. This makes it easier to avoid the extension plate portion 761 colliding with the main body portion of the shielding design member 760 that is arranged opposite it.

In addition, the auxiliary protrusion 727 (see FIG. 54) arranged on the opposite side of the extension plate portion 726 is configured to be able to abut against the reduced side wall portion during the enlargement/reduction displacement of the tip adjustment member 744. Since the auxiliary protrusions 727 are formed in a pair on the left and right sides of the extension plate portion 726, they can correct the positional deviation of the tip adjustment member 744 by abutting against the left and right ends of the tip adjustment member 744 that has reached the reduced end of the displacement range.

As a result, not only can the posture be corrected by engaging with other shielding design components 760, but the tip adjustment component 744 alone can stabilize the posture when it reaches the reduced end of the displacement range.

Referring back to Figures 5 and 6, in this embodiment, in addition to the third symbol display device 81, the above-mentioned launch performance unit 300, the enlargement/reduction unit 600, and the displacement/rotation unit 800 are provided as performance devices to enhance the game. Next, the displacement/rotation unit 800 will be described.

The displacement and rotation unit 800 is a pair of units arranged symmetrically and configured with symmetrical shapes, so below we will explain the configuration of the left displacement and rotation unit 800 and omit the explanation of the right displacement and rotation unit 800. In the following explanation, Figure 5 will be referred to as appropriate.

Figure 77 is a front perspective view of the displacement and rotation unit 800, and Figure 78 is a rear perspective view of the displacement and rotation unit 800. Figures 77 and 78 show the displacement and rotation unit 800 in a standby state.

Figure 79 is an exploded front perspective view of the displacement/rotation unit 800, and Figure 80 is an exploded rear perspective view of the displacement/rotation unit 800. Note that in Figures 79 and 80, the horizontal slide member 840 is shown in the assembled state.

As shown in Figures 79 and 80, the displacement and rotation unit 800 includes a base plate portion 810 fastened to the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510, a metal bar MB2 fastened to the base plate portion 810 with a member such as a screw, a vertical slide member 820 through which the metal bar MB2 is inserted and configured to be able to slide up and down, a transmission member 830 fastened to the rear side of the vertical slide member 820 and configured to be able to transmit the driving force of a drive motor MT4 fastened to the base plate portion 810, and a metal bar MB2 fastened to the vertical slide member 820 with a member such as a screw. It comprises a metal rod MB3, a horizontal slide member 840 through which the metal rod MB3 is inserted and configured to be slidably displaced in the left-right direction, a transmission means 860 configured to transmit the driving force of the drive motor MT4 to the horizontal slide member 840 via the vertical slide member 820 in response to the vertical displacement of the vertical slide member 820, a wiring arm member 870 fastened and fixed to the vertical slide member 820 at the upper end position on the metal rod MB2 side of the vertical slide member 820 so as to be rotatably displaceable, and a wiring guide member 880 that guides the wiring arm member 870 and the electrical wiring.

The base plate portion 810 includes a pair of fixed end portions 811 on which the metal rod MB2 is disposed, a slide guide portion 812 formed to be capable of guiding the transmission member 830 disposed on the front side, a transmission guide portion 813 formed in a long groove shape on the rear side to be capable of guiding the cylindrical protrusion 862b of the transmission means 860, a drive motor MT4 fastened and fixed to the rear side, and a fall prevention plate 814 disposed on the rear side to prevent the rack member 862 guided by the transmission guide portion 813 from falling off.

The vertical slide member 820 includes a flat plate portion 821, a wall portion 822 extending from the edge of the flat plate portion 821 toward the rear side, a cylindrical protrusion 823 protruding from the approximate center of the area surrounded by the wall portion 822 toward the rear side, omission portions 824a, 824b in which the wall portion is omitted and is large enough to allow a connector portion of an electrical wiring to be inserted, a pair of upper and lower metal rod insertion portions 825 formed in a cylindrical shape (or a cylindrical member is arranged) at the left end of the flat plate portion 821 into which a metal rod MB2 can be inserted, and a pair of metal rod insertion portions 825 formed in a cylindrical shape (or a cylindrical member is arranged) at the left end of the flat plate portion 821. A pair of left and right metal rod insertion sections 826 that are normally formed (or have cylindrical members) in the vertical center and through which a metal rod MB3 can be inserted, a drop prevention member 827 that is fastened and fixed to the flat plate section 821 near the end of the metal rod insertion section 826 and configured to prevent the metal rod MB3 from dropping off, a support section 828 that is formed as a pillar-like protrusion on the back side of the flat plate section 821 and is configured to be able to support a two-stage pinion 861, and a support protrusion 829 that is cylindrically protruding from the upper end toward the left and right outside in the horizontal direction (to the left in Figure 79).

The wall portion 822 is a portion that defines an area on the inside where the electrical wiring arranged between the wiring arm member 870 and the lateral slide member 840 can be displaced, and ensures the durability of the electrical wiring. The omitted portions 824a and 824b formed as the ends of the wall portion 822 are composed of a first omitted portion 824a formed as an opening, and a second omitted portion 824b formed as a recess that opens to the back side.

The metal rod insertion portion 825 is provided with a plate-like extension on the rear side of its upper portion, and is equipped with a detection plate portion 825a configured to be positionable in the detection grooves of the upper detection sensor SC8 and the lower detection sensor SC9, which are fastened and fixed to the base member 810 with their detection grooves facing the front side of the base member 810.

The transmission member 830 includes a main body 831 formed in a long plate shape in the vertical direction, an insertion hole 832 formed in the upper part of the main body 831 so that a fastening screw can be inserted into the female screw formed at the tip of the cylindrical protrusion 823 of the vertical slide member 820 can be inserted, a lid-shaped portion 833 is a plate portion in which the insertion hole 832 is drilled and which covers the area formed by the wall portion 822 of the vertical slide member 820 from the rear side, and a linear gear portion 834 in which gear teeth are formed linearly in the vertical direction on the left side of the main body 831.

The cylindrical protrusion 823 serves both as a portion into which the fastening screw is screwed into the insertion hole 832 described above, and as a winding center for the electrical wiring, as described below.

The linear gear portion 834 is meshed with the drive gear MG4 of the drive motor MT4. That is, as the drive motor MT4 is rotationally driven and controlled, the transmission member 830 moves up and down in the vertical direction. This causes the vertical slide member 820 to move up and down.

Figure 81 is an exploded front oblique view of the lateral slide member 840, and Figure 82 is an exploded rear oblique view of the lateral slide member 840. As shown in Figures 81 and 82, the horizontal slide member 840 is a main body plate member 841 formed in a substantially circular plate shape through which a metal rod MB3 is inserted to limit displacement in the left-right direction, a wiring guide member 844 fastened and fixed to the upper part of the back side of the main body plate member 841 to form a guide path for electrical wiring, a circular member 847 arranged on the front side of the main body plate member 841 and formed in a circular plate shape when viewed from the front, an electric lighting board 850 arranged between the circular member 847 and the main body plate member 841, an annular decorative member 853 fastened and fixed to the front side of the circular member 847, a feather-shaped member 854 rotatably supported on the circular member 847 via a cylindrical collar member C8, an intermediate member 857 that is fitted from the front side into the opening of the feather-shaped member 854 to match the central opening diameter of the feather-shaped member 854 to the opening diameter of the collar member C8, and a central design member 858 that is a columnar member with an outer diameter that can be inserted into the central opening of the intermediate member 857 and protrudes from the back side.

The main plate member 841 includes a rod arrangement section 842 in which the drive motor MT5 is fastened to the rear side and the drive gear MG5 is disposed on the front side, and in which the metal rod MB3 is disposed, and a rack gear section 843 in which gear teeth are provided in the left-right direction below the rod arrangement section 842.

The wiring guide member 844 is a member for guiding the left-right displacement of the electrical wiring, and is formed in a shape that diverts the electrical wiring. This prevents the electrical wiring from rubbing against other components, as will be described in detail later.

The circular member 847 is made of a light-transmitting resin material, and is configured in such a way that the feather-shaped member 854 and the drive gear MG5, which are formed to be able to mesh with each other, are assembled from different directions, front and rear.

The circular member 847 has a receiving portion 848 that is recessed toward the rear side in a cup shape large enough to receive the feather-shaped member 854, and a cylindrical protrusion 849 that protrudes cylindrically from the center of the receiving portion 848 toward the front side.

The receiving portion 848 has a through hole portion 848a formed in such a manner that a shape that overlaps with a cylinder centered on the drive shaft of the drive motor MT5 is cut out, and the gear portion 855 of the feather-shaped member 854 is exposed through this through hole portion 848a to a position where it can be seen from the rear.

In this way, the exposed portion of the gear portion 855 can mesh with the drive gear MG5, and as the drive motor MT5 rotates, a driving force is transmitted and the rotation of the feather-shaped member 854 is controlled. This rotational drive of the feather-shaped member 854 is possible regardless of the state of the displacement rotation unit 800. In other words, the shape of the wall portion 882a of the path forming member 882 is designed so that it is possible even in a performance standby state.

The cylindrical protrusion 849 has a linear notch 849a formed at its tip. This is a shaped portion for arranging the radial protrusion 858b of the central design component 858 to facilitate maintaining the position of the central design component 858, as will be described in detail later.

Figure 83 is a partial cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 taken along line LXXXIII-LXXXIII in Figure 7. In explaining Figure 83, refer to Figures 81 and 82 as appropriate.

The illuminated board 850 is provided with a circular opening with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the receiving portion 848 of the circular member 847, an irregular opening 851 formed by a long opening extending upward from the circular opening, a front side light emitting means 852a consisting of a plurality of LEDs etc. arranged on the front side near the irregular opening 851, and a rear side light emitting means 852b consisting of a plurality of LEDs etc. arranged on the rear side at the outer diameter end of the illuminated board 850.

The irregular opening 851 allows the receiving portion 848 of the circular member 847 to be placed on the inside of the opening, and in the assembled state, the gear portion 855 of the feather-shaped member 854 is placed on the back side of the irregular opening 851.

The long hole-shaped portion extending above the irregular opening 851 is formed to avoid contact with the rotation axis of the drive gear MG5. This allows the drive gear MG5 to be closer to the illumination board 850, making it easier to mesh the gear portion 855 of the feather-shaped member 854 with the drive gear MG5.

The front light emitting means 852a is composed of an LED or the like whose optical axis faces the front-rear direction. This allows light to be emitted to the front side along the arrow D8a near the rotation axis of the vane-shaped member 854.

The rear light emitting means 852b is composed of an LED or the like whose optical axis faces radially outward. This allows light to be emitted toward the outer diameter side of the circular member 847 along the arrow D8b. This light is reflected (refracted) toward the front side by the uneven shape formed on the back surface of the circular member 847, so that the light can travel toward the front side at a position far from the rotation axis of the feather-shaped member 854. In this embodiment, the back surface of the circular member 847 is densely formed with multiple long uneven shapes formed along an arc concentric with the rotation axis of the feather-shaped member 854, so that the player can see the arc-shaped (or circular) light when viewed from the front.

That is, according to this embodiment, the position at which the light is visible to the player can be shifted radially outward without placing an LED or the like with a light axis facing forward and backward in a position far from the rotation axis of the feather-shaped member 854 on the front side of the illumination board 850. In other words, while using an illumination board 850 with a smaller diameter than the outermost diameter of the feather-shaped member 854, the light can be made visible on the outside of the surface on which the illumination board 850 is formed, that is, outside the outermost diameter of the feather-shaped member 854 (see FIG. 14).

This makes it possible to produce an effect in which light is visible radially outward from the feather-shaped member 854 without enlarging the size of the illumination board 850. In this embodiment, as described below, when the feather-shaped member 854 rotates at high speed, the back side of the feather-shaped member 854 may be in shadow, making it difficult to effectively produce an illumination effect in this range. To solve this problem, it is considered effective to irradiate light from the radially outward side of the rotational trajectory of the feather-shaped member 854, but to do so, it is necessary to increase the arrangement area of the LEDs, etc. In other words, it becomes necessary to increase the area of the illumination board, which increases the manufacturing cost of the board.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the size of the illumination board 850 is kept smaller than the rotational trajectory of the feather-shaped member 854, and only the viewing position of the light can be displaced radially outward from the rotational trajectory of the feather-shaped member 854. This makes it possible to improve the performance effect of the light-emitting performance without increasing manufacturing costs.

Referring back to Figures 81 and 82, the decorative member 853 is made of a light-impermeable resin material and is fastened coaxially to the front side of the circular member 847. Therefore, the light passing through the circular member 847 is divided by the decorative member 853, so that it is possible to effectively create an effect in which the light looks different inside and outside the decorative member 853 as a boundary.

For example, by emitting blue light from the front light-emitting means 852a and red light from the rear light-emitting means 852b, the decorative member 853 can clearly separate the areas that appear to emit blue light from the areas that appear to emit red light.

The vane-shaped member 854 is formed from a light-transmitting resin material and includes a circular opening 854a drilled in the front-to-rear direction in the center, a number of vane portions 854b extending radially outward at equal intervals around the circular opening 854a, a gear portion 855 formed in a gear shape coaxial with the circular opening 854a on the rear side, and a number of recessed portions 856 recessed on the rear side at intermediate positions between adjacent vane portions 854b.

The circular opening 854a is formed with an inner diameter that is slightly longer than the outer diameter of the collar member C8.

The feather-shaped member 854 is configured to be rotatable via a drive gear MG5 that is driven by a drive motor MT5, but no detection sensor is provided to detect the position of the feather-shaped member 854. Instead, the position of the feather-shaped member 854 is managed by the length of time that the drive motor MT5 is driven. In this configuration, the feather-shaped member 854 is configured so that the rotation axis and center of gravity position coincide with each other, and by minimizing idling after the power supply to the drive motor MT5 is removed, it is possible to reduce the deviation between the position of the feather-shaped member 854 that is assumed based on the drive time of the drive motor MT5 and the actual position of the feather-shaped member 854. The drive motor MT5 may be configured as a stepping motor, so that the position of the feather-shaped member 854 can be detected.

The intermediate member 857 is formed so that it can fit into the front opening of the circular opening 854a, and the inner diameter of the opening 857a is formed to be slightly longer than the outer diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 849 of the circular member 847. This allows the intermediate member 857 to rotate around the cylindrical protrusion 849.

The central design member 858 comprises a central protrusion 858a that protrudes cylindrically from the center toward the back side, a radial protrusion 858b that protrudes radially outward from the central protrusion 858a, and a design protrusion 858c that protrudes upward from the circular main body.

The central protrusion 858a is inserted into the cylindrical protrusion 849 with the radial protrusion 858b inserted into the notch 849a, and the central design member 858 is fastened to the circular member 847 by a fastening screw inserted from the back side of the circular member 847 and screwed into the female thread formed at the tip.

In addition to functioning as a design part, the design ridge 858c can abut against the feather-shaped member 854 and function to adjust the rotational state of the feather-shaped member 854. In other words, when the rear surface of the design ridge 858c and the front surface of the feather-shaped member 854 are positioned close enough to rub against each other, the increased resistance caused by this rubbing can be used to stabilize the stopping position of the feather-shaped member 854.

As a result, when the drive control mode of the feather-shaped member 854 includes a drive mode that continues to rotate for a long period of time and a drive mode that causes intermittent rotation of about one rotation (a drive mode that creates an irregular movement at the start of rotation), it is possible to stabilize the intermittent stopping position of the feather-shaped member 854 in the latter drive mode.

Referring back to Figures 79 and 80, the transmission means 860 includes a two-stage pinion 861 rotatably supported on the vertical slide member 820, a rack member 862 that meshes with the small-diameter pinion 861a of the two-stage pinion 861 and is supported on the vertical slide member 820 so as to be slidably displaceable in the left-right direction, and a fall prevention member 863 that prevents the rack member 862 from falling off the vertical slide member 820.

The two-stage pinion 861 includes a small diameter pinion 861a that meshes with the gear teeth of the rack member 862, and a large diameter pinion 861b that is formed as a pinion with a longer pitch circle radius than the small diameter pinion 861a and meshes with the gear teeth of the rack gear portion 843 of the horizontal slide member 840, and the small diameter pinion 861a and the large diameter pinion 861b are integrally formed.

The rack member 862 is formed long in both the left and right directions and includes a gear portion 862a formed as a rack gear that can mesh with the small diameter pinion 861a of the two-stage pinion 861, and a cylindrical protrusion 862b that protrudes cylindrically from the end opposite the longitudinal direction relative to the position where the gear portion 862a is formed toward the front side.

In this embodiment, the gear teeth of the gear portion 862a of the rack member 862 and the gear teeth of the rack gear portion 843 of the lateral slide member 840 are configured with gear teeth of the same shape, and the ratio of the pitch circle radius of the small diameter pinion 861a to the pitch circle radius of the large diameter pinion 861b is designed to be 9:16. Therefore, the ratio of the left-right displacement amount of the rack member 862 to the left-right displacement amount of the lateral slide member 840 is maintained at 9:16.

The cylindrical protrusion 862b is formed with an outer diameter that allows it to be placed inside the transmission guide section 813 of the base member 810. The plate thickness of the side of the rack member 862 on which the cylindrical protrusion 862b is formed is set to a plate thickness such that, when the cylindrical protrusion 862b is placed in the transmission guide section 813, the cylindrical protrusion 862b will not fall off the transmission guide section 813 even if the rear end of the rack member 862 moves toward the rear side until it abuts against the fall prevention plate 814.

This prevents the rack member 862 from falling off from the transmission guide portion 813 when the fall prevention plate 814 is in the assembled state.

In this embodiment, the gear teeth of the gear portion 862a and the gear teeth of the rack gear portion 843 of the lateral slide member 840 are formed as gear teeth of the same shape, so the lateral slide member 840 is displaced in the left-right direction by an amount of displacement calculated by multiplying the amount of displacement of the rack member 862 by the gear ratio between the small diameter pinion 861a and the large diameter pinion 861b.

Therefore, the amount of displacement of the horizontal slide member 840 can be increased compared to the amount of displacement of the rack member 862. This allows the horizontal slide member 840 to have a large width of left-right displacement while keeping the left-right width of the transmission guide section 813 small, as will be described in detail later.

Figure 84 is a perspective view of the wiring arm member 870, and Figure 85 is a perspective view of the path forming member 882 of the wiring guide member 880. Note that Figures 79 and 80 will be referred to as appropriate in the explanation of Figures 84 and 85.

As shown in FIG. 84, the wiring arm member 870 is an elongated member made of a resin material, and includes a long body portion 871 formed in a long curved shape with one side open, a support hole 872 drilled in a circular shape at one end of the long body portion 871 in the longitudinal direction, a wiring arrangement hole 873 arranged adjacent to the support hole 872 and drilled in the same direction to allow electrical wiring to be arranged, a plurality of claw portions 874 extending from one wall portion to the other wall portion at the open end of the long body portion 871, a through hole 875 for allowing the resin mold for forming the claw portions 874 to be removed, and a circular protrusion portion 876 protruding from the vicinity of the other end of the long body portion 871 in the longitudinal direction in parallel to the axial direction of the support hole 872 with a circular cross section.

The long body portion 871 is the portion where the electrical wiring that has passed through the wiring placement hole 873 and is guided to the open side is placed, and has a narrowed portion 871a in the middle where the width and length are reduced. The electrical wiring is placed along the longitudinal direction of the long body portion 871, and is guided to the outside from the other end in the longitudinal direction (the end opposite the side where the support hole 872 is formed).

The narrowing portion 871a functions as a part that loosely clamps the electrical wiring arranged on the open side of the long main body portion 871 to a degree that does not cause disconnection, and prevents the electrical wiring from being excessively displaced. The narrowing portion 871a can prevent the electrical wiring arranged on the open side of the long main body portion 871 from being displaced beyond the narrowing portion 871a.

The support hole 872 is formed with a size that allows the support protrusion 829 of the vertical slide member 820 (see FIG. 79) to be inserted therethrough, thereby rotatably supporting the wiring arm member 870 on the vertical slide member 820.

The wiring placement hole 873 is a through hole through which the electrical wiring arranged in the wiring arm member 870 passes when crossing over to the vertical sliding member 820. In this embodiment, the wiring placement hole 873 is arranged close to the support hole 872, so that the amount of misalignment of the wiring placement hole 873 when the wiring arm member 870 rotates can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the load on the electrical wiring caused by the rotation of the wiring arm member 870.

The claw portion 874 prevents the electrical wiring, which is arranged in a manner to be housed on the open side of the elongated main body portion 871, from falling out of the elongated main body portion 871. In addition, the space required for removing the resin mold required to form the claw portion 874 is secured by the through hole 875 with a minimum area, so that the electrical wiring can be prevented from slipping out to the outside from the opposite side of the open side of the elongated main body portion 871 (the side where the through hole 875 is formed in this embodiment).

The circular protrusion 876 is formed with an outer diameter and a protruding length that allows it to be placed in the guide recess 886 of the wiring guide 880 (see FIG. 79). In this embodiment, the guide recess 886 of the wiring guide 880 is designed from the perspective of causing the wiring arm member 870 to be displaced appropriately.

As shown in FIG. 79, the wiring guide member 880 includes a prevention plate 881 for preventing the wiring arm member 870 from falling off the guide recess 886, and a path forming member 882 that is fastened to the base member 810 and forms an internal path by fastening the prevention plate 881 to the base member 810.

As shown in FIG. 85, the path forming member 882 is formed in a box shape with one side open, and a prevention plate 881 is fastened and fixed to the open portion, forming a path passing through an upper opening portion 883 and a lower opening portion 884 that are open to the rear side at positions spaced apart in the vertical direction.

That is, the path forming member 882 has a wall portion 882a that protrudes to one side at the edge, and an upper opening portion 883 that forms an upper opening portion of the path by cutting off the wall portion 882a, a lower opening portion 884 that is drilled into the wall portion 882a at the lower end of the path forming member 882 and is large enough to insert a connector for electrical wiring, an extension portion 885 that extends from the wall portion 882a toward the upper opening portion 883 without overlapping with the prevention plate 881 when viewed in the left-right direction, a guide recess 886 that is recessed in the shape of a long groove without overlapping with the extension portion 885 when viewed in the left-right direction, and a cylindrical protrusion portion 887 that protrudes in a cylindrical shape toward the prevention plate 881 below the lower edge of the guide recess 886, and into which a fastening screw inserted into the prevention plate 881 is screwed into a female screw formed at the tip.

A space is formed on the rear side of the path forming member 882 in which the vertical sliding member 820 can be displaced in the up and down direction, and the horizontal sliding member 840, which displaces left and right in response to this displacement, enters the rear side of the wall portion 882a at the position where the wall portion 882a is positioned closest to the front side (a position near the lower displacement end) (see FIG. 86(a)).

That is, the lateral sliding member 840 is disposed at a position near the lower end of the displacement on the rear side of the wiring guide member 880 that constitutes the path along which the electrical wiring is guided. This allows the electrical wiring and the lateral sliding member 840 to overlap in position when viewed from the front, while preventing the electrical wiring from coming into contact with or rubbing against the lateral sliding member 840.

In the assembled state, the wiring arm member 870 is guided to the path of the wiring guide member 880 through the upper opening 883, and the displacement of the wiring arm member 870 in the width direction of the path of the wiring guide member 880 is restricted by the extension portion 885 and the prevention plate 881. Furthermore, the width direction length of the path of the wiring guide member 880 is designed to be shorter than the sum of the width direction lengths of the long main body portion 871 and the circular protrusion portion 876 of the wiring arm member 870. This makes it possible to restrict the circular protrusion portion 876 of the wiring arm member 870 from falling off the guide recess 886 in the assembled state.

The lower opening 884 functions as a wiring hole through which the electrical wiring arranged to be wound around the cylindrical protrusion 887 passes to the rear side.

The guide recess 886 has a front vertical recess 886a extending vertically upward from its lower end, a rear vertical recess 886b extending vertically downward from its upper end, and a connecting recess 886c connecting the lower end of the rear vertical recess 886b to the upper end of the front vertical recess 886a.

The cylindrical protrusion 887 serves both as a limiting portion that limits the displacement of the electrical wiring and as a fastening portion that fixes the prevention plate 881 to the path forming member 882.

The displacement mode of the displacement rotation unit 800 will be described with reference to Figures 86 to 89. Figures 86 to 89 show in chronological order the state change of the displacement rotation unit 800 from a performance standby state to a performance upper end state.

86(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 77, FIG. 86(b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 86(a), FIG. 87(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 77, FIG. 87(b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 87(a), FIG. 88(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 77, FIG. 88(b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 88(a), FIG. 89(a) is a side view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 77, and FIG. 89(b) is a cross-sectional view of the displacement and rotation unit 800 as viewed in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 89(a).

Figure 86 illustrates the displacement rotation unit 800 in a standby state for performance, Figure 87 illustrates an intermediate right end state in which the detectable plate portion 825a (see Figure 80) of the vertical sliding member 820 is placed on the upper detection sensor SC8 and the horizontal sliding member 840 is placed at the right end of the displacement path, Figure 88 illustrates an intermediate left end state in which the vertical sliding member 820 is placed in an intermediate position between the intermediate right end state and the performance upper end state and the horizontal sliding member 840 is placed at the left end of the displacement path between the intermediate right end state and the performance upper end state, and Figure 89 illustrates the performance upper end state of the displacement rotation unit 800.

In Fig. 86(a), Fig. 87(a), Fig. 88(a) and Fig. 89(a), for ease of understanding, the outlines of the wall portion 882a, guide recess 886 and cylindrical protrusion portion 887 of the wiring guide member 880 are shown by imaginary lines, and other shaped portions are omitted from the illustration, allowing the wiring arm member 870 and the horizontal slide member 840 to be seen. In addition, the shaped portion near the upper end of the base plate 810 is partially broken to prevent the vertical slide member 820 from being hidden during the upward and downward displacement.

In Figures 86(b), 87(b), 88(b), and 89(b), the shape lines of the transmission guide portion 813 of the base member 810 are shown with imaginary lines, and the lateral slide member 840 is shown with a circular imaginary line that follows the outer shape of the main plate member 841 in order to illustrate only the left-right displacement range.

86 to 89 show, with imaginary lines, the displacement of the electrical wiring DK2 connected to the drive motor MT5 in accordance with the change in state of the displacement rotation unit 800. The electrical wiring DK2 is guided from the lower opening 884 (see FIG. 85) of the wiring guide member 880 into the interior of the wiring guide member 880, passes through the interior of the wiring arm member 870, and then passes through the space surrounded by the wall portion 822 of the vertical slide member 820 to be guided to the horizontal slide member 840; the details of the displacement will be described later.

The displacement and rotation unit 800 is configured so that the vertical slide member 820 can be displaced back and forth in the up and down direction. First, the upward displacement of the vertical slide member 820 and the horizontal slide member 840 will be described.

In this embodiment, in the performance standby state, the vertical sliding member 820 is positioned at the bottom end position in the vertical direction (see FIG. 86). In the performance standby state, the detectable plate portion 825a of the vertical sliding member 820 is positioned in the detection groove of the lower detection sensor SC9, so that the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4) can determine that the displacement rotation unit 800 is in the performance standby state based on the output of the lower detection sensor SC9.

In addition, in the performance standby state, the horizontal sliding member 840 is positioned at the left end (outer left and right end) of the displacement path, while the lower end of the wiring arm member 870 is positioned on the front side. In other words, by positioning the wiring arm member 870 on the front side so as to retreat from the displacement trajectory of the horizontal sliding member 840, it is possible to avoid the left and right positions of the wiring arm member 870 restricting the left and right displacement of the horizontal sliding member 840. Therefore, the horizontal sliding member 840 can be displaced to its full extent on the outer left and right sides.

The drive motor MT4 is controlled to drive the vertical slide member 820 in a direction that displaces it upward from the performance standby state, and the state in which the detected plate portion 825a is positioned at the upper detection sensor SC8 corresponds to the intermediate right end state (see FIG. 87). Therefore, the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4) can determine that the displacement rotation unit 800 is in the intermediate right end state based on the output of the upper detection sensor SC8.

In the intermediate right-most state, the horizontal slide member 840 is displaced upward and to the right from the performance standby state, while the wiring arm member 870 is only displaced upward and its posture is maintained.

In other words, in the intermediate right-end state, the circular protrusion 876 (see FIG. 84) of the wiring arm member 870 is still positioned in the front vertical recess 886a of the guide recess 886, so the front-to-rear distance between the support protrusion 829, which serves as the support point for the wiring arm member 870, and the circular protrusion 876 (see FIG. 84) of the wiring arm member 870 is maintained from the performance standby state.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the displacement of the horizontal sliding member 840 to the right in association with the upward displacement of the vertical sliding member 820 from the performance standby state to the intermediate right-end state is performed without changing the posture of the wiring arm member 870. This makes it possible to avoid collisions between the members due to deviations in the displacement timing, which tend to occur when both the horizontal sliding member 840 and the wiring arm member 870 are displaced.

As shown in Figures 86(b) and 87(b), the horizontal slide member 840 is displaced in the left-right direction as the vertical slide member 820 is displaced upward. In this displacement, the direction of displacement is switched according to the shape of the transmission guide part 813, but the displacement in the left-right direction exceeds the left-right width of the transmission guide part 813.

This is because the displacement of the horizontal slide member 840 is transmitted via the two-stage pinion 861. That is, it is the rack member 862 of the transmission means 860 that is guided by the transmission guide section 813, and the gear section 862a of the rack member 862 and the rack gear section 843 of the horizontal slide member 840 are meshed with the two-stage pinion 861. Therefore, the ratio of the pitch circle radii of the two-stage pinion 861 corresponds to the ratio of the displacement width of the rack member 862 to the displacement width of the horizontal slide member 864.

In this embodiment, the ratio of the pitch circle radius of the small diameter pinion 861a of the two-stage pinion 861 (see FIG. 80) to the pitch circle radius of the large diameter pinion 861b is 9:16, so the horizontal slide member 864 is displaced in the left-right direction by a left-right width obtained by multiplying the change in the left-right position of the transmission guide part 813 by a constant (i.e., 16/9 = approximately 1.78).

As shown in FIG. 88(b), in the halfway left-most state, the horizontal sliding member 840 does not displace outward to the left or right as much as in the performance standby state. In other words, the horizontal sliding member 840 does not displace to a position where it overlaps with the wiring arm member 870 when viewed in the front-rear direction.

In this arrangement, as shown in FIG. 88(a), a change in the posture of the wiring arm member 870 occurs. That is, in the process of going from the intermediate right end state to the intermediate left end state, the circular protrusion 876 (see FIG. 84) of the wiring arm member 870 is arranged in the connecting recess 886c formed on the rear side of the front vertical recess of the guide recess 886, and the front-to-rear distance between the support protrusion 829 serving as the support point of the wiring arm member 870 and the circular protrusion 876 (see FIG. 84) of the wiring arm member 870 is shortened compared to the performance standby state.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the wiring arm member 870 is configured to change its posture after the lateral slide member 840 does not overlap with the wiring arm member 870 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction. Also, during downward displacement, the opposite occurs (after the wiring arm member 870 no longer changes its posture, the lateral slide member 840 is positioned so as to overlap with the wiring arm member 870 when viewed in the front-to-rear direction).

This makes it possible to prevent the lateral sliding member 840 and the wiring arm member 870 from colliding with each other even if there is a misalignment between the displacement timing of the lateral sliding member 840 and the displacement timing of the wiring arm member 870.

The wiring arm member 870 is positioned at the left end (outer end in the left-right direction) of the displacement rotation unit 800, and displacement is limited to vertical displacement and changes in posture in the front-to-back direction only. In other words, regardless of the state of the displacement rotation unit 800, the wiring arm member 870 can remain positioned at the outer left-right end where it is less likely to be noticed by the player, so that the wiring arm member 870 and the electrical wiring DK2 guided by the wiring arm member 870 can be prevented from entering the player's field of vision.

As shown in Figures 89(a) and 89(b), during the period until the displacement rotation unit 800 reaches the upper end performance state, the circular protrusion 876 (see Figure 84) of the wiring arm member 870 is positioned in the rear vertical recess 886b, which is formed on the rear side of the connecting recess 886c of the guide recess 886, and the front-to-rear distance between the support protrusion 829, which serves as the support point of the wiring arm member 870, and the circular protrusion 876 (see Figure 84) of the wiring arm member 870 is maintained in a minimum state.

In this way, in this embodiment, the wiring arm member 870, which is configured to be able to change its posture in response to the vertical displacement of the vertical sliding member 820, is used to configure the electrical wiring DK2 so that it can be positioned in different front and rear positions corresponding to the up and down positions, thereby providing the advantageous effect of ensuring space for arranging the components.

For example, if the electrical wiring DK2 is positioned toward the rear, the left-right displacement of the lateral sliding member 840 is restricted. More specifically, in order to avoid contact with the electrical wiring DK2, the lateral sliding member 840 is positioned toward the right (toward the inner side on the left and right) in the performance standby state. In this embodiment, the ejection device 400 (see FIG. 6) is positioned toward the right (toward the inner side on the left and right) of the lateral sliding member 840, so there is a risk that measures such as downsizing the displacement rotation unit 800 will be necessary to avoid contact. In other words, the design freedom of the displacement rotation unit 800 will be reduced.

For example, if the electrical wiring DK2 is positioned closer to the front, the left-right displacement of the lateral sliding member 840 can be sufficiently ensured, but the degree of freedom in the placement of the components on the back side of the game board 13, which are placed in front of the displacement rotation unit 800, is reduced.

In this embodiment, the displacement and rotation units 800 are arranged symmetrically, which tends to reduce the degree of freedom in designing the configuration of the solenoids and other components used to drive the electric device 640a (see Figure 2) of the second winning slot 640 located in the right area of the game board 13.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the wiring arm member 870 allows the electrical wiring DK2 to be displaced in the front-rear direction, thereby avoiding any restriction on the left-right displacement of the lateral slide member 840 while avoiding any reduction in the degree of freedom in the placement of the components on the back side of the game board 13.

In other words, at the lower end position where the lateral slide member 840 is to be retracted to the left or right, the lower end of the wiring arm member 870 is positioned forward, so that the electrical wiring DK2 is positioned in front of the lateral slide member 840, thereby preventing the displacement of the lateral slide member 840 from being restricted by the electrical wiring DK2.

In addition, the horizontal slide member 840 is displaced inward to the left and right, and at the upper position where the second winning opening 640 (see FIG. 2) is to be placed, the lower end of the wiring arm member 870 is positioned rearward, so that the electrical wiring DK2 is positioned toward the rear and space is left open at the front. This improves the freedom of placement of components arranged on the game board 13 as components such as solenoids for driving the electric device 640a (see FIG. 2) of the second winning opening 640.

The state change of the electrical wiring DK2 in the state changes shown in Figures 86 to 89 will be described. Note that the state change of the electrical wiring DK2 here refers to the change in the winding state of the electrical wiring DK2 when the electrical wiring DK2 is wound around the pillar.

In the electrical wiring DK2, it is preferable that the upper part of the lower winding part DK2b (the side closer to the wiring arm member 870) extends exclusively vertically and is not curved. In particular, when displacing downward, it is necessary to slide the electrical wiring DK2 into the front side of the cylindrical protrusion part 887 (see FIG. 86(a)), so it is preferable that the upper part has higher rigidity than the part of the lower winding part DK2b that displaces.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a plastic cable tube is wrapped around the upper part of the lower winding part DK2b, so that it behaves with higher rigidity than the part that is displaced by winding.

In the state shown in FIG. 89(a), the cable tube is disposed between the wall portion 882a and the electrical wiring DK2, thereby preventing friction between the electrical wiring DK2 and the wall portion 882a.

In addition, since the lower end of the wiring arm member 870 is configured to open vertically downward, the displacement direction of the electrical wiring DK2 when the downward displacement starts can be directed vertically downward. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary bending deformation of the electrical wiring DK2.

As shown in Figures 86 to 89, the electrical wiring DK2 is arranged so that the upper winding portion DK2a is wound around the cylindrical protrusion 823 between the wiring arm member 870 and the lateral slide member 840, and the lower winding portion DK2b is wound around the cylindrical protrusion 887 below the wiring arm member 870.

Of the electrical wiring DK2, the upper winding portion DK2a, which is arranged to be wound around the cylindrical protrusion 823, is configured to be displaceable in a manner that expands and contracts radially along a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical protrusion 823.

The lower winding portion DK2b of the electrical wiring DK2, which is arranged to be wound around the cylindrical protrusion 887, is configured to be displaceable in a manner that expands and contracts radially along a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical protrusion 887.

That is, the plane in which the electrical wiring DK2 between the wiring arm member 870 and the lateral slide member 840 is displaced is different from the plane in which the electrical wiring DK2 below the wiring arm member 870 is displaced. In this embodiment, the planes are perpendicular to each other, and the plane in which the electrical wiring DK2 between the wiring arm member 870 and the lateral slide member 840 is displaced is configured to pass through the first omitted portion 824a, the second omitted portion 824b, and the wiring arrangement hole 873.

The electrical wiring DK2 is prevented from displacing by the portion of the electrical wiring DK2 that is located inside the elongated main body portion 871 of the wiring arm member 870 being sandwiched between the narrowed portion 871a as described above. Therefore, the relative displacement of the electrical wiring DK2 with respect to the wiring arm member 870 is prevented.

In this embodiment, the displacement required for the electrical wiring DK2 in response to a change in the state of the displacement rotation unit 800 is completed independently in each of the upper winding portion DK2a and the lower winding portion DK2b, so they will be described separately below.

First, the displacement of the upper winding portion DK2a will be described. The upper winding portion DK2a refers to the portion from the point where it passes through the wiring arrangement hole 873 of the wiring arm member 870 to the right, including the portion that is wound counterclockwise in a front view around the cylindrical protrusion 823, to the point where it is guided to the left end of the wiring guide member 844.

The upper winding portion DK2a is configured to be displaceable in the radial direction from the center of the cylindrical protrusion 823, with the space surrounded by the wall portion 822 as its limit, and in the performance standby state (see FIG. 86(b)) where it is most radially expanded, the wall portion 822 is formed in a position that follows the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK2 that is placed without load (or in a position where there is a slight gap). This makes it possible to reduce the load applied to the electrical wiring DK2 from the wall portion 822 in the performance standby state.

When the horizontal slide member 840 is displaced to the right from the performance standby state, the side guided by the wiring guide member 844 is displaced to the right, pulling the upper winding portion DK2a, and the displacement length of the horizontal slide member 840 is supplemented by the excess length generated by the upper winding portion DK2a being displaced radially inward around the cylindrical protrusion 823. This makes it possible to avoid applying tensile force to the electrical wiring DK2.

On the other hand, when the horizontal slide member 840 is displaced to the left, the side guided by the wiring guide member 844 is displaced to the left, pushing the upper winding portion DK2a, and the upper winding portion DK2a is displaced radially outward from the cylindrical protrusion 823. At this time, a guide piece 844a that slopes downward as it moves leftward is protruded from the left end of the wiring guide member 844, preventing the upper winding portion DK2a from protruding outward (upward between the vertical slide member 820 and the wiring guide member 844), and allowing the upper winding portion DK2a to be appropriately pushed in along the shape of the wall portion 822.

Next, the displacement of the lower winding portion DK2b will be described. The lower winding portion DK2b includes the portion that is wound clockwise from the point where it hangs down from the wiring arm member 870 around the cylindrical protrusion portion 887 when viewed from the left side (when viewed from the outside on the left and right) (wound in the forward direction passing in front of the cylindrical protrusion portion 887), and refers to the portion that is positioned at the lower open portion 884 (see FIG. 85).

The lower winding portion DK2b is configured to be displaceable in the radial direction from the center of the cylindrical protrusion portion 887, with the space surrounded by the wall portion 882a as its limit, and in the performance standby state (see FIG. 86(a)) where it is most radially expanded, the wall portion 882a is formed in a position that follows the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK2 that is placed without load (or in a position where there is a slight gap). This makes it possible to reduce the load applied to the electrical wiring DK2 from the wall portion 882a in the performance standby state.

When the wiring arm member 870 is displaced upward as the vertical slide member 820 is displaced upward from the performance standby state, the side guided by the wiring arm member 870 is displaced upward, pulling the lower winding portion DK2b upward, and the displacement length of the wiring arm member 870 is supplemented by the excess length generated by the displacement of the lower winding portion DK2b radially inward around the cylindrical protrusion portion 887. This makes it possible to avoid applying tensile force to the electrical wiring DK2.

On the other hand, when the wiring arm member 870 is displaced downward, the side arranged on the wiring arm member 870 is displaced downward, pushing the lower winding portion DK2b, and the lower winding portion DK2b is displaced radially outward from the cylindrical protrusion portion 887. At this time, since the lower end of the wiring arm member 870 opens in a direction that inclines toward the front side as it goes downward, it is possible to prevent the lower winding portion DK2b from getting between the cylindrical protrusion portion 887 and the wall portion 882a (above the cylindrical protrusion portion 887), and the lower winding portion DK2b can be appropriately pushed in along the shape of the wall portion 882a.

In this embodiment, the space in which the lower winding portion DK2b is disposed is disposed below the lower end position of the displacement range of the lateral slide member 840. This makes it possible to avoid the size of the space in which the lower winding portion DK2b is displaced radially being limited by the position of the lateral slide member 840, so that the lower winding portion DK2b can be displaced by fully utilizing the front-to-rear width of the rear case 510 (see FIG. 5).

Therefore, a large space can be secured below the wiring arm member 870 to accommodate the lower winding portion DK2b, allowing the length of the lower winding portion DK2b to be sufficiently long and increasing the amount of vertical displacement permitted for the wiring arm member 870.

Figure 90 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13, and Figure 91 is an exploded rear perspective view of the game board 13. As shown in Figures 90 and 91, the game board 13 includes a center frame 86 disposed on the front side of a window portion 60a formed in a base plate 60, and a ball flow-down unit 150 formed from a resin member with multiple flow path shapes that are open on the front side and disposed at the bottom of the rear side of the base plate 60.

The ball flow unit 150 includes a first receiving flow passage 152 formed near the upper end of a fixed plate portion 151 fastened to the base plate 60 so as to be capable of receiving a game ball that has entered the second winning port 640 and flowed down the lower end LB1 of the flow passage, a second receiving flow passage member 153 which is a long box-shaped member with an open front side and fastened to the fixed plate portion 151 from the rear side in such a manner that it is connected to the downstream side of the receiving flow passage 151, and a number of protrusions 154 which protrude inward from the inner parts of the left and right walls of the second receiving flow passage member 153 in a direction perpendicular to the ball flow direction.

The multiple protrusions 154 are arranged alternately on the left and right walls at intervals of approximately the diameter of a ball. This allows the speed of the ball flowing down the second receiving flow path member 153 to be slowed down.

The functions of the first receiving flow path 152 and the second receiving flow path member 153 will be explained. In addition to the function of guiding the game ball that has entered the second winning opening 640 to a ball discharge path (not shown), the first receiving flow path 152 and the second receiving flow path member 153 have the function of improving the presentation effect by making the game ball visible to the player after it has entered the second winning opening 640. Note that in the following explanation, FIG. 2 will be referred to as appropriate.

The second winning opening 640 has a detection sensor for detecting ball passage disposed near the lower edge as shown in FIG. 90. This allows the payout of prize balls and the hold display on the third symbol display device 81 to be executed immediately, providing the player with a comfortable gameplay. Even if the player does not see the ball entering the second winning opening 640, the player can notice the ball entering the second winning opening 640 by visually checking the ball flowing down the first receiving flow path 152, making it easier to notice, for example, a situation in which a payout has not been performed due to a malfunction on the part of the gaming machine store.

As will be explained below, since it is clear that a ball has entered the second winning port 640 by visually checking the ball flowing down the intermediate flow path LM1, the detection sensor may be positioned downstream of the intermediate flow path LM1, etc., to delay the timing of the payout of the winning balls and the timing of the reserved display.

The game ball that enters the second winning opening 640 flows down the intermediate flow path LM1 (see Figure 27) that is arranged to be visible when viewed from the front on the inside left and right of the guide path DL1 along which balls that deviate from the second winning opening 640 flow.

The intermediate flow path LM1, like the guide flow path DL1, is formed so that it can guide the ball vertically downward while displacing it left and right in a zigzag pattern. In other words, since the flow patterns of the ball flowing down the intermediate flow path LM1 and the ball flowing down the guide flow path DL1 appear to be the same, even when viewing the ball in the path to the right of the third pattern display device 81 during right-handed play, it is difficult to tell whether the ball is flowing down the intermediate flow path LM1 or the guide flow path DL1.

Here, the information about which path the ball is flowing down during right-hand play is information that directly relates to the player's profits, and is an area where individual differences in pachinko machines 10 arise depending on the state of the nails (not shown) that are set into the base plate 60.

In this embodiment, the flesh of the base plate 60 remains near the through gate 67, and nails are set in this position against which the ball collides before passing through the through gate 67 or before entering the second winning hole 640. Therefore, whether the ball is more likely to flow down the middle flow path LM1 or the guide flow path DL1 during right-handed play differs for each pachinko machine 10.

During a special bonus or time-saving period when playing with the right hand, any ball that does not enter the second winning hole 640 will flow down the guide path DL1, and unless it enters the general winning hole 63 located downstream, it will be ejected from the playing area through the outlet 71 and will not benefit the player (it will become a wasted ball).

From this, whether or not the ball enters the second winning opening 640 corresponds uniquely to whether or not the ball flows down the guide path DL1. And since the guide path DL1 extends in the vertical direction, it is clear that there is a greater degree of freedom in the focus position when focusing on the guide path DL1 compared to when focusing only on the second winning opening 640.

Therefore, it is expected that some players will check the frequency with which balls flow down the guide path DL1, calculate the frequency with which balls enter the second winning hole 640, the frequency with which balls are wasted during right-hand play, etc., and take this into account when deciding whether or not to continue playing.

In contrast, this embodiment makes it difficult to distinguish between a ball flowing down the guide path DL1 and a ball that enters the second winning opening 640 and flows down the intermediate flow path LM1. This makes it seem as if balls enter the second winning opening 640 more frequently, encouraging the player to continue playing.

On the other hand, the ball flowing down the intermediate flow path LM1 has already entered the second winning port 640 and been discharged from the game area, so if it continues to flow vertically downward and reaches a position where it overlaps with the specific winning port 65a when viewed from the front, it will be difficult to distinguish it from a ball that could actually enter the specific winning port 65a, and there is a risk of disrupting play.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the first receiving flow passage 152 causes the ball to flow down to the inside left and right above the specific winning opening 65a, preventing the ball from reaching a position where it overlaps with the specific winning opening 65a when viewed from the front (see Figure 2). This makes it easier to distinguish between balls that can actually enter the specific winning opening 65a and balls that have already entered the second winning opening 640 and cannot enter the specific winning opening 65a.

The first receiving flow path 152 allows the ball to flow from the right side of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 7) when viewed from the front, through near the lower edge of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 when viewed from the front, toward the center position on the left and right side of the display area. In other words, the ball guided to the first receiving flow path 152 enters the field of view of a player who is paying attention to the display of the third pattern display device 81, so that a player who is paying attention to the display of the third pattern display device 81 and not to the right-hand hitting path can recognize whether or not the ball has entered the second winning port 640.

This allows the player to know whether or not a ball has entered the second winning hole 640 without moving his or her field of vision while keeping his or her eyes on the third pattern display device 81. This prevents the player from missing an important display that is being displayed when the player looks away from the third pattern display device 81 to see the second winning hole 640, and provides a comfortable game experience.

Balls flowing down the second receiving flow path member 153 flow diagonally downward to the left on the right side of the first winning opening 64 when viewed from the front. These balls are slowed down by the protrusion portion 154, so the time the balls stay as they flow can be extended. This makes it easier to increase the number of game balls visible in the game area when viewed from the front.

In addition, by ensuring a long width on the left and right of the ball's flow path, it becomes easier for the line of sight directed toward the display area of the third pattern display device 81 to intersect with the flow path of the second receiving flow path member 153. This makes it easier for the ball flowing down the inside of the second receiving flow path member 153 to come into the player's field of vision.

Figures 92 and 93 are exploded front perspective views of the center frame 86, the light guide plate performance means 160, and the decorative means 170, and Figures 94 and 95 are exploded rear perspective views of the center frame 86, the light guide plate performance means 160, and the decorative means 170.

92 to 95, the light guide plate performance means 160 includes a light guide plate 161, an upper support member 162 that is fastened to the center frame 86 from the rear side and is made of an impermeable resin material configured to be able to abut against the front side and the top side of the light guide plate 161 and that aligns the light guide plate 161, a lower support member 163 that is made of a light-transmitting resin material and is configured to be fastened to the center frame 86 in a manner that presses the lower part of the light guide plate 161 from the rear side, and a ball flow path configuration that is fastened to the lower support member 163 and is made of a light-transmitting resin material to form a ball flow path. The light guide plate 161 is provided with a member 164, a plurality of left and right support members 165 formed from a light-transmitting resin material and configured to be fastened to the center frame 86 in a manner that holds down both left and right side portions of the light guide plate 161 from the rear side, a horizontally-mounted board unit 166 formed in a left-right elongated shape that is fastened to the center frame 86 while passing above the upper support member 162 and extending to the front side of the center frame 86, and a vertically-mounted board unit 167 formed in a vertically elongated shape that is arranged along the left inner wall of the center frame 86 from the front side of the center frame 86 and fastened to it.

The decorative means 170 comprises a first decorative member 171 formed from a light-transmitting resin material and positioned in the center left-right position near the top of the center frame 86, a second decorative member 174 formed from a light-transmitting resin material and positioned on the front side of the left frame part of the center frame 86 to the left of the first decorative member 171, and a third decorative member 177 formed from a light-transmitting resin material and positioned on the front side of the right frame part of the center frame 86 to the right of the first decorative member 171.

The first decorative member 171 comprises a horizontally long rectangular central decorative member 172 that can be fastened to the center, and a margin member 173 that is made of a separate member and serves as a margin for the title or other portion that represents the pachinko machine 10.

As shown in FIG. E4, the first decorative member 171 has a horizontally long groove 171a recessed on the back side. The horizontally long groove 171a is formed with a groove width that allows the placement of the illumination board of the horizontal board unit 166 of the light guide plate performance means 160.

The first decorative member 171 is disposed in a position slightly overlapping the underside of an opening 86a drilled in the front-to-rear direction at the top of the center frame 86. In this embodiment, the performance member 700 in the performance standby state is configured to be visible through the opening 86a (see Figure 2).

In this manner, in this embodiment, inside the center frame 86, the front position of the third pattern display device 81 is blocked by the light guide plate 161, while the front position of the performance member 700 in the performance standby state is opened by the opening 86a. Therefore, the light-emitting performance by the performance member 700 in the performance standby state can be seen by the player without being blocked by the light guide plate 161.

The relationship between the horizontally long groove portion 171a and the horizontally placed board unit 166 will be described with reference to Figure 96. Figure 96 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 and the operating unit 500 taken along line XCVI-XCVI in Figure 2. Note that Figure 96 also shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the horizontally long groove portion 171a. In addition, Figures 92 to 95 will be referenced as appropriate in the description of Figure 96.

In this embodiment, light emitting means 166a such as LEDs are arranged on the front and back of the tip side of the illuminated board of the horizontal board unit 166, and light is emitted in the vertical direction along the arrows D1a and D1b, so that the light that reaches the reflective shape portion 171b formed in a horizontal wedge shape on the upper and lower sides of the horizontal groove portion 171a on the back side of the first decorative member 171 can be clearly seen.

As a result, even when the light emitting means is concentrated in the horizontally placed board unit 166, the form of the light emitting effect (light emitting range or light emitting shape) that is visually perceived by the player can be made to differ depending on the formation range or formation shape of the reflective shape portion 171b.

In this embodiment, the light emitting means 166a such as LEDs are arranged in a single horizontal row on the top surface of the horizontally placed board unit 166, and the light emitting means 166a such as LEDs are arranged in two horizontal rows on the bottom surface: one row that corresponds vertically to the row of LEDs arranged on the top surface, and another row that is parallel to the row and is formed on the back surface. Of these rows in which LEDs as light emitting means 166a are arranged, the row on the top surface and the front row on the bottom surface are positioned inside the horizontal groove portion 171a, and the rear row on the bottom surface is positioned outside the horizontal groove portion 171a.

By configuring it in this way, the LEDs arranged in the row on the top surface and the front row on the bottom surface can irradiate light onto the reflective portion 171b, and the LEDs arranged in the rear row on the bottom surface can irradiate light onto another light-emitting target.

In this embodiment, the light emitting means 166b such as LEDs arranged in a rear row on the underside are arranged above the light guide plate 161, and the emitted LED light is incident from the edge of the light guide plate 161. In other words, the light emitting means 166b such as LEDs arranged in a rear row on the underside of the horizontal board unit 166 are used to illuminate the light guide plate 161.

The LEDs arranged on the underside of the horizontally placed board unit 166 are arranged between the two front and rear rows of LEDs with the upper support member 162. This allows the light emitted from the two front and rear rows of LEDs to be separated by the upper support member 162.

The horizontally placed board unit 166 is positioned directly above the upper edge of the light guide plate 161, i.e., near the upper edge of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 when viewed from the front. In other words, it is positioned at the boundary between the display area and the play area when viewed from the front. This makes it possible to clearly separate the light that is irradiated toward the display area from the light that is irradiated toward the play area without irradiating the display area.

The central decorative member 172 is positioned in the same front-to-back position as the reflective portion 171b, but has flat front and rear surfaces. This makes it possible to avoid strong light reflection and maintain visibility even when light is irradiated from the horizontal board unit 166.

In this embodiment, a pattern such as a star shape is drawn on the front of the central decorative member 172, and the number of star shapes is configured to indicate the type of performance of the pachinko machine 10 (for example, type of specifications, so-called different specifications). By configuring this central decorative member 172 as a separate member from the first decorative member 171, when manufacturing pachinko machines 10 with different types of performance, it is possible to configure the pachinko machine 10 by replacing only the central decorative member 172.

The margin member 173 is constructed as a separate member from the first decorative member 171, and the front and rear surfaces of the plate are formed with a shape (in this embodiment, striped grooves) that is different from the shape formed in the reflective shape portion 171b, so that the reflected light appears differently from that of the reflective shape portion 171b.

Figure 97 is a partial front enlarged view of the first decorative member 171 in range XCVII in Figure 2. In this embodiment, when light is irradiated in the vertical direction of the horizontally placed board unit 166 along arrows D1a and D1b, the light that reaches the reflective shape portion 171b travels toward the front side by reflection and refraction and appears brilliant, whereas the light that reaches the margin member 173 appears slightly darker because it is configured such that the majority of the light is transmitted and travels as is, rather than being mainly reflected.

This allows the light emitted from the horizontal board unit 166 to travel in the vertical direction while still allowing the shape of the marginal member 173 to be seen as a shadow, so that it can be seen as if light is being emitted in any shape when viewed from the front. In other words, it can be seen as if LEDs were placed on the back side to create a light-emitting effect.

The second decorative member 174 is provided with a shielding member 175 that is a thin plate member (sheet-like member) with low transparency and is colored in a desired manner, and the shielding member 175 is fixed to the back side of the second decorative member 174. This makes it difficult to see the back side of the second decorative member 174.

This allows a clear separation between the play area (particularly the left side) formed on the front side of the base plate 60 and the formation area of the light guide plate 161 when viewed from the front (including the area overlapping the front and rear of the display area of the third pattern display device 81). This prevents the light associated with the performance of the light guide plate 161 or the light irradiated from the third pattern display device 81 from reducing the visibility of the balls flowing down the play area.

The third decorative member 177 has a plurality of three-dimensional hexagonal decorative patterns formed three-dimensionally on the front side, and a plurality of three-dimensional decorative members 178 formed three-dimensionally on the back side in a manner in which a plurality of hexagonal shaped parts arranged with a positional shift in the front and rear are combined.

The three-dimensional decorative member 178, like the third decorative member 177, is made of a light-transmitting resin material and is disposed in the space between the portion of the center frame 86 where the light guide plate 161 is disposed and the guide path DL1.

This allows for a lighting effect that is perceived three-dimensionally, rather than a lighting effect that is perceived two-dimensionally, between the light guide plate 161 placement portion and the guidance route DL1. In other words, it is possible to achieve a lighting effect with depth when viewed from the front.

For example, when light is irradiated from the back side onto the three-dimensional decorative member 178, which position in the front-to-rear direction of the three-dimensional decorative member 178 becomes brighter will change depending on which position on the three-dimensional decorative member 178 the light is irradiated onto when viewed from the front. Therefore, it is possible to create a lighting effect that makes the front side appear to be illuminated or the back side appear to be illuminated from the player's point of view.

In this embodiment, the third pattern display device 81, the front light emitting means 852a of the displacement and rotation unit 800, etc. (see Figure 81) are assumed to be the means for irradiating the three-dimensional decorative member 178 with light from the rear side, so the light emission position is variable. Therefore, compared to irradiating light from a fixedly positioned light emitting means such as an LED toward the three-dimensional decorative member 178, the variety of light effects can be easily increased.

For example, when light is irradiated onto the three-dimensional decorative member 178 from the left/right direction or the top/bottom direction, which position in the front/back direction of the three-dimensional decorative member 178 becomes brighter will change depending on which position on the three-dimensional decorative member 178 the light is irradiated onto when viewed from the front. Therefore, it is possible to create a lighting effect that makes the front side appear to be illuminated or the back side appear to be illuminated from the player's point of view.

In this embodiment, the first light irradiation device 330 of the launch performance unit 300 is assumed to be a means for irradiating the three-dimensional decorative member 178 with light from the left and right directions (see FIG. 27). Due to its positioning, the first light irradiation device 330 functions to block at least a portion of the light irradiated from the display area of the third pattern display device 81 toward the three-dimensional decorative member 178.

This reduces the degree to which the state of the light viewed through the three-dimensional decorative member 178 depends on the display presentation state of the third pattern display device 81. For example, if the color of the light irradiated from the third pattern display device 81 is blue, even if the color of the light emitted from the first light irradiating device 330 is red, it is easy to avoid the color of the light viewed by the player through the three-dimensional decorative member 178 being purple (a mixture of blue and red light). In other words, it is easy to make the light viewed through the three-dimensional decorative member 178 visible independently of the display of the third pattern display device 81.

The second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 98. In the first embodiment, the balls flowing down the ball flow-down unit 150 are configured to be visible when viewed from the front, and all balls flow down the same path. However, in the ball flow-down unit 2150 of the second embodiment, the balls flow down one of a number of paths. Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

Figure 98 is a front view of the game board 2013 in the second embodiment. Figure 98 illustrates an example of how the granular member 320 looks immediately after being launched. As shown in Figure 98, the ball flow-down unit 2150 differs from the ball flow-down unit 150 described in the first embodiment in that it includes a third receiving flow path 2155, which is a flow path that slopes downward from the bottom end of the first receiving flow path 152 to the left and is formed to a size that allows the ball to flow down.

The third receiving flow path 2155 is formed on the upstream side and has a gentler inclination angle than the first receiving flow path 152, and is equipped with an inclined portion 2155a whose lower end (left end) is set to the left of the first winning opening 64 when viewed from the front, and a discharge portion 2155b that extends vertically downward when viewed from the front from the lower end (left side) of the inclined portion 2155a.

The speed at which the ball flows down the inclined portion 2155a is slower than the speed at which the ball flows down the first receiving flow passage 152 due to the shallow angle of inclination. The ball flowing down the inclined portion 2155a is configured to be visible to the player, and the inclined portion 2155a is positioned near the lower edge of the light guide plate 161 when viewed from the front. Therefore, the ball flowing down the inclined portion 2155a can be seen by the player for a long period of time.

This allows the ball flowing down the inclined portion 2155a to be within the field of view of the player playing the game while viewing the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 12(a)) through the light guide plate 161. In other words, it is possible to increase the player's attention to the ball flowing down the inclined portion 2155a without creating an awkward feeling.

The following describes how the ball is guided to the inclined portion 2155a. In this embodiment, the ball that enters the second winning port 640 flows down in the same manner up to the bottom end of the first receiving flow path 152, and at the bottom end of the first receiving flow path 152, the ball flows down in the first direction D21 along the second receiving flow path member 153, or in the second direction D22 along the third receiving flow path 2155, which is switched by the switching means.

In this embodiment, the protrusions 154 (see FIG. 90) formed on the second receiving flow path member 153 increase the flow resistance of the balls flowing through the second receiving flow path member 153. Therefore, if the next ball reaches the lower end of the first receiving flow path 152 while a ball is flowing down the second receiving flow path member 153, the ball will be guided to the third receiving flow path 2155.

This type of situation is likely to occur when multiple balls enter the second winning port 640 in succession over a short period of time, for example. Therefore, by visually checking the state of the balls flowing down the third receiving flow path 2155, the player can understand that multiple balls have entered the second winning port 640 in a row.

The type of the switching means is not limited in any way. For example, the ball flow-down unit 2150 may be provided with an opening/closing plate that can be switched between a state that allows the ball to flow down in the first direction D21 and a state that restricts it using a driving means such as a solenoid, or an electromagnet that can generate a magnetic force may be provided at the branch point between the first direction D21 and the second direction D22, and the generated magnetic force may be used as a pulling force or a repulsive force to switch the flow-down path of the ball.

With these methods, not only can the ball's flow path be switched to the first direction D21 or the second direction D22, but the ball can also be stopped or reversed. Unlike balls that flow down the play area, changing the flow path of a ball that has entered the second winning hole 640 does not affect the game results thereafter, so it is possible to switch the ball's flow path using magnetic force as described above.

As described above, when the ball's flow path is switched using an electrical device, the MPU 221 (see FIG. 4) can control whether the ball flows in the first direction D21 or the second direction D22. Therefore, the result of the lottery based on the ball entering the second winning port 640 can be associated with the switching of whether the ball flows in the first direction D21 or the second direction D22.

For example, if the switching means is controlled so that the ball flows down the third receiving flow path 2155 in 60% of cases where a lottery involving a ball entering the second winning port 640 results in a jackpot, it is possible to increase the anticipation of a jackpot for a player who sees the ball flowing down the third receiving flow path 2155.

In this case, the player's gaze is most likely to be focused on the lower end of the first receiving flow path 152, which serves as a guide path to the third receiving flow path 2155, and as a result, attention to the ejected ball (a ball that has already been ejected from the playing area) flowing down the ball flow-down unit 2150 can be increased.

As described above, the flow of balls down the third receiving flow path 2155 indicates that the frequency of balls entering the second winning opening 640 is high, or that the expected value of winning a jackpot in the lottery by entering the second winning opening 640 is high.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a detection sensor SC21 capable of detecting the passage of a ball is provided midway through the discharge section 2155b, and when the passage of a ball is determined, the granular material 320 is controlled to be launched.

As mentioned above, in order to launch the granular member 320, the launching device 400 must first change state from a performance standby state (see FIG. 38) to a launch standby state (FIG. 40), which takes a certain amount of time. On the other hand, whether or not to launch the granular member 320 is decided at the timing when the ball enters the second winning port 640, and it takes a certain amount of time for the ball to reach the discharge section 2155b from there, so the launching device 400 is controlled to change state using this flow time.

This allows the granular member 320 to be controlled to be launched at the same time that the passage of the ball is detected by the detection sensor SC21. By controlling in this manner, it becomes easier to coordinate the flow of the ball and the launch of the granular member 320, compared to when the granular member 320 is controlled to be launched after a certain time delay that is expected to be required for the ball to flow down the third receiving flow path 2155 after entering the second winning port 640.

For example, oil adhering to the ball may adhere to the first receiving flow path 152, causing a decrease in the ball's flow rate. In this case, if the granular material 320 is controlled to be launched after a certain time delay, the granular material 320 may be launched before the ball reaches the third receiving flow path 2155, which may reduce the presentation effect.

In response to this, by controlling the launch of the granular members 320 at the same time that the passage of the ball is detected by the detection sensor SC21, the player's attention is focused on the third receiving flow path 2155 until the player has seen the ball reach the third receiving flow path 2155, and then the launch of the granular members 320 creates an impressive presentation that spreads over the area of the light guide plate 161, improving the presentation effect of the series of presentations.

In addition, the arrangement of the third receiving flow path 2155 through which the balls flow and the arrangement of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 12(a)) visible through the light guide plate 161 partially overlap when viewed from the front, so the player can view the above-mentioned series of effects without being required to change his or her line of sight.

It is also possible to combine control that does not fire the granular member 320 when the ball passes through the detection sensor SC21. For example, if a jackpot occurs when the granular member 320 is not fired, control may be performed to increase the possibility of the jackpot described above.

In this case, it is possible to increase the variety of effects that can be provided after the ball is guided to the third receiving flow path 2155, thereby preventing the player's attention from decreasing when the ball is guided to the third receiving flow path 2155.

In addition, if the granular member 320 is not fired, attention to the subsequent display performance on the third pattern display device 81 can be increased.

It should be noted that a detection sensor having the same function as the detection sensor SC21 may be placed in another location. For example, it may be placed in a location where a ball that has entered the specific winning opening 65a can pass through. In this case, it is possible to execute an effect in which the granular member 320 is fired at the timing when the ball that has entered the specific winning opening 65a passes through. In this case, the detection sensor SC21 may be placed in a specific area where the profit given to the player will be more favorable when the game ball passes through.

The third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 99 and 100. In the first embodiment, the performance member 700 of the zoom unit 600 is configured to be displaced radially to be symmetrically dispersed, but the performance member 3700 of the third embodiment is configured to be able to form sections that are not symmetrical in the radial zoom movement. Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

Figure 99 is a front view of the zoom unit 3600 in the third embodiment. Note that the only difference between the zoom unit 3600 in the first embodiment is the performance member 3700. The main body member 601, front cover member 610, upper arm member 620, lower arm member 630, and transmission gear 650 have the same configuration, so a description will be omitted.

Figure 99 shows the state in which the shielding design members 760 of the performance member 3700 are positioned at an intermediate position (middle position) of the radial expansion/contraction displacement. As shown in Figure 99, this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in that five shielding design members 760 are used, but of the shielding design members 760, the two on the bottom and the one on the top left have been radially expanded and displaced by the same length, while the one on the top and the one on the top right are still in a collective arrangement state (not radially expanded and displaced). The configuration for achieving this displacement will be described.

Figure 100 is a front view of the rotating plate 3730. The rotating plate 3730 has a common configuration with the rotating plate 730 described in the first embodiment, except that some of the guide holes 733 have been changed to separate guide holes 3733.

As shown in FIG. 100, the rotating plate 730 has separate guide holes 3733 in place of the guide holes 733 on the upper and upper right sides when viewed from the front. The separate guide holes 3733 have the above-mentioned small diameter arc portion 733a, large diameter arc portion 733b, and an adjustment connection portion 3733c that connects the small diameter arc portion 733a and the large diameter arc portion 733b.

The adjustment connection portion 3733c extends along the same arc shape from the connection portion with the large diameter arc portion 733b to near the middle position, and is formed so as to rapidly approach the small diameter arc portion 733a on the opposite side of the large diameter arc portion 733b (at a position close to the adjacent guide hole 733 or separate guide hole 3733 arranged in the clockwise direction).

In other words, in the displacement mode in which the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 is displaced from the assembled arrangement state (see FIG. 63), the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 guided by the connecting portion 733c undergoes radial expansion displacement from an early stage, while the expansion and contraction displacement member 740 guided by the adjustment connecting portion 3733c does not undergo radial expansion displacement while being guided in the same arc shape as the large diameter arc portion 733b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 99, it is possible to cause a shift in the arrangement of the shielding design member 760. The effect caused by the shift in the arrangement of the shielding design member 760 will be explained.

As shown in Figure 99, by arranging the shielding design members 760 asymmetrically, the center of gravity of the performance member 3700 can be shifted from the center in the left-right direction or the center in the up-down direction. In particular, in the state shown in Figure 99, the shielding design members 760 located in the upper right position still remain in a grouped arrangement state, so the center of gravity G31 of the performance member 3700 is shifted to the lower left position accordingly.

As a result, the performance member 3700 generates a load due to its own weight in a direction that corrects the deviation of the center of gravity G31, i.e., a load in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the front. This load causes the performance member 3700 to change its posture in the direction of rotation about the front-to-rear axis, so that the shielding design member 760 can be displaced in a direction that combines the radial direction centered on the rotation axis of the performance member 3700 and the rotational direction.

This allows the shielding design component 760 to be displaced in a direction (i.e., a rotational direction) that is not anticipated based solely on the shapes of the functional plate portion 720 (see FIG. 55), the rotating plate 3730, and the expandable/contractible displacement component 740 (see FIG. 59), which are components for displacing the shielding design component 760.

In this embodiment, only the connecting portion 733c and the adjustment connecting portion 3733c are different. In other parts, the guide hole 733 and the separate guide hole 3733 have the same shape, and the arrangement of the small diameter arc portion 733a and the large diameter arc portion 733b is the same in the guide hole 733 and the separate guide hole 3733.

Therefore, after the position of the center of gravity G31 shifts in the state shown in Figure 99, the shielding design component 760 is placed in a collective arrangement state or at the end position of the radial expansion displacement, so that the shielding design component 760 is arranged symmetrically, and the center of gravity G31 returns to the left-right and top-down center positions of the performance component 3700. This keeps the position of the center of gravity G31 shifted, preventing the occurrence of malfunctions.

We will now explain an example of a performance that utilizes the return of the center of gravity G31. In the first embodiment, we have explained a case in which the vertical and radial displacements of the performance member 700 are not performed simultaneously, but are performed separately, with the purpose of this being to avoid collisions with other components.

In this embodiment, the performance member 3700 is controlled so that it can be displaced vertically and radially simultaneously, while adopting a technique to avoid collisions with other components. In other words, it is configured so that the performance member 3700 can be displaced downward from the state shown in FIG. 99, while the shielding design member 760 can be displaced radially.

In this case, in addition to the downward displacement of the performance member 3700 and the radial expansion displacement of the shielding design member 760, the center of gravity G31 of the performance member 3700 returns, so that the performance member 3700 can undergo a posture change in the opposite direction to the rotation direction (counterclockwise when viewed from the front) expected from the state shown in FIG. 99.

In this way, rotational displacement in the forward and reverse directions can be added to the radial expansion displacement of the performance member 3700, so that while a simple configuration specialized for radial expansion and contraction displacement of the shielding design member 760 is adopted, it is possible to create complex movement that also includes rotational displacement. This improves the performance effect of the performance member 3700.

The fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 101. In the first embodiment, the drive motor M1 is driven in the forward rotation direction from the performance standby state, causing the linear motion member 410 and the transmission arm member 470 to displace simultaneously. In the fourth embodiment, however, the shape of the groove forming portion 462 of the rear transmission member 460 is changed, and the displacement of the transmission arm member 470, i.e., the displacement of the cover member 480, is completed prior to the displacement of the linear motion member 410. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as in the above-mentioned embodiments, and their description will be omitted.

Figure 101 shows the changes over time in the output state of the detection sensor SC4, the arrangement of the linear motion member 410, the arrangement of the collision member 420, the arrangement of the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430, and the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470, associated with the rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 in the fourth embodiment.

Note that Figure 101 does not show the relative relationship between the range of change in the positional change of each component, but shows a rough guide to the relative relationship of the timing at which the positional change occurs. Also, the positional change of the linear motion member 410 corresponds to the change in the biasing force accumulated in the coil spring SP1.

As shown in FIG. 101, in the fourth embodiment, the displacement of the transmission arm member 470 is completed prior to the displacement of the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420. Therefore, the downward displacement of the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420 begins with the cover member 480 positioned at the displacement end position on the retracted side, so the player can visually confirm the displacement of the granular member accompanying the downward displacement of the collision member 420 without the view being blocked by the cover member 480 (see FIG. 12(a) and FIG. 38).

In this situation, by moving the linear motion member 410 back and forth between the angles of 66 degrees and 125 degrees shown in FIG. 101, the granular member 320 can be vibrated (subtly displaced) and visually recognized by the player.

In this embodiment, the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 is so strong that when the drive motor M1 is deactivated, the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 causes the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420 to move upward.

Therefore, by intermittently energizing the drive motor MT1, the linear motion member 410 can be moved back and forth. This makes it unnecessary to switch the drive direction of the drive motor MT1, making control easier.

In addition, in this manner in which the granular member 320 is vibrated (subtly displaced) and visually recognized by the player, the load (fatigue) on the torsion spring SP2 can be reduced compared to when the lid member 480 is displaced as well.

The manner in which the collision member 420 is displaced to vibrate (micro-displace) the granular member 320 is not limited to this. For example, vibrations may be transmitted from another vibration device to the collision member 420 to vibrate the collision member 420. In this case, it is preferable that the other vibration device is disposed below the collision member 420 in the displacement direction. This makes it possible to avoid the other vibration device being subjected to a load when the collision member 420 is displaced by the biasing force of the coil spring SP1.

The fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 102. In the first embodiment, the linear motion member 410 and the transmission arm member 470 are displaced simultaneously by driving the drive motor M1 in the forward rotation direction from the performance standby state. In the fifth embodiment, however, the shape of the groove forming portion 462 of the rear transmission member 460 is changed, and the displacement of the transmission arm member 470, i.e., the displacement of the cover member 480, begins after the displacement of the linear motion member 410 is completed. Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

Figure 102 shows the changes over time in the output state of the detection sensor SC4, the arrangement of the linear motion member 410, the arrangement of the collision member 420, the arrangement of the protrusion 432 of the abutment member 430, and the arrangement of the cylindrical protrusion 472 of the transmission arm member 470, associated with the rotation of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 in the fifth embodiment.

Note that Figure 102 does not show the relative relationship between the range of change in the positional change of each component, but shows a rough guide to the relative relationship of the timing at which the positional change occurs. Also, the positional change of the linear motion member 410 corresponds to the change in the biasing force accumulated in the coil spring SP1.

As shown in FIG. 102, in the fifth embodiment, the displacement of the transmission arm member 470 starts after the displacement of the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420 is completed. Furthermore, after the granular member 320 is launched, the displacement of the cover member 480 is completed before the granular member 320 reaches the collision member 420 (see the vicinity of the angle 290 degrees).

Therefore, at least a portion of the granular member 320 can be placed on the upper side of the lid member 480 and remain there. It is possible that the granular member 320 may collide with the lid member 480, impeding the rotation of the lid member 480, but in this embodiment, the advance/retract portion 481 of the lid member 480 is formed in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis, so that the load received from the granular member 320 can be directed toward the rotation axis. This makes it difficult to impede the rotation of the lid member 480.

When the drive motor MT1 continues to rotate in the forward direction while the granular material 320 remains on the cover member 480, the transmission arm member 470 is displaced to the retracted side (the smaller diameter side in Figure 102), causing the granular material 320 to fall onto the collision member 420.

On the other hand, at this timing, the contact between the collision member 420 and the linear motion member 410 is released, so the load transmitted from the granular member 320 to the collision member 420 can be prevented from being transmitted to the linear motion member 410.

In addition, when the drive motor MT1 is rotated in the reverse direction from the firing standby state, if it is driven at high speed, the rising speed of the linear motion member 410 and the collision member 420 can be improved, and the granular member 320 can be fired.

In this case, when firing, the cover member 480 is positioned at the end of the displacement on the entry side, so that firing of the granular member 320 is hindered in the center left and right where the protruding portion 482 is positioned, and it can be visually seen as being mainly fired in the left and right directions.

In other words, the direction in which the granular members 320 are launched can be changed depending on whether the launch mode is when the drive motor MT1 is rotated forward or reverse. This allows for variation in the launch direction of the granular members 320, improving the presentation effect.

The sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 103. In the first embodiment, the first light irradiation device 330 and the second light irradiation device 340 are provided with a flat substrate and irradiate light in the front-back and left-right directions. In the sixth embodiment, the first light irradiation device 6330 and the second light irradiation device 6340 are provided with an illumination substrate on which they are arranged in a bent manner. Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

Figure 103 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 and launch unit 6300 in the sixth embodiment taken along a line corresponding to line XXVII-XXVII in Figure 2. That is, in Figure 103, the game board 13 and launch unit 6300 are illustrated, and the operation unit 500 is omitted. Also, the directions of light irradiated from the first light irradiation device 6330 and the second light irradiation device 6340 are diagrammatically illustrated with arrows.

As shown in FIG. 103, the first light irradiation device 6330 includes, in addition to the illumination board 332, a second illumination board 6334 that is tilted and positioned such that its front end is close to the front end of the illumination board 332 and its rear end is away from the illumination board 332.

The second illumination board 6334 is equipped with a light-emitting means such as an LED that is arranged to irradiate light from at least the front side. This light-emitting means makes it easier to direct light toward the partition member 310, improving the presentation effect of illuminating the granular members 320 scattered in the internal space IE1 of the partition member 310.

The second light irradiation device 6340 includes, in addition to the illumination board 342, a second illumination board 6344 that is tilted and positioned such that its rear end is close to the rear end of the illumination board 342 and its front end is away from the illumination board 342.

The second illumination board 6344 is equipped with a light-emitting means such as an LED that is arranged to irradiate light from at least the rear side. This light-emitting means makes it easier to direct light to the performance members 700 and displacement rotation unit 800 of the zoom unit 600 that are arranged on the rear side of the launch unit 6300, improving the performance effect of the light-emitting performance.

The arrangement of the illumination boards is not limited to this. For example, only the second illumination boards 6334, 6344 may be used, and the illumination boards 332, 342 may be omitted, or other combinations may be used. Also, the light emitting means may be placed on the side of the second illumination boards 6334, 6344 where the light emitting means is not placed, or the boards may be configured so that light can be emitted from both sides.

In addition, if the objective is to make the direction of light irradiation oblique, it is also possible to configure a device that can change the position of the light emitting means without increasing the number of illumination boards. Also, it is possible to configure the light emitting means to be located at the intersection of the illumination boards 332, 342 and the second illumination boards 6334, 6344 so that it can irradiate light.

The seventh embodiment of the present invention, a board box A100, will be described with reference to Figs. 104 to 120. First, the general configuration of the board box A100 will be described with reference to Figs. 104 to 107. Note that parts that are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

Figure 104 is a rear view of the pachinko machine A10 in the seventh embodiment, Figure 105 is a front oblique view of the board box A100 in the seventh embodiment, Figure 106 is a rear oblique view of the board box A100, Figure 107 (a) is a front view of the board box A100, and Figure 107 (b) is a side view of the board box A100.

In addition, arrows F, B, arrows L, R, and arrows U, D in Figures 105 to 107 indicate the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions of the board box A100, respectively. Note that this also applies to the following figures, so their explanations will be omitted.

The pachinko machine A10 in the seventh embodiment has the same configuration as the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, except for the circuit board box A100. Therefore, a description of the rest will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 104 to 107, the board box A100 includes a box cover A200, a box base A300 whose opening is covered by the box cover A200, a sealing unit A400 that connects the box cover A200 and the box base A300 together so that they cannot be opened (connected by a crimping structure), and a sub-cover A500 that is disposed at the end of the box cover A200 and the box base A300 connected by the sealing unit A400 on the opposite side from the sealing unit A400, and houses the main control device A110 (see Figure 112).

A rotation axis A410 is formed in the sealing unit A400. The rotation axis A410 is an axis for rotatably supporting the substrate box A100 on the rear side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 120), and is formed as an axis parallel to the short direction (direction of arrows U and D) of the substrate box A100 (box cover A200) and perpendicular to the long direction (direction of arrows L and R) of the substrate box A100 (box cover A200).

The rotating shaft A410 is disposed on one longitudinal side of the board box A100 (box cover A200) when viewed from the front (as viewed in the direction of arrow B) (the side opposite the first connecting wall portion A220 across the covering portion A270 described below, the side in the direction of arrow R). The rotating shaft A410 may also be disposed on the other longitudinal side (the side in the direction of arrow L) opposite the one longitudinal side of the board box A100 (box cover A200).

The main control device A110 is provided (mounted) with a switch device A120 and a key device A130. The main control device A110 is configured by further providing (mounting) a switch device A120 and a key device A130 to the main control device 110 in the first embodiment. In other words, the main control device A110 and the main control device 110 in the first embodiment are configured the same, except for the presence or absence of the switch device A120 and the key device A130. Therefore, other explanations will be omitted.

The switch device A120 is configured as a momentary push button switch that is operated (turned on) when the operating unit A122 is pressed from the initial position and turned off (the operating unit A122 returns to the initial position) when the pressing is released, and is used for input to the main control device A110. The switch device A120 and the key device A130 correspond to some of the various switches 208 (see FIG. 4) in the main control device A110 (main control device 110).

The switch device A120 is configured to generate a predetermined clicking sensation (change in pushing force) when the operating unit A122 is pushed into the operating position (on position), and the operator can detect the completion of input to the main control device A110 based on the clicking sensation. This is therefore useful when it is necessary to operate the operating unit A122 in a situation where it cannot be seen.

The key device A130 is configured as a key-operated selector switch (mode change switch) in which the key A140 can be inserted and removed in the initial position (hereinafter referred to as the "off position"), and is operated (on) when the key A140 inserted in the off position is rotated (right rotation in this embodiment) and placed in a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the "on position"), and is turned off when the key A140 is rotated (left rotation in this embodiment) and placed in the off position.

In this embodiment, the phase difference between the off position and the on position is set to approximately 90 degrees. In addition, in the off position, the key device A130 allows the insertion and removal of the key A140, while in the on position, the removal of the key A140 is not possible.

The function of the switch device A120 can be switched depending on the on/off state of the key device A130. For example, in this embodiment, when the key device A130 is off, the switch device A120 functions as a reset switch (RAM clear switch) that initializes the main control device A110 (performs RAM erasure), and when the key device A130 is on, the switch device A120 functions as a setting change switch that changes the value of the winning probability in the lottery (hereinafter referred to as "setting change"), as described below.

As described above, the board box A100 (box cover A200 and box base A300) is connected in such a way that it cannot be opened, so that in order to operate the main control device A110 (e.g., the switch device A120 and key device A130), it is necessary to open the board box A100, which is time-consuming.

In contrast, according to the circuit board box A100 of this embodiment, openings A250, A260 are formed in the box cover A200, and the switch device A120 and key device A130 can be operated through these openings A250, A260. In other words, it is not necessary to open the circuit board box A100, and this reduces the effort required. Details will be described later.

The switch device A120 and the key device A130 have protruding legs A121, A131 (electrical connection terminals, see FIG. 114) on their rear sides (the side in the direction in which the operating part A122 is pushed in, the side in the direction in which the key A140 is inserted, the side in the direction of arrow B) and these legs A121, A131 are inserted from the front side into holes opening in the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119) and the protruding parts on the rear side are soldered, so that the switch device A120 and the key device A130 are disposed on the front side of the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119).

In this case, when an external force (for example, a force that displaces the operating part A122 or the key A140 in a direction perpendicular to the pushing direction (insertion direction), or a force parallel to the plane including the arrows U, D and L, R) is applied to the switch device A120 and the key device A130 and tilted relative to the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119), a tensile force is applied to the legs A121, A131 on one side (the side that is lifted from the printed circuit board A119 due to the tilt) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130, while a compressive force is applied to the legs A121, A131 on the other side (the side that is pressed down against the printed circuit board A119 due to the tilt). This can cause the legs A121, A131 to break or bend, come out of the holes, or the solder to peel off, which can lead to disconnections or poor contact. In response to this, the board box A100 is designed to solve such problems. More details will be provided below.

The main control device 100 is equipped with multiple (four in this embodiment) seven-segment displays (not shown), which are mounted on a printed circuit board A119. Since the box cover A200 is made of a light-transmitting resin material, the operator can see the indications of the seven-segment displays through the box cover A200.

Here, we explain how to change settings using switch device A120 and key device A130.

First, with the power to the pachinko machine A10 turned off, the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 is placed in the on position, and the power to the pachinko machine A10 is turned on while the operation part A122 of the switch device A120 is pressed into the operating position. This starts the machine in a setting change mode, and the settings are changed each time the operation part A122 of the switch device A120 is pressed.

In this embodiment, six values, from first to sixth, are defined as the setting value, and these values are cycled (for example, by pressing the operation unit A122, the setting value advances from the first value to the sixth value in sequence, and when the operation unit A122 is pressed from the sixth value, the setting value advances to the first value).

The set value is displayed on the third pattern display device 81, which is a liquid crystal display (display device), and when the operation section A122 of the switch device A120 is pressed (when the set value is changed), the set value displayed on the third pattern display device 81 is also changed. In this embodiment, the set value is also displayed on the seven-segment display.

In addition, the information related to the setting change displayed on the third pattern display device 81 is not limited to the setting value, and may include other information. Examples of other information include the current mode (setting change mode, setting confirmation mode), the previous setting value, etc. In this way, by using the third pattern display device 81, it is possible to ensure (increase) the amount of information that can be displayed compared to, for example, using a seven-segment display device. As a result, it becomes easier to grasp the operating status, which improves operability and reduces operating errors. Also, by using the device that displays information related to the game (the third pattern display device 81) as a dual-purpose device, the product costs can be reduced accordingly.

The setting value may be displayed on only one of the third pattern display device 81 or the seven-segment display device, and not on the other. Alternatively, the setting value may be displayed on neither the third pattern display device 81 nor the seven-segment display device.

After changing the desired setting value, place the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 in the off position. This ends the setting change mode (the setting value is finalized). In this case, the off edge of the key device A130 is detected, and this detection triggers a power recovery process, and normal mode is started with the set (changed) setting value.

In addition, after changing the desired setting value, the normal mode with the set (changed) setting value can also be started by turning off the power to the pachinko machine A10 without placing the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 in the off position (i.e., leaving it in the on position) and then turning on the power to the pachinko machine A10 with the key A140 of the key device A130 in the off position.

In addition, in the setting change mode, RAM erasure is performed. This RAM erasure is confirmed when the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 is placed in the OFF position. Examples of the timing for executing RAM erasure include the timing when the power to the pachinko machine A10 is turned on, the timing when a predetermined time has passed since that timing, and the timing when the key A140 is placed in the OFF position. In other words, the timing for executing RAM erasure can be set as appropriate.

In addition, if the power supply to the pachinko machine A10 is turned off during the setting change mode (i.e., when the setting value can be changed by pressing the operation part A122 of the switch device A120), and the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 is not placed in the OFF position (i.e., left in the ON position), and the power supply to the pachinko machine A10 is turned on with the key A140 removed from the key device A130 or with the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 placed in the OFF position, the machine will not start up in normal mode, will be placed in an error state, and an error message will be displayed on the third pattern display device 81. An error message may be displayed on the seven-segment display simultaneously with or instead of the third pattern display device 81.

Next, to check the setting value set in the setting change mode, first turn off the power to the pachinko machine A10, place the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 in the on position, and then turn on the power to the pachinko machine A10. This starts the setting check mode for checking the setting value, and the setting value set at that time is displayed on the third pattern display device 81 and the 7-segment display.

The setting value in the setting confirmation mode may be displayed only on either the third pattern display device 81 or the seven-segment display, and not on the other. Alternatively, the setting value may be displayed neither on the third pattern display device 81 nor on the seven-segment display.

In this setting confirmation mode, the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 is placed in the off position. This ends the setting confirmation mode. The off edge of the key device A130 is also detected, and this detection triggers a power recovery process, and normal mode is started with the setting values set at that time.

In addition, in the setting confirmation mode, the normal mode with the setting values set at that time can also be started by turning off the power of the pachinko machine A10, placing the key A140 inserted in the key device A130 in the off position, and then turning on the power of the pachinko machine A10.

In this embodiment, when the change of the setting value in the setting change mode is completed (confirmed), the seven-segment display is emitted in a predetermined manner. An example of the predetermined manner is a manner in which a predetermined display (e.g., "7") flashes at regular time intervals.

Four seven-segment displays can be arranged side by side to display four digits, with the first two digits (two pieces) indicating the mode (for example, "01" is displayed in setting change mode, and "02" is displayed in setting confirmation mode), and the last two digits (two pieces) indicating the setting value (for example, the first value is "01", the second value is "02", ... and the sixth value is "06").

Next, with reference to Figures 108 to 114, the components that make up the board box A100 (box cover A200, box base A300, and main control device A110) will be described in order. First, with reference to Figures 108 to 110, the box cover A200 will be described.

Figure 108 is a front perspective view of the box cover A200, Figure 109 is a rear perspective view of the box cover A200, Figure 110(a) is a partially enlarged front view of the box cover A200 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXa in Figure 108, and Figure 110(b) is a partially enlarged rear view of the box cover A200 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXb in Figure 109.

As shown in Figures 108 to 110, the box cover A200 mainly comprises a front wall A201 formed in a plate shape of a generally horizontally elongated rectangle when viewed from the front, and plate-shaped walls (upper wall A202, lower wall A203, left wall A204 and right wall A205 connecting the upper wall A202 and lower wall A203) erected from the four sides of the front wall A201 toward the rear side (in the direction of arrow B), and these walls A201 to A205 form a box shape with an open rear side. The box cover A200 is made of a light-transmitting resin material and is molded using a resin molding die.

Two steps are formed on the upright end faces (faces on the direction of arrow B) of the upper wall portion A202, the lower wall portion A203, the left wall portion A204, and the right wall portion A205. The steps are such that a first surface (first step) is formed on the internal space side of the board box A100 (box cover A200), and a second surface (first step) is formed on the outer side of the first surface (opposite the internal space). The first surface is lower than the second surface (its upright height from the front wall portion A201 is smaller), and is formed as a surface (hereinafter referred to as "seat surface A206") on which the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119) is placed.

The seat A206 is formed in a generally rectangular frame shape in front view with the faces (first faces) of the wall sections A201 to A205 continuing, and is formed as a surface parallel to the front wall section A201. Fastening holes A206a with female threads threaded on the inner circumference are recessed in the four corners of the seat A206 (portions where the faces (first faces) of the wall sections A201 to A205 are connected to each other).

The main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119) is therefore fastened to the box cover A200 (seat A206) in a position parallel to the front wall A201 by abutting the outer edge of its front surface against the seat A206 and screwing the screw ASC (see Figures 117(b) and 118(b)) inserted through the insertion hole A112 of the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119) into the fastening hole A206a, and is stored in the board box A100.

A number of engagement pieces A207 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval on the upper wall A202 and the lower wall A203. The engagement pieces A207 are formed in a shape that is bent into a substantially L-shape from a base portion that stands upright from the upper wall A202 and the lower wall A203 toward the rear side (in the direction of arrow B) and an extension portion that extends in one direction (in the direction of arrow R) from the standing tip of the base portion, and are engaged with an engagement portion A307 of the box base A300 as described later.

A portion of the front wall A201 is recessed toward the rear side (in the direction of arrow B). This recess is formed in the front wall A201 by a plate-shaped operation wall A210 located further back toward the rear side (toward the main control device 110) than the front wall A201, and plate-shaped walls (first connection wall A220, second connection wall A230, and third connection wall A240) that connect each side of the operation wall A210 to the front wall A201.

That is, the outer surface of the front side of the board box A100 (the surface on the direction of the arrow F) is formed by a first area formed by the front wall portion A201 and a second area located closer to the main control device A110 than the first area and formed by the operation wall portion A210.

The operation wall portion A210 is a portion that forms the operation surface of the switch device A120 and the key device A130, and is formed in a generally horizontally elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front (a rectangular shape whose length dimension in the directions of the arrows L and R is longer than its length dimension in the directions of the arrows U and D), and is disposed in a position generally parallel to the front wall portion A201.

The operation wall portion A210 is disposed on one side (the side of the rotation axis A410 of the sealing unit A400) of the longitudinal center of the box cover A200 when viewed from the front (viewed in the direction of arrow B).

The first connecting wall A220 is a wall that connects one side of the operation wall A210 in the longitudinal direction (arrow L direction side) to the front wall A201, and is formed with a slope (downward slope) in the direction approaching the main control device A110 as it moves from the front wall A201 to the operation wall A210. Therefore, a space that is connected to the space on the front side (arrow F direction side) of the operation wall A210 can be formed on the front side (arrow F direction side) of the first connecting wall A220, and the combined space of the front sides of the first connecting wall A220 and the operation wall A210 can expand the overall space (space that can be used when operating the key device A130).

In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the first connection wall A220 relative to the front wall A201 and the operation wall A210 is set to approximately 45 degrees. This allows for both expansion of space on the front side (arrow F direction) of the operation wall A210 and securing space inside the board box A100.

The second connecting wall A230 is a wall that connects one side of the operation wall A210 in the short direction (the side indicated by the arrow U), and the third connecting wall A240 is a wall that connects one side of the operation wall A210 in the long direction (the side indicated by the arrow R) to the front wall A201, and is disposed in a position that is approximately perpendicular to the front wall A201 and the operation wall A210.

The operation wall portion A210 is formed with an opening A250 for projecting the operation portion A122 to the outside of the circuit board box A100, an opening A260 for allowing the key A140 to be inserted into and removed from the key device A130, and openings AOP1 to AOP8 for allowing connection to a connector (not shown) mounted on the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119).

The opening A250 is formed so that its shape in front view corresponds to the outer shape of the operation unit A122 (in this embodiment, it is substantially square in front view), and is disposed approximately in the center in the longitudinal direction (directions of arrows L and R) of the operation wall unit A210. Around the opening A250, a guide wall A251 is erected from the front (outer surface, surface on the side in the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall unit A210.

The guide wall A251 is a portion for guiding the displacement of the operating part A122 in the pushing direction (the direction of the arrow B) and restricting the displacement (tilting) in a direction perpendicular to the pushing direction (a direction parallel to the plane including the arrows U, D and the arrows L, R). It is formed in a roughly square frame shape in a front view surrounding the opening A250, and its inner circumferential surface is smoothly connected to the inner circumferential surface of the opening A250.

In this embodiment, the height of the guide wall A251 from the operation wall A210 is set so that the tip of the guide wall A251 from the operation wall A210 is lower than the tip of the operation part A122 pushed into the operating position (on position) (the tip of the operation part A122 protrudes outward (in the direction of arrow F) from the tip of the guide wall A251). This makes it possible to prevent the guide wall A251 from impeding the pushing operation of the operation part A122, improving the operability of the operation part A122.

However, the height of the guide wall A251 from the operation wall A210 may be set so that the tip of the operation part A122 is higher than the tip of the operation part A122 pushed into the operating position (turned on position) (the tip of the operation part A122 is recessed inward (in the direction of arrow B) than the tip of the operation part A122 from the guide wall A251). This makes it possible to prevent the operation part A122 from being unintentionally pushed into the operating position (turned on) due to careless operation by the operator or contact (interference) with other members.

The height of the guide wall A251 from the operation wall A210 may be set to a dimension such that the tip of the operation part A122, which has been pushed into the operating position (on position), is at approximately the same height as the tip of the operation part A122 from the operation wall A210. When the operation part A122 is pushed in, the operator's fingers come into contact with the tip of the guide wall A251, and this contact can be used as a reference to enable the operator to recognize that the operation part A122 has been pushed into the operating position. This is effective when it is necessary to operate the operation part A122 in a situation where it cannot be seen.

A covering portion A270 protrudes from the front (outer surface, surface on the arrow F direction side) of the operation wall portion A210. The covering portion A270 is a portion that covers part of the tip side (arrow F direction side) of the key device A130 (see FIG. 112(a)), and mainly comprises a peripheral wall portion A271 formed in a cylindrical shape erected from the operation wall portion A210, and a plate-shaped end wall portion A272 that closes the protruding tip of the peripheral wall portion A271 (forming the end surface), and a part of the tip side of the key device A130 is stored in the internal space.

The peripheral wall A271 has a base A271a formed in a cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross section, and a pair of protrusions A271b protruding radially outward from two opposing points (positions with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees) of the base A271a. The peripheral wall A271 (base A271a and protrusions A271b) are formed in a substantially identical cross-sectional shape along the axial direction (direction of arrows F and B). Thus, an opening is formed in the operation wall A210 that has a substantially identical shape to the cross-sectional shape of the peripheral wall A271 (base A271a and protrusions A271b) (i.e., a shape in which two opposing points of the circle protrude radially outward) (see FIG. 110(b)).

The opening A260 is formed on the protruding tip surface of the covering portion A270, i.e., the end wall portion A272. As a result, the end wall portion A272 is formed in a plate shape extending radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the protruding tip of the peripheral wall portion A271. That is, the end wall portion A272 is formed as a plate shape (cantilever beam) with a base end fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion A271 and one end (the opening A260 side) in a free state.

Here, the opening A260 is formed only in an area (area necessary to allow displacement) corresponding to the displacement trajectory of the key A140 when the key A140 is displaced (rotated) between the off position and the on position. In detail, the opening A260 is formed in a shape in which a first sector-shaped opening with a central angle of approximately 90 degrees for allowing displacement of a portion on one side of the rotation center of the key A140 and a second sector-shaped opening with a central angle of approximately 90 degrees for allowing displacement of a portion on the other side (opposite side) of the rotation center of the key A140 are combined with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees.

As a result, the end wall portion A272 is formed with an annular portion A272a that extends radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the protruding tip of the peripheral wall portion A271 and is formed in a generally annular shape when viewed from the front (when viewed from the direction of arrow B), and a rectangular portion A272b that extends radially inward from the inner edge of the annular portion A272a and is formed in a generally triangular shape when viewed from the front (when viewed from the direction of arrow B). The rectangular portion A272b is arranged in a manner that tapers radially inward when viewed from the front (when viewed from the direction of arrow B), and is formed in two places with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees.

The key A140 has a different rotation radius on one side of the rotation center from the rotation radius on the other side of the rotation center. Therefore, the first sector-shaped opening and the second sector-shaped opening of the opening A260 have different sizes (radii).

A first protrusion A211 and a second protrusion A212 are provided on the front surface (outer surface, surface facing the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall A210. The first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 are ridges that extend in stripes while maintaining a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and one end is connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the covering A270.

In detail, one end of the first protrusion A211 is connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall portion A271 at a position (phase) facing the edge of the key A140 in the OFF position, and one end of the second protrusion A212 is connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the base A271a of the peripheral wall portion A271 at a position (phase) facing the edge of the key A140 in the ON position. That is, one end of the first protrusion A211 and one end of the second protrusion A212 are each connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the covering portion A270 at positions with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees.

In addition, on the front surface (outer surface, surface on the side facing the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall portion A210, display portions are formed at positions adjacent to the other ends of the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 (on the extension of the other ends). The display portions show information on the operation position (rotation position) of the key A140, and display "OFF" and "ON". That is, the key A140 with its edge facing one end of the first protrusion A211 is positioned in the OFF position (see FIG. 115(a)), and the key A140 with its edge facing one end of the second protrusion A212 is positioned in the ON position (see FIG. 115(b)).

Opening AOP1 is formed in the operation wall A210, and openings AOP2 to AOP8 are formed (side-by-side) in series (in a row) along the edge of the front wall A201.

Upright walls A280 and A290 are erected on the back surface (inner surface, surface facing the direction of arrow B) of the operation wall portion A210. The erected wall A280 includes a first erected wall A281, a second erected wall A282, a third erected wall A283, and a fourth erected wall A284, and the opening A250 is surrounded by each of these erected walls A281, A282, A283, and A284 (see FIG. 110(b)). Therefore, when the main control device A110 is stored in the board box A100, the switch device A120 is surrounded by the erected wall A280.

The first standing wall A281 is disposed between the opening A250 and the second connecting wall A230, and is formed in a plate shape substantially parallel to the second connecting wall A230 and the lower wall A203. The second standing wall A282 and the third standing wall A283 are disposed opposite each other across the opening A250, and are formed in a plate shape substantially perpendicular to the first standing wall A281. The fourth standing wall A284 is disposed between the opening A250 and the lower wall A203, and is formed in a plate shape substantially parallel to the first standing wall A281.

The second standing wall A282 and the third standing wall A283 are connected on one side to the first standing wall A281 and on the other side to the lower wall portion A203. That is, the first standing wall A281 is connected to the lower wall portion A203 via the second standing wall A282 and the third standing wall A283. The fourth standing wall A284 is connected on one side to the second standing wall A282 and on the other side to the third standing wall A283.

The vertical wall A290 also includes a first vertical wall A291, a second vertical wall A292, and a third vertical wall A293, and the opening A260 is surrounded by these vertical walls A291, A292, and A293 (see FIG. 110(b)). Therefore, when the main control device A110 is stored in the board box A100, the key device A130 is surrounded by the vertical wall A290.

The first standing wall A291 is disposed between the opening A260 and the second connecting wall A230, and is formed in a plate shape that is approximately parallel to each of the second connecting wall A230 and the lower wall A203. The second standing wall A292 and the third standing wall A293 are disposed opposite each other across the opening A260, and are formed in a plate shape that is approximately perpendicular to the first standing wall A291.

The second standing wall A292 and the third standing wall A293 are connected on one side to the first standing wall A291 and on the other side to the lower wall portion A203. That is, the first standing wall A291 is connected to the lower wall portion A203 via the second standing wall A292 and the third standing wall A293. The fourth standing wall A284 is connected on one side to the second standing wall A292 and on the other side to the third standing wall A293.

The standing wall A290 is formed to a size that surrounds the periphery of the covering portion A270 (at a position outside the covering portion A270) when viewed from the front (when viewed from the direction of arrow B). In detail, when viewed from the front (when viewed from the direction of arrow B), the outer surface (arc) of the base portion A271a in the peripheral wall portion A271 of the covering portion A270 is inscribed in the inner surfaces (straight lines) of the second standing wall A292 and the third standing wall A293, respectively, and the outer surface (arc) of the protrusion portion A271b in the peripheral wall portion A271 of the covering portion A270 is inscribed in the inner surfaces (straight lines) of the first standing wall A291 and the lower wall portion A203, respectively.

The first upright wall A281, A291, the second upright wall A282, A292 and the third upright wall A283, A293 of the upright walls A280, A290 each have the same upright height from the rear surface (inner surface, surface on the arrow B direction side) of the operation wall portion A210, and the upright tip surface (surface on the arrow B direction side) of each of these upright walls A281, A291, A282, A292, A283, A293 is positioned at the same height as the seat surface A206.

Therefore, the upright end faces of the second upright walls A282, A292 and the third upright walls A283, A293 of the upright walls A280, A290 are connected to the seating surface A206, and the seating surface A206 and the upright end faces of the upright walls A281, A293, A282, A292, A283, A293 are located on the same plane (form the same plane). As a result, when the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119) is fastened and fixed to the box cover A200 (seating surface A206), the upright end faces (faces on the arrow B direction side) of the first upright walls A281, A291, the second upright walls A282, A292 and the third upright walls A283, A293 abut against the front surface (faces on the arrow F direction side) of the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119).

Here, in the erected wall A280, the length dimension (dimension in the direction of arrows U and D) of the second erected wall A282 and the third erected wall A283 is set to a value larger than the length dimension (dimension in the direction of arrows L and R) of the first erected wall A281. Therefore, as described below, when the outer surface of the tilted switch device A120 abuts against the inner surface of the erected wall A280 (the second erected wall A282 and the third erected wall A283), the second erected wall A282 and the third erected wall A283 may deform, and there is a risk that the tilting of the switch device A120 may not be suppressed.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the opposing second and third standing walls A282 and A283 are connected by the fourth standing wall A284, so deformation of the second and third standing walls A282 and A283 can be suppressed. As a result, tilting of the switch device A120 can be suppressed.

On the other hand, by arranging the fourth upright wall A284 in a position close to the lower wall portion A203, the material volume near the fourth upright wall A284 becomes large. This corresponds to the partial formation of a portion with a large plate thickness, and due to the difference in shrinkage rate with other portions, this causes molding defects in the portion with the partially large plate thickness and in its vicinity.

In response to this, the erection height of the fourth erection wall A284 is made smaller (lower) than the erection heights of the first erection wall A281, the second erection wall A282, and the third erection wall A283. This ensures the function of suppressing deformation of the second erection wall A282 and the third erection wall A283, while reducing the material volume near the fourth erection wall A284, thereby suppressing molding defects due to differences in shrinkage rates.

In addition, by providing the fourth upright wall A284 at a position closer to the opening A250 than the lower wall portion A203, as described below, when the switch device A120 tilts in the direction of arrow D, the outer surface of the switch device A120 abuts against the inner surface of the fourth upright wall A284, and the tilt can be suppressed within an appropriate range (i.e., to a smaller angle than when the switch device A120 abuts against the lower wall portion A203).

The inner surfaces of the first vertical walls A281, A291, the second vertical walls A282, A292, and the third vertical walls A283, A293 in the vertical walls A280, A290 are formed with tapered surfaces A280a, A290a, which are inclined surfaces approaching the outer surface side as they approach the vertical tip side (arrow B direction). As a result, the thickness dimension (plate thickness dimension) at the vertical tip of each vertical wall A281, A291, A282, A292, A283, A293 is gradually reduced as it approaches the vertical tip side, and the area of the vertical tip surface (surface on the arrow B direction side) of each vertical wall A281, A291, A282, A292, A283, A293 is reduced accordingly.

The tapered surfaces A280a, A290a may be omitted. The tapered surfaces A280a, A290a may also be provided on the outer surfaces of the upright tips of the first upright walls A281, A291, the second upright walls A282, A292, and the third upright walls A283, A293 of the upright walls A280, A290.

A standing wall A208 is erected on the rear surface (inner surface, surface on the direction of arrow B) of the front wall A201. In addition to the above-mentioned standing walls A280 and A290, a standing wall A209 is erected on the rear surface (inner surface, surface on the direction of arrow B) of the operation wall A210.

The erected wall A208 is formed in a box shape with four plates connected together and open on the side opposite the front wall A201, and is formed in a position corresponding to the arithmetic unit (MPU201, see FIG. 4) mounted on the main control unit A110 (printed circuit board A119). The erected wall A209 has an internal shape corresponding to the opening AOP1, is formed in a box shape with an open side opposite the operation wall A210, and is formed in a position corresponding to the connector mounted on the main control unit A110 (printed circuit board A119). Therefore, when the main control unit A110 is stored in the circuit board box A100, the arithmetic unit (MPU201) is surrounded by the erected wall A208, and the connector is surrounded by the erected wall A209.

Here, the height position of the erected tip surface of one or more of the erected walls A208, A209, A280, and A290 surrounding the multiple objects is set at a height position different from the height position of the erected tip surface of the remaining erected walls. In this embodiment, the height position of the erected tip surface of the erected wall A209 is set back from the height positions of the erected tip surfaces of the erected walls A208, A280, and A290 (i.e., located on the side away from the printed circuit board A119). As a result, even if there are dimensional tolerances of the erected walls A208, A209, A280, and A290, mounting tolerances of the printed circuit board A119 to the box cover A200, or dimensional tolerances of the printed circuit board A119 (for example, variations in flatness), the erected tip surfaces of the erected walls A208, A280, and A290 can be more easily attached to the printed circuit board A119 than the erected wall A209. In other words, it is possible to ensure that the vertical wall surrounding the object of high importance is in close contact with the printed circuit board A119.

Next, the box base A300 will be described with reference to Figure 111. Figure 111(a) is a front perspective view of the box base A300, and Figure 111(b) is a rear perspective view of the box base A300.

As shown in FIG. 111, the box base A300 mainly comprises a rear wall A301 formed in a plate shape that is roughly horizontally elongated when viewed from the front, and plate-shaped walls (upper wall A302, lower wall A303, left wall A304 and right wall A305 connecting the upper wall A302 and lower wall A303) that are erected from the four sides of the rear wall A301 toward the front side (in the direction of arrow F), and these walls A301 to A305 form a box shape with an open front side. The box base A300 is made of resin material and is molded using a resin molding die.

A number of engaged portions A307 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval on the upper wall portion A302 and the lower wall portion A303. The engaged portions A307 are portions that engage with the engaging pieces A207 of the box cover A200, and are formed to protrude downward (in the direction of the arrow D).

To connect the box base A300 and the box cover A200, first, they are brought face to face with the engaging piece A207 at a position opposite the extension direction of the extension portion of the engaging piece A207 (arrow L direction) at a position shifted in phase by the extension length of the extending portion, and the box cover A200 is pushed toward the box base A300. This causes the engaging piece A207 to enter the space between adjacent engaged portions A307, and then the box cover A200 is slid relative to the box base A300 in the extension direction of the extending portion of the engaging piece A207 (arrow R direction). This causes the engaging piece A207 to enter the back side (arrow B direction) of the engaged portion A307, and the two are engaged (the displacement of the box cover A200 in the arrow F direction is restricted).

Next, the main control device A110 will be described with reference to Figures 112 to 114. Figure 112(a) is a front perspective view of the main control device A110, Figure 112(b) is a rear perspective view of the main control device A110, and Figure 113 is a partially enlarged front perspective view of the main control device A110 at part CXIII in Figure 112(a).

Figure 114(a) is a front view of the main control device A110 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXIVa in Figure 112(a), Figure 114(b) is a side view of the main control device A110 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXIVb in Figure 114(a), and Figure 114(c) is a side view of the main control device A110 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXIVc in Figure 114(a).

In addition, in Figures 112 to 114, in order to simplify the drawings and make them easier to understand, only the main electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board A119 are shown, and the other components are omitted.

As shown in Figures 112 to 114, the main control device A110 comprises a printed circuit board A119, and a switch device A120 and a key device A130 mounted on the printed circuit board A119. The printed circuit board A119 is made of a plate made of insulating resin material, on which various electronic components (ICs, resistors, capacitors, and transistors) are mounted, and the circuits (patterns) connecting these electronic components are formed from a conductor such as copper foil, and insertion holes A112 are drilled in the four corners.

The printed circuit board A119 is stored in the circuit board box A100 with its front side (the side on which the switch device A120 and key device A130 are mounted, the side facing the direction of arrow F) facing the back side of the box cover A200 (front wall portion A201).

In this case, at least in the areas AS1 and AS2 on the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 where the upright end faces of the upright walls A280 and A290 of the box cover A200 and the seating surface A206 of the lower wall portion A203 abut (see FIG. 114(a)), no electronic components are mounted or circuits are formed, and such areas AS1 and AS2 are formed as flat surfaces. Note that FIG. 114(a) shows only the parts of the area where the seating surface A206 abuts that are connected to the upright walls A280 and A290.

The switch device A120 includes a body A123 that holds the operating part A122 so that it can be displaced (pushed in), a coil spring (biasing means, not shown) that is disposed inside the body A123 and applies a biasing force to the operating part A122 to return it to its initial position, a contact (not shown) that is disposed inside the body A123 and whose contact is switched in response to the displacement of the operating part A122, and a leg A121 that is electrically connected to the contact.

The main body A123 has a base A123a formed in a roughly cubic shape and mounted on the front of the printed circuit board A119, and a cylindrical protrusion A123b protruding from the front (the surface on the arrow F direction side) of the base A123a, and the outer diameter dimension of the protrusion A123b is made larger than the maximum dimension (diagonal length) of the opening A250 (the inner edge of the guide wall A251). When the main control device A110 is stored in the board box A100, the front of the protrusion A123b faces the back (the surface on the arrow B direction side) of the operation wall A210.

In this embodiment, the portion protruding from the bottom surface of the base A123a (a part of the bottom surface of the base A123a from which the legs A121 protrude) is abutted against the front surface of the printed circuit board A119. However, a gap may be formed between the bottom surface of the base A123a (a part of the bottom surface of the base A123a from which the legs A121 protrude) and the front surface of the printed circuit board A119. In other words, the base A123a may be arranged so that it is elevated from the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 by the legs A121.

In addition, in this embodiment, a predetermined gap is formed between the front surface of the protrusion A123b and the rear surface (surface on the arrow B direction side) of the operation wall A210. However, the front surface of the protrusion A123b and the rear surface (surface on the arrow B direction side) of the operation wall A210 may be configured to abut against each other.

The legs A121 protrude from the rear surface (the surface on the direction of arrow B, the surface facing the printed circuit board A119) of the base A123a of the main body A123, and as described above, are inserted from the front side into holes opening in the printed circuit board A119, and the portions protruding toward the rear side are soldered. This causes the switch device A120 to be disposed (mounted) on the front side of the printed circuit board A119.

The key device A130 includes a cylinder portion A132 formed as a lock that allows the inner tube A132a to rotate relative to the outer tube A132b when a compatible key A140 is inserted into the inner tube A132a, a main body A133 that holds the cylinder portion A132 inside, a support A134 that supports the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the main body A133, contacts (not shown) whose contact is switched depending on the state of the cylinder portion A132 (the rotational position of the inner tube A132a relative to the outer tube A132b), and legs A131 that are electrically connected to the contacts.

The main body A133 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape and includes a base A133a that holds the cylinder portion A132 on its inner periphery (inside), a pair of protrusions A133b that protrude radially outward from two points (positions with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees) on the outer periphery (outer surface) of the base A133a, and an end A133c that forms the end face on the tip side (arrow F direction side) of the base A133a.

In this embodiment, the portion protruding from the bottom surface of the main body A133 (a part of the bottom surface of the main body A133 from which the legs A131 protrude) is abutted against the front surface of the printed circuit board A119. However, a gap may be formed between the bottom surface of the main body A133 (a part of the bottom surface of the main body A133 from which the legs A131 protrude) and the front surface of the printed circuit board A119. In other words, the main body A133 may be arranged so that it is elevated from the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 by the legs A131.

The end face of the protrusion A133b in the direction of arrow F is formed at a position (on the side of arrow B) one step lower than the end face (the face in the direction of arrow F) formed by the end A133c. The end A133c has a circular opening in a front view at a position that is approximately concentric with the base A133a, and the key A140 can be inserted and removed from the cylinder portion A132 (inner tube A132a) through this opening.

When the main control device A110 is stored in the board box A100, a portion of the tip side (arrow F direction side) of the main body A133 is stored in the internal space of the covering part A270.

In detail, the outer diameter of the base A133a of the main body A133 is set to a value equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the base A271a of the peripheral wall A271 of the covering part A270, and the protruding shape of the protrusion A133b of the main body A133 is formed to a size equal to or slightly smaller than the recessed shape of the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall A271 of the covering part A270, so that the base A133a of the main body A133 is stored on the inner circumferential side (inside) of the base A271a of the peripheral wall A271, and the protrusion A133b of the main body A133 is stored on the inner circumferential side (inside) of the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall A271.

In this case, a predetermined gap is formed between the front surface (end surface, surface on the arrow F direction side) of the end A133c of the main body A133 and the back surface (surface on the arrow B direction side) of the end wall portion A272 of the covering portion A270. Note that the front surface of the end A133c and the back surface of the end wall portion A272 may be configured to abut against each other.

The legs A131 protrude from the rear surface (the surface on the direction of arrow B, the surface facing the printed circuit board A119) of the base A133a of the main body A133, and as described above, are inserted from the front side into holes opening in the printed circuit board A119, and the portions protruding to the rear side are soldered. This causes the key device A130 to be disposed (mounted) on the front side of the printed circuit board A119.

The support A134 is integrally formed by bending a metal plate and includes a base portion A134a having an opening formed substantially in the center through which the main body A133 (base portion A133a and protrusion portion A133b) is inserted, a pair of extension portions A134b extending from two opposing sides of the base portion A134a toward the printed circuit board A119, and a pair of reinforcing portions A134c extending from the remaining two sides of the base portion A134a toward the printed circuit board A119.

The extension length of the extension portion A134b from the base portion A134a is set to be greater than the extension length of the reinforcement portion A134c from the base portion A134a, and the extension end surface (the surface on the arrow B direction side) of the extension portion A134b abuts against the front surface (the surface on the arrow F direction side) of the printed circuit board A119. In addition, a leg A134b1 is protruding from the extension end surface of the extension portion A134b. The support body A134 is disposed on the front side of the printed circuit board A119 and is self-supporting by inserting the leg A134b1 from the front side into a hole opening in the printed circuit board A119 and soldering the part protruding to the rear side. As a result, the main body A133 is supported by the support body A134, and the support body A134 can be prevented from tilting relative to the printed circuit board A119.

A gap may be provided between the extension tip surface (surface on the side of arrow B) of the extension portion A134b and the front surface (surface on the side of arrow F) of the printed circuit board A119. In other words, the support body A134 may be arranged so that it is elevated from the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 by the legs A131. In this case, the heat dissipation properties of the key device A130 can be improved by the gap.

On the other hand, the extension length of the extension portion A134b from the base portion A134a and the extension length from the reinforcement portion A134c may be the same dimension. That is, the extension tip surface (surface on the arrow B direction side) of the reinforcement portion A134c may also be configured to abut against the front surface (surface on the arrow F direction side) of the printed circuit board A119. In this case, the main body A133 is supported by both the extension portion A134b and the reinforcement portion A134c, and the main body A133 can be more firmly prevented from tilting relative to the printed circuit board A119. It is also possible to prevent foreign objects such as wires from entering the leg A131 side of the key device A130.

Also, the soldering of the legs A134b1 may be omitted, and the legs A134b1 may be formed into a cross-sectional shape that is bent into an approximately L-shape or an approximately S-shape, and the legs A134b1 may be inserted into the holes of the printed circuit board A119 in an elastically deformed state. That is, the legs A134b1 may be elastically engaged with the inner circumferential surface (inner surface) of the holes of the printed circuit board A119 by utilizing the elastic recovery force of the legs A134b1. The manufacturing cost can be reduced by the amount that soldering can be omitted. Alternatively, in addition to the elastic engagement of the legs A134b1 with the holes, soldering may also be performed. The legs A134b1 can be more firmly prevented from slipping out of the holes. Therefore, the function of the support A134 that supports the tilting of the main body A133 can be further improved.

The leg A134b1 is set to have a width dimension (dimension in the direction of arrows L and B, dimension in the left-right direction in FIG. 114(b)) greater than the thickness dimension of the plate-like body constituting the support body A134 (i.e., the cross-sectional shape of the leg A134b1 is rectangular), and the hole in the printed circuit board A119 through which the leg A134b1 is inserted is formed in a rectangular shape. This increases the rigidity of the leg A134b1, and prevents the base of the leg A134b1 (the connection part with the extension part A134b) from deforming or breaking when the tilt of the main body A133 is supported by the support body A134.

However, the width dimension of leg A134b1 may be substantially the same as the thickness dimension. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of leg A134b1 may be square.

In addition, by forming reinforcing portions A134c on two opposing sides of the support A134, it is possible to regulate the bending and twisting of the base portion A134a. This increases the rigidity of the support A134 as a whole and improves its function of supporting the main body A133, so that it is possible to more firmly regulate (suppress) the tilting of the main body A133 relative to the printed circuit board A119.

Next, the detailed configuration of the board box A100 will be described with reference to Figures 115 to 119.

Figure 115(a) is a partially enlarged front view of the board box A100 when the key A140 is operated to the OFF position, Figure 115(b) is a partially enlarged front view of the board box A100 when the key A140 is operated to the ON position, Figure 116(a) is a partially enlarged side view of the board box A100 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXVIa in Figure 115(a), and Figure 116(b) is a partially enlarged side view of the board box A100 as viewed in the direction of the arrow CXVIb in Figure 115(b).

Figure 117(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A100 taken along the section line CXVIIa-CXVIIa in Figure 115(a), Figure 117(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A100 taken along the section line CXVIIb-CXVIIb in Figure 115(a), Figure 118(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A100 taken along the section line CXVIIIa-CXVIIIa in Figure 115(a), and Figure 118(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A100 taken along the section line CXVIIIb-CXVIIIb in Figure 115(a).

Figure 119(a) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A100 taken along the cutting line CXIXa-CXIXa in Figure 116(a), and Figure 119(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A100 taken along the cutting line CXIXb-CXIXb in Figure 116(a).

In addition, in Figures 117 to 119, in order to simplify the drawings and make them easier to understand, the internal structure is not shown, and the switch device A120 and key device A130 are illustrated diagrammatically with a single hatched cross section.

As shown in Figures 115 to 118, in the substrate box A100, a covering portion A270 protrudes from the front surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall portion A210 of the box cover A200, and an opening A260 is formed in the end wall portion A272 that forms the protruding tip surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrow F) of the covering portion A270. This makes it difficult for the tip of a foreign object such as a wire to reach the opening A260.

For example, if the opening A260 is not visible to the fraudster due to an obstruction or the like, and it is difficult to directly insert the tip of a foreign object such as a wire into the opening A260, the tip of the foreign object such as a wire can be slid along the front surface (outer surface, surface in the direction of arrow F) of the box cover A200 (operation wall portion A210) to reach the opening A260.

In response to this, because the covering portion A270 protrudes from the front (outer surface) of the operation wall portion A210, when the tip of a foreign object such as a wire slides on the front (outer surface) of the operation wall portion A210, the tip of the foreign object such as a wire can be made to abut against the outer surface of the covering portion A270 (the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion A271), thereby stopping further progress (sliding). In other words, the outer surface of the covering portion A270 (peripheral wall portion A271) can be made to function as a wall that restricts the sliding of the foreign object such as a wire. As a result, it is possible to prevent the insertion of a foreign object such as a wire through the opening A260.

The covering part A270 has an internal space, and a part of the tip side (one end side, the side in the direction of arrow F) of the key device A130 of the main control device A110 is stored in the internal space. In other words, the covering part A270 covers a part of the tip side of the key device A130.

This allows the gap between the inner surface of the covering portion A270 and the outer surface of the key device A130 to be bent. That is, when a foreign object such as a wire is inserted into the board box A100 from the opening A260, the path through which the foreign object such as the wire passes (the path formed by the gap between the end wall portion A272 and the end portion A133c, and the gap between the peripheral wall portion A271 and the base portion A133a and the protrusion portion A133b) can be bent, and a wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire hits (the wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire that passes through the gap between the end wall portion A272 and the end portion A133c hits, i.e., the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion A271) can be formed in the path. This makes it possible to prevent tampering with the main control device A110 by the inserted foreign object such as a wire (see FIG. 117(a) and FIG. 117(b)).

The key device A130 is formed by inserting a substantially cylindrical main body A133 into a support A134 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. In this case, the width dimension (left-right dimension in Figs. 117(a) and 117(b)) of the support A134 is set to a value larger than the inner diameter dimension (left-right dimension in Figs. 117(a) and 117(b)) of the covering portion A270 (peripheral wall portion A271).

This allows the upper surface (surface on the side of the arrow F) of the support A134 to face the inner surface (surface on the side of the arrow B) of the operation wall portion A210. This allows the gap between the inner surface of the covering portion A270 and the outer surface of the key device A130 to be bent.

That is, when a foreign object such as a wire is inserted into the board box A100 from the opening A260, the path through which the foreign object such as the wire passes (the path formed by the gap between the peripheral wall A271 and the base A133a and the protrusion A133b) is bent, and a wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire hits (the wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire that passes through the gap between the peripheral wall A271 and the base A133a and the protrusion A133b hits, i.e., the upper surface of the support A134. Also, for a foreign object such as a wire that hits the upper surface of the support A134 and changes its direction of travel, the inner surface of each of the upright walls A291, A292, A293 and the lower wall A203) can be formed in the path. Therefore, it is possible to prevent tampering with the main control device A110 by the inserted foreign object such as a wire (see FIG. 117(a) and FIG. 117(b)).

A protrusion A271b is formed on the peripheral wall A271 of the covering part A270, and a protrusion A133b is formed on the main body A133, with the base A133a of the main body A133 housed on the inner circumferential side (inside) of the base A271a of the peripheral wall A271, and the protrusion A133b of the main body A133 housed on the inner circumferential side (inside) of the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall A271.

This allows the circumferential outer surface (the surface on the side of the arrows L and R) of the protrusion A133b to face the circumferential inner surface (the surface on the side of the arrows L and R) of the protrusion A271b. This allows the gap between the inner surface of the covering portion A270 and the outer surface of the key device A130 to be bent.

That is, when a foreign object such as a wire is inserted into the board box A100 from the opening A260, the path through which the foreign object such as the wire passes (the path formed in the circumferential direction by the gap between the peripheral wall portion A271 and the base portion A133a and the protrusion A133b) can be bent, and a wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire hits (the wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire that passes in the circumferential direction through the gap between the peripheral wall portion A271 and the base portion A133a and the protrusion A133b hits, i.e., the circumferential outer surface of the protrusion A133b and the circumferential inner surface of the protrusion A271b) can be formed in the path. This makes it possible to prevent tampering with the main control device A110 by the inserted foreign object such as a wire (see FIG. 118(a)).

The outer diameter dimension of the protrusion A123b of the switch device A120 is set to a value larger than the maximum dimension (diagonal length) of the opening A250 (the inner edge of the guide wall A251). This allows the upper surface (the surface on the arrow F direction side) of the protrusion A123b to face the inner surface (the surface on the arrow B direction side) of the operation wall A210. This allows the gap between the inner surfaces of the guide wall A251 and operation wall A210 and the outer surface of the switch device A120 to be bent.

That is, when a foreign object such as a wire is inserted into the board box A100 from the opening A250, the path through which the foreign object such as the wire passes (the path formed by the gap between the guide wall A251 and the operation wall A210 and the operation part A122 and the protrusion A123b) is bent, and a wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire hits (the wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as the wire passing through the gap between the guide wall A251 and the operation part A122 hits, i.e., the upper surface of the protrusion A123b. Also, for a foreign object such as a wire that hits the upper surface of the protrusion A123b and changes its direction of travel, the inner surface of each of the standing walls A281, A282, A283 and the lower wall part A203) can be formed in the path. Therefore, it is possible to prevent tampering with the main control device A110 by the inserted foreign object such as a wire (see FIG. 118(a) and FIG. 118(b)).

As described above, the covering part A270 has an internal space, and a part of the tip side (one end side, the side in the direction of arrow F) of the key device A130 of the main control device A110 is stored in the internal space. In other words, the covering part A270 covers a part of the tip side of the key device A130.

This allows the inner surface of the covering portion A270 and the outer surface of the key device A130 to face each other in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the key A140 (parallel to the plane including the arrows U, D and the arrows L, R). Therefore, when an external force is applied to the key A140 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction due to, for example, careless or rough operation by an operator of the key A140 inserted into the key device A130, or the key A140 colliding with another member when opening the inner frame 12 relative to the outer frame 11, the outer surface of the key device A130 can be abutted against the inner surface of the covering portion 170, thereby suppressing (restricting) the key device A130 from tilting.

As described above, this can prevent the legs A131 from breaking or bending, the legs A131 from coming out of the holes in the printed circuit board A119, and the solder from peeling off. As a result, it can prevent the key device A130 from falling off the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119), and prevent breaks or poor contact in the key device A130 (legs A131).

The covering portion A270 has an end wall portion A272 formed at its protruding tip (on the side in the direction of arrow F), and this end wall portion A272 faces the end portion A133c of the key device A130. This makes it possible to reduce the area of the opening A260 (the area of the opening A260 when viewed from the front (when viewed in the direction of arrow B) plus the cross-sectional area of the path through which a foreign object such as a wire passes). This makes it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the board box A100 and causing tampering with the main control device A110.

In particular, the end wall A272 of the covering portion A270 has two angular portions A272b extending radially inward from the inner edge of the annular portion A272a. That is, the protruding end surface (the surface on the side of the arrow F) of the covering portion A270 is open only in the area that allows the displacement of the key A140 (the area corresponding to the displacement trajectory of the key A140), and the other areas of the protruding end surface (the surface on the side of the arrow F) of the covering portion A270 are all end wall A272. Therefore, the area of the opening A260 can be minimized, making it difficult to insert a foreign object such as a wire into the opening A260. In addition, the opposing area between the inner surface of the end wall A272 and the outer surface of the key device A130 (end A133c) can be maximized, so that even if a foreign object such as a wire is inserted from the opening A260, it is difficult for the foreign object to pass through.

In this way, in order to make the opening A260 irregular (a shape formed by combining a pair of opposing sector shapes), the end wall portion A272 is formed into a relatively complex shape with a pair of angular portions A272b projecting from the inner edge of the annular portion A272a. In this case, the end wall portion A272 (annular portion A272a and angular portion A272b) is formed into a plate shape with a constant thickness (a cantilever shape with the base end fixed to the peripheral wall portion A271 and one end (extended tip) free), so that the shape can be simplified and its formability can be ensured. As a result, the yield can be improved and the product cost can be reduced.

Here, even if only the peripheral wall portion A271 is formed on the covering portion A270 and the end wall portion A272 is not formed (i.e., the inner edge of the protruding tip side (arrow F direction side) of the peripheral wall portion A271 is the opening A260), when an external force is applied to the key A140 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, the outer surface of the key device A130 can be abutted against the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion A271, thereby suppressing (restricting) the tilting of the key device A130.

In contrast, in this embodiment, an end wall portion A272 is formed on the protruding tip side (arrow F direction side) of the covering portion A270, and the key A140 can be abutted against the inner edge of the end wall portion A272 (the portion forming the opening A260). In other words, a position (key A140) farther from the fulcrum (leg A131) when the key device A130 tilts due to the action of the external force described above can be abutted against the end wall portion A272. As a result, the tilting of the key device A130 can be suppressed (regulated), and damage to the box cover A200 (covering portion A270) can be suppressed.

In addition, the protrusion A133b of the main body A133 and the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall portion A271 are formed partially in the circumferential direction, and the protrusion A133b of the main body A133 is stored on the inner circumferential side (inside) of the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall portion A271. Therefore, as described above, the circumferential outer surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrows L and R) of the protrusion A133b and the circumferential inner surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrows L and R) of the protrusion A271b can face each other (see FIG. 118(a)).

Therefore, when a rotational external force is applied to the key A140 due to, for example, careless or rough operation by an operator of the key A140 inserted into the key device A130, or due to the collision of another part with the key A140 when opening the inner frame 12 relative to the outer frame 11, the circumferential outer surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrows L and R) of the protrusion A133b can be brought into contact with the circumferential inner surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrows L and R) of the protrusion A271b, thereby restricting the rotation (circumferential displacement) of the key device A130.

As described above, this can prevent the legs A131 from breaking or bending, the legs A131 from coming out of the holes in the printed circuit board A119, and the solder from peeling off. As a result, it can prevent the key device A130 from falling off the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119), and prevent breaks or poor contact in the key device A130 (legs A131).

If an external force is applied to the operating part A122 or the key A140 in a direction perpendicular to the pushing or inserting direction (a direction parallel to the plane including the arrows U, D and the arrows L, R) due to, for example, an operator carelessly or roughly operating the operating part A122 of the switch device A120 or the key A140 inserted into the key device A130, or due to another member colliding with the operating part A122 or the key A140 when opening the inner frame 12 relative to the outer frame 11, the switch device A120, the key device A130 or the key A140 will tilt, and the box cover A200 (particularly the operating wall part A210 and the covering part A270) may be deformed and damaged due to the contact between them.

In response to this, erected walls A280, A290 are erected on the back surface (inner surface, surface on the side in the direction of arrow B) of the operation wall portion A210, and the erected tip surfaces (surface on the side in the direction of arrow B) of these erected walls A280, A290 abut against the front surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrow F) of the printed circuit board A119 (see Figures 117(a) and 117(b)).

As a result, in addition to improving the rigidity of the operation wall portion A210 by erecting the erect walls A280, A290 (functioning as ribs), the erect walls A280, A290 can function as supports (deformation suppression means) that support the operation wall portion A210 and the covering portion A270. As a result, deformation of the box cover A200 (particularly the operation wall portion A210 and the covering portion A270) can be suppressed, thereby suppressing damage thereto.

In addition, if the switch device A120 or the key device A130 is tilted by the action of an external force, the outer surface of the switch device A120 or the key device A130 can be abutted against the inner surface of the standing walls A280, A290 to suppress (restrict) the tilting of the switch device A120 or the key device A130. In other words, the part that abuts against the switch device A120 or the key device A130 to suppress its tilting is not only shared by the operation wall portion A210 or the covering portion A270, but also by the standing walls A280, A290, and the load can be distributed accordingly. This also helps to suppress damage to the box cover A200.

Furthermore, because the upright tip faces of the upright walls A280, A290 are abutted against the front surface of the printed circuit board A119, even if a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the openings A250, A260 reaches the printed circuit board A119, the upright walls A280, A290 can function as a wall against which the tip of the foreign object such as a wire hits (a wall that prevents further progress). This makes it possible to prevent tampering with the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119).

The erected walls A280, A290, together with the lower wall portion A203, are formed in a shape that surrounds the switch device A120 and the key device A130 (see FIG. 118(b)). That is, the areas AS1, AS2 where the erected end faces (faces on the arrow B direction side) of the erected walls A280, A290 and the seat surface A206 of the lower wall portion A203 abut against the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 (faces on the arrow F direction side) are substantially rectangular frame-shaped and are formed as an endless continuous shape (closed shape) (see FIG. 114(a)).

Therefore, the vertical walls A280, A290 can block (cut off) the path by which foreign objects such as wires enter the inside of the board box A100. In other words, even if a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the openings A250, A260 reaches the printed circuit board A119, it can be restricted from progressing beyond the space surrounded by the vertical walls A280, A290 and the lower wall portion A203. This can prevent tampering with the main control device A110 (printed circuit board A119).

In addition, by forming the upright walls A280, A290 together with the lower wall portion A203 in a form surrounding the switch device A120 and the key device A130, not only can the rigidity of the operation wall portion A210 be further improved by the upright walls A280, A290 being erected (functioning as ribs), but also the function as a support portion (deformation suppression means) supporting the operation wall portion A210 and the covering portion A270 can be reliably performed regardless of the direction of the external force acting on the operation portion A122 or the key A140 (i.e., even if an external force acts in any direction within the plane including the arrows U, D and the arrows L, R). As a result, deformation of the box cover A200 (particularly the operation wall portion A210 and the covering portion A270) can be suppressed, and damage thereto can be suppressed.

The first standing wall A291 is disposed so as to be perpendicular to the key A140 in the OFF position and parallel to the key A140 in the ON position, and the second standing wall A292 and the third standing wall A293 are disposed so as to be perpendicular to the key A140 in the ON position and parallel to the key A140 in the OFF position. This allows the standing wall A290 to efficiently function as a support part (deformation suppression means) that supports the operation wall part A210 and the covering part A270.

That is, among the external forces in the directions parallel to the plane including the arrows U, D and L, R, when the external force in the direction of the arrows U, D or the direction of the arrows L, R acts on the key A140, the load received by the standing wall A290 (the load capacity that the standing wall A290 should exert as a support part) is maximum, while when an external force in a direction inclined by a predetermined angle from the direction of the arrows U, D or the direction of the arrows L, R acts, the key A140 is likely to rotate due to the inclination of the acting direction of the external force, and the load received by the standing wall A290 (the load capacity that the standing wall A290 should exert as a support part) is reduced by the amount of the external force released by the rotation. As a result, by arranging the posture of the standing wall A290 as described above, the standing wall A290 can efficiently exert its function as a support part (deformation suppression means) that supports the operation wall part A210 and the covering part A270.

The erected walls A280, A290 (the second erected walls A282, A292 and the third erected walls A283, A293) are connected to the lower wall portion A203, so that the rigidity of the erected walls A280, A290 can be increased by utilizing the rigidity of the box cover A200, and the rigidity of the entire box cover A200 can be increased by connecting the inner surfaces of the operation wall portion A210 and the lower wall portion A203 via the erected walls A280, A290. Therefore, the function of the erected walls A280, A290 as a support portion (deformation suppression means) that supports the operation wall portion A210 and the covering portion A270 can be improved. As a result, damage to the box cover A200 can be suppressed.

The surface of the printed circuit board A119 on which electronic components are connected by soldering is the side facing the box base A300 (the side opposite the surface on which the switch device A120 and key device A130 are mounted), and in areas AS1 and AS2 where the upright tip surfaces of the upright walls A280 and A290 and the seat surface A206 of the lower wall portion A203 abut (see FIG. 114(a)), no electronic components are mounted or circuits are formed, and such areas AS1 and AS2 are formed as flat surfaces.

This makes it easier to bring the erected tip surfaces (surfaces on the side of arrow B) of the erected walls A280, A290 into close contact with the front surface (surfaces on the side of arrow F) of the printed circuit board A119, thereby preventing gaps from being formed between the erected walls A280, A290 and the printed circuit board A119. This allows the erected walls A280, A290 to function reliably as walls against which the tips of foreign objects such as wires inserted through the openings A250, A260 abut.

The first standing wall A281, A291, the second standing wall A282, A292 and the third standing wall A283, A293 of the standing walls A280, A290 are formed with tapered surfaces A280a, A290a, so that the area of the standing tip surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrow B) is reduced (see Figures 117 and 118). This increases the surface pressure at the standing tip surface abutting against the printed circuit board A119, making it possible to prevent foreign objects such as wires from being inserted between the printed circuit board A119 and the standing walls A280, A290.

In this case, the tapered surfaces A280a, A290a are formed on the inner surfaces of the upright tips of the upright walls A280, A290 (the surfaces facing the switch device A120 and the key device A130), improving moldability while preventing foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the board box A100.

That is, by reducing the area of the upright tip surface by using an inclined surface (tapered surface A280a, A290a) that gradually approaches the outer surface as it approaches the upright tip side (arrow B direction), the shape change of the upright walls A280, A290 is made gentler, and the fluidity of the resin in the molding die can be ensured. This improves moldability.

Furthermore, when the erected end faces of the erected walls A280, A290 abut against the front face of the printed circuit board A119, the tapered faces A280a, A290a and the front face of the printed circuit board A119 form a groove with a generally V-shaped cross section (see Figures 117(a) and 117(b)). Therefore, the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted from the openings A250, A260 can be moved (guided) along the above-mentioned groove. In other words, it is difficult for the foreign object to pass (penetrate) between the erected end faces of the erected walls A280, A290 and the front face of the printed circuit board A119. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the insertion of a foreign object such as a wire into the inside of the board box A100.

A first protrusion A211 and a second protrusion A212 are provided on the front surface (outer surface, surface facing the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall A210. One end of the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 is connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the covering portion A270 (the base A271a or the protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall A271) (see Figures 115(a) and 115(b)).

This allows the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 to function as ribs for increasing rigidity, and the covering portion A270 can be supported by the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212. As a result, when the outer surface of the switch device A120 or the key device A130 abuts against the inner surface of the covering portion A270, the rigidity of each protrusion A211, 222 can be used to more reliably prevent the switch device A120 or the key device A130 from tilting, and damage to the covering portion A270 can be suppressed.

In addition, on the front surface (outer surface, surface on the side facing the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall portion A210, display portions ("ON" and "OFF") are formed at positions adjacent to the other ends of the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 (on the extension lines of the other ends). This allows the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 to also function as indicator lines for indicating the position corresponding to the specified information displayed by the display portions. This allows the production costs to be reduced accordingly.

In this case, the position where one end of the first protrusion A211 is connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the covering portion A270 (protrusion A271b of the peripheral wall portion A271) is the same phase position (position facing the end surface of the key A140) as the end surface (narrow surface along the outer edge of the surface held by the fingers) of the key A140 in the OFF position (see FIG. 115(a)), and the position where one end of the second protrusion A212 is connected to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) of the covering portion A270 (base A271a of the peripheral wall portion A271) is the same phase position as the end surface of the key A140 in the ON position (see FIG. 115(b)).

As a result, when an external force acts on the key A140 in the OFF position and the key A140 is tilted in the direction (arrow U direction) in which the end face on the arrow U side (the narrow surface along the outer edge of the surface gripped by the fingers) abuts against the covering part A270 (end wall part A272), the first protrusion A211 is located on the extension line of the load input from the key A140 (see FIG. 115(a)). When an external force acts on the key A140 in the ON position and the key A140 is tilted in the direction (arrow L direction) in which the end face on the arrow L side abuts against the covering part A270 (end wall part A272), the second protrusion A212 is located on the extension line of the load input from the key A140 (see FIG. 115(b)).

As a result, when the key device A130 is tilted by the action of an external force, the portion (the portion against which the end face of the key A140 abuts) to which a load is input from the end face of the key A140 (the narrow surface along the outer edge of the surface that is gripped by the fingers) can be efficiently reinforced by the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212. As a result, damage to the covering portion A270 can be suppressed.

The second connecting wall A230 can prevent an external force (a force that displaces the key A140 in the direction of arrow D) from acting on the key A140 in the OFF position in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned case (see FIG. 115(a)), and the first connecting wall A220 can prevent an external force (a force that displaces the key A140 in the direction of arrow R) from acting on the key A140 in the ON position in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned case (see FIG. 115(b)).

That is, as described below, the operation wall A210 is formed into a horizontally long rectangle when viewed from the front, and the other side (arrow D side) of the short side (arrow U, D direction) of the operation wall A210 (second region) is open (no connecting wall is formed). Also, the key device A130 is positioned on one side (first connecting wall A220 side) of the center of the operation wall A210 (second region) in the longitudinal direction (arrow L, R direction), and the distance from the key device A130 to the third connecting wall A240 is increased.

Therefore, due to the presence of a space on the open side and a space on the third connecting wall portion A240 side, an operator's hand or other components on the side of those spaces may collide with the key A140, and an external force that displaces the key A140 in the direction of arrow D or arrow L may be applied. Therefore, by forming the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 on the side (the receiving side) that suppresses the tilting of the key device A130 in response to such an external force, it is possible to efficiently reduce material costs and ensure rigidity.

As described above, the angular portion A272b of the end wall portion A272 is disposed at two locations with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees, and is formed into a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the front (when viewed in the direction of arrow B). In this case, the length dimensions of the two sides (the outer edge, the edge forming the opening A260) of the triangular shape of the angular portion A272b are set to different values (i.e., the shape when viewed from the front is formed as a scalene triangle).

In detail, for the key A140 in the OFF position, the length dimension of the side (outer edge) of the angular portion A272b closer to the first connecting wall portion A220 is made longer (larger) than that of the side (outer edge) facing the gripping surface of the key A140 (surface held by the fingers), and for the key A140 in the OFF position, the length dimension of the side (outer edge) of the angular portion A272b farther from the first connecting wall portion A220 (opposite side across the key A140) is made shorter (smaller) than that of the key A140 (see FIG. 115(a)).

Therefore, in other words, the length dimension of the side (outer edge) of the angular portion A272b closer to the first connecting wall portion A220 that faces the gripping surface (surface held by the fingers) of the key A140 in the ON position is made shorter (smaller), and the length dimension of the side (outer edge) of the angular portion A272b farther from the first connecting wall portion A220 that faces the gripping surface of the key A140 in the ON position is made longer (larger) (see FIG. 115(b)).

As described above, the presence of a space on the open side and a space on the third connecting wall portion A240 side makes it easy for an operator's hand or other components on the side of those spaces to collide with the key A140, and an external force that displaces the key A140 in the direction of arrow D or arrow L is applied. However, with the rectangular portion A272b in this embodiment, the length dimension of the side (outer edge) that receives the key A140 when the external force in the direction of arrow D or arrow F is applied is lengthened, so that the rigidity of the rectangular portion A272b is efficiently increased and the key A140 (key device A130) can be reliably prevented from tilting. In addition, the surface pressure can be suppressed, and damage to the rectangular portion A272b can be suppressed.

The outer surface of the front side of the board box A100 (the surface on the direction of the arrow F) is formed from a first area formed by the front wall portion A201 and a second area formed by the operation wall portion A210 located closer to the main control device A110 than the first area, and openings A250 and A260 are formed in the second area.

This allows the openings A250 and A260 to be positioned at a position recessed from the outer surface (first region formed by the front wall A201) of the board box A100 (box cover A200), and the steps (first connecting wall A220, second connecting wall A230, and third connecting wall A240) connecting the first region and the second region to be positioned around the openings A250 and A260. This allows the openings A250 and A260 to be placed farther away from a tamperer than when the openings A250 and A260 are formed in the front wall A201 (first region), and also makes the openings A250 and A260 more difficult to see, making it difficult to insert the tip of a foreign object such as a wire directly into the opening A260.

Here, in consideration of heat dissipation from the main control device A110, the board box A100 needs to secure a distance from the main control device A110 (for example, the distance (internal space) between the front of the printed circuit board A119 and the inner surface of the box cover A200). On the other hand, if the openings A250 and A260 are too far away from the switch device A120 and key device A130, operability will deteriorate.

In this case, the openings A250 and A260 are formed in the operation wall A210 (second region), which makes it easier to ensure the operability of the switch device A120 and the key device A130, and as described above, prevents foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the board box A100 through the openings A250 and A260. However, when operating the switch device A120 or the key device A130, the steps (first connection wall A220, second connection wall A230, and third connection wall A240) connecting the first region and the second region interfere with the hand of the worker (operator), which interferes with the operation. This deteriorates the operability when operating the switch device A120 or the key device A130.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the first connecting wall A220 is formed with a slope (downward slope) from the front wall A201 toward the operation wall A210 in a direction approaching the main control device A110, so that the space on the front side (arrow F direction side) of the operation wall A210 can be expanded by the amount of this slope (the space on the front side of the first connecting wall A220). As a result, operability when operating the switch device A120 and the key device A130 can be improved.

The operation wall portion A210 (second region) is formed as a region having a generally rectangular shape (horizontally elongated rectangle) in a front view (viewed in the direction of arrow B) in which the length dimension along one direction (the direction of arrows L and R) is greater than the length dimension along the other direction (the direction of arrows U and D) perpendicular to the first direction (see Figures 115(a) and 115(b)).

The key device A130 is positioned so that the key A140 in the off position is oriented in the other direction (arrows U and D) described above (see FIG. 115(a)). That is, when the key A140 is in the off position, the surface held by the fingers faces the longitudinal direction (arrows L and R) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region), and the longitudinal direction of the key A140 in a front view (viewed in the direction of arrow B) is oriented in the lateral direction (arrows U and D) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region).

This allows space to be secured on the desired side (the right and left sides of FIG. 115(a)) of the surface of the key A140 in the off position that is gripped by the fingers. Therefore, when inserting the key A140 into the key device A130 or removing it from the key device A130, it is possible to prevent the fingers gripping the key A140 (e.g., the thumb and index finger) from interfering with the steps connecting the first and second areas (the first connecting wall portion A220, the second connecting wall portion A230, and the third connecting wall portion A240). As a result, it is possible to improve operability when operating the key device A130.

In this case, the key device A130 is positioned to one side (the first connecting wall A220 side) of the center of the longitudinal direction (arrows L and R direction) of the operation wall A210 (second region). As described above, the first connecting wall A220 is formed with a downward incline, so that when the key A140 is held with fingers and operated (rotated from the OFF position to the ON position, or vice versa), it is possible to prevent fingers other than those holding the key A140 from interfering with the steps (the first connecting wall A220, the second connecting wall A230, and the third connecting wall A240) connecting the first region and the second region. As a result, operability when operating the key device A130 can be improved.

For example, when holding the key A140 in the OFF position with the index finger and thumb, the little finger and ring finger can be positioned using the space secured by the downward inclination of the first connecting wall portion A220, and when operating (rotating) the key A140 from the OFF position to the ON position, the little finger and ring finger can be displaced (moved) using the space secured by the downward inclination of the first connecting wall portion A220.

In addition, when holding the key A140 in the ON position with the index finger and thumb, the little finger and ring finger can be positioned by utilizing the space on the other longitudinal side (arrow R direction side) secured on the front side of the operation wall A210 by forming the operation wall A210 (second region) into a horizontally long rectangle when viewed from the front and positioning the key device A130 to one side of the longitudinal center of the operation wall A210 (second region). When operating (rotating) the key A140 from the OFF position to the ON position, the little finger and ring finger can be displaced (moved) by utilizing the space on the other longitudinal side (arrow R direction side) described above.

In addition, in the switch device A120, the position (standing height from the operation wall A210) of the protruding tip surface (surface on the arrow F direction side) of the operating part A122 in the initial position is set to a position (smaller dimension) lower than the position (standing height from the operation wall A210) of the protruding tip surface (front of the end wall A272, surface on the arrow F direction side) of the covering part A270. Therefore, interference between the operating part A122 and the fingers when operating the key A140 can be suppressed.

The operation wall portion A210 (second region) has connection surfaces (first connection wall portion A220 and third connection wall portion A240) formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction (arrow L direction side) and the other side (arrow R direction side 9), and a connection surface (second connection wall portion A230) is formed on one side in the lateral direction (arrow U direction side), while no connection surface is formed on the other lateral side (arrow D direction side).

This allows the other side (arrow D direction side) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region) in the short direction to be opened. In other words, this opening allows the space on the front side of the operation wall portion A210 (second region) to be connected to the external space. Therefore, when holding the key A140 with the fingers and operating it (inserting it into the key device A130, removing it from the key device A130, turning it from the off position to the on position, or vice versa), the space (external space) connected to the above-mentioned opening can be used as a space for positioning and displacing (moving) fingers (little finger and ring finger) other than the fingers (e.g., thumb and index finger) holding the key A140. As a result, the operability when operating the key device A130 can be improved.

As described above, when considering heat dissipation from the main control device A110, the board box A100 needs to secure a certain distance from the main control device A110 (for example, the distance (internal space) between the front of the printed circuit board A119 and the inner surface of the box cover A200).

In this case, the steps (first connection wall A220, second connection wall A230, and third connection wall A240) connecting the front wall A201 (first region) and the operation wall A210 (second region) are formed such that the first connection wall A220 is inclined downward from the first region to the second region, while the second connection wall A230 and third connection wall A240 are formed in a shape that is approximately perpendicular to the front wall A201 (first region) and the operation wall A210 (second region).

In other words, by tilting the first connecting wall portion A220 downward, interference with the fingers is suppressed, improving the operability of the key device A130, while by making the second connecting wall portion A230 and the third connecting wall portion A240 non-inclined (by only tilting the first connecting wall portion A220 downward), the volume of the internal space of the board box A100 to accommodate heat dissipation from the main control device A110 can be secured.

In this way, even if only the first connecting wall portion A220 is tilted downward and the others (the second connecting wall portion A230 and the third connecting wall portion A240) are not tilted, interference with the fingers can be suppressed by adopting a configuration in which the operation wall portion A210 (second region) is a horizontally long rectangle when viewed from the front, and the key device A130 is positioned closer to one side (the first connecting wall portion A220 side) of the longitudinal center of the operation wall portion A210 (second region).

In addition, by forming a third connection wall A240 on the other longitudinal side (opposite side to the first connection wall A220) of the operation wall A210 (second region), the third connection wall A240 can protect the switch device A120 and the key device A130 (key A140). For example, it is possible to prevent a robot arm handling the board box A100 during manufacturing from colliding with the switch device A120 and the key device A130.

Figure 120 is a front perspective view of the pachinko machine A10, showing the state in which the inner frame 12 is open relative to the outer frame 11. Note that in Figure 120, in order to simplify the drawing and make it easier to understand, some of the components (e.g., the various electrical connection lines connected to the main control device A110) are not shown, and only the main components are indicated by reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 120, as described above, in the pachinko machine A10, hinges 18 (rotation axes) for supporting the inner frame 12 to the outer frame 11 are attached at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front, and the inner frame 12 is supported by the outer frame 11 so that it can be opened and closed toward the front, with the side where the hinges 18 are provided serving as the axis for opening and closing.

Here, when the inner frame 12 is opened toward the front with the hinge 18 as the axis of opening and closing, if the opening angle can be made sufficiently large (for example, when an opening angle of approximately 90 degrees can be ensured as shown in FIG. 120), the worker can stand facing the front of the board box A100 and operate the switch device A120 and key device A130 in the manner described above (as explained in FIG. 115 to FIG. 119), ensuring operability.

On the other hand, even if the release angle cannot be made sufficiently large (for example, if the release angle can only be secured at approximately 45 degrees and the key device A130 needs to be operated by inserting a hand between the outer frame 11 and the inner frame 12 into the space formed on the back side of the inner frame 12 by the release), the operability of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is ensured.

That is, the board box A100 is disposed in such a position that the longitudinal direction (for example, the direction of arrows R and L in FIG. 115(a)) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region) is oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the hinge 18 (rotation shaft), and the lateral direction (the direction of arrows U and D in FIG. 115(a)) is oriented in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the hinge 18 (rotation shaft), and one longitudinal side (the side in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 115(a)) is positioned on the hinge 18 side. Thus, the first connection wall portion A220 is disposed closer to the hinge 18 than the key device A130, and the switch device A120 is disposed farther from the hinge 18 than the key device A130.

As a result, when a hand is inserted between the outer frame 11 and the inner frame 12 onto the back surface of the inner frame 12 (the front surface of the circuit board box A100) at the same height as the operation wall portion A210 (second region), the thumb and the palm near the base of the thumb can be positioned using the space between the key device A130 and the third connection wall portion A240 (i.e., the space on the other longitudinal side (arrow R direction side) secured on the front side of the operation wall portion A210 by forming the operation wall portion A210 (second region) into a horizontally elongated rectangle when viewed from the front and positioning the key device A130 to one side of the longitudinal center of the operation wall portion A210 (second region)).

In this arrangement, the operating portion A122 of the switch device A120 can be operated (pushed in) with the thumb or index finger, and the space secured by inclining the first connecting wall portion A220 downward can be used as space for displacing (moving) the thumb and index finger holding the key A140 when rotating the key A140. As a result, the operability of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 can be secured.

The above-mentioned setting change (operation of the switch device A120 and key device A130) may be performed with the board box A100 rotated from the state shown in FIG. 120 around the rotation axis A410 as the center of rotation. Since the switch device A120 and key device A130 can be positioned closer to the front (the front side of the outer frame 11), the operability of the switch device A120 and key device A130 can be improved.

When the inner frame 12 is opened toward the front with the hinge 18 as the opening/closing axis, the board box A100 may be further opened toward the front (near the paper surface of FIG. 120) with the rotation axis A410 as the opening/closing axis. This allows the worker to stand facing the front of the board box A100 without interfering with the outer frame 11, and to operate the switch device A120 and key device A130 in the manner described above (as explained in FIG. 115 to FIG. 119), ensuring operability.

In this case, the main control device A110 (input/output port 205) is connected to the other end (connector) of electrical connection lines, one end of which is connected to various devices (power supply device 115, payout control device 111, voice lamp control device 113, various switches 208, solenoid 209, first pattern display device 37, second pattern display device 83, second pattern hold lamp 84, see Figure 4), via openings AOP1 to AOP8.

If operation of the switch device A120 and key device A130 were permitted regardless of the connection state of these electrical connection lines to the main control device A110, there is a risk that the switch device A120 and key device A130 would be more susceptible to unauthorized operation. On the other hand, if operation of the switch device A120 and key device A130 were uniformly prohibited regardless of the connection state of multiple electrical connection lines, there is a risk that the ease of operation of the work (setting changes) associated with operating the switch device A120 and key device A130 would be reduced.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the operation of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is changed depending on the connection state of the electrical connection line with the main control device A110. This makes it possible to prevent fraud and improve workability.

Specifically, in this embodiment, as long as one end (connector) of the electrical connection line, which is connected to at least the power supply device 115 and the voice lamp control device 113 among the multiple electrical connection lines, is connected to the main control device A110 (input/output port 205), operation of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is permitted regardless of the connection state of the other electrical connection lines (i.e., whether they are connected, disconnected, or a mixture of connected and disconnected). This makes it possible to prevent fraud and improve workability.

In other words, if a specific electrical connection line (the electrical connection line connecting the power supply device 115 and the voice lamp control device 113 to the main control device A110) is not connected to the main control device A110, operation of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is prohibited, so that unauthorized operation of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 can be prevented.

On the other hand, if the connection of certain electrical connection lines (electrical connection lines connecting the power supply device 115 and the voice lamp control device 113 to the main control device A110) to the main control device A110 is secured and fraud can be prevented, even if other electrical connection lines (electrical connection lines connecting the payout control device 111, various switches 208, solenoid 209, first pattern display device 37, second pattern display device 83, and second pattern hold lamp 84 to the main control device A110) are disconnected (unplugged) from the main control device A110, operation (setting changes) of the switch device A120 and key device A130 can be permitted, thereby improving operability (ensuring versatility).

In other words, when opening the main control device A110 toward the front (near the paper surface of FIG. 120) using the rotation axis A410 as the opening/closing axis, it is necessary to disconnect (unplug) the electrical connection wire in order to rotate the main control device A110 (so that the rotation of the main control device A110 is not restricted by the electrical connection wire).

Therefore, in a configuration in which operation (changing settings) of the switch device A120 and key device A130 is not permitted unless all electrical connection lines are connected to the main control device A110, it is necessary to rotate the main control device A110 to a specified position (a position where it is easy to operate the switch device A120 and key device A130) and then reconnect the electrical connection lines that were disconnected (unplugged) from the main control device A110 to the main control device A110.

In particular, if the main control device A110 is displaced (rotated) away from the rear surface of the inner frame 12 and the length of the electrical connection wire is insufficient, it is necessary to use an extension wire to reconnect the disconnected (unplugged) electrical connection wire to the main control device A110, which is time-consuming.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as long as a specific electrical connection line (the electrical connection line connecting the power supply device 115 and the voice lamp control device 113 to the main control device A110) is connected to the main control device A110, operation (changing of settings) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is permitted, so it is not necessary to reconnect (reconnect) other electrical connection lines (the electrical connection lines connecting the payout control device 111, various switches 208, solenoid 209, first pattern display device 37, second pattern display device 83, and second pattern hold lamp 84 to the main control device A110) using an extension line.

As a result, the main control device A110 can be placed in a position that makes it easy to operate the switch device A120 and the key device A130, while reducing the amount of work required and improving the ease of operation (changing settings) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130.

Next, referring to FIG. 121, a board box A2100 in the eighth embodiment will be described. In the seventh embodiment, the entire back surface of the end wall portion A272 is formed as a flat surface, but in the eighth embodiment, a protrusion A2273 is provided protruding from the back surface of the end wall portion A2272. Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

Figure 121(a) is a partially enlarged rear view of the board box A2100 in the eighth embodiment, and Figure 121(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the board box A2100 taken along the section line CXXIb-CXXIb in Figure 121(a).

Note that Fig. 121(a) corresponds to Fig. 110(b). Also, in Fig. 121(b), in order to simplify the drawing and make it easier to understand, only the parts viewed in cross section are shown.

As shown in FIG. 121, a protrusion A2273 is provided protruding from the back surface (inner surface, surface on the side facing the direction of arrow B) of the end wall portion A2272 of the covering portion A2270 of the eighth embodiment. The protrusion A2273 is a portion (protrusion) that extends in a streak shape while maintaining a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape, and is formed in a predetermined range along the outer edge of the end wall portion A2272 (the edge portion on the tip side of the protruding direction that protrudes radially inward from the peripheral wall portion A271).

In detail, the range in which the protrusion A2273 is formed is a position facing (opposing) the end A133c (see FIG. 113) of the main body A133 of the key device A130, and is set to a range along the outer edge of the angular portion A272b (the range between positions AP1 and AP3, including position AP2, and the range between positions AP4 and AP6, including position AP5), and a range along the inner edge of the annular portion A272a on one side (the side with the larger radial inward projection dimension from the peripheral wall portion A271) of the angular portion A272b (the range between positions AP3 and AP4), and is formed continuously in this range (the range between positions AP1 and AP6).

The protrusion dimension from the back surface of the end wall portion A2272 (annular portion A272a and angular portion A272b) of the protrusion A2273 is set to a constant value in the range between position AP3 and position AP4, and is gradually changed to a larger value from position AP3 to position AP2, and is gradually changed to a smaller value from position AP2 to position AP1, and is set to the same value as position AP3 at position AP2. Similarly, the protrusion dimension is gradually changed to a larger value from position AP4 to position AP5, and is gradually changed to a smaller value from position AP5 to position AP6, and is set to the same value as position AP4 at position AP6. Furthermore, positions AP2 and AP5 are set to the same value (protrusion dimension).

In this way, the protrusions A2273 are provided on the end wall portion A2272, thereby increasing the rigidity of the end wall portion A2272. Therefore, when a force is applied to the key A140 inserted into the key device A130 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction (a direction parallel to the plane including the arrows U, D and the arrows L, R), and the key A140 comes into contact with the inner edge of the end wall portion A2272 as the key device A130 is tilted, damage to the end wall portion A2272 can be suppressed.

The protrusion A2273 is formed at a position facing (opposing) the end A133c (see FIG. 113) of the main body A133 of the key device A130, thereby reducing the gap between the rear surface of the end wall portion A2272 and the front surface of the key device A130 (end A133c of the main body A133), thereby preventing foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the board box A2100 through the gap.

In this embodiment, the protrusion dimension of the protrusion A2273 in the range between positions AP3 and AP4 is set to a value approximately equal to the opposing distance between the rear surface of the end wall portion A2272 and the front surface of the end portion A133c of the main body A133 of the key device A130. Therefore, the protruding tip (arrow B direction side) of the protrusion A2273 abuts against the front surface of the end portion A133c (see FIG. 113) of the main body A133 of the key device A130.

This eliminates the gap between the rear surface of the end wall portion A2272 and the front surface of the key device A130 (end portion A133c of the main body A133), preventing foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the board box A2100 through the gap.

In particular, at positions AP2 and AP5, the protrusion dimensions of the protrusion A2273 are set to large values, so that the elastic deformation of the rectangular portion A272b, which is formed as a plate (cantilever beam) with the outer edge side in a free state, can be utilized to firmly attach the protrusion A2273 in the range from position AP1 to position AP3 and in the range from position AP4 to position AP6 to the front of the key device A130 (end A133c of the main body A133). This more reliably prevents foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the board box A2100 through the gap between the back of the end wall portion A2272 and the front of the key device A130 (end A133c of the main body A133).

In addition, because the protruding tip (side in the direction of arrow B) of the protrusion A2273 abuts against the front of the end A133c (see FIG. 113) of the main body A133 of the key device A130, even if the end wall portion A2272 is accidentally pushed in the insertion direction by the key A140 when inserting the key A140 into the key device A130, deformation of the end wall portion A2272 in the insertion direction can be suppressed. Therefore, damage to the base end side of the end wall portion A2272 (the side connected to the peripheral wall portion A271) can be suppressed.

Next, referring to FIG. 122, the board box A3100 in the ninth embodiment will be described. In the seventh embodiment, the switch device A120 and the key device A130 are arranged closer to the rotation axis A410 (arrow R direction side) than the center of the longitudinal direction (arrow L, R direction) of the board box A100 (box cover A200). However, in the ninth embodiment, the switch device A120 and the key device A130 are arranged farther from the rotation axis A410 than the center of the longitudinal direction of the board box A3100 (box cover A3200). Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

Figure 122(a) is a front view of the board box A3100 in the ninth embodiment, and Figure 122(b) is a schematic front view of the pachinko machine A3010. Note that Figure 122(b) illustrates a state in which the board box A3100 has been displaced (rotated) to the maximum movable position (second position) within its movable range (rotatable range). Also, in Figure 122(b), only the main components are illustrated in a schematic manner to simplify the drawing and make it easier to understand.

The board box A3100 in the ninth embodiment differs from the board box A100 in the seventh embodiment in the position where the operation wall portion A210 is formed and in the arrangement of the opening A260 (covering portion A270, key device A130) and the opening A250 (guide wall A251, switch device A120) in the operation wall portion A210, but the other configurations are the same, so the description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 122, in the substrate box A3100 of the ninth embodiment, the operation wall A210 is formed on the side farther from the rotation axis A410 (the side in the direction of the arrow L) than the longitudinal center of the box cover A3200, and the three sides of the operation wall A210 are connected to the front wall A201 by the first connecting wall A220, the second connecting wall A230, and the third connecting wall A240.

An opening AOP1, an opening A260 (covering portion A270), and an opening A250 (guide wall A251) are formed in the operation wall portion A210, and the switch device A120 and the key device A130 can be operated via the openings A250 and A260.

In this case, in this embodiment, the switch device A120 is arranged farther from the rotation axis A410 than the key device A130 (the side closer to the first connecting wall portion A220, in the direction of the arrow L). In other words, the arrangement is the opposite to that in the seventh embodiment.

The substrate box A3100 has a movable range (rotatable range) when rotated around the rotation axis A410 as the center of rotation, and is displaced (rotated) from a first position (position where it is placed during play, see FIG. 120) where it is positioned on the rear side of the inner frame 12, to a second position where the front of the box cover A3200 (operation wall portion A210) faces the front side of the pachinko machine A3010 (i.e., a position where it faces the same side as the display surface of the third pattern display device 81, see FIG. 122(b)), a range of approximately 180°.

This allows the board box A3100 to be positioned (displaced) to a position where the switch device A120 and key device A130 can be operated while visually checking the information (e.g., information related to setting changes, setting values) displayed on the third pattern display device 81. As a result, since the operation can be performed while checking the display (information), it is easy to grasp the operating state of the switch device A120 and key device A130 based on the display (information). As a result, operability can be improved and operating errors can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the switch device A120 and key device A130 are not being operated, they can be placed on the rear side of the pachinko machine A3010 (inner frame 12) (i.e., in a position that is difficult to see from the outside, see Figure 120), which can prevent fraud (fraudulent operation of the switch device A120 and key device A130).

In particular, in this embodiment, the board box A3100 can be displaced (rotated) to a position where the surface on which the switch device A120 and key device A130 of the board box A3100 are arranged (the front of the operation wall portion A210) and the display surface of the third pattern display device 81 face in the same direction (the direction of arrow B) (in this embodiment, both sides are approximately parallel). Note that the angle between the front of the operation wall portion A210 and the display surface of the third pattern display device 81 is preferably set in the range of approximately 0° to approximately 45°.

In other words, the board box A3100 can be displaced (rotated) to a position where the surface on which the switch device A120 and key device A130 of the board box A3100 are arranged (the front of the operation wall portion A210) and the display surface of the third pattern display device 81 can be simultaneously viewed. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the need to take an awkward position, such as wrapping one's hands around to the back side of the pachinko machine A3010, in order to operate the switch device A120 and key device A130 while viewing the third pattern display device 81.

As a result, it becomes easier to operate the switch device A120 and the key device A130 while checking the information displayed on the third pattern display device 81 (e.g., information related to setting changes), which makes it possible to more reliably achieve improved operability and reduced operational errors.

As described above, the operation wall portion A210 is formed on the side farther from the rotation axis A410 (the side in the direction of the arrow L) than the longitudinal center of the box cover A3200, and the switch device A120 and the key device A130 are disposed on the operation wall portion A210.

As a result, when the board box A3100 is displaced (rotated) to a position where the surface on which the switch device A120 and key device A130 of the board box A3100 are arranged (the front of the operation wall portion A210) and the display surface of the third pattern display device 81 can be simultaneously viewed (see FIG. 122(b)), the switch device A120 and key device A130 can be positioned farther from the outer edge of the pachinko machine A10 (the right side of FIG. 122(b)). This makes it possible to prevent the fingers operating the switch device A120 (operation portion A122) and key device A130 (key A140) from interfering with the outer edge of the pachinko machine A10 (the inner frame 12). As a result, operability can be improved.

Here, in the setting change mode, it is necessary to repeatedly press the switch device A120 (operation unit A122), and the frequency of operation of the switch device A120 is higher than that of the key device A130.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the switch device A120, which is operated more frequently than the key device A130, is disposed farther from the rotation axis A410 than the key device A130 (i.e., closer to the first connecting wall portion A220). This allows the switch device A120, which is operated more frequently, to be disposed in a position farther from the outer edge of the pachinko machine A10 (inner frame 12) (right side of FIG. 122 (b)). This more reliably prevents the fingers operating the switch device A120 (operation portion A122) from interfering with the outer edge of the pachinko machine A10 (inner frame 12). As a result, operability can be improved.

Furthermore, since the switch device A120 is disposed adjacent to the first connecting wall portion A220, the space formed by the inclination of the first connecting wall portion A220 can also be used as a space when operating the switch device A120 (operating portion A122) (space to avoid interference between the fingers and the box cover A3200). As a result, operability can be improved from this point of view as well.

The pachinko machine A3010 in the ninth embodiment is provided with a restricting means that engages with the board box A3100 and restricts the displacement (rotation) of the board box A3100 in the direction toward the first position (i.e., fixes the board box A3100 in the second position) when the board box A3100 is displaced (rotated) to the second position described above (a position where the front of the operation wall portion A210 faces the front side of the pachinko machine A3010, see FIG. 122(b)). This makes it unnecessary to hold the board box A3100 by hand when operating the switch device A120 and the key device A130, thereby improving operability.

Examples of the restricting means include a means that uses the magnetic force (attractive force) of a magnet to fix (hold) the board box A3100 in the second position (a force exceeding the attractive force is applied to allow displacement (rotation) in the direction toward the first position), a means that has a protruding member that is positioned in the protruding position by the elastic recovery force of an elastically deformed biasing means (e.g., a coil spring), and the protruding member positioned in the protruding position engages with the board box A3100 positioned in the second position to restrict displacement (rotation) of the board box A3100 in the direction toward the first position (when the protruding member is retracted from the protruding position against the biasing force of the biasing means, displacement (rotation) of the board box A3100 in the direction toward the first position is allowed), and so on.

Next, the substrate box A4100 in the tenth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 123. In the seventh embodiment, the rotation axis A410 of the substrate box A100 is arranged in a position along the vertical direction (directions of arrows U and D) of the pachinko machine A10, but in the tenth embodiment, the rotation axis A4410 is arranged in a position along the width direction (left-right direction, directions of arrows L and R) of the pachinko machine A4010. Note that parts that are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

Figure 123(a) is a front view of the board box A4100 in the tenth embodiment, and Figure 123(b) is a schematic front view of the pachinko machine A4010. Note that Figure 123(b) illustrates the state in which the board box A4100 has been displaced (rotated) to the maximum movable position (second position) of the movable range (rotatable range), and the board box A4100 displaced (rotated) to the first position is illustrated in dashed lines. Also, in Figure 123(b), only the main components are illustrated schematically to simplify the drawing and make it easier to understand.

The substrate box A4100 in the tenth embodiment differs from the substrate box A100 in the seventh embodiment in the arrangement (position and orientation) and number of rotation shafts A4410, but the rest of the configuration is the same, so a description of that will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 123, the board box A4100 in the tenth embodiment has a pair of rotating shafts A4410 that protrude away from each of the sealing unit A400 and the sub-cover A500. The pair of rotating shafts A4410 are located on one side (opposite the operation wall A210, the arrow U side) of the short side (arrow U, D direction) of the board box A4100, and are formed in a posture that protrudes outward from both ends of the board box A4100 in the longitudinal direction (arrow L, R direction) along the longitudinal direction of the board box A4100. The pair of rotating shafts A4410 are also arranged coaxially.

The movable range (rotatable range) of the board box A4100 when rotating around the rotation axis A4410 is set to a range of approximately 90° from a first position (position where it is placed during play, shown by a dashed line in FIG. 123(b)) where it is positioned on the rear side of the inner frame 12 to a second position (i.e., the position where the board box A4100 protrudes most toward the rear side of the inner frame 12, see FIG. 123(b)) where it is displaced (rotated) in a direction away from the rear side of the inner frame 12 (in the direction of arrow B) and the front of the box cover 4200 (operation wall portion A210) faces vertically upward (in the direction of arrow U).

As a result, in the second position, the operating wall portion A210 can be faced upward and its open side (the side opposite the second connecting wall portion A230) can be faced toward the side where the operator is present, improving the operability of the switch device A120 and the key device A130.

On the other hand, in the first position, the front of the operation wall portion A210 can be made to face the back of another part arranged in the inner frame 12. Therefore, the switch device A120 and the key device A130 can be made to face the other parts, and the switch device A120 and the key device A130 can be placed in a position where they are difficult to operate. As a result, it is possible to prevent fraud (fraudulent operation of the switch device A120 and the key device A130).

In addition, in this embodiment, when the key A140 is inserted into the key device A130, even if the board box A4100 is displaced (rotated) toward the first position, the key A140 abuts against another member of the inner frame 12, making it impossible to place the board box A4100 in the first position. This makes it possible to prevent the key A140 from being forgotten to be removed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the key A140 that has been forgotten to be removed from being obtained illegally.

In particular, in this embodiment, the second position of the board box A4100 is located lower in the direction of gravity (vertical direction) than the first position, so that, as described above, when the key A140 is inserted into the key device A130 and the board box A4100 is displaced (rotated) toward the first position, the board box A4100 can then be displaced (rotated) to the second position by its own weight. This makes it easier for the worker to recognize that the board box A4100 cannot be placed in the first position.

It is preferable that the separate member is shaped so that, when the board box A4100 is displaced (rotated) to the first position, a portion of the separate member extends further into the front side of the operation wall A210 than the front wall A201 of the box cover 4200. This reduces the space formed on the front side of the operation wall A210, thereby preventing unauthorized operation of the switch device A120 and the key device A130.

The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, but the present invention is in no way limited to the above embodiment, and it can be easily imagined that various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the present invention.

In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the configuration in one embodiment may be combined with or replaced with some or all of the configuration in another embodiment to form another embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the protrusion 154 is used to slow down the ball flowing down the ball flow unit 150, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the resistance to the flow of the ball may be increased by providing an adhesive material on the inner surface, air may be pumped into the flow path, or the flow speed of the ball may be adjusted by magnetic force.

In the above first embodiment, the displacement restriction device 180 is disposed in the rear case 510, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the displacement restriction device 180 may be disposed on the movable prop side. The displacement restriction device 180 may be disposed on the rear side of the performance member 700, and the width of the projection to the rear side may be changed by a pushing operation.

In this case, the displacement of the performance member 700 can be restricted by configuring the main body 183a of the operating member 183 of the displacement restriction device 180 so that it can be inserted into the rear case 510 when the projection width is long. On the other hand, the performance member 700 can be displaced by configuring the operating member 183 to be released from the rear case 510 when the projection width is shortened by operating the operating member 183, but at this time, the displacement restriction device 180 also displaces in conjunction with the displacement of the performance member 700. Therefore, by adding a design shape to the displacement restriction device 180 or arranging a light-emitting device such as an LED, the displacement restriction device 180 can be made visible to the player to create a performance.

In the above first embodiment, a case has been described in which the state change of the displacement regulating device 180 occurs due to manual operation, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the displacement regulating device 180 may be equipped with a drive device, and the arrangement of the operating member 183 may be electrically switched. In this case, by controlling the displacement regulating device 180 to be in a deregulated state prior to the initial operation after the power is turned on, it is possible to prevent the zoom unit 600 from starting to displace while the displacement regulating device 180 remains in a regulated state. This makes it possible to prevent an overload from being placed on the operating member 183.

In addition, a highly cushioned shock-absorbing material may be provided around the cylindrical portion 183d of the operating member 183. In addition, even if the displacement restriction device 180 is not driven, a detection sensor capable of detecting the position of the operating member 183 may be provided, and if this detection sensor determines that the displacement restriction device 180 is in a restricted state, the operation of the zoom unit 600 may not be started.

In the first embodiment, the displacement restriction device 180 is disposed on the rear side of the rear case 510, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the displacement restriction device 180 may be disposed on at least one of the upper and lower sides of the rear case 510, or on at least one of the left and right sides of the rear case 510, or a combination of these.

For example, to maintain the position of the performance member 700, it is sufficient to prevent the position of the lower arm member 630 from changing. Therefore, by providing a recess on the upper surface of the lower arm member 630 in the performance standby state and configuring the cylindrical portion 183d of the operating member 183 to engage with a recess provided on the lower arm member 630 when it is extended from the top side of the rear case 510, it is possible to prevent the position of the lower arm member 630 from changing in the left-right direction.

In the first embodiment, the displacement restriction device 180 is provided as an example of a device for restricting the displacement of the zoom unit 600 located above the play area, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, by providing a device for restricting (limiting) the displacement of the granular member 320 (a member that can freely displace the internal space IE1) of the ejection device 400, it is possible to prevent the granular member 320 from displacing the internal space IE1 during shipment and rubbing against the wall surface of the partition member 310, causing the granular member 320 to crack or the partition member 310 to become scratched.

For example, by shipping the product with the lid member 480 positioned at the displacement end position on the entry side (standby state), it is possible to prevent the granular member 320 from displacing the internal space IE1 beyond the lid member 480, thereby limiting the range of the partition member 310 with which the granular member 320 can come into contact during shipping, and by suppressing the amount of displacement of the granular member 320, it is possible to avoid situations in which the granular members 320 collide with each other and crack.

As another example, a protruding member may be provided that is disposed on the lower support member 163 of the light guide plate performance means 160 and configured to be capable of protruding into the internal space IE1 of the partition member 310, and configured to be capable of limiting the displacement of the granular member 320 that is placed in the internal space IE1 in the protruding state.

This protruding member is configured to be pushable from the front side of the lower support member 163 (the front side of the game board 13) and is configured to switch between the extended state and the non-extended state each time it is pushed in. After the pachinko machine 10 is installed in the game machine store, the protruding member can be operated from the front side by opening the front frame 14, improving the operability of the protruding member.

The manner in which the state of the protruding member changes is not limited in any way. For example, the state may be changed by a latch mechanism, as in the displacement restriction device 180, or by engaging or disengaging claws.

As another example, the partition member 310 may be shipped with the internal air pressure increased, thereby maintaining the arrangement of the granular members 320. In this case, the pachinko machine 10 is installed in an amusement machine store, and the air pressure inside the partition member 310 is lowered before operation, allowing the arrangement of the granular members 320 to be freely determined.

As another example, the granular member 320 may be formed by mixing ferromagnetic metal powder into the resin that is the material for the granular member 320, and a magnet may be placed near the bottom end of the partition member 310 at the time of shipment. This allows the arrangement of the granular member 320 to be maintained by the magnetic force of the magnet at the time of shipment. On the other hand, by removing the magnet at the time of operation, the arrangement of the granular member 320 can be freely arranged.

The magnet is not limited to one that needs to be removed during operation. For example, a magnet may be provided on a part of another movable part, and as one example, a magnet may be provided on the cover member 480.

In the case where ferromagnetic metal powder is mixed into the granular member 320, for example, by disposing a prop that operates to generate a magnetic force near the partition member 310 (for example, by bringing a magnet close to the partition member 310) after the launch performance is performed, the launch performance can include a performance mode in which the granular member 320 is suspended in the air (visually appears to be floating).

In the first embodiment, the displacement restriction device 180 that restricts the displacement of the zoom unit 600 is fixed to the rear case 510, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, an insertion hole is formed in the rear case 510, which is drilled in the same line as the central axis of the restricted hole 657 when the transmission gear 650 of the zoom unit 600 is positioned at a predetermined terminal position, and at the time of shipping, a metal rod or resin rod is inserted through the insertion hole into the restricted hole 657 and fixed with tape or the like, and after arrival at the gaming machine store, a staff member at the gaming machine store removes the metal rod or resin rod, allowing the zoom unit 600 to be displaced.

However, with this method, there is a risk that the pachinko machine 10 may become dirty with the tape used for fixing, and the metal or resin rods cannot be thrown away when the pachinko machine 10 is shipped to another store, so they must be stored.

In addition, if the storage of the metal or resin rods is left to each gaming machine store, there is a high possibility that they will be lost, and if the pachinko machine 10 is shipped to another store without the metal or resin rods, it may not be possible to ensure the quality of the machine. The displacement restriction device 180, which is fastened and fixed to the rear case 510, can be seen as an improvement over this viewpoint.

In the first embodiment, the front-to-rear width of the internal space IE1 is approximately equal to the front-to-rear width of the left-right central portion 312b of the curved plate portion 312 and the lower portion 314 of the rear section, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the front-to-rear width of the left-to-right central portion 312b and the lower portion 314 of the rear section may be configured to be approximately as narrow as the front-to-rear width of the left-to-right portion 312a and the lower portion 314 of the rear section. In this case, the resistance to movement of the granular material 320 can be increased on the lower side of the internal space IE1 regardless of the left-to-right position, so that the momentum of the granular material 320 being ejected can be reduced, thereby reducing the probability that the front plate portion 311 and the granular material 320 will be damaged or scratched due to a collision.

For example, the front-to-rear width between the left and right portions 312a and the lower portion of the rear section 314 may be increased to approximately the same as the front-to-rear width of the internal space IE1. In this case, the granular material 320 can enter the internal space IE1 without losing momentum of the granular material 320 being ejected.

The front-to-rear width of the internal space IE1 does not need to be constant. For example, the shape may taper toward the direction of movement (upward) of the ejected granular material 320. In this case, the momentum of the granular material 320 can be gradually reduced, making it easier to avoid localized excessive load on the partition member 310. Furthermore, by shifting the taper toward the front side, it is easier to move the scattering granular material 320 toward the front side.

In addition, for example, a protruding lump may be provided on part of the front plate 311 at a location where the injected granular material 320 is expected to reach en masse, the protruding lump being raised toward the rear surface. This protruding lump may be provided by disposing and fixing a separate member on the rear surface of the front plate 311, or may be configured by providing a protrusion on the mold so that part of the front plate 311 can be molded to protrude toward the rear surface.

In the first embodiment, the granular member 320 is configured in a soccer ball shape, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it may be spherical, rugby ball-shaped, or star-shaped (a shape with three-dimensional protrusions). By configuring it with members of a certain size, gaps can be created between the members, so that the granular member 320 can be violently scattered when the firing performance is performed.

In the first embodiment, the ejection device 400 is arranged below the rear side of the light guide plate 161 and is configured to eject the granular members 320 diagonally upward and forward, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the ejection device 400 may be arranged to the left or right of the light guide plate 161, or in an upper position. Even in this case, it is possible to execute a performance in which the granular members 320 are ejected diagonally forward. Note that, if the ejection device 400 is arranged in an upper position, it is preferable to add a device that lifts the granular members 320 to a performance standby position.

In the first embodiment, the granular member 320 is formed from a resin member of a single color (red in this embodiment), but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a single granular member 320 may be formed by two-color molding or by combining two members of different colors. In this case, the appearance during stacking can be devised by color-coding with consideration of the center of gravity position. For example, by changing the color at the horizontal position of the granular member 320 in a stable posture with consideration of the center of gravity position, the color layers can be made visible when the granular member 320 is stacked.

The number of granular members 320 is not limited, and may be as few as one. For example, a member of approximately the same size as the collision member 420 may be used as the granular member 320, and a concave curved shape of approximately the same size as the curved plate portion 421 of the collision member 420 may be formed on the outer surface. This allows the way the granular member 320 flies and looks to be changed depending on whether the launch performance is performed with the curved shape properly fitted or not.

In the above first embodiment, the granular members 320 are arranged in the internal space IE1 so that they can scatter, and are gathered on the collision member 420 by gravity, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a biasing means may be provided that biases the granular members 320 toward the initial position (the position where the performance is waiting), and the biasing force of the biasing means may be used to return the granular members 320 to the initial position. In this case, it is possible to avoid limiting the initial position of the granular members 320 to the lower side.

Examples of the biasing means include a spring, an expandable rubber member, a mesh member with fixed ends, and an elastic sheet that partially covers the path of the granular member 320.

The relationship between the biasing means and the granular member 320 is not limited in any way. For example, the granular member 320 and the biasing means may be bonded together, or they may not be bonded but are separate, with a part of the biasing means being disposed inside the granular member 320 and displaceable as a unit, or the biasing means may be supported in the internal space IE1 but be disposed separate from the granular member 320.

Furthermore, the biasing means is not limited to an object that can come into contact with the granular member 320. For example, an air pressure adjustment means for adjusting the air pressure in the internal space IE1 may be employed, similar to how gravity acts on the granular member 320 in the first embodiment. In this case, the arrangement of the granular member 320 can be influenced by increasing or decreasing the air pressure in the internal space IE1.

For example, when the air pressure in the internal space IE1 is increased by injecting gas into the internal space IE1 from above, the granular member 320 can be easily maintained at the lower side of the internal space IE1, and conversely, when the air pressure in the internal space IE1 is decreased by extracting gas from the upper side of the internal space IE1, the granular member 320 can be displaced (floating) toward the upper side of the internal space IE1. Furthermore, the direction of gas injection and the direction of gas extraction are not limited to the upper side, but can be set to any side including up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.

When a change in air pressure is to be caused, it is preferable to block the irregular penetration part 315. It is easily possible to impart the function of blocking the irregular penetration part 315 to the lid member 480. For example, a flexible, thin, and highly deformable deformable member (e.g., a sponge-like member or a low-friction rubber-like member) may be attached to the lid member 480, and when the lid member 480 enters the irregular penetration part 315, the gap between the lid member 480 and the irregular penetration part 315 may be filled with the deformable member. This allows the irregular penetration part 315 to be blocked or opened in accordance with the displacement of the lid member 480 relative to the irregular penetration part 315.

In the first embodiment, the protrusion 414 of the linear motion member 410 is formed along a straight line, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the surface facing the transmission protrusion 446 at the right end may be formed as a curved surface that follows the displacement trajectory of the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440. In this case, the linear motion member 410 can be maintained at the lower displacement end position while it is in contact with the curved surface, not just when the transmission protrusion 446 is positioned at the lower end position, so that it can transition to the firing state while maintaining the biasing force of the coil spring SP1 at its maximum.

In the first embodiment described above, the left and right central portion of the collision member 420 is configured with a curved shape that protrudes upward, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the central portion may be sharp and sloped downward in the left and right directions, or may be hipped. In this case, it is possible to make it more difficult for the granular member 320 to pass through the sharp point in the central portion in the left and right direction compared to a curved shape. Therefore, it is possible to increase the bias in the left and right arrangement of the granular member 320.

In addition, for example, it may be a flat shape perpendicular to the displacement direction, or may be configured with a curved shape with a downward concave central portion on the left and right. In this case, unlike the first embodiment, it is possible to configure a displacement mode in which the granular material 320 is displaced as a mass until it collides with the inner wall of the partition member 310, and is then dispersed by the collision.

When the shape of the collision member 420 is changed, it is preferable to change the shape of the lid member 480 accordingly. For example, when the upper surface of the collision member 420 is configured with a curved shape with a concave downward central portion, it is preferable that the advance/retract portion 481 of the lid member 480 is configured with a curved shape with a convex upward central portion, which makes it easier to avoid collision between the granular member 320 and the lid member 480.

In the above first embodiment, the curved plate portion 421 of the collision member 420 is configured to have a flat shape when viewed from the side, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the lower half may be configured to protrude and have a curved shape when viewed from the side. In this case, the dense position of the granular members 320 can be moved closer to the upper half.

In the first embodiment described above, the size of the partition member 310 in a front view is configured to be approximately the same as the size of the light guide plate 161, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the size of the partition member 310 in a front view may be designed to be approximately the same as or larger than the size of the visible area of the display area of the third pattern display device 81 where the display can be viewed by the player. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the edge of the partition member 310 overlaps with the display by the third pattern display device 81 and is viewed, thereby improving the visibility of the display of the third pattern display device 81.

In the first embodiment described above, a single collision member 420 is used as a member that applies a load to the granular member 320, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, multiple collision members 420 that are arranged so as to be able to apply a load to the granular member 320 may be used, and may be operated cooperatively or individually by separate driving devices.

In the first embodiment, the linear motion member 410 abuts against the collision member 420, and the front transmission member 440 does not abut against the collision member 420, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a column portion protruding from the plate portion 422 toward the rear side may penetrate the intermediate member 401 and be configured to be able to abut against the front transmission member 440. In this case, the abutment portion of the front transmission member 440 with the column portion is formed unevenly in such a manner that the radial length changes depending on the angular arrangement, so that the arrangement of the column portion can be changed with the rotation of the front transmission member 440. Using this, the collision member 420 may be slightly displaced up and down to vibrate (micro-displace) the granular member 320.

In the first embodiment, the cover member 480 enters the partition member 310 by rotational displacement, but the displacement manner of the cover member 480 is not limited to this, and is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the cover member 480 may enter by sliding displacement along a linear direction. In this case, the shape of the irregular penetration portion 315 can be easily formed.

In the first embodiment, the extension plate portions 485 arranged on the left and right sides of the cover member 480 are formed in a shape that is concave toward the rear side, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it is also possible not to form a concave portion. In this case, it is easier to prevent the granular material 320 from flowing into the collision member 420 from the left and right.

In the first embodiment, the granular member 320 is separated and stored below the lid member 480 when the ejection device 400 is in a standby state, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a protrusion may be formed that protrudes from the lower surface (inner diameter side surface) of the lid member 480 toward the inner diameter side, and this protrusion may be configured to be able to abut against the granular member 320. In this case, when the granular member 320 accumulates locally, the protrusion can push the granular member 320 forward, thereby breaking up the accumulation of the granular member 320 as the lid member 480 is displaced toward the entry side. This makes it possible to uniform the arrangement of the granular member 320.

The shape of the protrusion of the lid member 480 is not limited in any way. For example, it may be configured to have multiple protrusions scattered throughout. In this case, regardless of the position where the accumulation of the granular material 320 occurs, the protrusions can be brought into contact with the accumulated granular material 320, and the accumulation of the granular material 320 can be broken down.

Also, the protrusions 482 may be configured as a pair of protrusions that are inclined outwardly to the left and right as they start from the left and right center of the entry side tip of the protrusion 482 and move toward the retreat side tip of the advance/retract section 481. In this case, as the entry side of the lid member 480 is displaced, a load can be applied to the granular member 320 in a direction that pushes the granular member 320 outward to the left and right.

The orientation of the ridges is not limited to this. For example, they may be inclined in opposite directions, or the ridges may be formed along a single inclination direction rather than a pair of inclination directions, or ridges with different degrees of inclination may be combined, or ridges with no inclination (ridges extending on a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis, or ridges extending on a plane parallel to (or overlapping with) the rotation axis) may be used. The number of ridges is not limited to this, and can be set as desired.

The length of the projection is not limited in any way. For example, the projection tip may be projected until it reaches a circle coaxial with the rotation axis of the lid member 480, or the projection length from the advance/retract part 481 of the lid member 480 may be configured to be constant. In the latter case, the surface connecting the projection tips of the projections is shaped to fit the underside (inner diameter side surface) of the advance/retract part 481, so that the projection can achieve the same effect as that achieved by the shape of the lid member 480 as described above.

When a protrusion is formed on the lid member 480, the timing of the action of the protrusion is not limited to when the granular member 320 stops and the lid member 480 displaces to the entry side. For example, when the granular member 320 is set below the lid member 480, the drive motor MT1 can be rotated in the forward and reverse directions in small increments (for example, reciprocated between 56 and 76 degrees) when the front transmission member 440 has rotated 66 degrees in the forward direction based on the performance standby state, thereby displacing the linear member 410 and the collision member 420 up and down in small increments, and displacing the granular member 320 resting on the collision member 420 up and down.

Since the granular members 320 are not fixed to the collision member 420, they can be bounced up by the vertical displacement of the collision member 420 and collide with the protruding portion of the lid member 480. This collision can rearrange the granular members 320 and break up the pile of granular members 320.

In addition, when the collision member 420 bounces up the granular member 320 (when it displaces upward), the cover member 480 displaces toward the entry side, making it easier to apply a load to the granular member 320 via the protruding portion.

The small forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor MT1 may be controlled to reverse the drive force, or may be generated with a short time interval between forward and reverse rotations. In this case, the force of the coil spring SP1 displaces the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440 in the reverse rotation direction via the linear motion member 410, thereby causing the drive motor MT1 to rotate in the reverse direction.

In the first embodiment, the curved plate portion 312 arranged opposite the advance/retract portion 481 of the lid member 480 is formed in a shape along the same plane from left to right, so that the distance between the lid member 480 and the curved plate portion 312 changes in accordance with the shape of the lid member 480. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the curved plate portion 312 arranged opposite the lid member 480 may be configured to have an uneven (wave-shaped) shape rather than a flat surface, so that the distance between the lid member 480 and the curved plate portion 312 changes depending on the relative relationship between the shape of the lid member 480 and the shape of the curved plate portion 312. In addition, the advance side end of the advance/retract portion 481 of the lid member 480 may be configured to be formed parallel to the axis of the rotation axis O1.

In the above first embodiment, the contact area between the transmission arm member 470 and the left cover member 489 is secured by changing the inclination angle of the contact surfaces 489a to 489c of the left cover member 489, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a roller member capable of changing its position may be disposed on the transmission protrusion 473 of the transmission arm member 470, and the contact area with the inner surface of the left cover member 489 may be secured by changing the position of the roller member. In this case, the inner wall of the left cover member 489 can be formed as a simple through hole.

In the above first embodiment, the driving force of the drive motor MT1 is transmitted via the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 to displace multiple members (linear member 410, collision member 420, abutment member 430, transmission arm member 470, and cover member 480), and the displacement timing is designed to prevent all of the members from displacing at the same time. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, there may be a timing at which all of the multiple members are displaced by the driving force of the drive motor MT1. In this case, it is sufficient to slightly increase the size of the drive motor MT1 used.

In the above first embodiment, the driving force is transmitted by the front transmission member 440 coming into contact with the linear motion member 410, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, by making at least a portion of the transmission protrusion 446 of the front transmission member 440 out of a magnetic material and making the protrusion 414 of the linear motion member 410 out of a magnetic material, when a repulsive force is generated between them, a load can be transmitted to the linear motion member 410 without the front transmission member 440 and the linear motion member 410 coming into contact with each other.

For example, the half of the transmission protrusion 446 that faces the protrusion 414 of the linear motion member 410 is provided with a magnetic material of a magnetic pole that generates an attractive force with the protrusion 414, while the opposite half of the circumference is provided with a magnetic material of a magnetic pole that generates a repulsive force with the protrusion 414. This allows the repulsive force to be generated on the side that attempts to maintain the linear motion member 410 in the lower end position, thereby reducing the load when the linear motion member 410 and the abutment member 430 start to abut.

In the first embodiment, the driving force is transmitted at two positions, the groove forming portion 442 formed on the front surface of the front transmission member 440 and the groove forming portion 462 formed on the rear surface of the rear transmission member 460, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a groove may be formed on the circumferential surface of at least one of the front transmission member 440 or the rear transmission member 460, and the driving force may be transmitted via this groove, thereby increasing the number of targets to which the driving force is transmitted.

In the first embodiment described above, a case was described in which it may be unclear whether it is the timing to reverse rotate the front transmission member 440 due to detection by the detection sensor SC4, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, in addition to the detection sensor SC4, a detection sensor that detects the arrangement of the linear motion member 410 or the collision member 420 may be disposed, and the possibility of reverse rotation of the front transmission member 440 may be determined based on the detection results of the detection sensor and the detection sensor SC4. This makes it possible to determine whether the launch state has been passed by driving in the forward rotation direction, so that if the launch state has not been reached, reverse rotation is possible, and if the launch state has been exceeded, reverse rotation is impossible.

In the first embodiment, the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 are rotationally displaced, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, at least one of the front transmission member 440 and the rear transmission member 460 may be displaced by a displacement other than rotation (e.g., a linear slide).

In the first embodiment described above, the shape of the extended claw portion 734 of the performance member 700 is made different between the top and bottom to prevent problems with the displacement of the expandable displacement member 740 and the shielding design member 760 toward the assembled arrangement state, but this is not necessarily limited to this.

For example, by varying the shape of the extended claw portion 734, the timing of the start of radial expansion displacement may be configured to be earlier for the upper telescopic displacement member 740 and the shielding design member 760 compared to the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and the shielding design member 760. This achieves a balance with the lower telescopic displacement member 740 and the shielding design member 760 starting to displace earlier due to their own weight, and makes it appear to the player that the telescopic displacement member 740 and the shielding design member 760 are starting to displace in all directions at the same time.

In the above first embodiment, a case has been described in which a load is generated in the radial direction of a circle centered on the rotation axis of the rotating plate 730 by abutting the rotating plate 730 against the expansion/contraction displacement member 740, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a spring member that applies a biasing force to the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 may be provided, and the biasing force may be applied to the expansion/contraction displacement member 740, or a magnet may be disposed to apply a magnetic force to the expansion/contraction displacement member 740.

In the first embodiment, the rotating plate 730 is used both as a means for transmitting a load to the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 and as a means for displacing the expansion/contraction displacement member 740, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the means for applying a load to the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 and the means for displacing the expansion/contraction displacement member 740 may be provided separately.

In the first embodiment described above, when the expandable/contractible member 740 is displaced toward the assembled arrangement state, the first guided protrusion 743b is first loaded, and the second guided protrusion 744b, which is disposed radially outward of the first guided protrusion 743b, is loaded later. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the shape of the extended claw portion 734 of the rotating plate 730 may be configured so that the order is reversed, or the load may be transmitted to the first guided protrusion 743b and the second guided protrusion 744b simultaneously.

In the first embodiment, the telescopic displacement member 740 has two protrusions, the first guided protrusion 743b and the second guided protrusion 744b, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, one protrusion may be configured to protrude obliquely relative to the rotation axis of the rotating plate 730. In this case, in addition to the function of changing the position of the telescopic displacement member 740, the one protrusion can have the function of generating a load for adjusting the posture of the shielding design member 760.

In the above first embodiment, the extended claw portion 734 arranged on the outer circumference is configured to assist the displacement of the expandable/contractible member 740 toward the gathered arrangement state, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a protruding portion is formed on the outer circumference of the rotating plate 730, and the first guided protrusion 743b can be configured to be pushed outward in the radial direction by the protruding portion, thereby assisting the displacement of the expandable/contractible member 740 toward the dispersed state.

In the above first embodiment, the lower arm member 630 suppresses the change in posture of the performance member 700 at the lowest displacement position, and reduces the degree of posture change allowed for the performance member 700 at the intermediate position between the top and bottom, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the performance member 700 may be configured to be more tolerant of posture change as it approaches the lowest displacement position.

In addition, the degree of posture change is determined by increasing or decreasing the position where the acting force is generated on the performance member 700, but this is not limited to this. For example, it may be determined by increasing or decreasing the area where the acting force is generated.

That is, the contact area between the arc-shaped hole 634 and the auxiliary protrusion 712 may be configured to be variable. For example, by changing the thickness of the tip of the lower arm member 630 in parts, the thickness (hole depth) of the arc-shaped hole 634 can be changed, and therefore the contact area between the arc-shaped hole 634 and the auxiliary protrusion 712 can be changed.

The degree of change in the posture of the performance member 700 is not determined solely by the connection position between the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700. For example, the front surface of the plate of the main body member 601, which is arranged opposite the pressing member PC1 of the lower arm member 630, or the sliding part 612a of the front cover 610 may be provided with unevenness to change the distance between the pressing member PC1. In this case, in the process of displacement of the lower arm member 630, the front surface of the plate of the main body member 601 or the sliding part 612a of the front cover 610 is easily allowed to change the posture of the performance member 700 in the part where the distance between the pressing member PC1 and the pressing member PC1 is wide, and the change in posture is easily suppressed in the part where the distance is narrow. In addition, the distance may be gradually narrowed as the performance member 700 approaches the end of its descent.

In the first embodiment, the configuration at the connection position between the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 is not changed, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a resistance increase/decrease device that can increase/decrease the displacement resistance of the relative displacement between the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700 may be arranged at the connection position between the lower arm member 630 and the performance member 700. The resistance increase/decrease device may be a brake device that can increase/decrease frictional resistance, a device that increases/decrease displacement resistance by magnetic force, or a device that extends to a position where the displacement of the lower arm member 630 can be mechanically regulated. In the case of a device using magnetic force, it can be easily configured by arranging a magnetic body in a portion that is arranged close to the tip side of the lower arm member 630 (for example, the auxiliary arm portion where the arc-shaped hole 634 is formed).

In the first embodiment, the performance member 700 is allowed to displace in the expansion direction as the position of the performance member 700 moves downward, and the case where the performance member 700 is displaced in the expansion direction after the vertical position of the performance member 700 is fixed is described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the performance member 700 may be controlled so that the expansion direction displacement occurs during the vertical displacement. In this case, by displacing the telescopic displacement member 740 and the shielding design member 760 in a direction that reduces the performance member 700 (displaces radially inward) while the performance member 700 is displacing downward, the effect of the lower arm member 630 changing from a horizontally long posture to a vertically long posture can be offset, and the posture change in the forward tilt direction of the performance member 700 can be suppressed.

In the first embodiment, the case where the performance member 700 is displaced up and down has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, it may be displaced forward and backward. In this case, an opening may be provided in the center of the center frame 86, and the performance member 700 may be configured to extend to the front side of the center frame 86 while remaining in a collected arrangement state, and then change to a scattered state at the front side of the center frame 86, thereby changing into a state larger than the opening.

In this case, it is preferable to provide an opening in the front portion of the center frame 86 of the glass unit 16 in order to avoid collision between the glass unit 16 and the performance member 700. In other words, it is preferable to provide a second layer of glass unit that covers the front side of the glass unit 16, separate from the glass unit 16 that covers the front of the play area. In addition, from the viewpoint of maintaining the size of the upper tray 17, it is preferable for this second layer of glass unit to be inclined from the same front-to-back position as the bottom end of the glass unit 16, so that it approaches the front side as it moves upward.

In the first embodiment, the positional relationship of the second long member 743 is used to explain the case where the posture of the shielding design member 760 and the tip adjustment member 744 is easily tilted, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a biasing means such as a spring that generates a biasing force may be disposed between the second long member 743 and the tip adjustment member 744, and the posture of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760 may be changed by the biasing force. In this case, the posture tilt of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760 can be intentionally formed, making it easier to achieve the effect of the posture tilt of the tip adjustment member 744 and the shielding design member 760.

In the above first embodiment, a case where a cable tube is wrapped around the wiring DK2 is described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a cable tube may be wrapped around the electrical wiring DK1. In particular, by wrapping the cable tube around the portion located above the base end through hole 635a, it is possible to prevent the electrical wiring DK1 from rubbing against the main body member 601 and the front cover member 610.

In the above first embodiment, a case has been described in which the wiring arm member 870 is displaced along the shape of the guide recess 886 in the displacement and rotation unit 800, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a drive device such as a solenoid for changing the position of the wiring arm member 870 may be provided. By controlling the operation of the drive device based on detection of the position of the vertical slide member 820, the position of the wiring arm member 870 can be appropriately changed.

In the above first embodiment, the electrical wiring DK2 is temporarily fixed by being clamped by the narrowed portion 871a of the wiring arm member 870, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the electrical wiring DK2 may be fixed to the wiring arm member 870 with a fastener such as a cable tie, or the displacement direction of the electrical wiring DK2 may be restricted.

The fastening position of the electrical wiring DK2 can be set arbitrarily. For example, in the electrical wiring DK2 arranged through the connection position between the wiring arm member 870 and the vertical slide member 820, the fastening position (e.g., the narrowing portion 871a) may be provided on the wiring arm member 870 side of the connection position, or the fastening position may be provided on the vertical slide member 820 side of the connection position.

The means for fastening the electrical wiring DK2 is not limited to use for the electrical wiring DK2. For example, it may be used to fasten the electrical wiring DK1 of the zoom unit 600. That is, the width of a portion of the placement portion 635 in which the electrical wiring DK1 is arranged may be narrowed to pinch the electrical wiring DK1 and limit its displacement, or the electrical wiring DK1 may be temporarily fastened with a fastener such as a cable tie inside the placement portion 635 or at a position upstream or downstream of the placement portion 635 as the wiring path for the electrical wiring DK1.

In this case, the object to which the electrical wiring DK1 is temporarily fastened may be the lower arm member 630 having the positioning portion 635, the performance member 700 disposed at the tip side (one end side) of the lower arm member 630, the main body member 601 or the front cover member 610 disposed at the base end side (other end side) of the lower arm member 630, or the rear case 510 to which the main body member 601 is fastened and fixed.

In the first embodiment described above, in the displacement and rotation unit 800, the wiring arm member 870 is displaced in a direction approaching or moving away from the up-down, left-right, and right plane (front-rear direction) in response to the displacement of the lateral sliding member 840 on the up-down, left-right, and right plane, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, if the displacement direction of the lateral sliding member 840 is on the up-down, left-right, and right plane, it is of course possible to displace the wiring arm member 870 in the up-down direction, and the direction of approaching or moving away may be a direction of displacement that is inclined relative to the up-down, left-right, and right plane.

In the first embodiment, the relationship between the small diameter pinion 861a and the large diameter pinion 861b in the displacement and rotation unit 800 is described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the size relationship may be reversed, or the small diameter pinion 861a and the large diameter pinion 861b may be configured to have the same diameter.

In the first embodiment, the displacement and rotation unit 800 has been described as displacing the electrical wiring DK2 in a spiral shape at the upper winding portion DK2a and the lower winding portion DK2b, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a number of arm members whose posture can be changed in response to the vertical displacement of the vertical slide member 820 may be arranged in accordance with the arrangement of the upper winding portion DK2a and the lower winding portion DK2b, and electrical wiring may be passed through the arm members, allowing the arrangement of the electrical wiring to be changed by changing the posture of the arm members.

In the first embodiment, the vertical sliding member 820 and the wiring arm member 870 are displaced integrally in the displacement and rotation unit 800, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the vertical sliding member 820 and the wiring arm member 870 may be disposed apart.

In this case, by providing a drive device such as a solenoid that displaces the wiring arm member 870, the wiring arm member 870 can be displaced even when the vertical sliding member 820 is stopped. Therefore, for example, by moving the wiring arm member 870 further away from the vertical sliding member 820 during the rotational displacement of the feather-shaped member 854, the drive control can be performed to displace the wiring arm member 870 if necessary, even when the vertical sliding member 820 is stopped.

In the first embodiment described above, the state change of the performance member 700 of the scaling unit 600 to the extended state or the enlarged state was described as occurring when the displacement rotation unit 800 was in a standby state for performance, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the performance member 700 may be configured to be able to change to the enlarged state when the feather-shaped member 854 of the displacement rotation unit 800, which has the same position in the front-to-rear direction relative to the performance member 700, is positioned in the gap between the shielding design members 760 of the performance member 700 in a discrete state.

In this case, it is possible to avoid collisions between the performance member 700 and the displacement rotation unit 800, and to avoid predicting changes in the state of the performance member 700 from the positioning of the displacement rotation unit 800. In this case, it is preferable to add a detection sensor to detect the up-down positioning of the feather-shaped member 854 of the displacement rotation unit 800.

In the first embodiment, the intermediate flow path LM1 has a shape similar to that of the guide path DL1, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the intermediate flow path LM1 may be formed as a flow path that bends with a longer left-right width than the guide path DL1, may bend in the front-rear direction, or may be formed as a flow path that extends vertically without bending.

In the above first embodiment, the intermediate flow path LM1 is configured as a path for flowing down balls that enter the second winning port 640, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the intermediate flow path LM1 may be used as a path for balls that enter the general winning port 63, or as a path for balls that enter the specific winning port 65a, or may be used for both purposes. In addition, the intermediate flow path LM1 may be configured as a path for balls that pass through the outlet 71.

In addition, because the placement of each winning opening 63, 64, 640, and 65 can be set at any position within the play area, the placement of the intermediate flow path LM1 can also be set at any position. For example, the intermediate flow path LM1 may be placed on the left side of the play area.

In addition, the intermediate flow path LM1 is not limited to being placed on the rear side of the play area. For example, it may be placed side by side on the left and right sides of the play area, or it may be placed on the front side of the play area (such as inside the glass unit 16). Even in this case, it is preferable that the intermediate flow path LM1 has a section that flows down along the path of the ball when viewed from the front as it flows down the play area.

In addition, in order to bring the ball flowing down the intermediate flow path LM1 into the player's field of vision, it is sufficient for the intermediate flow path LM1 to be formed so that it is closer to the left or right center of the playing area. Therefore, it is sufficient for the path to not reach the inside of the center frame 86 when viewed from the front.

In the first embodiment, the illumination board of the horizontal board unit 166 is arranged in a position in which the thickness direction coincides with the vertical direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the illumination board may be arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction, as in the hemispherical lighting device 613.

Furthermore, the entire area of the illuminated board is not limited to being hidden by the first decorative member 171. For example, a portion of the illuminated board may not be covered, and the light emitted from the light-emitting means such as an LED may be directly visible.

In the third embodiment, the displacement start timing of the expandable/contractible member 740 is changed by changing the shape of the guide hole 733, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the guide hole 733 may be formed in a stepped shape so that sections in which the expandable/contractible member 740 displaces and sections in which it stops are generated alternately.

In addition, by limiting the guide holes 733 formed in a stepped shape to only some of the guide holes 733, it is possible to displace the shielding design member 760 so that it approaches or abuts with different displacement trajectories or at different displacement timings.

In the sixth embodiment, the first light irradiation device 6330 and the second light irradiation device 6340 arranged on the left and right of the launch performance unit 6300 are provided with multiple illumination boards, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the horizontal board unit 166 and the vertical board unit 167 of the light guide plate performance means 160 may be configured with multiple illumination boards. In addition, the part (long part on the left and right) corresponding to the horizontal groove 171a of the decoration means 170 may be configured to have good light transmission, the horizontal groove 171a may be used as the intersection position of multiple illumination boards, and a light emitting means such as an LED may be arranged at the intersection so that light can be seen through the horizontal groove 171a.

In addition, from the viewpoint of increasing the number of directions in which light can be emitted, the present invention is not limited to the use of multiple rigid illumination boards. For example, light-emitting means such as LEDs can be arranged on a flexible board (flexible printed circuit board). In this case, the surface of the flexible board can be oriented in various directions by rolling the flexible board or fixing it in parts. This allows the optical axis of the light-emitting means such as LEDs arranged on the surface of the flexible board to be oriented in various directions, increasing the number of directions in which light can be emitted. In this case, the board can be constructed from a single board.

In each of the above embodiments, regardless of whether the number of components is single or multiple, the components may be omitted (or the number of components may be reduced if there are multiple components). Similarly, the number of components may be increased.

For example, in each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which protrusions A133b are formed in two locations on the key device A130, but the number of such protrusions A133b (number formed) may be reduced to one. Similarly, in each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which one key device A130 is disposed on the main control device A110, but the number of such key devices A130 (number disposed) may be increased to two or more.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the arrangement position of each component relative to the other components, the arrangement direction (orientation, posture, phase) of each component relative to the other components, or the arrangement order of each component relative to the other components may be changed. The arrangement order may be changed for all components, or only some of the components may be swapped. In other words, the arrangement position, arrangement direction, and arrangement order of each component are arbitrary.

For example, in each of the above embodiments, the opening A260 (key device A130) is described as being located on one side (first connecting wall A220 side) of the longitudinal center (arrow L, R direction) of the operation wall A210 (second region), but the opening A260 (key device A130) may be located in the longitudinal center of the operation wall A210 (second region), or may be located on the other longitudinal side (third connecting wall A240 side) of the operation wall A210 (second region).

In addition, for example, in each of the above embodiments, the key device A130 (covering portion A270) is arranged in an arrangement direction (posture, phase) in which the direction connecting the pair of protrusions A133b (protrusions A271b) is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (direction of arrows L, R) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region). However, the key device A130 (covering portion A270) may be arranged in an arrangement direction (posture, phase) in which the direction connecting the pair of protrusions A133b (protrusions A271b) is parallel to the longitudinal direction (direction of arrows L, R) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region), or in an arrangement direction (posture, phase) having a predetermined angle (angle greater than 0° and less than 90°) with the longitudinal direction (direction of arrows L, R) of the operation wall portion A210 (second region).

In addition, for example, in each of the above embodiments, the opening A260 (covering portion A270), the opening A250 (guide wall A251), and the opening AOP1 are arranged in order from the side closest to the first connecting wall portion A220. However, for example, the order of arrangement may be reversed from that of each of the above embodiments (i.e., the order of arrangement of opening AOP1, opening A250 (guide wall A251), and opening A260 (covering portion A270) from the side closest to the first connecting wall portion A220), or the order of arrangement of only a part may be changed (for example, the order of arrangement in which opening AOP1 is located between opening A250 (guide wall A251) and opening A260 (covering portion A270) is exemplified).

In each of the above embodiments, the covering portion A270 is provided protruding from the front surface (surface in the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall portion A210, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the operation wall portion A210 may be formed at the same height as the end surface walls A272, A2272 (i.e., the operation wall portion A210 serves as the end surface walls A272, A2272), and a structure equivalent to the peripheral wall portion A271 may be provided on the rear surface side (arrow B side) of the operation wall portion A210.

In the above embodiments, the opening A250 is formed in the operation wall A210, and the opening A260 is formed in the covering part A270 (end wall A272), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and the opening A260 may be formed in other parts. That is, it is not necessary to form them in a part that is one step lower on the outer surface of the board box A100, A2100, A3100, A4100. Examples of other parts include parts that form the outer surface of the board box A100, A2100, A3100, A4100, that is, the front wall A201, upper wall A202, lower wall A203, left wall A204, or right wall A205 of the box cover A200, A3200, and the rear wall A301, upper wall A302, lower wall A303, left wall A304, or right wall A305 of the box base A300. Similarly, other parts include, for example, the first connecting wall portion A220, the second connecting wall portion A230, and the third connecting wall portion A240.

In each of the above embodiments, the covering portion A270 is provided protruding from the front surface (surface in the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall portion A210, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the operation wall portion A210 may be formed at the same height as the end surface walls A272, A2272 (i.e., the operation wall portion A210 serves as the end surface walls A272, A2272), and a structure equivalent to the peripheral wall portion A271 may be provided on the rear surface side (arrow B side) of the operation wall portion A210.

In this case, the switch device A120 can be configured by extending the length of the operation part A122 to a position where it protrudes from the front side (the surface on the arrow F side) of the operation wall part A210. In addition, it is preferable to provide a guide wall A251 on the back side (the surface on the arrow B side) of the operation wall part A210 as the length of the operation part A122 is extended.

In each of the above embodiments, a recess is formed on the outer surface (front) of the box cover A200, A3200, and the portion forming the recessed bottom surface of the recess is the operation wall A210 (i.e., the operation wall A210 is located at a position one step lower than the front wall A201 (on the main control device A110 side)). However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and a protrusion may be formed on the outer surface (e.g., the front) of the box cover A200, A3200, and the portion forming the protruding tip surface of the protrusion may be the operation wall A210 (i.e., the operation wall A210 is located at a position one step higher than the front wall A201 (on the opposite side to the main control device A110)).

In the above embodiments, the main control device 100 is stored in the board box A100, A2100, A3100, or A4100, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. Any object can be stored as long as it operates the control via at least the opening of the board box A100, A2100, A3100, or A4100. For example, it may not have an electrical configuration. An example of such a stored object is a member (structure, device) that has a connecting part connected to an opening/closing lid that opens and closes an outlet that discharges balls from the ball flow path, and that opens and closes the opening/closing lid when the connecting part is operated as a control.

In the above embodiments, a push button switch or a key-operated selector switch is used as the operating means (switch device A120, key device A130), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and other types of operating means may be used. Examples of other types of operating means include a tactile switch, a rocker switch, a dip switch, a thumb rotary switch, and a toggle switch.

In the above embodiments, the operation mode of the operator (operation unit A122, key A140) is described as being push-in and rotation, but this is not necessarily limited thereto, and any operation mode may be used as long as it is arranged to be operable through the opening (openings A250, A260 in the above embodiments) formed in the box cover A200, A3200. Other examples of operation modes include pulling out, sliding, seesaw displacement (for example, a mode in which the operation button is displaced like a seesaw by pressing both ends alternately, such as the operation button of a rocker switch), tilting (for example, a mode in which the operation lever is displaced so that it falls to one side with the base end as the fulcrum, such as the operation lever of a toggle switch), etc.

In this case, it is preferable to arrange the operating means in such a position that the sliding direction of the operating element, the direction connecting both ends of the seesaw-displaced operating element, and the direction in which the tilting operating element falls are parallel to the longitudinal direction (directions of arrows L and R) of the operating wall portion A210 (second region). This is because the space formed along the longitudinal direction of the operating wall portion A210 (second region) can be effectively utilized to improve the operability of the operating means.

In any of the above-mentioned operation modes, the front view shape of the openings A250 and A260 may be a shape that is formed only in the area corresponding to the displacement trajectory of the operator (the area necessary to allow the displacement).

In each of the above embodiments, a predetermined gap is formed between the surface and end face of the key A140 that is gripped by the fingers and the end wall portion A272, A2272 (the outer edge of the annular portion A272a and the angular portion A272b), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and a configuration in which at least one of the surface or end face that is gripped by the fingers of the key A140 and the end wall portion A272, A2272 (the outer edge of the annular portion A272a or the angular portion A272b) abuts when no external force is applied to the key A140 or the key device A130 may also be used. That is, at least one of the surfaces gripped by the fingers or the end surfaces of the key A140 in the off or on position may be abutted against the end wall portion A272, A2272 (the outer edge of the annular portion A272a or the angular portion A272b), and when the key A140 is operated (rotated), the end surface of the key A140 may be configured to slide against the end wall portion A272, A2272 (the outer edge of the annular portion A272a).

The gap between the surface and end face of the key A140 that is held by the fingers and the end wall portion A272, A2272 (the outer edge of the annular portion A272a and the angular portion A272b), the gap between the outer surface of the key device A130 and the inner surface of the covering portion A270, and the gap between the outer surface of the key device A130 and the inner surfaces of the erected wall A290 and the lower wall portion A203 are set to a value such that at least one of the gaps disappears (the key A140 or the key device A130 is abutted) before the inclination of the key device A130 relative to the printed circuit board A119 reaches a specified angle (an angle that allows the inclination of the key device A130, i.e., an angle at which the leg A131 is unlikely to come off or be damaged, or the solder is unlikely to peel off). The specified angle is preferably 10 degrees or less, more preferably 7 degrees or less, and even more preferably 5 degrees or less. In this embodiment, it is set to 7 degrees.

In each of the above embodiments, the protrusions A271b of the covering portion A270 and the protrusions A133b of the key device A130 are each formed at two locations in the circumferential direction, but this is not necessarily limited to the above, and the protrusions A271b, A133b may be formed at only one location, or at three or more locations. Furthermore, when formed at two or more locations, their circumferential positions (phases) are arbitrary. That is, they may be formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction as in each of the above embodiments, or they may be formed at unequal intervals in the circumferential direction.

In each of the above embodiments, the protrusions A271b of the covering portion A270 and the protrusions A133b of the key device A130 are each formed intermittently in the circumferential direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and the protrusions A271b and A133b may be formed continuously in the circumferential direction.

In the above embodiments, the protrusion A271b of the covering part A270 and the protrusion A133b of the key device A130 are provided to protrude radially outward, and the protrusion A133b of the device A130 is disposed in the space formed by the protrusion A271b. However, this is not necessarily limited to this. A protrusion may be provided to protrude radially inward from the inner surface of the peripheral wall part A271 of the covering part A270, a recess recessed radially inward may be provided on the outer surface of the base part A133a of the key device A130, and the protrusion of the covering part A270 may be disposed in the internal space of the recess of the key device A130. In this case, the recess may be continued to the end face (the surface on the side of the arrow F) of the base part A133a (an opening for inserting the protrusion into the recess may be formed on the end face) so that the covering part A270 can be placed on the key device A130 (the protrusion can be inserted into the recess).

In each of the above embodiments, the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 are connected to the covering portion A270, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and in addition, the protrusions may be connected to the guide wall A251.

In the above embodiments, two ridges (first ridge A211 and second ridge A212) are connected to the covering portion A270, but this is not necessarily limited to the above, and the number of ridges may be one, or three or more. When multiple ridges are formed, the connection position between one end of each ridge and the covering portion A270 is arbitrary. However, it is preferable to connect the other ridges to positions that are approximately 180 degrees out of phase with the first ridge A211 and the second ridge A212. This is because the load input to the covering portion A270 from the key A140 in the off position and on position can be efficiently received.

The cross-sectional shapes of the first protrusion A211, the second protrusion A212, and the other protrusions, as well as the height dimension (standing dimension from the front (the surface in the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall A210) and width dimension (dimension in a direction perpendicular to the height direction of the cross-sectional shape) of the first protrusion A211, the second protrusion A212, and the other protrusions, are arbitrary and can be set appropriately. Examples of end face shapes include rectangular, semicircular, triangular, and combinations of these. The relationship between the height dimension and width dimension of the cross-sectional shape is arbitrary, and whichever value is larger may be used.

In each of the above embodiments, the height dimension of the first protrusion A211 and the second protrusion A212 (the erection dimension from the front (the surface in the direction of arrow F) of the operation wall portion A210) is constant along the extension direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this and may be changed along the extension direction.

The height dimension may be gradually reduced as it moves away from the end connected to the covering part A270. In this case, the rigidity of the covering part A270 can be efficiently increased while reducing material costs.

In each of the above embodiments, the rotation angle of the key A140 (phase difference between the on position and the off position) is set to 90°, but this is not necessarily limited to this and may be set to another rotation angle (phase difference). In other words, the rotation angle of the key A140 may be set to an angle smaller than 90° or may be set to an angle larger than 90°.

In this case, it is preferable that the shape of the opening A260 (the shape of the edge of the end wall portion A272) is formed only in an area (an area necessary to allow the displacement) corresponding to the displacement trajectory of the key A140 when the key A140 is displaced (rotated) between the off position and the on position. That is, when the rotation angle of the key A140 is θ, the opening A260 is formed in a shape in which a first sector-shaped opening with a central angle of approximately θ for allowing the displacement of a portion on one side of the rotation center of the key A140 and a second sector-shaped opening with a central angle of approximately θ for allowing the displacement of a portion on the other side (opposite side) of the rotation center of the key A140 are combined with a phase difference of approximately 180 degrees.

In each of the above embodiments, the key A140 has been described as having a different rotation radius (the distance from the rotation center to the end face (the narrow surface along the outer edge of the surface held by the fingers)) on one side of the rotation center from the rotation center of the part on the other side of the rotation center, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and the rotation radius (the distance from the rotation center to the end face (the narrow surface along the outer edge of the surface held by the fingers)) on one side and the other side may be approximately the same. In other words, the first sector-shaped opening and the second sector-shaped opening of the opening A260 may be openings of approximately the same size (radius).

In each of the above embodiments, the front view shape of the operation wall portion A210 is described as being substantially rectangular (rectangular), but this is not necessarily limited to this and other front view shapes are also acceptable. Examples of other front view shapes include substantially square, substantially circular, substantially elliptical, substantially triangular, substantially polygonal with pentagons or more, and combinations of these shapes.

In each of the above embodiments, the longitudinal direction of the operation wall portion A210 is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 (box covers A200 and A3200) has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to the case and may be non-parallel. Alternatively, it may be approximately perpendicular (i.e., the longitudinal direction of the operation wall portion A210 is aligned with the directions of the arrows U and D).

In each of the above embodiments, a part of the outer edge of the operation wall A210 (three sides in each of the above embodiments) is surrounded by the connecting wall (first connecting wall A220, second connecting wall A230, and third connecting wall A240), and the remaining part of the outer edge (one side in each of the above embodiments) is not surrounded (open), but this is not necessarily limited to this. The entire outer edge of the operation wall A210 may be surrounded by the connecting wall.

That is, in the above embodiments, when viewed from the front of the box covers A200, A3200, the operation wall A210 is arranged (formed) at a position where a part of the outer edge of the operation wall A210 coincides with a part of the outer edge of the box covers A200, A3200, but the operation wall A210 may be arranged (formed) at a position where the outer edge of the operation wall A210 does not coincide with the outer edge of the box covers A200, A3200.

In the above embodiments, the opening AOP1, the opening A250 (guide wall A251), and the opening A260 (covering portion A270) are arranged substantially in series (substantially in a line), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and other arrangements may be used. Examples of other arrangements include a staggered arrangement, an arrangement distributed in positions with no regularity, and a lattice arrangement (arrangement at the intersection of multiple mutually perpendicular straight lines). Furthermore, when arranged substantially in series (substantially in a line), the series direction may be non-parallel to the longitudinal direction of the operation wall portion A210 (box cover A200, A3200), or may be substantially perpendicular.

In each of the above embodiments, the front surface (surface on the side in the direction of the arrow F) of the end wall portion A272, A2272 is described as being formed as a flat surface, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and one or more protrusions or ribs may be provided on the front surface (surface on the side in the direction of the arrow F) of the end wall portion A272, A2272.

In this case, the protrusions (ribs) (e.g., portions formed by extending in a streak-like manner while maintaining a substantially semicircular or substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape) are preferably arranged in a radially linear manner extending radially outward from the center (axis of the peripheral wall A271) of the end wall A272, A2272 when viewed from the front (as viewed in the direction of arrow B). It is also preferable that a plurality of such protrusions (ribs) are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. This is because, when the key A140 is removed, the key A140 engages with the edge of the end wall A272, A2272, and even if the end wall A272, A2272 is lifted in the direction of removal of the key A140 (direction of arrow F), damage to the end wall A272, A2272 can be suppressed by utilizing the rigidity of the protrusions (ribs).

Alternatively, the protrusions (ribs) may be formed in a circular shape when viewed from the front, and may be continuous in the circumferential direction. A plurality of such protrusions (ribs) may be arranged with different diameters (i.e., spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the radial direction). They may also be discontinuous (discontinuous) in the circumferential direction.

In each of the above embodiments, the height position of the erected end surface of the erected wall A209 is set back from the height positions of the erected end surfaces of the erected walls A208, A280, and A290 (i.e., positioned away from the printed circuit board A119), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and other erected walls A208, A280, and A290 may also be set back.

In addition, the amount of recession from the reference plane of each of the standing walls A208, A209, A280, and A290 may be different from the amount of recession from the reference plane of the other standing walls A208, A209, A280, and A290. Furthermore, the amount of recession may vary for each standing wall A208, A209, A280, and A290.

In this case, it is preferable to reduce the amount of setback of the erected tip surface from the reference plane for the erected wall that is farther from the fastening hole A206a. The printed circuit board A119 is less restricted by the screw ASC in areas farther from the fastening hole A206a than in areas closer to the fastening hole A206a, and therefore is more likely to deform (displace) in a direction away from the abutting erected wall when the erected wall abuts, and the degree of adhesion with the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 is weakened. By reducing the amount of setback of the erected tip surface from the reference plane for the erected wall that is farther from the fastening hole A206a, it is possible to more easily ensure adhesion between the erected tip surface of the erected wall and the front surface of the printed circuit board A119 for each of the erected walls.

For example, in this embodiment, if the erected tip surface of the erected wall A209 closest to the fastening hole A206a is assumed to be the reference surface, the distance from the fastening hole A206a (standing wall A209) increases in the order of erected wall A280, erected wall A290, and erected wall A208, so it is preferable to reduce the amount of recession from the above-mentioned reference surface in this order according to the distance from the fastening hole A206a (i.e., minimize the amount of recession from the reference surface of the erected tip surface of the erected wall A208).

Furthermore, the amount of recession from the reference plane described above may be reduced for each of the erected walls A208, A209, A280, and A290 as the distance from the fastening hole A206a increases. In other words, the erected end surface of one of the erected walls A208, A209, A280, and A290 may be configured to be an inclined surface with respect to the front wall portion A201 of the box cover A200 and A3200, for example.

In each of the above embodiments, in the setting change mode, the setting value is displayed on at least one of the third pattern display device 81 or the seven-segment display, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and instead of or in addition to this, it may be displayed on another display device. Examples of other display devices include the first pattern display device 37, the second pattern display device 83, and the second pattern hold lamp 84.

In addition, the configuration may be such that the setting value is not displayed on either the third pattern display device 81 or the seven-segment display.

In this case, when the setting change mode is activated, the setting value may be updated to a predetermined initial value (e.g., the first value) regardless of the setting value before the activation, and the setting value may be recognized by an operator based on the number of times the operating section A122 of the switch device A120 is pressed. This can prevent the setting value from being obtained illegally by illegal means (e.g., a means of photographing the display of the third pattern display device 81 with a hidden camera installed in the hall). Also, when changing the setting during play, it can prevent the player from being aware of the setting value. In this case, the setting confirmation mode may be omitted.

Although the description is omitted in each of the above embodiments, a first detection sensor is provided to detect the relative position of the inner frame 12 with respect to the outer frame 11 (rotational position with the hinge 18 as the rotation center), and if the first detection sensor detects that the inner frame 12 is opened (rotated) by a predetermined angle or more with respect to the outer frame 11, the above-mentioned setting change is permitted, and if the first detection sensor does not detect that the inner frame 12 is opened (rotated) by a predetermined angle or more with respect to the outer frame 11, the setting change is prohibited (for example, input from the switch device A120 or key device A130 is invalidated). This is because unauthorized setting changes can be prevented.

In addition, a second detection sensor may be provided to detect the relative positions of the board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 with respect to the inner frame 12 (rotational positions with the rotation axis A410 as the center of rotation), and if the second detection sensor detects that the board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 are opened (rotated) by a predetermined angle or more with respect to the inner frame 12, the above-mentioned setting change is prohibited (for example, input from the switch device A120 or key device A130 is invalidated), and if the second detection sensor does not detect that the board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 are opened (rotated) by a predetermined angle or more with respect to the inner frame 12, the setting change may be permitted. This is because unauthorized setting changes can be prevented.

It is possible to provide both the first and second detection sensors, or to provide only one (the other may be omitted). When both are provided, the above-mentioned setting change may be permitted if the first detection sensor detects an opening (rotation) of the inner frame 12 relative to the outer frame 11 at a predetermined angle or more, and the second detection sensor does not detect an opening (rotation) of the board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 relative to the inner frame 12 at a predetermined angle or more. It is possible to provide the first and second detection sensors, for example, rotary sensors that detect the rotation angle, and limit switches whose mechanical detection unit is displaced when opened or closed.

In each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which operation (changing settings) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is permitted if a specific electrical connection line (electrical connection line connecting the power supply device 115 and the voice lamp control device 113 to the main control device A110) is connected to the main control device A110 (i.e., if the specific electrical connection line is not connected to the main control device A110, changing settings is prohibited), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and the specific electrical connection line can be set (selected) arbitrarily.

For example, the specified electrical connection line may be only the electrical connection line connecting the power supply device 115 to the main control device A110. In other words, as long as at least the power supply device 115 is connected to the main control device A110 by an electrical connection line, the configuration may be such that operation (setting change) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is permitted regardless of the connection state of the other electrical connection lines (i.e., whether they are connected, disconnected, or a mixture of connected and disconnected). In this case, the setting value associated with the setting change cannot be confirmed by the third pattern display device 81, but can be confirmed by the seven-segment display of the main control device A110.

In the above embodiments, the case where the operation (setting change) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is permitted if a specific electrical connection line (an electrical connection line connecting the power supply device 115 and the voice lamp control device 113 to the main control device A110) is connected to the main control device A110 (i.e., if the specific electrical connection line is not connected to the main control device A110, the setting change is prohibited) is described, but this is not necessarily limited to this, and it may be configured such that if the specific electrical connection line is not disconnected from the main control device A110, the operation (setting change) of the switch device A120 and the key device A130 is not permitted (i.e., if the specific electrical connection line is connected to the main control device A110, the setting change is prohibited) regardless of the connection state of other electrical connection lines (i.e., whether they are connected, disconnected, or connected and disconnected). In this case, too, the specific electrical connection line can be set (selected) arbitrarily.

For example, the payout control device 111 is an example of a specified electrical connection line. This turns off the power to the payout control device 111, preventing the payout control device 111 from being operated improperly and causing game balls to be paid out.

In the eighth embodiment, the protrusion A2273 is formed in a streak-like shape as a portion protruding from the back surface (surface on the side in the direction of arrow B) of the end wall portion A2272, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a configuration in which multiple protrusions are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval between positions AP1 and AP6, including positions AP2 and AP5, may also be used. Alternatively, a configuration in which the protrusion A2273 is formed intermittently between positions AP1 and AP6, including positions AP2 and AP5, may also be used.

The range in which the protrusion A2273 or multiple protrusions are formed is not limited to the range from position AP1 to position AP6, including positions AP2 to AP5, and this range may be reduced or expanded. This range may be the entire outer edge of the annular portion A272a and the angular portion A272b.

In the above ninth embodiment, the case was described where the base box A3100 is rotated around the rotation axis A410 to be positioned in the second position (a position where the front of the operation wall portion A210 faces the front side of the pachinko machine A3010, see FIG. 122(b)), but this is not necessarily limited to this, and it is of course possible to adopt other displacement forms.

Other examples of displacement modes include a mode in which the board box is arranged to be slidably displaced in its width direction (arrows L and R) relative to the inner frame 12, and is slidably displaced in the opposite direction to the hinge 18 (arrow L direction) to place the board box in the second position, and a mode in which the rotation axis A410 is formed as an axis along the front-to-rear direction (arrows F and B direction) of the pachinko machine A10 (inner frame 12), and the board box is displaced (rotated) around the rotation axis A410 as the center of rotation to place the board box in the second position.

In the above tenth embodiment, the rotating shaft A4410 is formed on each of the sealing unit A400 and the sub-cover A500, but this is not necessarily limited to the above, and at least one or both of the rotating shafts A4410 may be formed on the box covers A200, A3200 or the box base A300. In this case, a divided body of the rotating shaft A4410 may be formed on each of the box covers A200, A3200 and the box base A300, and one rotating shaft A4410 may be formed from each divided body when the box covers A200, A3200 are connected to the box base A300.

This also applies to the seventh to ninth embodiments. Although the rotating shaft A410 is formed in the sealing unit A400, the rotating shaft A410 may be formed in the box cover A200, A3200 or the box base A300. As in the above case, when the box covers A200, A3200 are connected to the box base A300, one rotating shaft A410 may be formed from the divided bodies formed on each of the box covers.

The present invention may be implemented in a type of pachinko machine or the like different from the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, it may be implemented as a pachinko machine (commonly called a two-time right machine or a three-time right machine) in which the expected value of a jackpot is increased until a jackpot state occurs multiple times (for example, two or three times) including the first jackpot. It may also be implemented as a pachinko machine that generates a special game in which the player is given a predetermined game value after the jackpot pattern is displayed, with the necessary condition being that the ball enters a predetermined area. It may also be implemented as a pachinko machine that has a winning device with a special area such as a V zone, and the special game state is entered with the necessary condition being that the ball enters the special area. Furthermore, in addition to pachinko machines, it may be implemented as various gaming machines such as arepachi, mahjong ball, slot machines, and gaming machines that are a combination of a pachinko machine and a slot machine.

Slot machines are well known in that, for example, after inserting a coin and determining the effective line of symbols, a lever is operated to change the symbols, and a stop button is operated to stop and finalize the symbols. Therefore, the basic concept of a slot machine is "a slot machine that has a display device that displays a variable display of a string of identification information consisting of multiple identification information, and then displays the determined identification information, and that starts the variable display of the identification information due to the operation of a start operation means (e.g., a lever), stops the variable display of the identification information due to the operation of a stop operation means (e.g., a stop button) or after a predetermined time has passed, and generates a special game that awards a predetermined game value to the player, provided that the combination of identification information at the time of the stop is a specific one." In this case, typical examples of the game medium include coins, medals, etc.

An example of a gaming machine that combines a pachinko machine and a slot machine is one that has a display device that displays a pattern sequence consisting of multiple patterns in a variable manner and then displays the pattern in a fixed manner, but does not have a handle for shooting balls. In this case, after a specified amount of balls are inserted based on a specified operation (button operation), the pattern starts to change due to, for example, the operation of an operating lever, and the pattern change is stopped due to, for example, the operation of a stop button or after a specified time has passed, and a special game is generated in which a specified gaming value is awarded to the player, provided that the fixed pattern at the time of the stop is a so-called jackpot pattern, and a large number of balls are paid out to the player in a receiving tray at the bottom. If such a gaming machine is used instead of a slot machine, the gaming hall can handle only the balls as the gaming value, which can eliminate problems seen in current gaming halls where pachinko machines and slot machines are mixed, such as the burden on facilities due to the separate handling of medals and balls as the gaming value, and the restrictions on the location of gaming machines.

Below, we will explain the gaming machine of the present invention as well as the various invention concepts included in the above-mentioned embodiments.

<Performance incorporating randomness>
A gaming machine A1 comprising an action means, a displacement means configured to be displaceable by receiving an action from the action means, and an auxiliary means configured to allow the displacement means to have a plurality of displacement modes.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, are equipped with a displacement means that is displaceably arranged in front of the liquid crystal display area and displaces when a drive device such as a motor is driven (see, for example, JP 2016-153095 A). However, the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines have a problem in that the operation patterns of the displacement means are limited, and the presentation in front of the liquid crystal display area becomes monotonous, gradually drawing the attention of the player.

In response to this, with gaming machine A1, the auxiliary means functions to make the displacement mode of the displacement means multiple, making it possible to complicate the displacement of the displacement means. This makes it possible to prevent the player from becoming bored and to keep the player's attention at a high level.

The specific example of the auxiliary means is not limited in any way. For example, it may be a box-shaped space forming means that forms a space in which the displacement means can be displaced, or a pushing means that is displaced by a drive device separate from the action means and pushes the displacement means to change the displacement mode of the displacement means. Also, the drive device for the pushing means may be used as the drive device that drives the action means.

A gaming machine A2 is characterized in that in the gaming machine A1, the action means can be configured to have a first state in which a first action part can act on the displacement means, and a second state in which a second action part can act on the displacement means.

In addition to the effect of gaming machine A1, gaming machine A2 can vary the part where the action means acts on the displacement means, so that even if the movement of the action means when acting is the same, the displacement mode of the displacement means can be varied.

A gaming machine A3 is characterized in that the action means in the gaming machine A1 or A2 includes a contact means that contacts the displacement means to apply a load, and is configured to be able to generate loads in a variety of ways via the contact means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines A1 and A2, gaming machine A3 has multiple types of load patterns that are generated through the contact means, which allows the displacement means to have multiple displacement patterns.

In the gaming machine A3, the contact means is configured to be displaceable and includes a first contact portion configured to be able to contact the displacement means and a second contact portion configured to be able to contact the displacement means and different from the first contact portion, and the angle between the displacement direction of the contact means and the first contact portion (or the tangent to the first contact portion) when viewed in a specified direction is configured to be different from the angle between the displacement direction of the contact means and the second contact portion (or the tangent to the second contact portion) when viewed in the specified direction. In the gaming machine A4,

In addition to the effects of gaming machine A3, gaming machine A4 can vary the direction of the load applied to the displacement means without changing the displacement direction of the abutment means, so that the displacement of the displacement means can be generated in multiple directions.

A gaming machine A5 is characterized in that the contact means in the gaming machine A4 is configured such that the tangents drawn to the first contact portion and the second contact portion, which are parallel to each other, are perpendicular to the displacement direction of the contact means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine A4, gaming machine A5 can apply a load to the displacement means in a direction parallel to the plane along the displacement direction of the abutment means, so that the displacement means can be displaced with little energy loss. This makes it possible to ensure a large amount of displacement for the displacement means.

A gaming machine A6 is any one of the gaming machines A1 to A5, and is characterized in that it is provided with a load generating means configured to generate a load for displacing the action means, and the load generating means is configured to generate a load at a position where the displacement means are arranged more closely together.

Gaming machine A6 can efficiently transmit load to the displacement means in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines A1 to A5.

A gaming machine A7 is characterized in that, in any one of the gaming machines A1 to A6, the action means is supported in a support manner that allows a change in posture, and the change in posture occurs on the side that makes it easier to maintain the balance of the position of the displacement means relative to the action means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A6, gaming machine A7 can maintain the balance of the arrangement of the displacement means by changing the posture of the action means, thereby avoiding localized overload of the action means.

The cause of the change in the posture of the acting means is not limited in any way. For example, it may be caused by a balance of the load from the displacement means, or a drive device may be provided that changes the posture of the acting means. When the posture of the acting means is changed by a balance of the load from the displacement means, multiple lengths from the part facing the displacement means to the support position of the acting means can be provided, thereby making it possible to create multiple types of ease of posture change in the acting means.

A gaming machine A8, in any one of the gaming machines A1 to A7, is characterized in that the auxiliary means includes a guide means configured to be able to guide the displacement of the displacement means, the guide means including a first guide section capable of guiding the displacement of the displacement means in one direction and a second guide section capable of guiding the displacement of the displacement means in the other direction, and the first guide section and the second guide section have different configurations of the surfaces facing the displacement means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A7, gaming machine A8 can vary the displacement mode of the displacement means depending on the displacement direction of the displacement means.

A gaming machine A9 is characterized in that, in any one of the gaming machines A1 to A8, the action means is configured to be displaceable, the ease of maintaining the balance of the displacement means changes depending on the position of the action means, and the action means is configured to be able to act on the displacement means at a position where the balance of the displacement means is easily maintained.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A8, gaming machine A9 makes it easier to maintain balance between the displacement means and the action means.

A gaming machine A10 is any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, characterized in that the displacement means comprises one or more members, which are configured so as not to be connected to each other.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines A1 to A9, the gaming machine A10 can prevent the multiple members from bonding together and forming a mass when the displacement means is made up of multiple members, making it easy to realize a configuration that prevents the multiple members from scattering.

A gaming machine A11 is characterized in that the center of gravity of the one or more components in the gaming machine A10 is located at a position different from the center of the component.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine A10, gaming machine A11 can stabilize the posture of the displacement means when the displacement means is disposed on the action means.

The method for forming the center of gravity is not limited in any way. For example, it may be possible to partially change the density of the component, or to partially drill holes in the component.

<Changes due to the advancing/retreating means that moves back and forth within the range of displacement of the displacement means>
A gaming machine B1 comprising a positioning means configured to be positionable within a predetermined range, and an advancing/retreating means configured to be displaceable in an advancing/retreating direction relative to said range, wherein the advancing/retreating means is configured to be able to change the width of said range by entering a predetermined part of said range, and is configured so that the width can be changed in a number of different ways.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, have a first movable member that displaces left and right, and a second movable member that enters a range created between the first movable member as the first movable member displaces (see, for example, JP 2015-231434 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, there is only one type of displacement mode when the second movable member enters the range, and there is a problem in that there is room for improvement in the displacement mode of the second movable member.

In contrast, with gaming machine B1, the advance/retract means is configured with multiple types of change in the width of the range when entering the range, so the displacement mode of the placement means can be configured with multiple types, and the displacement mode of the placement means can be improved.

The type of placement means is not limited in any way. For example, it may be a granular presentation material made of a resin material, a powdery material, a liquid, or a game ball.

In addition, there is no limitation on the method of configuring multiple types of change in the width of the range due to the displacement of the advancing/retreating means. For example, the entry side of the advancing/retreating means may be formed with an inclined surface, and the width of the range may be changed by providing portions with different widths that enter the range, or the width of the range may be changed by changing the displacement width of the advancing/retreating means.

In gaming machine B1, the range is formed inside a box-shaped means configured to be able to prevent the placement means from entering or exiting, and is configured to be changeable, the advancing and retreating means is configured to be displaceable in a manner that allows the range to enter when the range is in a non-changing state, and the box-shaped means has an opening that allows the advancing and retreating means to pass through but prevents the placement means from passing through. Gaming machine B2.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine B1, gaming machine B2 allows the advance/retract means to enter the range through the opening, while preventing the placement means from falling out of the range.

The position of the opening is not limited in any way. For example, it may be placed in a location that is difficult for the placement means to reach. In this case, the possibility of the placement means accidentally falling out of the range can be further reduced. The opening may also be placed in a location where it is difficult for the placement means to generate a load (for example, on the upper side opposite the direction of gravity). In this case, it is possible to prevent a load from the placement means from being applied to the advancing/retreating means during displacement, which would hinder the displacement of the advancing/retreating means, or cause damage to the advancing/retreating means or the placement means.

Gaming machine B3 is characterized in that, in gaming machine B1 or B2, the advancing/retreating means is configured so that the direction in which it guides the placement means differs depending on the direction in which it abuts against the placement means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines B1 and B2, gaming machine B3 can make the player see the placement means being guided in different directions by the same advance/retract means. This increases the variety of presentations, improving the presentation effect of presentations that utilize the placement means and advance/retract means.

Gaming machine B4 is any one of gaming machines B1 to B3, characterized in that the advancing/retreating means is configured such that when the advancing/retreating means enters the range, the gap between the advancing/retreating means and the opposing surface of the range is shorter than the width of the positioning means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines B1 to B3, gaming machine B4 can cause the advancing and retreating means to act on the positioning means in the advanced state, even if the positioning means is positioned farther from the advancing and retreating means.

It is also possible to configure the device so that there is no gap between the moving means and the opposing surface of the range. It is also possible to configure the device so that there is a gap in some areas and no gap in other areas.

Among any of the gaming machines B1 to B4, the advancing/retreating means is configured to enter the range by rotational displacement about a predetermined axis, and the gaming machine B5 is characterized in that the leading end on the entry side is configured so that the representative end farthest from the axis has the shortest gap between it and the range.

In addition to the effects of any of gaming machines B1 to B4, gaming machine B5 allows the representative tip, which is most likely to be displaced from the axis, to enter the range first, making it possible to quickly respond to displacement from the axis and reduce resistance to the subsequent entry motion.

Gaming machine B6 is characterized in that the representative tip portion of gaming machine B5 has a predetermined protruding portion and is formed so as to be inclined toward the side receding from the range as it moves away from the protruding portion along the axial direction.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine B5, gaming machine B6 can displace the positioning means away from a specified protrusion during the advancement process of the advance/retract means.

Gaming machine B7 is characterized in that the advancing/retreating means in gaming machine B6 is configured with a shape that opens on the range side at a position away from the protruding portion in the axial direction.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine B6, gaming machine B7 has a shape in which the moving means is shaped so that the range side is open at a position away from the protruding portion, so that the placement location of the placement means pushed aside by the protruding portion can be secured.

Various forms are exemplified as the shape in which the range side is opened. For example, the shape may be such that the range side is opened before the advancement/retraction means enters, or the shape may be such that the range side is opened when the advancement/retraction means enters.

Gaming machine B8 is any one of gaming machines B5 to B7, and is provided with a driving means capable of generating a driving force, and a transmission means configured to transmit the driving force of the driving means to the advancing/retreating means, the transmission means and the advancing/retreating means are brought into contact with each other to transmit the driving force, the contact area of the contact surface between the transmission means and the advancing/retreating means is configured to be variable, and the contact area is configured to be maximum when the advancing/retreating means first enters the range and then decreases.

Gaming machine B8, in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines B5 to B7, is configured so that the contact area is maximized at the beginning of the advancement when a large load is likely to be generated as the advancement/retraction means begins to come into contact with the positioning means, thereby reducing the load per unit area of the contact surface. This makes it possible to improve the durability of the advancement/retraction means and the transmission means.

The form of the moving means is not limited in any way. For example, it may be a means for displacement outside the play area, or a means for displacement within the play area.

<Synchronize the operation of two parts with a transmission cam>
A gaming machine C1 comprising a drive means, a displacement means configured to be displaceable and composed of one or more members, and a transmission means configured to be capable of transmitting the drive force of the drive means to the displacement means, wherein the transmission means comprises a first transmission section configured to be capable of transmitting the drive force of the drive means to a first target portion of the displacement means in a first aspect, and a second transmission section configured to be capable of transmitting the drive force of the drive means to a second target portion of the displacement means in a second aspect different from the first aspect.

In gaming machines such as pachinko machines, there are gaming machines that have a drive device used to displace the displacement means, which is a first drive device for vertically displacing the displacement means, and a second drive device for rotationally displacing the displacement means (see, for example, JP 2016-202210 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, even if the first drive device and the second drive device are synchronized to displace multiple displacement means in order to execute the motion presentation of the displacement means, the possibility of deviation in drive timing cannot be eliminated, and there is a problem in that the displacement of the displacement means is easily unstable.

In contrast, according to gaming machine C1, the transmission means is provided with a first transmission section and a second transmission section, which are configured to transmit the driving force to the first target section and the second target section of the displacement means, respectively, so that the transmission of the driving force to the first target section and the second target section can be automatically synchronized, and the displacement of the displacement means can be stabilized.

The timing at which the driving force is transmitted is not limited in any way. For example, the driving force may be transmitted to the first target portion and the second target portion simultaneously, or the driving force may be transmitted at different times, or a combination thereof (partially transmitted simultaneously) may be used.

When transmitting a driving force to the first target part and the second target part simultaneously, it is preferable to arrange them so that the direction in which at least a portion of the driving force is generated is along the direction of gravity. This allows the weight of the object to be used to transmit the driving force.

A gaming machine C2 is characterized in that, in the gaming machine C1, the transmission of driving force to the first target portion and the transmission of driving force to the second target portion are configured to occur at different times.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine C1, gaming machine C2 can reduce the driving force required by the driving means by keeping the maximum driving resistance low.

Note that the transmission of driving force here may refer to a load in the direction of travel where the transmission means is displaced by the driving force, or it may refer to a load transmission caused by a displacement caused by the driving force, regardless of the direction of travel.

In gaming machine C1 or C2, the displacement means includes a first member having the first target portion and a second member having the second target portion, the displacement trajectory of the first member and the displacement trajectory of the second member are configured to partially intersect, the first member is configured to be able to abut against the second member in a predetermined arrangement, and in this abutting state, a driving force is transmitted to the second member via the first member. Gaming machine C3.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines C1 and C2, gaming machine C3 can provide multiple types of conditions for transmitting the driving force to the displacement means. In other words, it is possible to provide a case in which the driving force is transmitted directly from the transmission means to the second member, and a case in which the driving force is transmitted indirectly via the first member.

A gaming machine C4 is characterized in that, in a gaming machine C3, when the first member is displaced toward the predetermined arrangement, the second member is configured to be able to retreat to a position where it does not come into contact with the first member.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine C3, gaming machine C4 can prevent the first member from coming into contact with the second member during displacement. This makes it easier to smoothly switch the mode of driving force transmission to the second member, since the second member comes into contact with the first member when the first member has reached a predetermined position and stopped.

Gaming machine C5 is characterized in that, in gaming machine C3 or C4, the state of the first member corresponds to the arrangement of the transmission means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines C3 and C4, gaming machine C5 can switch the mode of transmission of the driving force by changing the arrangement of the transmission means, so that the displacement of the first and second members can be stabilized and unintended collisions or contacts between the members can be avoided.

A gaming machine C6 is any one of gaming machines C3 to C5, and is characterized in that it includes a biasing means configured to bias the second member in a predetermined direction, the driving force is transmitted to the second member in a direction opposing the biasing force, and the first member is disposed on the predetermined direction side relative to the second member in the predetermined arrangement.

Gaming machine C6 has the same effect as any of gaming machines C3 to C5, and can place the first member in a predetermined position with the second member positioned opposite the first member in a predetermined direction. This allows for timing to determine when the second member is displaced against the biasing force in response to displacement of the transmission means, and when the second member is held against the biasing force.

A gaming machine C7 is characterized in that, in the gaming machine C6, the first member is configured to displace toward the predetermined arrangement while the first transmission part of the transmission means is displaced toward the predetermined direction.

In addition to the effect of gaming machine C6, gaming machine C7 can generate part of the load required to displace the first member by the biasing force of the biasing means. In other words, the biasing force can be used supplementarily.

Gaming machine C8 is characterized in that, in any one of gaming machines C3 to C7, the second transmission part is capable of forming a non-contact state in which it is not in contact with the second member, and the second member is configured so that, in the non-contact state, the second transmission part does not interfere with the displacement of the second member.

Gaming machine C8, in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines C3 to C7, can configure the displacement state of the second member to be one in which it is pressed by the second transmission section, and one in which it is separated from the second transmission section.

Gaming machine C9 is characterized in that, in any one of gaming machines C3 to C8, a straight line extending parallel to the predetermined direction from the contact point between the first member and the transmission means in the predetermined arrangement passes through a regulating part that regulates the displacement of the transmission means in a predetermined manner.

In addition to the effects of any of gaming machines C3 to C8, gaming machine C9 can prevent the biasing force transmitted to the transmission means via the first member from reaching the drive means (reduce the degree of the force) by blocking the biasing force with a regulating section.

The type of the restricting portion is not limited in any way. For example, it may be a guide portion that restricts the displacement to a sliding displacement, or a pivot support portion that restricts the displacement to a rotational displacement.

A gaming machine C10, which is one of the gaming machines C1 to C9, is characterized in that the first target part of the displacement means is configured to be able to change between a first state in which it is displaced or stopped by receiving the driving force of the drive means, and a second state in which it is displaced or stopped by receiving a load from the second target part.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines C1 to C9, gaming machine C10 can complicate the displacement pattern of the first target portion.

<By limiting load generation to when the device is away, load transmission is cut off>
Gaming machine D1 is provided with a drive means, a displacement means configured to be displaceable, and a transmission means configured to transmit the drive force of the drive means to the displacement means, characterized in that it has a first means configured to be able to change state between an abutment state in which it abuts against the displacement means and a non-abutment state in which it does not abut against the displacement means, and the object to which an external load is transmitted to the first means is configured to be switchable.

In some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, the displacement means, which is made up of a movable body that is displaced by the driving force of the drive means, may come into contact with another movable body at the displacement end position (upper end position) and receive a load (see, for example, JP 2016-028623 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, there is a risk that the load from the other movable body may be transmitted to the drive means via the displacement means, and a difference may occur between the controlled state of the drive means (for example, the rotation angle of the motor) and the actual state of the drive means, so there is room for improvement in terms of stabilizing the drive state.

In addition, the load applied to the drive means may cause the operating resistance of the drive means to increase or decrease unstably, accelerating deterioration of the drive means.

In response to this, gaming machine D1 is configured to be able to suppress load transmission in the contact state, so the drive state of the drive means can be stabilized. In addition, by suppressing unstable increases and decreases in the operating resistance of the drive means, the durability of the drive means can be improved.

The method of suppressing the load transmission in the contact state is not limited in any way. For example, a member capable of absorbing the load may be interposed in the contact portion, or the displacement of the first means that causes the load (for example, the first means being subjected to an external force) may be configured to occur only when the first means is not in contact.

Gaming machine D2 is characterized in that in gaming machine D1, the load that the displacement means receives from the first means and the driving force that the displacement means receives via the transmission means face the same side.

According to gaming machine D2, the load received by the displacement means can be reduced compared to when the load from the first means and the driving force are directed in opposite directions.

Gaming machine D3 is characterized in that, in gaming machine D1 or D2, it has a placement means arranged so as to be capable of colliding with the first means, and the collision of the placement means is configured to occur in a state in which the transmission means and the displacement means are not in contact with each other.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines D1 and D2, gaming machine D3 achieves the same effect by blocking load transmission between the transmission means and the displacement means, since the collision of the positioning means occurs in a state where the transmission means and the displacement means are not in contact with each other.

The collision of the positioning means may occur when the first means is in contact with the first means or when the first means is not in contact with the first means. If the collision of the positioning means occurs when the first means is not in contact with the first means, the load transmission between the first means and the displacement means can be cut off, so that the load transmission to the drive means can be suppressed regardless of the positioning of the transmission means (whether the transmission means is in contact with the displacement means or not).

Gaming machine D4 is characterized in that, in any one of gaming machines D1 to D3, the transmission means has an abutment portion configured to be able to abut against the displacement means, and the abutment portion is configured to be flexible enough to bend (deform) in the direction of the load generated by the abutment.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines D1 to D3, gaming machine D4 can absorb the load by bending (deforming) the contact portion, thereby suppressing the load transmission between the displacement means and the transmission means.

Gaming machine D5 is characterized in that in any one of gaming machines D1 to D4, the first means and the displacement means have a second abutment portion configured to be able to abut, and the second abutment portion of at least one of the first means or the displacement means is formed from a material capable of absorbing impact.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines D1 to D4, gaming machine D5 can absorb impacts with the second contact portion, thereby suppressing the transmission of load to the drive means.

Gaming machine D6 is any one of gaming machines D1 to D5, and is characterized in that it is provided with a biasing means for biasing the displacement means, and the standby position of the displacement means is set at the end of the biasing direction displacement range of the biasing means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines D1 to D5, gaming machine D6 can prevent the standby position of the displacement means (the position where it waits for the generation of a load from the transmission means) from shifting, making it easier to appropriately position the stop position of the transmission means (the position where high-speed rotation starts) for controlling the transmission means to operate at high speed until the first means and the displacement means are separated. This makes it possible to easily and appropriately control the drive means.

In addition, by reducing the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the first means and the displacement means, it is possible to avoid the first means and the displacement means coming into contact with each other inadvertently.

Gaming machine D7 is any of gaming machines D3 to D6, characterized in that the first means is allowed to change its position due to a collision of the placement means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines D3 to D6, gaming machine D7 can utilize the load from the positioning means to change the attitude of the first means, thereby suppressing the transmission of the load to the drive means.

Gaming machine D8 is characterized in that it is configured to be able to change between a biased state in which the first means and the displacement means are in contact with each other and the transmission means and the displacement means are not in contact with each other, so that the first means receives the biasing force of the biasing means, an invalid contact state in which the transmission means is in contact with the displacement means, displacing the displacement means in the direction opposite to the direction of the biasing force of the biasing means, and the transmission of the biasing force of the biasing means to the first means is invalid, and a non-contact state in which the first means and the displacement means are separated.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines D6 and D7, gaming machine D8 can configure multiple types of states of the first means (e.g., the degree of ease with which the positioning means changes its position in response to a collision).

<Conditionally restricting one of the forward and reverse rotations>
A gaming machine E1 is provided with a displacement means configured to be displaceable along a path including a predetermined position, the displacement means being configured to be displaceable from the predetermined position to a reference position that serves as a reference point at which the displacement mode changes, and being configured to be displaceable from the reference position to the predetermined position in a plurality of different modes.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, control the same movable parts to perform different actions in multiple effects (see, for example, JP 2016-73517 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, the different actions correspond to the presence or absence of a switch in the drive direction of the drive device, so the type of effect can be determined from the drive sound of the drive device, and the player can predict the effect that will be executed next, which creates a problem that there is room for improvement in terms of increasing the interest of players.

In response to this, gaming machine E1 uses a discrimination means to make it difficult for the player to discern the upcoming performance. This can increase the player's interest.

The displacement mode of the displacement means is not limited in any way. For example, different effects involving displacement of the displacement means may be used for a winning effect and a losing effect. In this case, if there is only one type of displacement mode of the displacement means to a specified position, the occurrence of displacement from the specified position (e.g., the occurrence of a drive sound) will make it clear whether or not a winning effect has been achieved. On the other hand, by allowing multiple types of displacement modes, it is possible to make it difficult to tell whether or not a winning effect has been achieved, even if a displacement occurs (e.g., the occurrence of a drive sound).

The manner of displacement is not limited in any way. For example, it may be a path, a displacement speed, or a displacement speed pattern.

A gaming machine E2 is characterized in that it is equipped with a driving means for generating a driving force for displacing the displacement means in the gaming machine E1, and a regulating means for regulating the displacement of the displacement means, and the regulating means is configured to be able to regulate the displacement of the displacement means when the driving means is not generating a driving force.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine E1, gaming machine E2 can eliminate the drive sound of the drive means when the displacement means is regulated, making it difficult to tell whether the drive direction is forward or reverse when the machine is subsequently redriven.

In addition, when performing a long-term performance (long reach, etc.) with the displacement of the displacement means restricted, unlike when the drive means continues to generate drive force, heat generation by the drive means can be suppressed.

Gaming machine E3 is characterized in that, in gaming machine E1 or E2, the regulating means is displaced to a position where it can act on the displacement means by the driving force of the driving means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines E1 and E2, gaming machine E3 can reduce the number of drive means required compared to when separate drive means are provided to drive the regulating means.

Gaming machine E4 is characterized in that it is equipped with a discrimination means configured to have a section that makes it difficult to discern which of the multiple types of modes has changed, among any of gaming machines E1 to E3.

In addition to the effects of any of gaming machines E1 to E3, gaming machine E4 can be configured to make it difficult to distinguish the displacement mode of the displacement means in a specified section by the discrimination means, making it easier to continue the displacement of the displacement means until the displacement mode is difficult to distinguish, compared to when it is difficult to distinguish the displacement mode only at a specified point.

Gaming machine E5 is characterized in that, in gaming machine E4, it is configured to be able to maintain the arrangement of the displacement means in the section.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine E4, gaming machine E5 makes it possible to switch the drive direction of the drive means while maintaining the displacement means. This makes it possible to prevent the type of displacement mode of the displacement means from being revealed from the drive sound. Therefore, for example, drive control is possible, such as starting the drive means before announcing whether the player has won or lost.

A gaming machine E6 is any one of the gaming machines E1 to E5, and is provided with a detection means capable of detecting the position of the displacement means, and the detection means is also used as a determination means for determining switching of executable displacements among the displacements in the multiple types of displacement modes.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines E1 to E5, gaming machine E6 can use a sensor for detecting the position of the displacement means and a sensor for determining the switching of the displacement mode, thereby reducing the number of detection sensors.

<Unity of multiple components>
A gaming machine F1 in which a first member and a second member are configured to be displaceable, characterized in that the manner in which the first member and the second member approach each other is configured to be different for the first member and the second member.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, control a displaceable first member and a displaceable second member so that they move up and down while maintaining a state of close proximity (see, for example, JP 2015-231434 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, the displacement of the first member and the second member occurs on the same straight line, so depending on the speed at which they approach each other, there is a risk that the first member and the second member will move back after coming into contact, which could result in a poor appearance. In other words, there was a problem in that there was room for improvement in terms of maintaining the presentation style regardless of the displacement speed.

In contrast, according to gaming machine F1, the manner in which the first and second members approach each other is made different. For example, the displacement manner in which the first and second members move is not on the same straight line, but rather on separate straight lines, and then the first and second members approach each other by changing direction, thereby making it possible to avoid the first and second members moving backwards and to more easily maintain the presentation mode.

A gaming machine F2, in which the displacement of the first member and the second member in the gaming machine F1 is divided into at least a first section for bringing them close to each other and a second section as a preparation section for bringing them into contact with each other, and the first member and the second member are configured so that their postures in the first section and the second section are different.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine F1, gaming machine F2 can change the attitude of the first and second members to suit the purpose of the displacement.

A gaming machine F3 is characterized in that it is equipped with a load generating means capable of generating a load in a direction that maintains the close arrangement of the first member and the second member in the gaming machine F1 or F2.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines F1 and F2, gaming machine F3 can maintain the arrangement of the first and second members by using a load generating means.

The load generated by the load generating means is not limited to a load in a certain direction or a load of a certain magnitude. For example, if the load that is likely to be received (e.g., the presentation mode that generates an external force) changes depending on the situation (e.g., the game state), the direction and magnitude of the load generated by the load generating means may be changed accordingly.

Furthermore, the load generated by the load generating means does not need to be generated all the time. For example, the load generation and removal may be switched according to the changes in the situation described above. The load generating means may be external.

A gaming machine F4 is characterized in that, in the gaming machine F3, it is provided with a displacement generating means configured to displace at least one of the first member or the second member, and that the displacement is capable of forming a predetermined state, and the load generating means is configured integrally with the displacement generating means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine F3, gaming machine F4 can appropriately maintain the relationship between the timing of load generation by the load generating means and the arrangement of the first and second members, preventing loads from being generated at misaligned times.

In addition, the action of the load generating means and the action of the displacement generating means can complement each other. For example, the load of the load generating means can be used to assist the displacement of the first member or the second member caused by the displacement generating means.

Gaming machine F5 is characterized in that in gaming machine F4, the predetermined state is a contact state in which at least a portion of the first member contacts the second member.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine F4, gaming machine F5 makes it easier to execute a performance that fills the gap between the first and second members.

Gaming machine F6 is characterized in that in gaming machine F4 or F5, the load generating means is configured to generate a load in the predetermined state.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines F4 and F5, gaming machine F6 can prevent the load of the load generating means from affecting the first and second members even in states other than the specified state.

Gaming machine F7 is any one of gaming machines F3 to F6, characterized in that the load generating means is configured to generate loads at multiple points on the first member or the second member.

According to gaming machine F7, in any of gaming machines F3 to F6, the load generating means generates loads at multiple locations on the first member or the second member, so that it is possible to maintain the state not only against displacement in one direction, but also against changes in the posture of the first member or the second member. This makes it possible to avoid noticeable misalignment even when the first member and the second member are configured three-dimensionally.

In the gaming machine F7, the first member or the second member has a plurality of loaded parts that receive a load from the load generating means, the plurality of loaded parts have a first loaded part and a second loaded part that has a larger displacement amount with respect to the load generating means than the first loaded part, and the load generating means is configured to apply a load to the first loaded part before the second loaded part. In the gaming machine F8,

Gaming machine F8, in addition to the effects of gaming machine F7, can apply a load from the load generating means to the first member or the second member in stages. Also, the roles of the load applied to the first loaded part and the second loaded part can be separated. For example, the first loaded part can be used to position the part in a predetermined position, and the second loaded part can be used to adjust the position.

A gaming machine F9, which is one of the gaming machines F3 to F8, is characterized in that the load generating means is configured such that the portion that applies a load to the first member or the second member in the direction opposite to gravity has a longer facing length of the facing surface that faces the first member or the second member compared to other portions.

Gaming machine F9, in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines F3 to F8, can easily accommodate sagging caused by the weight of the first or second member. Meanwhile, for other parts, the opposing surfaces facing the first or second member can be made short, improving design freedom for the load generating means and making it easier to hide the opposing surfaces.

A gaming machine F10 is one of the gaming machines F3 to F9, characterized in that the first member and the second member can be assembled while the first member and the second member are separated.

In addition to the effects of any of gaming machines F3 to F9, gaming machine F10 makes it easier to avoid cracks or chips in the first or second member due to the load generated during assembly. In other words, compared to when assembly is performed in abutting state, it is easier to avoid load transmission between the first and second members, so the first and second members can be assembled without damage.

This allows the first and second members to have abutment surfaces as designed, preventing situations in which misalignment is more likely to occur due to the load from the load generating means, for example when a gap exists.

<Multiple types of wobbling states of the displacement means>
A gaming machine G0 comprising a displacement means and an action means for displacing the displacement means, the action means being configured to suppress a change in the attitude of the displacement means in a predetermined direction.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, are equipped with a displacement means configured to enable displacement consisting of positional changes and rotation (see, for example, JP 2016-116782 A). However, in the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines, although the portion supporting the displacement means disposed at the tip of the arm is formed with a large diameter, measures against changes in the position of the displacement means are insufficient due to the need to provide a gap to ensure displacement, and there is a problem that there is room for improvement in terms of suppressing changes in the position of the displacement means.

In response to this, the gaming machine G0 is able to suppress changes in the position of the displacement means by using the configuration of the action means. This makes it easier to avoid collisions between the displacement means and the wall member that defines the space, even if the space in which the displacement of the displacement means is permitted is narrow.

The direction of the change in posture of the displacement means is not limited in any way. For example, it may be tilted around a straight line along the lateral direction (horizontal direction, etc.) as an axis, or it may be swung sideways around a straight line along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction, etc.) as an axis.

A gaming machine G1 is characterized in that the action means in the gaming machine G0 is configured to be able to increase or decrease the action force that suppresses the change in the posture of the displacement means in accordance with the position of the displacement means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine G0, gaming machine G1 can change the degree of suppression of the change in the position of the displacement means in accordance with the placement of the displacement means. This allows the placement space for the displacement means to be narrowed while maintaining a high degree of freedom in the presentation of the displacement means.

For example, when the displacement means undergoes reciprocating displacement, the displacement means tends to lose its posture at the displacement end where the displacement direction is switched. However, by increasing the number of positions at which the acting force is generated when the displacement means is placed at the displacement end, it is possible to prevent the displacement means from losing its posture.

In addition, for example, when the displacement means itself is displaced by enlarging or reducing or by rotating due to the driving force mounted on the displacement means, the posture of the displacement means tends to become unstable. Therefore, by increasing the number of positions at which the acting force is generated at the driving force generation position, it is possible to suppress the posture of the displacement means from becoming unstable.

In the gaming machine G0 or G1, the action means is configured to support the displacement means with a plurality of main support means arranged on a horizontal plane passing through the center of gravity of the displacement means. Gaming machine G2.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine G0 or G1, gaming machine G2 has an operating means that supports the displacement means with multiple main support means on a horizontal plane at the center of gravity of the displacement means, making it easier to prevent the displacement means from tipping over.

A gaming machine G3 is characterized in that the action means in the gaming machine G2 includes an auxiliary support means that supports the displacement means at a position different from the horizontal plane on which the main support means is arranged.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine G2, gaming machine G3 supports the displacement means at three or more support points that are not arranged in a straight line using the main support means and auxiliary support means, making it possible to suppress changes in the position of the displacement means in all directions.

A gaming machine G4, in which the auxiliary support means in the gaming machine G3 also functions as a guide means for guiding the displacement of the displacement means relative to the action means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine G3, gaming machine G4 can add the function of the auxiliary support means not only as a position where a support force is generated, but also as a position that guides displacement.

A gaming machine G5 is characterized in that in the gaming machine G1, the displacement means is displaceable in such a manner that the area when viewed in a predetermined direction increases or decreases, and the action means is configured so that the action force generation position is maximum at the displacement end position of the displacement means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine G1, gaming machine G5 can generate acting forces on the displacement means at multiple points at the displacement end position where the area increase effect of the displacement means is most effective, so that the posture change of the displacement means can be effectively suppressed.

Furthermore, by relatively reducing the position at which the acting force is generated during the displacement of the displacement means, the displacement resistance of the displacement means can be reduced and the displacement can be made smoother. In other words, while the displacement means is displacing, the inertia associated with that displacement makes it easier to maintain its posture, so if the position at which the acting force is generated is increased excessively, the acting force will become excessive, and the displacement resistance of the displacement means will simply increase, which can lead to problems such as the drive device becoming larger.

In response to this, by configuring the position where the acting force is generated to be reduced at positions other than the displacement end position, it is possible to avoid excessive displacement resistance of the displacement means and to avoid an increase in the size of the drive device.

<Propeller unit wiring guide>
A gaming machine H1 comprising a displacement means, electrical wiring connected to the displacement means, and electrical wiring displacement means configured to be able to displace a specified portion of the electrical wiring, wherein the electrical wiring displacement means is configured to be able to displace the specified portion to a side away from the displacement means when the displacement means displaces toward the specified portion.

In some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, the electrical wiring connected to the displacement means is arranged along a long member that is linked to the displacement means, limiting the placement of the electrical wiring (see, for example, JP 2012-157474 A). However, in the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines, in order to avoid contact between the displacement means and the electrical wiring, it is difficult to configure the displacement means to continue to displace beyond the electrical wiring, and space is required to place the electrical wiring outside the displacement end of the displacement means, resulting in a problem of reduced freedom in placement of the displacement means.

In contrast, according to the gaming machine H1, the electrical wiring displacement means is configured to displace a specific portion of the electrical wiring to a side that avoids the displacement means, so that contact between the displacement means and the electrical wiring can be actively avoided, and the displacement means can be configured to displace beyond the electrical wiring. This allows for a high degree of freedom in the placement of the displacement means.

However, there are no particular limitations on when the displacement means approaches the specified part. For example, it may be when there is a risk of contact between the displacement means and the specified part if the specified part is stopped, or when the distance between the specified part and the displacement means becomes closer than the reference length.

Gaming machine H2 is characterized in that in gaming machine H1, the displacement means is configured to be displaceable in at least a first direction and a second direction, and the predetermined portion is configured to be displaceable in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine H1, gaming machine H2 can avoid the amount of displacement of the displacement means in the specified plane formed by the first direction and the second direction being limited by electrical wiring.

Gaming machine H3 is characterized in that in gaming machine H2, the first direction and the second direction are parallel to a plane perpendicular to the predetermined viewing direction.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine H2, gaming machine H3 can set the direction of displacement of a specific part to be in line with the viewing direction of the specific direction, thereby reducing the effect of the displacement of electrical wiring on the appearance when viewed from the specific direction.

Among any of the gaming machines H1 to H3, gaming machine H4 is characterized in that it is provided with a retaining means for retaining a second predetermined portion of the electrical wiring that is arranged on the opposite side of the displacement means with respect to the predetermined portion, and the electrical wiring displacement means is configured so that the second predetermined portion is easily displaced with respect to the retaining means.

Gaming machine H4 can improve the durability of the second specified portion of the electrical wiring arranged in the retaining means in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines H1 to H3.

The configuration that allows the second predetermined portion to be easily displaced relative to the retaining means is not limited in any way. For example, if the second predetermined portion is arranged in a spiral shape in the retaining means, the second predetermined portion may be pushed in along the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the spiral, or if the second predetermined portion is guided by a movable member, the second predetermined portion or the movable member may be pushed in so as to displace the movable member.

Gaming machine H5 is characterized in that, in gaming machine H4, the stopping means is positioned outward from the displacement end of the displacement means in the first direction.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine H4, gaming machine H5 has the advantage that the retention means is positioned outward from the displacement end of the displacement means in the first direction, so the retention means can be configured to protrude toward the plane side where the displacement means displaces. This increases the capacity of the electrical wiring of the retention means, so that the amount of displacement of the displacement means that compensates for the distance from the retention means with the second specified portion can be increased.

Among any of the gaming machines H1 to H5, gaming machine H6 is characterized in that the electrical wiring displacement means is configured integrally with the displacement means and is equipped with a corresponding change means that changes the position of the electrical wiring displacement means in response to the position of the displacement means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines H1 to H5, gaming machine H6 can appropriately manage the relative positioning of the electrical wiring and the displacement means by using the corresponding change means.

<The path of the ball through the electric chute>
A gaming machine I0 is provided with a game area and a flow-down means for flowing down game balls discharged from the game area, the flow-down means including a section configured to make the game balls discharged from the game area visible.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, have a base plate that forms the play area that is made of plywood (see, for example, JP 2017-80178 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, when a game ball discharged from the play area flows to the back side of the base plate, it is hidden by the base plate and the player cannot see the game ball. This makes it easy for the player to lose sight of the game ball, and if the player does not pay attention to the timing of the discharge, they may get the impression that the game ball has suddenly disappeared from the play area.

Even if attention is paid to the timing of the balls being dispensed, in recent pachinko machines, the winning hole and the outlet hole are often located close to each other, so that when a ball actually enters the outlet hole, it may be mistaken for entering the winning hole. In this case, the player may feel suspicious that no prize balls have been paid out. In other words, there was a problem with conventional gaming machines in that there was room for improvement in the way that game balls were dispensed from the play area.

In contrast, according to the gaming machine I0, the flow-down means is configured with a section in which the gaming balls discharged from the gaming area can be seen, so the player can visually check how the gaming balls are positioned from the gaming area by watching the gaming balls flow down that section. This allows for improved discharge of the gaming balls from the gaming area.

The discharge of game balls from the game area refers to the general manner in which game balls are discharged from the game area. For example, they may be discharged through a prize ball port, or through an outlet port that does not contain prize balls.

Gaming machine I1 is characterized in that it is equipped with a benefit granting means arranged so that gaming balls flowing down the gaming area can pass through it and configured to be able to grant a predetermined benefit to a player based on the passing of the gaming ball, and the flowing down means is equipped with a first component configured to be able to guide the gaming ball to a side approaching the benefit granting means above the benefit granting means, and a second component arranged downstream of the first component and configured to be able to guide the gaming ball to a side away from the benefit granting means above the benefit granting means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine I0, gaming machine I1 allows the player to visually check the gaming ball flowing down the flow-down means to understand how the gaming ball was discharged from the gaming area, and prevents the gaming ball from approaching the benefit-granting means below. This allows the player to clearly distinguish between gaming balls that have already been discharged from the gaming area and gaming balls that are still flowing down the gaming area near the benefit-granting means, allowing the player to play comfortably.

The predetermined benefit is not limited in any way. For example, it may be the payment of prize balls, a lottery for a first symbol, a second symbol, or other symbol, or it may be some other benefit.

Gaming machine I2 is characterized in that, in gaming machine I0 or I1, it is provided with a focusing means formed inside the gaming area and a frame means arranged in a frame shape around the focusing means, and the flow-down means is configured to flow gaming balls down to the inward side of the frame means when viewed from the front.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines I0 and I1, gaming machine I2 can use the flow-down means to make gaming balls discharged from the gaming area enter the field of view of a player who is focusing on the focusing means. This allows the player to know that a gaming ball has been discharged from the gaming area even when the player is focusing on the focusing means.

The attention means is not limited in any way, and various forms are exemplified. For example, it may be a light guide plate (illumination plate), a liquid crystal display means that displays a changing pattern, a movable part that can be displaced by a driving means such as a motor, or a light-emitting means such as an LED.

Gaming machine I3 is characterized in that the flow-down means in gaming machine I2 is equipped with a deceleration means for decelerating the gaming ball on the inner side of the attention means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine I2, gaming machine I3 can lengthen the period during which the gaming ball remains in the field of view of a player who is focusing on the focusing means.

<Ingenuity in the design of the panel and around the light guide plate>
A gaming machine J0 comprising a predetermined substrate having a light-emitting means, and a placement means arranged on at least a portion of the front side of the predetermined substrate when viewed in a predetermined direction, the predetermined substrate being positioned so that an area visible when viewed in the predetermined direction is smaller than an area visible of light irradiated from the light-emitting means.

In some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, an illumination board with light-emitting means such as LEDs is placed on the back side of a base board whose front side constitutes the play area, and the plate surface of the illumination board and the plate surface of the base board are placed almost parallel to each other (see, for example, JP 2006-333887 A). However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, the area of the illumination board visible when viewed from the front is large, so when LED light is irradiated onto a decorative member placed on the front side of the illumination board, the illumination board may enter the field of view, and the decorative member and the illumination board may be seen as overlapping from front to back.

Only components necessary for functionality, such as circuits and resistors, are arranged on the surface of the illuminated board, and it is usually not highly decorative. Therefore, when the decorative members and the illuminated board are seen overlapping from the front to the back, it looks bad and may reduce the interest of the player. In other words, in conventional gaming machines, there was room for improvement in the presentation effect of a given board.

In response to this, according to gaming machine J0, the specified board is positioned so that the area of the specified board visible when viewed in a specified direction is smaller than the area of the light being irradiated, so that at least an area can be configured in which only the light is visible without overlapping with the specified board. This can improve the presentation effect of the specified board.

The arrangement of the specified substrate is not limited in any way. For example, it may be partially hidden to reduce the visible area, or it may be completely blocked so that there is no visible area.

The optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting means arranged on the specified substrate can be set arbitrarily. For example, the optical axis may be oriented in the thickness direction of the specified substrate, or in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the specified substrate, or at an angle between them.

The light transmittance of the arrangement means is not limited in any way. For example, it may be configured to have good light transmittance, low light transmittance, or the degree of light transmittance may vary from part to part.

In gaming machine J0, the placement means includes a plurality of direction change means that are placed on both sides of the specified board and change the direction of travel of light emitted from the light emitting means, low-transmittance means having a lower light transmittance than the direction change means are placed between the plurality of direction change means, and gaming machine J1 is characterized in that at least a portion of the specified board is placed inside the low-transmittance means when viewed in the specified direction.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine J0, gaming machine J1 can hide the specified board using low-transmittance means. This can narrow the range in which the specified board is visible.

The direction change means is not limited in any way, and various forms are exemplified. For example, it may be a light guide plate or illumination plate, a movable part that can be displaced by a drive device, a play area or flow path through which game balls flow, or a case member or decorative member that is fixedly arranged.

A gaming machine J2 is characterized in that in the gaming machine J1, the low-transmittance means is at least a part of a shape that constitutes the shape of a predetermined pattern or figure.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine J1, gaming machine J2 can make the low-transparency means blend into a specific pattern or graphic shape, thereby avoiding giving the player a sense of incongruity.

The shape of the specified pattern or figure is not limited in any way. For example, it may be the frame-shaped bone of a window frame or the like, or the bone that connects the axis of a rotating body such as a tire to the rotating outer periphery, or it may be part of a design (for example, a title logo) that is composed of any character string and pattern and expresses a series of meanings.

Gaming machine J3 is characterized in that, in any one of gaming machines J0 to J2, the specified board is arranged with the end face of the board facing the specified direction.

Amusement machine J3 can minimize the area of a given board when viewed in a given direction.

Gaming machine J4 is characterized in that it is equipped with a display means for executing a display effect visible in a specified direction and a game area arranged in front of the display means, and the specified board is arranged at the boundary between the display area of the display means and the game area when viewed in the specified direction.

With gaming machine J4, a designated board is placed at the boundary, so unlike when light is irradiated from the back of the play area to the front and a light effect is performed overall, it is possible to perform an effect in which light is irradiated only from the designated board to the display area side or an effect in which light is irradiated only to the play area side.

Gaming machine J5 is characterized in that in gaming machine J4, the specified board is fixedly positioned on a gaming board that constitutes the gaming area on the front side.

With the gaming machine J5, the specified substrate is fixed to the gaming board, which allows for greater freedom in arranging the light-emitting means compared to, for example, a case in which the substrate is fixed to the inside surface of the rear case on which movable parts and the like are arranged.

In addition, the electrical wiring that supplies electricity to the light-emitting means can be guided along the back of the game board to the outside of the back case, so that even if the back case side is visible through the window of the game board, it is impossible to see the back of the game board unless the player looks around with a particularly wide field of vision, making it easier to prevent players from seeing the electrical wiring.

Furthermore, if the liquid crystal display device is placed in the center of the rear case, the placement space for the specified board is limited to the outside of the liquid crystal display device, but if the specified board is placed on the rear of the game board, the specified board can be placed in any position without being limited by the size of the liquid crystal display device. This improves the freedom of placement of the specified board.

<Locking member to prevent misalignment of components during shipping>
A gaming machine K1 comprising a displacement means and a limiting means configured to limit the displacement of the displacement means, the limiting means being configured to be changeable between a first state in which it can act on the displacement means and a second state in which it cannot act on the displacement means, and being configured to suppress movement of the displacement means in a specified direction in the first state.

Some gaming machines, such as pachinko machines, are equipped with a movable device (displacement means) that displaces downward from a standby position to the front of the liquid crystal display area (see, for example, JP 2015-231434 A). However, the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines have a problem in that there is room for improvement in terms of fixing and releasing the position of the displacement means.

In other words, while the gaming machine is designed to operate normally after installation, it is not designed to lock the movable parts in place in situations where the gaming machine may be subjected to large vibrations or external forces, such as during shipment.

As a result, in order to fix the movable parts during shipment, measures have been taken to suppress the displacement of the movable parts by stuffing the area in which the movable parts may move with cushioning material, and to remove the cushioning material after the game arrives at the amusement hall. However, if the opening in the center of the game board is blocked, the cushioning material cannot be easily removed, which can result in a significant burden on the amusement hall.

In contrast, with gaming machine K1, the restriction on the displacement of the displacement means can be released by changing the state of the restriction means, so that the displacement means can be easily fixed and released.

However, unlike when the cushioning material is removed, the restricting means is not removed, so if the state could easily change due to external forces that may occur during play, it would be difficult to continue playing. In response to this, the restricting means is configured to suppress unintended state changes in the first state, making it possible to suppress the occurrence of malfunctions during play.

A gaming machine K2 is characterized in that, in the gaming machine K1, the limiting means is configured to be able to change between the first state and the second state when not energized.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine K1, gaming machine K2 can cause the state of the limiting means to change when the gaming machine is not powered, which can prevent malfunctions of the limiting means. This can prevent workers from having difficulty working during a power outage or during recovery operations from a power outage.

A gaming machine K3, which is equipped with a biasing means for biasing the operating part of the limiting means in a predetermined direction in the gaming machine K1 or K2, and which is configured to change state when the operating part is displaced a predetermined amount from a reference position in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, and which is characterized in that the operating part can be displaced away from the reference position in the predetermined direction by the biasing force of the biasing means, and is disposed in a separated position away from the reference position in the predetermined direction in the second state.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines K1 and K2, gaming machine K3 has an operating unit disposed at a distance from the reference position in the second state, which makes it possible to avoid the occurrence of a predetermined amount of displacement required for the state of the limiting means to change due to external forces that may be applied to the gaming machine after installation, such as the opening and closing of a door, and makes it easier to prevent the limiting means from changing state from the second state.

Gaming machine K4 is characterized in that, in any one of gaming machines K1 to K3, the operating section of the limiting means is disposed outside the area forming means that forms the area in which the displacement means can be displaced.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines K1 to K3, gaming machine K4 has an operating section disposed outside the area forming means, so that even if the displacement means is displaced in response to the operation of the operating means, the displacement means can be prevented from coming into contact with the operator.

A gaming machine K5 is characterized in that, in any one of the gaming machines K1 to K4, it is provided with a biasing means for biasing the operating part of the limiting means in a predetermined direction, the limiting means is configured to change state when the operating part is displaced a predetermined amount from a reference position in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, the limiting means is provided with a guide means for guiding the displacement of the operating part in the predetermined direction, and the guide means is configured to ensure an allowable displacement range (attitude change range) of the operating part in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction.

Gaming machine K5 has the same effect as any of gaming machines K1 to K4, but is also configured to allow the operating means to be displaced in a direction intersecting the specified direction. This makes it easy to prevent the operating unit from displacing in the specified direction when a load of unknown direction is applied to the operating unit, and makes it easier to prevent the operating unit from displacing a specified amount. This makes it possible to prevent the state of the limiting means from changing due to unintended external forces caused by opening and closing a door, etc.

Gaming machine K6 is characterized in that in gaming machine K5, the operating unit includes an engagement portion configured to be able to engage with the guide means, the biasing means is disposed at the center of the operating unit, and the engagement portion is disposed at a position away from the center of the operating unit.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine K5, gaming machine K6 has the following advantages: even if an external force of unknown direction is applied to the restricting means when the restricting means is in the first state, the operating unit only displaces (changes its position) with the engagement unit as the fulcrum, and is prevented from displacing the specified amount of displacement required for a state change. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the restricting means from changing state from the first state to the second state due to external forces such as the opening and closing of a door, or vibrations during shipment.

Gaming machine K7 is characterized in that in gaming machine K6, the limiting means is disposed on the rear side of the area forming means that is configured to be rotatable on support shafts on the left and right positions, and the engagement portion is disposed on the opposite side of the support shaft.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine K6, gaming machine K7 makes it easy for the arcade staff to change the state of the limiting means by pushing in the engaging portion of the limiting means, making it easier for them to open the front door and operate the control means. In other words, when the front door is opened, the engaging portion is located on the side where the opening width is larger (the opposite side of the support shaft), so the operating position of the limiting means can be moved closer to the front.

Gaming machine K8 is characterized in that in gaming machine K7, the limiting means is disposed on the support shaft side of the area forming means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine K7, gaming machine K8 has a restriction means disposed on the support shaft side, which prevents workers who work with the front door open from accidentally touching the restriction means.

In addition, the load applied to the limiting means when the front door is opened or closed can be reduced compared to when the limiting means is disposed on the opposite side of the support shaft, so that the state of the limiting means can be prevented from changing due to the impact caused by opening and closing the front door.

Gaming machine K9 is one of gaming machines K1 to K8, characterized in that in the first state, the displacement means is configured to guide the displacement of the limiting means.

Gaming machine K9 has the same effect as any of gaming machines K1 to K8, but in addition, it can improve the accuracy of guiding the displacement when the limiting means acts on the displacement means while reducing the accuracy of guiding the displacement of the limiting means alone.

A gaming machine K10 is characterized in that, in any one of the gaming machines K1 to K9, it is provided with a prevention notification means that, when power is applied in the first state, issues a notification to prevent the continuation of the power-on state.

According to gaming machine K10, in addition to the effect of any of gaming machines K1 to K9, the prevention notification means can notify the player to switch the state of the restriction means from the first state.

The manner of notification is not limited in any way. For example, the notification may be made by displaying an error message on a liquid crystal display device, by outputting an alarm sound from a speaker, or by turning on a specified lighting means (or keeping it turned off).

<Concept of the invention using board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 as examples>
The gaming machine L0 has a container for housing an object, and further has an operating means arranged on the object and formed to be operable, and an opening is formed in the container at a position corresponding to the operating means.

A gaming machine is known that has a board box (container) that houses a control board (object) (JP Patent Publication 2015-205029). The board box is sealed, preventing tampering with the control board.

However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, when an operating means is provided on the control board, the board box needs to be opened in order to operate the operating means. This poses the problem of being time-consuming.

The gaming machine L0 is equipped with an operating means that is arranged on the target object and is configured to be operable, and an opening is formed in the housing at a position corresponding to the operating means, so that the operating means can be operated through the opening. In other words, it is not necessary to open the housing when operating the operating means, which reduces the effort required.

<Concept of the invention using substrate boxes A100, A2100 (covering parts A270, A2270) as an example>
In the gaming machine L0, the operating means has a first surface facing the opening of the container, and the container has an opposing portion facing the first surface of the operating means.

In gaming machine M1, in addition to the effects of gaming machine L0, the operating means has a first surface facing the opening of the container, and the container has an opposing portion facing the first surface of the operating means. This allows the area of the opening to be reduced by the opposing portion, thereby preventing a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container through the opening.

A gaming machine M2, in which the operating means is operated by inserting and displacing an operator in the gaming machine M1, and the facing portion is disposed facing at least a portion of the range of the first surface of the operating means excluding the displacement trajectory of the operator.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine M1, gaming machine M2 has an opposing portion that faces at least a portion of the range of the first surface of the operator excluding the displacement trajectory of the operator, which prevents the insertion of the operator into the operating means and the displacement of the inserted operator from being impeded, while the opposing portion can reduce the area of the opening, thereby preventing a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container through the opening.

A gaming machine M3 is characterized in that the opposing portion of the gaming machine M1 or M2 is formed in a plate shape with a fixed base end and one free end.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines M1 and M2, gaming machine M3 has a simplified shape and ensures moldability because the opposing portion is formed in a plate shape with a fixed base end and a free end. As a result, yields can be improved and product costs can be reduced.

Gaming machine M4 is characterized in that a protrusion is provided on the opposing portion of gaming machine M3.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine M3, gaming machine M4 has a protrusion on the opposing part, which increases the rigidity of the opposing part and reduces damage to it.

The protrusions may also be formed as ridges extending in a streak shape.

Gaming machine M5 is characterized in that in gaming machine M4, the protrusion protrudes from the surface of the opposing portion that faces the first surface of the operating means.

In gaming machine M5, in addition to the effects of gaming machine M4, the protrusion protrudes from the surface of the opposing part that faces the first surface of the operating means, so that the gap between the opposing part and the first surface of the operating means is reduced, preventing a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the housing through the gap.

Gaming machine M6 is characterized in that in gaming machine M5, the protrusion abuts against the first surface of the operating means.

In gaming machine M6, in addition to the effects of gaming machine M5, the protrusion abuts against the first surface of the operating means, eliminating the gap between the opposing portion and the first surface of the operating means at the abutment point, making it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the housing.

In addition, because the protrusion is in contact with the first surface of the operating means, even if the opposing part is pushed in the insertion direction by the operating element when the operating element is inserted into the operating means, the opposing part can be prevented from being deformed in the insertion direction. This makes it possible to prevent the base end side of the opposing part from being damaged.

The opposing portion is formed in a plate shape with a fixed base end and a free end, so that the elastic deformation of the opposing portion can be used to bring the protrusions into contact and maintain that state (i.e., increase the degree of adhesion and prevent the insertion of foreign objects such as wires).

Gaming machine M7 is any of gaming machines M3 to M5, characterized in that the protrusion is formed as a ridge extending in a streak shape.

In addition to the effects of any of gaming machines M3 to M5, gaming machine M7 has protrusions that are formed as ridges extending in a streak shape, which increases the rigidity of the opposing parts and makes it easier to prevent foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the housing.

Among any of the gaming machines M1 to M7, the operating means is operated by inserting an operating element and displacing it, and the facing portion is formed so that an edge of the opposing portion can come into contact with the operating element inserted into the operating means. M8 is characterized in that.

If the controller inserted into the operating means is tilted (for example, if an operator inadvertently operates the controller sideways, or if the member on which the container is mounted is inadvertently opened or closed, causing the controller to collide with another member and be pushed sideways), the operating means will also be tilted, increasing the load on the base of the operating means (the part that connects to the object). Furthermore, if the controller inserted into the operating means is displaced (for example, rotated) excessively, the operating means will also be displaced in the direction of that displacement, increasing the load on the base of the operating means (the part that connects to the object). In these cases, there is a risk that the operating means will fall off the object (for example, the part that connects the operating means to the object will break).

In contrast, gaming machine M8 has the same effects as any of gaming machines M1 to M7, and the opposing portion is formed so that its edge can come into contact with the controller inserted into the operating means, so that the controller (i.e., a position farther from the fulcrum when the operating means is tilted) can come into contact with the edge of the opposing portion to suppress tilting or excessive displacement of the controller. As a result, tilting or excessive displacement of the operating means can be suppressed, and the operating means can be prevented from falling off the target object.

Among any of the gaming machines M1 to M8, the housing is characterized in that it has a covering portion that covers one end side of the operating means. M9.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines M1 to M8, the housing has a covering portion that covers one end of the operating means, so that the gap between the operating means and the covering portion can be bent. In other words, a wall can be formed against which the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the opening hits. This makes it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the housing.

Here, if the operating means is one that is operated by inserting an operating element and displacing it, if the operating element inserted into the operating means is tilted (for example, if an operator inadvertently operates the operating element sideways, or if the member in which the container is disposed is inadvertently opened or closed, causing the operating element to collide with another member and be pushed sideways), the operating means will also be tilted, and the load on the base of the operating means (the part that connects it to the object) will increase. In this case, there is a risk that the operating means will fall off the object (for example, the part that connects the operating means to the object will break).

In contrast, with gaming machine M9, one end of the operating means is covered with a covering portion, so the operating means can be abutted against the inner surface of the covering portion to prevent the operating means from tilting. As a result, the operating means can be prevented from falling off the target object.

A gaming machine M10, which is characterized in that the outer shape of the base end side of the operating means opposite the one end side is larger than the inner shape of the covering part in the gaming machine M9.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine M9, gaming machine M10 has an outer shape at the base end side opposite one end side of the operating means that is larger than the inner shape of the covering portion, so that the gap between the base end side of the operating means and the covering portion can be bent. In other words, a wall can be formed against which the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the opening hits. This makes it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the inside of the container.

In the gaming machine M9 or M10, one of the covering part or the operating means has a bulging part formed by swelling, and the other of the covering part or the operating means has a receiving part that receives the bulging part. Gaming machine M11.

In addition to the effects of either gaming machine M9 or M10, gaming machine M11 has a bulging portion formed by swelling out of one of the covering portion or the operating means, and the other of the covering portion or the operating means has a receiving portion that receives the bulging portion, so that the gap between the bulging portion and the receiving portion can be bent. In other words, a wall can be formed against which the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the opening hits. This makes it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the inside of the container.

A gaming machine M12 is characterized in that the bulge and receiving portion are formed partially in the circumferential direction in the gaming machine M11.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine M11, gaming machine M12 has a bulge and a receiving portion that are partially formed in the circumferential direction, so that the bulge and the receiving portion come into contact with each other to suppress excessive displacement of the operating means (particularly displacement (rotation) in the circumferential direction). As a result, it is possible to suppress the operating means from falling off the target object.

Among any of the gaming machines M1 to M12, the housing has an erect wall that stands upright from its inner surface and whose erect tip abuts against the object. M13 is a gaming machine.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines M1 to M12, gaming machine M13 has a container that has an upright wall that stands upright from its inner surface and whose upright tip abuts against an object, so that the upright wall can function as a wall against which the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the opening abuts. This makes it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container.

Gaming machine M14 is characterized in that in gaming machine M13, the erected wall is formed in a shape that surrounds the operating means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine M13, gaming machine M14 has an upright wall that is formed to surround the operating means, blocking the path for intrusion into the housing. In other words, even if a foreign object such as a wire is inserted through the opening, it is possible to restrict further insertion. This makes it possible to prevent foreign objects such as a wire from being inserted into the housing.

In gaming machine M13 or M14, the object is formed as a control board on which electronic components are mounted, and the surface on which the electronic components are connected to the circuit of the control board by soldering is set on the surface opposite the side on which the operating means is arranged. Gaming machine M15.

According to gaming machine M15, in addition to the effects of gaming machines M13 and M14, the target object is formed as a control board on which electronic components are mounted, and the surface on which the electronic components are connected to the circuit of the control board by soldering is set on the surface opposite the side on which the operating means is arranged, making it easier to bring the tip of the standing wall into close contact with the target object (control board), and preventing a gap from being formed between the target object (control board) and the standing wall. Therefore, the standing wall can reliably function as a wall against which the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the opening hits, preventing the insertion of a foreign object such as a wire into the inside of the container.

Among any of the gaming machines M13 to M15, gaming machine M16 is characterized in that the upright wall is formed in a plate shape and the thickness dimension of the upright tip is reduced.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines M13 to M15, the gaming machine M16 has a plate-like wall with a small thickness at the tip of the wall, which increases the surface pressure at the tip of the wall that is in contact with the object, thereby preventing a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted between the object and the tip of the wall. As a result, it is possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container.

A gaming machine M17 is characterized in that the thickness dimension of the upright tip of the upright wall in the gaming machine M16 is reduced by forming a tapered surface on the surface facing the operating means.

According to the gaming machine M17, in addition to the effects of the gaming machine M16, the upright tip of the upright wall is tapered on the surface on the operating means side, so that the thickness dimension of the upright tip is reduced, and therefore, while improving moldability, it is possible to suppress the insertion of foreign objects such as wire into the inside of the container. In other words, by making the surface tapered, the shape change is made gentler, and the fluidity of the resin in the molding die can be ensured. On the other hand, when the upright tip of the upright wall abuts against the object, a groove can be formed by the tapered surface and the object. Therefore, the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted from the opening can be moved (guided) along the above-mentioned groove. In other words, it is possible to make it difficult for the foreign object to pass between the upright wall and the object. As a result, it is possible to suppress the insertion of foreign objects such as wire into the inside of the container.

Among any of the gaming machines M9 to M12, the housing has an outer surface on one side formed by a first area and a second area located closer to the object than the first area, and the covering portion protrudes from the second area. M18 is a gaming machine characterized by the above.

According to gaming machine M18, in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines M9 to M12, the housing has an outer surface on one side formed from a first region and a second region located closer to the object than the first region, and the covering portion protrudes from the second region, so that the protruding height of the covering portion can be increased. This makes it possible to increase the area where the covering portion covers the operating means (the area that prevents the insertion of foreign objects such as wire, and the area that abuts against the operating means to prevent the operating means from tilting or displacing). As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign objects such as wire from being inserted into the housing, and to prevent the operating means from falling off the object.

Among any of the gaming machines M9 to M12, gaming machine M19 is characterized in that the covering portion protrudes from the outer surface of the housing, and the opening is formed at the protruding tip side of the covering portion.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines M9 to M12, gaming machine M19 has a covering portion that protrudes from the outer surface of the housing and an opening is formed at the protruding tip of the covering portion, making it difficult for the tip of a foreign object such as a wire to reach the opening.

For example, when the opening cannot be seen due to an obstruction or the like, and it is difficult to directly insert the tip of a foreign object such as a wire into the opening, a method is used in which the tip of the foreign object such as a wire slides on the outer surface of the container until it reaches the opening. In contrast, with gaming machine M19, when the tip of a foreign object such as a wire slides on the outer surface of the container, the tip of the foreign object such as a wire can be made to hit the outer surface of the covering portion, stopping it from moving any further. In other words, the outer surface of the covering portion can function as a wall that restricts the sliding of the foreign object such as a wire. As a result, it is possible to prevent the foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container.

<Concept of the invention using the board box A100 (standing walls A280, A290) as an example>
In the gaming machine L0, the operating means is operated by inserting and displacing an operator, and the container is formed so as to be able to abut against the outer surface of the operating means or the operator.

If the operator inserted into the operating means is tilted (for example, if an operator inadvertently operates the operator sideways, or if the member on which the container is mounted is inadvertently opened or closed, causing the operator to collide with another member and be pushed sideways), the operating means will also be displaced (tilted relative to the object). In this case, there is a risk that the displaced (tilted) operating means will be damaged (for example, the connecting part connecting the operating means to the object will come loose or break).

In contrast, with gaming machine N1, in addition to the effects of gaming machine L0, the housing is formed so that it can abut against the outer surface of the operating means or the operator, so that the operating means or the operator can be received by the housing and the displacement of the operating means can be suppressed. As a result, damage to the operating means can be suppressed.

Gaming machine N2 is characterized in that the container in gaming machine N1 has an erect wall that stands upright from its inner surface and whose erected tip abuts against the object.

Here, if the housing is configured to receive the displaced (tilted) operating means, there is a risk that the housing may become deformed and damaged.

In contrast, with gaming machine N2, in addition to the effects of gaming machine N1, the container has an erect wall that stands upright from its inner surface and whose erect tip abuts against the target object, so that the erect wall acts as support and can suppress deformation of the container. As a result, damage to the container can be suppressed.

At the same time, the support of the vertical wall prevents the container from deforming, so tilting of the operating means can be more reliably prevented. As a result, damage to the operating means can also be more easily prevented.

Gaming machine N3 is characterized in that in gaming machine N2, the erected wall is formed in a shape that surrounds the operating means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine N2, gaming machine N3 has an upright wall that is formed to surround the operating means, so that the upright wall can support the operating means and suppress deformation of the housing even when the operating means is tilted in any direction. This suppresses damage to the housing.

The erected wall can also block the path for intrusion into the interior of the container. In other words, even if a foreign object such as a wire is inserted through the opening, it can be prevented from being inserted any further. This makes it possible to prevent the wire or other foreign object from being inserted into the interior of the container.

Gaming machine N4 is characterized in that the erected wall in gaming machine N3 is connected to an inner surface other than the inner surface of the container on which the erected wall is erected.

According to gaming machine N4, in addition to the effects of gaming machine N3, the erected wall is connected to an inner surface of the container other than the inner surface on which the erected wall is erected, so that the rigidity of the container can be used to increase the rigidity of the erected wall, and the rigidity of the entire container can be increased by connecting the inner surfaces together. Therefore, the function of the erected wall as a support part (deformation suppression means) that suppresses deformation of the container when the operating means is tilted can be improved. As a result, damage to the container can be suppressed.

Gaming machine N5 is any one of gaming machines N1 to N4, characterized in that the housing has a covering portion that covers one end side of the operating means.

In addition to the effects of any of the gaming machines N1 to N4, the housing of the gaming machine N5 has a covering portion that covers one end of the operating means, so that the operating means can be abutted against the inner surface of the covering portion to prevent the operating means from tilting. As a result, the operating means can be prevented from falling off the target object.

In addition, with the gaming machine N5, one end of the operating means is covered with a covering, so the gap between the operating means and the covering can be bent. In other words, a wall can be formed against which the tip of a foreign object such as a wire inserted through the opening hits. This makes it possible to prevent a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container.

Gaming machine N6 is characterized in that in gaming machine N5, the covering portion protrudes from the outer surface of the container, the container has a protrusion that protrudes from its outer surface and extends in a streak-like manner, and one end of the protrusion is connected to the covering portion.

According to gaming machine N6, in addition to the effects of gaming machine N5, the covering part protrudes from the outer surface of the housing, the housing has a protrusion that protrudes from its outer surface and extends in a streak-like manner, and one end of the protrusion is connected to the covering part, so that the protrusion functions as a rib and supports the covering part. Therefore, the operating means can be abutted against the inner surface of the covering part to prevent the operating means from tilting, and damage to the covering part at that time can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the operating means from falling off the object.

In addition, by having the covering portion protrude from the outer surface of the container, the protruding height of the covering portion can be increased accordingly. This allows the area over which the covering portion covers the operating means (the area that prevents the insertion of foreign objects such as wires, and the area that abuts against the operating means to prevent the operating means from tilting or being displaced) to be increased. As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the container, and to prevent the operating means from falling off the target object.

Gaming machine N7 is characterized in that the container in gaming machine N6 has a display unit formed on its outer surface that displays predetermined information, and the display unit is adjacent to the other end side of the protrusion.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine N6, gaming machine N7 has a display unit formed on its outer surface that displays predetermined information, and since the display unit is adjacent to the other end of the protrusion, the protrusion can also function as an indicator line that indicates the position corresponding to the predetermined information displayed by the display unit. This allows the product cost to be reduced accordingly.

Gaming machine N8 is characterized in that, in gaming machine N6 or N7, the operating means has a first surface facing the opening of the container, an operator is inserted into the first surface and displaced to operate the operating means, the container has a facing portion facing the first surface of the operating means, and the facing portion is formed so that an edge of the facing portion can come into contact with the operator inserted into the operating means.

In gaming machine N8, in addition to the effects of gaming machines N6 and N7, the operating means has a first surface facing the opening of the container, and the container has an opposing portion facing the first surface of the operating means. This allows the area of the opening to be reduced by the opposing portion, thereby preventing a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container through the opening.

The opposing portion is formed so that its edge can come into contact with the operating element inserted into the operating means, so that the operating element (i.e., a position farther from the fulcrum when the operating means is tilted) can be brought into contact with the edge of the opposing portion to suppress tilting or excessive displacement of the operating element. As a result, tilting or excessive displacement of the operating means can be suppressed, and the operating means can be prevented from falling off the object.

Gaming machine N9 is characterized in that in gaming machine N8, the facing portion is disposed facing at least a portion of the range of the first surface of the operating means excluding the displacement trajectory of the operating element.

According to gaming machine N9, in addition to the effects of gaming machine N8, the opposing portion is disposed on at least a portion of the range of the first surface of the operator excluding the displacement trajectory of the operator, so that the insertion of the operator into the operating means and the displacement of the inserted operator are prevented from being hindered, while the area of the opening can be reduced by the opposing portion, thereby preventing a foreign object such as a wire from being inserted into the container through the opening.

In addition, by increasing the area of the opposing portion that comes into contact with the displaced operator, it is possible to easily suppress excessive displacement of the operator (particularly circumferential displacement (rotation)). As a result, excessive displacement of the operating means can be suppressed, and the operating means can be prevented from falling off the target object.

Gaming machine N10 is characterized in that the operating means in gaming machine N9 is formed so that the operating element can be displaced to a first position, and the position where one end of the protrusion is connected to the covering portion is the position where the operating element displaced to the first position abuts against the opposing portion.

Gaming machine N11 is characterized in that, in gaming machine N9 or N10, the operating means is formed so that the operating element can be displaced to a second position different from the first position, and the position where one end of the protrusion is connected to the covering portion is the position where the operating element displaced to the second position abuts against the opposing portion.

According to gaming machine N10 or N11, in addition to the effects of gaming machine N9 or N10, the operating means is formed so that the operator can be displaced to a first position and a second position, and the position where one end of the protrusion is connected to the covering portion is the position where the operator displaced to the first position or the second position abuts against the opposing portion, so that the protrusion can be used to effectively prevent damage to the opposing portion or the covering portion when the operator displaced to the first position or the second position abuts against the opposing portion.

<Concept of the invention using board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, A4100 (operation wall portion A210) as examples>
In the gaming machine L0, the housing has an outer surface on one side formed by a first area and a second area located closer to the object than the first area, and the opening is formed in the second area.

Here, by being able to operate the operating means through the opening, it is not necessary to open the container when operating the operating means, which reduces the amount of work required. However, there is a risk of fraudulent insertion of a foreign object such as a wire through the opening.

In contrast, with gaming machine O1, the container has an outer surface on one side formed from a first area and a second area located closer to the target than the first area, and an opening is formed in the second area, so that the opening can be positioned at a position recessed from the outer surface of the container, and a step (connecting surface) connecting the first area and the second area can be positioned around the opening. This increases the distance to the opening and makes the position of the opening difficult to see. As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the container through the opening. In other words, it is possible to prevent fraudulent activities.

A gaming machine O2, in which at least a portion of the connection surface connecting the first area and the second area in the gaming machine O1 is inclined downward from the first area to the second area.

Here, in consideration of heat dissipation from the object (control board), the container (board box) needs to ensure a distance (internal space) between the object (control board) and the inner surface. On the other hand, if the opening is too far away from the operating means, operability deteriorates. Therefore, by forming an opening in the second area, it is possible to ensure the operability of the operating means more easily and, as described above, to prevent foreign objects such as wires from being inserted into the container through the opening. However, when operating the operating means, the step (connection surface) between the first area and the second area interferes with the hand of the worker (operator), impeding operation. As a result, there is a risk that operability will deteriorate when operating the operating means.

In contrast, with gaming machine O2, at least a portion of the connection surface connecting the first area and the second area is inclined downward from the first area to the second area, so in addition to the effect of gaming machine O1, the downward inclination expands the space connected to the second area, improving operability when operating the operating means.

A gaming machine O3, characterized in that the second area in the gaming machine O2 is formed as a generally rectangular area in a front view with a length dimension along one direction greater than a length dimension along another direction perpendicular to the first direction, the operating means is operated by inserting an operating element and displacing it, and the position of the operating element when inserted into the operating means or removed from the operating means is set to a position along the other direction.

According to gaming machine O3, in addition to the effects of gaming machine O2, the second area is formed as a generally rectangular area in a front view with a length dimension along one direction greater than a length dimension along another direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the operating means is operated by inserting and displacing the operating element, and the position of the operating element when inserted into or removed from the operating means is set to a position along the other direction, so that the surface for gripping the operating element can be oriented in the longitudinal direction of the second area, and space can be secured on the side opposite the gripping surface. Therefore, when inserting or removing the operating element from the operating means, it is possible to prevent the fingers gripping the operating element from interfering with the container. As a result, it is possible to improve operability when operating the operating means.

A gaming machine O3, characterized in that the opening is disposed on one side of the longitudinal center of the second area, and the connection surface located on one side of the longitudinal direction of the second area is inclined downward from the first area toward the second area. A gaming machine O4.

According to gaming machine O4, in addition to the effects of gaming machine O3, the opening is disposed on one side of the longitudinal center in the second region, and the connection surface located on one side of the longitudinal direction in the second region is inclined downward from the first region to the second region, so that when the operator is grasped and displaced, it is possible to prevent fingers other than the grasping fingers from interfering with the container. For example, when the operator is grasped with the index finger and thumb and displaced (e.g., rotated), the space formed by the downward inclination of the connection surface and the space on the other longitudinal side in the second region can be secured as space for moving the little finger side, and interference between the little finger side and the container can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to improve operability when operating the operating means.

A gaming machine O5 is characterized in that the connection surface is formed on the other longitudinal side of the second area in the gaming machine O4.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine O4, gaming machine O5 has the connection surface formed on the other longitudinal side of the second region, and the operating means can be protected by the connection surface (first region) on the other longitudinal side. For example, interference with other components during manufacturing can be suppressed, and damage to the operating means can be suppressed. Also, by making the position of the opening difficult to see, it is possible to suppress the insertion of foreign objects such as wires into the interior of the container through the opening.

In addition, by forming the connection surface on the other longitudinal side of the second region, the area of the first region can be enlarged accordingly, i.e., the volume of the internal space of the housing can be increased to accommodate heat dissipation from the object (control board).

A gaming machine O6 is any one of gaming machines O3 to O5, characterized in that the connection surface is formed on one side of the second area in the short direction, and the connection surface is not formed on the other side of the second area in the short direction.

According to gaming machine O6, in any of gaming machines O3 to O5, a connection surface is formed on one side of the second region in the short direction, and no connection surface is formed on the other side of the second region in the short direction, so that the other side of the second region in the short direction can be opened. Therefore, when gripping and operating the operator with fingers (inserting it into the operating means, pulling it out of the operating means, or displacing the operator (e.g., rotating it)), the above-mentioned open space can be used as a space for positioning or displacing fingers other than the gripping fingers (e.g., thumb and index finger). As a result, operability when operating the operating means can be improved.

Gaming machine O7 is any one of gaming machines O3 to O6, characterized in that the connection surface located on one side of the longitudinal direction in the second area is inclined downward from the first area to the second area, and the other connection surface is approximately perpendicular to the first area and the second area.

According to gaming machine O7, in addition to the effects of any of gaming machines O3 to O6, the connection surface located on one side of the longitudinal direction in the second region is inclined downward from the first region to the second region, and the other connection surfaces are approximately perpendicular to the first region and the second region, so that the effect of inclining the connection surface downward is ensured while the volume of the internal space of the housing to accommodate heat dissipation from the target object (control board) can be ensured. In other words, the reduction in the volume of the internal space of the housing caused by inclining the connection surface downward can be minimized.

A gaming machine O8, which is a gaming machine O4 or O5, is provided with a base body on which the container is arranged and a rotation shaft that rotatably supports the base body, the longitudinal direction of the second area is approximately perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft, the short side direction is approximately parallel to the axial direction of the rotation shaft, and one longitudinal side of the second area is disposed farther from the rotation shaft than the other longitudinal side.

Gaming machine O8 has the same effects as gaming machines O4 and O5, but also includes a base body on which the container is disposed and a rotation shaft that rotatably supports the base body, the longitudinal direction of the second region is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft, and the short side direction is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotation shaft, and one longitudinal side of the second region is disposed farther from the rotation shaft than the other longitudinal side. Therefore, when operating the operating means in the space formed by rotating the base body around the rotation shaft, the space formed by the downward inclination of the connection surface can be effectively utilized. In other words, the space for the operator's (operator's) hands to access the operating means can be secured by the amount of the space formed by the downward inclination of the connection surface. As a result, operability when operating the operating means can be improved.

<Concept of the invention using board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 as examples>
A gaming machine P1 has a container for housing an object, and is characterized in that it comprises a display device arranged in a play area, and an operating means arranged on the object and formed to be operable, and information relating to the operation of the operating means can be displayed on the display device.

A gaming machine equipped with a board box (container) that houses a control board (object) is known (JP Patent Publication 2015-205029). However, in the above-mentioned conventional gaming machine, when an operating means is arranged on the control board (object), there is a problem that it is difficult to grasp the operating state of the operating means.

The gaming machine P1 is equipped with a display device disposed in the gaming area and an operating means disposed on an object and configured to be operable, and information regarding the operation of the operating means can be displayed on the display device, making it easy to grasp the operating state of the operating means based on the display on the display device. In addition, by disposing the display means in the gaming area, the display means can also be used as a device for displaying information regarding the game, thereby reducing product costs.

Gaming machine P2 is characterized in that the container in gaming machine P1 is formed to be displaceable.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine P1, gaming machine P2 has a displaceable container, so that it can be positioned (displaced) at a position where the operating means can be operated while viewing the display device. As a result, it is possible to operate the device while checking the display (information), which improves operability and reduces operating errors. On the other hand, when the operating means is not being operated, it can be positioned at a specified position (for example, a position that is difficult to see from the outside), which reduces fraudulent activities.

A gaming machine P3 is characterized in that the housing can be displaced to a position where the surface of the housing on which the operating means is arranged and the display surface of the display device can be simultaneously viewed in the gaming machine P2.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine P2, gaming machine P3 allows the housing to be displaced to a position where the surface of the housing on which the operating means is arranged and the display surface of the display device can be simultaneously viewed, making it easier to operate the operating means while checking the display on the display device. As a result, improved operability and reduced operational errors can be more reliably achieved.

Gaming machine P4 is characterized in that the container is rotatably supported on a shaft in gaming machine P3, and the operating means is disposed farther from the center of the container than the position where the container is supported on a shaft.

According to gaming machine P4, in addition to the effects of gaming machine P3, the container is rotatably supported on a shaft, and the operating means is disposed on the side farther from the shaft support position than the center of the container, so that when the container is displaced (rotated) to a position where the surface of the container on which the operating means is disposed and the display surface of the display device can be simultaneously viewed, the operating means can be disposed at a position farther from the outer edge of the gaming machine main body. This makes it possible to prevent the fingers operating the operating means from interfering with the outer edge of the gaming machine main body. As a result, operability can be improved.

Gaming machine P5 is characterized in that the operating means is made up of multiple operating means in gaming machine P4, and a second operating means that is operated more frequently than a first operating means is disposed farther from the pivoted position than the first operating means.

Gaming machine P5 has the same effects as gaming machine P4, but is also made up of multiple operating means, and the second operating means, which is operated more frequently than the first operating means, is disposed farther from the pivoted position than the first operating means, so that the operating means which is operated more frequently (first operating means) can be disposed farther from the outer edge of the gaming machine body. This makes it possible to prevent fingers from interfering with the outer edge of the gaming machine body when operating the operating means which is operated more frequently (first operating means). As a result, operability can be improved.

<Concept of the invention using board boxes A100, A2100, A3100, and A4100 as examples>
Gaming machine Q1 has a container for housing an object, and further comprises an operating means arranged on the object and configured to be operable, one or more electrical connection lines are connected to the object, and the operable state of the operating means is changed depending on the connection state of the electrical connection lines with the object.

A gaming machine equipped with a board box (container) that houses a control board (target object) is known (JP Patent Publication 2015-205029). However, in the above-mentioned conventional gaming machine, when an operating means is arranged on the control board (target object), there is room for improvement regarding whether or not the operating means can be operated. In other words, if operation is permitted regardless of the connection state of one or more electrical connection lines to the target object, there is a risk that the operating means will be easily operated illegally, while if operation is prohibited regardless of the connection state of one or more electrical connection lines, there is a risk that the operability of the work associated with operating the operating means will deteriorate.

The gaming machine Q1 is equipped with an operating means that is arranged on an object and configured to be operable, and one or more electrical connection lines are connected to the object, and the operable state of the operating means is changed depending on the connection state of the electrical connection lines with the object, thereby preventing fraud and improving operability.

Gaming machine Q2 is characterized in that the container in gaming machine Q1 is formed to be displaceable.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine Q1, gaming machine Q2 has a displaceable container, so that the container can be positioned (displaced) at a position where the operating means is easy to operate. As a result, operability can be improved. On the other hand, when the operating means is not being operated, the container can be positioned at a predetermined position (e.g., a position that is difficult to see from the outside), so that fraudulent acts can be prevented. In this case, when the container is displaced, at least one electrical connection line is disconnected (disconnected) from the target object, so a configuration in which the operatability of the operating means is changed depending on the connection state of the electrical connection line is particularly effective in preventing fraud and improving operability.

Gaming machine Q3 is characterized in that, in gaming machine Q1 or Q2, when at least a certain one of the electrical connection lines is connected to the object, operation of the operating means is permitted.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine Q1 or Q2, gaming machine Q3 allows operation of the operating means when at least a specific electrical connection line is connected, thereby preventing fraud and improving operability. In other words, if the specific electrical connection line is not connected to the target object, operation of the operating means is prohibited, preventing fraud. On the other hand, when the connection of the specific electrical connection line to the target object is ensured and fraud can be prevented, operation of the operating means is permitted even if other electrical connection lines are disconnected (unplugged) from the target object, improving operability (ensuring versatility).

In particular, in a configuration in which the container is formed to be displaceable, the other electrical connection lines that have been disconnected (unplugged) from the object in order to displace the container (i.e., to position it in a way that makes it easier to operate) can be reconnected to the object by, for example, interposing an extension line between the object and the other electrical connection lines to allow operation of the operating means after displacing the container, thereby avoiding the trouble of doing so.

Gaming machine Q4 is characterized in that, in gaming machine Q1 or Q2, when at least one of the electrical connection lines is disconnected from the object, operation of the operating means is prohibited.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine Q1 or Q2, gaming machine Q4 inhibits operation of the operating means when at least one of the electrical connection lines is disconnected from the target object (i.e., when all electrical connection lines are not connected to the target object), thereby preventing unauthorized operation of the operating means.

In addition, in a configuration in which the container is formed to be displaceable, if the other electrical connection wires that have been disconnected (pulled out) from the object in order to displace the container (i.e., to arrange it in a way that makes it easier to operate) are reconnected to the object by, for example, interposing an extension wire between the object and the other electrical connection wires after displacing the container, the operation of the operating means can be permitted, and work can be performed by operating the operating means. <Concept of the invention using board boxes A3100 and A4100 as examples>
A gaming machine R1 is provided with a container for housing an object, and an operating means is arranged on the object and formed to be operable, the container is formed to be displaceable, and can be displaced to a position where the operating means is easier to operate than the position where it is arranged during play.

A gaming machine equipped with a board box (container) that houses a control board (object) is known (JP Patent Publication 2015-205029). However, in the above-mentioned conventional gaming machine, when an operating means is arranged on the control board (object), there is a problem that the operability of the operating means is insufficient.

The gaming machine R1 is equipped with an operating means that is arranged on the target object and configured to be operable, and the container is configured to be displaceable, so that the operating means can be displaced to a position where it is easier to operate than the position where it is arranged during play, thereby improving the operability of the operating means.

A gaming machine R2 is characterized in that the container in the gaming machine R1 is rotatably supported on a shaft and is displaced by rotation around the supported part as the center of rotation.

In addition to the effects of gaming machine R1, gaming machine R2 has a rotatable support for the housing, and is displaced by rotation around the support, simplifying the structure for displacing the housing. As a result, product costs can be reduced.

Gaming machine R3 is characterized in that, in gaming machine R1 or R2, when the container is placed in a position during the game, a separate member faces the operating means.

In addition to the effects of gaming machines R1 and R2, gaming machine R3 has a separate component that faces the operating means when the housing is placed in a position during play, which makes it possible to prevent the operating means from being operated improperly.

Gaming machine R4 is characterized in that in gaming machine R3, the operating means is operated by inserting an operator and displacing it, and when the operator is inserted, the operator abuts against the separate member, preventing the container from being displaced to the position where it is placed during the game.

In gaming machine R4, in addition to the effects of gaming machine R3, the operating means is operated by inserting and displacing the operator, and when the operator is inserted, the operator abuts against another member, preventing the container from being displaced to the position where it is placed during play, thereby preventing players from forgetting to remove the operator. This prevents the operator from being used illegally.

Gaming machine X1 is a slot machine in any one of gaming machines A1 to A11, B1 to B8, C1 to C10, D1 to D8, E1 to E6, F1 to F10, G0 to G5, H1 to H6, I0 to I3, J0 to J5, K1 to K10, L0, M1 to M19, N1 to N11, O1 to O8, P1 to P5, Q1 to Q4, and R1 to R4. Among them, the basic configuration of a slot machine is "a gaming machine equipped with a variable display means for dynamically displaying a sequence of identification information consisting of a plurality of identification information and then displaying the identification information in a definite manner, in which the dynamic display of the identification information is started due to the operation of a start operation means (e.g., an operation lever), the dynamic display of the identification information is stopped due to the operation of a stop operation means (a stop button) or by the passage of a predetermined time, and a special game state generating means for generating a special game state advantageous to a player, provided that the determined identification information at the time of the stop is a specific identification information as a necessary condition." In this case, typical examples of gaming media include coins, medals, etc.

Gaming machine X2 is a pachinko gaming machine in any one of gaming machines A1 to A11, B1 to B8, C1 to C10, D1 to D8, E1 to E6, F1 to F10, G0 to G5, H1 to H6, I0 to I3, J0 to J5, K1 to K10, L0, M1 to M19, N1 to N11, O1 to O8, P1 to P5, Q1 to Q4, and R1 to R4. Among them, the basic configuration of a pachinko gaming machine includes an operation handle, a ball is launched into a predetermined play area in response to the operation of the operation handle, and the identification information dynamically displayed on the display means is fixed and stopped after a predetermined time, with the necessary condition that the ball enters (or passes through) an operating port arranged at a predetermined position in the play area. In addition, when a special game state occurs, a variable winning device (specific winning port) located at a specific position within the game area opens in a specific manner, allowing balls to win, and a value (including not only prize balls but also data written to a magnetic card, etc.) is awarded according to the number of winning balls.

Gaming machine X3 is a combination of a pachinko machine and a slot machine in any one of gaming machines A1 to A11, B1 to B8, C1 to C10, D1 to D8, E1 to E6, F1 to F10, G0 to G5, H1 to H6, I0 to I3, J0 to J5, K1 to K10, L0, M1 to M19, N1 to N11, O1 to O8, P1 to P5, Q1 to Q4, and R1 to R4. In particular, the basic configuration of the combined gaming machine is as follows: "A gaming machine equipped with variable display means which dynamically displays an identification information string consisting of a plurality of identification information and then definitively displays the identification information, variation of the identification information is started due to operation of a start operation means (e.g., an operation lever), the dynamic display of the identification information is stopped due to operation of a stop operation means (e.g., a stop button) or after a predetermined time has passed, and which is equipped with special game state generating means which generates a special game state advantageous to the player, with the necessary condition that the definitive identification information at the time of stopping is a specific identification information, which uses balls as gaming media, requires a predetermined number of balls to start the dynamic display of the identification information, and is configured so that a large number of balls are paid out when the special game state is generated."
＜Other＞
There is a gaming machine that is equipped with a displacement means that is composed of a single movable body that is displaced by the driving force of a drive means (for example, Patent Document 1: JP 2016-028623 A).
However, the above-mentioned conventional gaming machines have a problem that there is room for improvement in terms of stabilizing the driving state. The present technical idea has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a gaming machine that can stabilize the driving state of the driving means.
<Means>
In order to achieve this purpose, the gaming machine of technical idea 1 is a gaming machine comprising a drive means, a displacement means configured to be displaceable, and a transmission means configured to be capable of transmitting the drive force of the drive means to the displacement means, and is provided with a first means configured to be able to change state between an abutment state in which it abuts against the displacement means and a non-abutment state in which it is not abutting against the displacement means, and is configured so that the target to which an externally applied load is transmitted to the first means is switchable.
The gaming machine of Technical Idea 2 is the gaming machine according to Technical Idea 1, in which the load that the displacement means receives from the first means and the driving force that the displacement means receives via the transmission means face the same side.
The gaming machine of technical idea 3 is a gaming machine described in technical idea 1 or 2, which is provided with a positioning means arranged so as to be able to collide with the first means, and the collision of the positioning means is configured to occur in a state in which the transmission means and the displacement means are not in contact with each other.
＜Effects＞
According to the gaming machine described in Technical Concept 1, the driving state of the driving means can be stabilized.
According to the gaming machine described in Technical Concept 2, in addition to the effect achieved by the gaming machine described in Technical Concept 1, the load transmitted to the drive means can be reduced.
According to the gaming machine described in Technical Concept 3, in addition to the effects achieved by the gaming machine described in Technical Concept 1 or 2, it is possible to block the transmission of the impact force of the positioning means to the drive means.
<Code>
10 Pachinko Machine (Amusement Machine)
13 Game board (part of area configuration means)
18 Hinge (part of the support shaft)
19 Hinge (part of the support shaft)
65a Specific winning slot (part of the profit awarding means)
81 Third pattern display device (part of attention means, display means)
86 Center frame (frame means)
150- ball flow unit (part of the flow means)
152 first receiving flow path (first component, second component)
153 second receiving flow path member (second component)
154 protrusion portion (part of deceleration means)
161 Light guide plate (part of the featured means)
166 horizontal board unit (specified board)
170 Decorative means (placed means)
171a Horizontally elongated groove portion (low-transmittance means)
171b Reflective shape portion (direction changing means)
180 Displacement control device (limiting means)
181 contact member (part of guide means)
181b Cylindrical holding portion (part of the guide means)
183 Operation member (operation part)
183f engagement portion
184 coil spring (biasing means)
221 MPU (prevention notification means)
310 Partition member (part of auxiliary means, guide means, box-shaped means)
312 curved plate portion (first guide portion)
314 Lower part of rear section (second guide part)
315 Irregular Shape Penetration (Opening)
320 Granular member (part of displacement means, part of placement means)
362 Shaft section (regulating section)
410 Linear motion member (part of the displacement means, second member)
413 Trapezoidal protrusion (second contact portion)
414 protrusion portion (second target portion)
420 collision member (part of action means, abutment means, first means)
424 Cushioning member (second contact portion)
430 contact member (part of displacement means, first member, regulating means)
432 protruding portion (first target portion)
440 front transmission member (part of transmission means)
442 Groove forming portion (second transmission portion, discrimination means)
446 Transmission protrusion (first transmission part, contact part)
470 Transmission arm member (transmission means)
480 Cover member (part of action means, abutment means, advance/retract means)
482 extension (representative tip)
489a First contact surface (contact surface)
489b second contact surface (contact surface)
489c Third contact surface (contact surface)
510 Rear case (part of area forming means)
630 lower arm member (part of the acting means)
633 Support hole (main support means)
634 Arc-shaped hole (auxiliary support means, guide means)
700. Performance member (displacement means)
730 Rotating plate (load generating means, displacement generating means)
740 Expandable/contractible member (part of first member, part of second member)
743b First guided protrusion (first loaded part)
744b Second guided protrusion (second loaded portion)
760 Shielding design components (part of the first component, part of the second component)
820 vertical slide member (part of displacement means)
840 Horizontal slide member (part of displacement means)
870 Long arm member (electrical wiring displacement means)
882a Wall portion (part of the retaining means)
886 Guide recess (corresponding change means)
887 Cylinder protrusion (part of the retaining means)
DK2 Electrical wiring
DK2b lower winding part (second specified part)
LM1 intermediate flow path (part of the flow-down means, first component)
MT1 drive motor (drive means)
IE1 Internal space (range)
SC4 detection sensor (detection means)
SP1 coil spring (part of the load generating means, biasing means)
A10, A3010, A4010 Pachinko Machines (Amusement Machines)
11 Outer frame
12 Inner frame (base body)
18 hinges (rotation axis)
A100, A2100, A3100, A4100 Board Box (Container)
A110 Main Control Unit (Object)
A119 Printed circuit board (object, control board)
A120 Switch device (operating means)
A122 Operation unit (operator)
A123b protrusion (first surface)
A130 Key device (operation means)
A133b protrusion (receiving part)
A133c end (first surface)
A140 key (operator)
A200, A3200 box cover (housing body)
A203 Lower wall (standing wall)
A210 Operation wall (opposing part)
A211 No. 1 ridge (ridge)
A212 2nd ridge (ridge)
A220 First connecting wall portion (connecting surface)
A230 Second connecting wall (connecting surface, other connecting surface)
A240 Third connecting wall (connecting surface, other connecting surface)
A250 opening
A260 opening
A270, A2270 coating
A271 Peripheral wall (covering)
A271a base (coated part)
A271b protrusion (bulge)
A272, A2272 end wall portion (covering portion, opposing portion)
A272a Circular part (opposing part)
A272b square part (opposing part)
A2273 protrusion (protrusion)
A280, A290 standing wall
A280a, A290a tapered surface
A281, A291 First Standing Wall (Standing Wall)
A282, A292 2nd standing wall (standing wall)
A283, A293 3rd erection wall (Erection wall)
A284 4th erection wall (standing wall)
A300 Box Base (Housing)
A410, A4410 rotating shaft

10 , A10, A3010 Pachinko Machines (Amusement Machines )
8 1 Third pattern display device ( notification means)
113 Audio lamp board (control means)
115 Power supply device (power supply means)
12 Inner frame ( predetermined frame member)
226 Audio output device (notification means)
A 100, A2100, A310 0 Board box (container)
A110 Main control unit ( contained object )
A 120 Switch device (operating means )

Claims (1)

In a gaming machine having a container that contains an object and is configured to be displaceable relative to a predetermined frame member,
An operating means that is operable, that is arranged to be connected to the object contained in the container, and that is configured to be able to transmit to the object that it has been operated;
a notification means arranged on the front side of the gaming machine and capable of notifying information related to the operation of the operation means toward the front side of the gaming machine;
A control means connected to the contained object by a first electrical connection line and controlling the notification means;
a power supply means connected to the object via a second electrical connection line;
The first electrical connection line, the second electrical connection line, and one or more other electrical connection lines are connected to the contained object,
In a state in which at least the first electrical connection line and the second electrical connection line among the electrical connection lines are connected to the contained object and at least one other electrical connection line is disconnected, information regarding the operation of the operating means can be notified,
the notification means is configured to be able to notify information related to a game in a state in which the first electrical connection line, the second electrical connection line, and the other electrical connection line are connected to the contained object;
The housing is configured to be able to move toward the rear side of the gaming machine in accordance with the relative displacement,
The gaming machine is characterized in that, when the container is moved to the rear side of the gaming machine, the notification means notifies the front side of the gaming machine of information regarding the operation of the operating means, so that the information regarding the operation of the operating means can be notified in a manner that can be transmitted to the rear side of the gaming machine as well .

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