JPH0330380B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to an electric slot machine having a symbol moving device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electric slot machine having a symbol moving device that can re-move symbols on the reels that have stopped for the first time. Electric slot machines have multiple reels (usually three) with many symbols displayed around them, a stepping motor that rotates each reel, and a stop switch that stops each reel. The reels are rotated by inserting medals and driving the stepping motor, and the corresponding reel is rotated by the player arbitrarily operating a stop switch, for example, one of the stop switches 12, 13, and 14. are sequentially stopped, a combination of displayed symbols at a specific position of each stopped reel is detected, and a predetermined number of medals are paid out only when the combination of symbols is a specific combination. In this way, all conventional slot machines, including those that are mechanically driven as well as electric ones,
Once the stop switch is activated to stop the reels, the reels can no longer be rotated to move the symbols until the game ends. The present invention has been completed in order to add a part to the conventional slot machine that allows players to participate in the game. The present invention relates to an electric slot machine having a symbol moving device which rotates the stop reel and moves the symbol to form a desired symbol. Next, the electric slot machine of the present invention will be explained with reference to a schematic block diagram of the function realizing means shown in FIG. 1, 2 and 3 are all reels of the slot machine, and stepping motors 4 and 3 are respectively connected to the reels of the slot machine.
It is driven by 5 and 6. 10 is a start switch, which is usually used in the form of a lever switch. When the start switch 10 is actuated, a basic clock signal is generated by the driver means 11, which is converted into four-phase pulses for exciting the stepping motors for driving each reel, thereby driving the stepping motors 4, 5, and 6. The positions of the symbols displayed on the reels are determined by the basic clock signal and the reel symbol reference position detectors 7 placed on each reel 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
The symbols are constantly detected by symbol detection means 15 to which the reference position signals of the symbols on the reels from 8 and 9 are input. 12, 13 and 14 are reel 1,
The stepping motors 4, 5, 6 are stopped by the operation of each switch 12, 13, 14. The symbol detecting means 15 receives the basic clock signal and the reel reference position signal, detects the position of the displayed symbol on the stopped reel, and outputs a display symbol stop position signal to the symbol combination determining means 16. The display pattern position is detected by the pattern detecting means 15 in a conventional manner. For example, when a protrusion (not shown) provided on the reel 1 that indicates a reference symbol passes through the reference position detector 7 of the symbol on the reel, the symbol detection means 15
Zero the reel counter (not shown) within. When the specific number of steps of the basic clock signal corresponds to the rotation of the symbols on the reels, the number of steps of the basic clock signal matches the movement of the symbols, so by counting the number of steps of the basic clock signal with the reel counter, the displayed symbols can be adjusted. The position of can be detected. In the pattern combination determination means 16, the pattern detection means 15
When the display symbol stop position signal is received from the controller, it is determined whether the combination is a predetermined specific combination, and only if the combination of the stop symbols matches the specific combination, the display is set to that specific combination. The information on the number of medals to be paid out is outputted to the number of medals to be paid out to the number determining means 17, and the payout means 18 is driven to pay out a predetermined number of medals. The pattern detection means 15 constantly sends information on the state of the reels, that is, information on whether each reel is rotating or stopped, to the reel state detection means 19. The reel state detecting means 19 detects information on the reel state, and sends an output to the stepping motor re-driving means 20 and the stop switch re-operation number setting means 21 when the first reel stop information is input. The output to the re-driving means 20 is maintained until the next reel stop information is input. The setting means 21 sets the number of re-operations of the stop switch based on the input from the reel state detecting means 19, and outputs information on the set number of re-operations to the re-driving means 20. The stepping motor re-driving means 20 sends a signal to the driver means 11 to enable re-driving only the stepping motor of the first stopped reel only while inputs are received from the reel state detecting means 19 and the setting means 21. . In the driver means 11,
Only while the re-drive enable signal is being input, the corresponding stop switch is operated to generate a basic clock signal to drive the stepping motor, rotate the reels, and move the symbols. The basic clock signal at this time is sent to the pattern detection means 15,
This is the symbol position information after the reels stop. Further, the setting means 21 has, for example, a counter, and counts down the initial setting number upon input of a basic clock signal generated by reactivation of the stop switch. When the stop switch is reactivated the set number of times, the counter becomes 0,
No output signal is sent to the re-driving means 20. Then, the enable state of the re-driving means 20 is released, and the output of the re-driving enable signal to the driver means 11 is no longer sent. Furthermore, as a requirement for restricting the maintenance of the stepping motor re-driving means 20 in the enabled state, a means for imposing a time limit may also be provided. In order to achieve this requirement, for example, a timer is installed to set a time limit from the time when the stop switch is actuated to stop the reel for the first time until the enabling state of the re-driving means is released. When three signals from the reel condition detection means, the stop switch re-operation count setting means and the timer are not input, a re-drive enable signal is sent to the driver means. It is best to configure it so that it is not transmitted. Doing so will bring more thrill to the game. When using the apparatus of the present invention in this manner, the reels that have initially stopped can be restarted under certain conditions, allowing the player to move the reels to desired symbols. The symbols on the reels are moved by operating the stop switch again, and various methods can be used to move the symbols. For example, one operation of a stop switch may move the pictures one by one, a plurality of pictures, or randomly. Furthermore, the number of times the stop switch is reactivated can be set arbitrarily by the setting means, but is 1 to 10.
It is preferable to set the number of times, usually 2 to 6 times. FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of hardware corresponding to the function realizing means shown in FIG. 1. 30, 31 and 32 are CPU and ROM respectively
and RAM, which are connected to each other and to an input port 34 and an output port 35 by an address bus 36 and a data bus 37. The input port 34 includes a start switch 10, an input medal detector 38, a payout medal counter 39,
Signals are sent from reel stop switches 12, 13, 14 and reel symbol reference position detectors 7, 8, 9. From the output port 35, the stepping motor 4,
5, 6 and the payout hopper motor 40. Although not shown, various display lamps are also output. Next, FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a schematic flowchart in which the function realizing means shown in FIG. 1 is achieved by a microcomputer. In addition, in this embodiment, the number of reactivations of the stop switch is set to 3.
times, and the number of patterns moved by one operation of the stop switch is one. Each symbol in FIG. 3 indicates the following processing and judgment, respectively. 100: Initial setting of input/output port 101: Were medals inserted? 102: Is the start switch ON? 103: Energize all stepping motors 104: Is the stop switch ON? 105: Is that ON the first ON of all stop switches? 106: The ON is the first of the stop switch.
Is it ON? 107: Stop the excitation of that stepping motor 108: Save the symbols on that reel 109: Have all the stepping motors been de-energized? 110: Comparison of displayed symbols 111: Is it a hit? 112: Payout 113: Stop excitation of the stepping motor 114: Set the counter for the number of reactivations of the stop switch to 3 115: Set the number of symbols moved by one reactivation to 1 116: Is the stop switch ON? 117: Is that ON the stop switch that was turned ON first? 118: Is the content of the re-operation count setting counter zero? 119: Energize the stepping motor and move only one symbol 120: Re-operation count setting counter 1 When using an electric slot machine having the symbol moving device of the present invention, the reel that was initially stopped is set for the subsequent stop switch. As long as it is within the number of activations, it can be changed freely and the desired pattern can be created. To explain this operation in detail, first, after inserting medals, the start switch is activated to rotate the reels. Then, a stop switch on one of the reels is actuated, for example by being pressed, to stop that reel. Then, when the stop switch is pressed again, the reels rotate by a predetermined number or a random number of symbols. This movement can be performed without any time limit as long as the number of reactivations set by the stop switch does not exceed the number of reactivations set by the stop switch, but this operation becomes impossible when other reels are stopped. By allowing players to perform the above operations, if they do not like the symbols on the reels that were initially stopped, they can freely change them. It can be made into something that allows the players to greatly participate.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the function realizing means of the electric slot machine of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an electronic circuit used to achieve the function realizing means shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. The figure is a flowchart of an embodiment of a program for operating the electric slot machine of the present invention. (Main symbols in the drawing), 1, 2, 3: Reel, 4,
5, 6: stepping motor, 7, 8, 9: reference position detector for reel symbols, 10: start switch, 11: driver means, 12, 13, 1
4: Reel stop switch, 15: Pattern detection means,
16: symbol combination determination means, 17: payout number determination means, 18: medal payout means, 19: reel condition detection means, 20: stepping motor re-drive means,
21: Stop switch reactivation count setting means, 30:
CPU, 31: ROM, 34: RAM, 34: Input port, 35: Output port.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An electric slot machine comprising: (a) a plurality of reels each having a plurality of patterns displayed around them; (b) a stepping motor that rotates each reel; (c) A stop switch is provided corresponding to each stepping motor and stops the corresponding stepping motor; (d) Reel status detection means that outputs an output when the first reel stops; (e) A stop switch that stops the corresponding stepping motor; Stepping motor re-driving means is enabled by input; (f) A number of re-operations of the stop switch is set by input from the reel state detecting means, and the stop switch is re-operated by the set number of times. and (g) the stepping motor is re-driven by re-activating the stop switch of the first stopped reel while there is an input from the stepping motor re-driving means. The output of the stepping motor re-driving means is generated only when all other reels are rotating and within the number of re-operations of the stop switch set by the stop switch re-operation number setting means. An electric slot machine is characterized in that it allows a player to change the combination of symbols by moving the first stopped symbol even during the game. 2. The electric slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the stepping motor re-driving means moves one symbol on the reel with one operation of a stop switch. 3. The electric slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the stepping motor re-driving means moves a plurality of symbols on the reel by one operation of a stop switch. 4. The electric slot machine according to claim 1, wherein the stepping motor re-driving means moves the symbols on the reels randomly with one operation of a stop switch.