JP4896210B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine configured with a computer circuit, and more particularly to a gaming machine capable of continuously displaying an operating state of the gaming machine in a nonvolatile manner.

  A ball and ball game machine such as a pachinko machine has a symbol start port provided on the game board, a symbol display unit for displaying a series of symbol variation modes such as stopping a plurality of display symbols after varying a predetermined time, and an opening / closing plate It is configured with a grand prize opening that opens and closes. When the detection switch provided at the symbol start port detects the passing of the game ball, the game ball is in a winning state and the symbol display unit changes the display symbol for a predetermined time. Thereafter, when the symbol stops in a predetermined manner such as 7-7-7, a big hit state is established, and the big winning opening is repeatedly opened to generate a profit state advantageous to the player.

  However, whether or not to enter the big hit state is actually determined in advance by random number lottery based on the random number value when the game ball passes through the symbol starting port or the like. Therefore, the symbol change operation in the symbol display unit is essentially an effect operation that informs the player of the already determined lottery result over time. This effect operation includes a so-called reach effect. In this reach effect, a situation where a big hit state is likely to arrive is created on the symbol display part, and the player's expectation is greatly increased.

  However, in the midst of an exciting reach production, it may happen that a power outage occurs due to lightning strikes. In such a case, the important data is protected by the backup power source, and the game operation can be reproduced without any problem, but apparently the effect operation of the symbol display section is suddenly interrupted. Specifically, for example, [7] [↓] [7], which is immediately before the big hit state, suddenly ceases, and even after power is restored, the initial screen is displayed, For example, [1] [4] [7] having no relevance is displayed.

  In such a case, the player may misunderstand that the big hit at the corner has disappeared due to a power failure, which may cause trouble with the game hall.

  In addition, the gaming machine has an operating state in which the operating state shifts to a time-short state that is advantageous to the player and a probability variation state. However, when a power failure occurs in a state advantageous to such a player, when the power is restored after that, it is extremely worrying to the player whether the previous operation state is continued. Assuming such a case, if it is possible to continuously display the operating state of the gaming machine, it is extremely preferable that there is no fear of distrust to the player.

  The present invention has been made based on this idea, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that continues to display a gaming state before power-off even when the power is cut off unexpectedly.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined detection state related to a player's movement occurs, whether or not to generate a big hit state advantageous to the player by a winning lottery process caused by the detection state? A game machine for determining whether or not to execute the winning / losing lottery process, and outputting a control command specifying the lottery result, thereby controlling the game operation mainly, and the jackpot state A display device for notifying the lottery result based on the stop symbol after the specific symbol related to the display is variably displayed, and a storage display element capable of displaying the notification information for specifying the lottery result in a nonvolatile manner in the control command. A sub-control unit that performs control based on the data, and the main control unit saves data necessary when the power is dropped before the power is shut off, and also based on a backup power source after the power is shut off. The sub-control unit is configured to start an operation in an initial state in the display device when power is restored because the backup power is not supplied. The control unit drives the storage display element to display the notification information in a nonvolatile manner before informing the result of the success / failure lottery process by the stop symbol in the display device, and the stop symbol is displayed in the display device. The notification information is concealed until it is displayed or as long as the gaming machine is in a conductive state.

  In each of the above inventions, the sub-control unit receives various types of information from the main control unit, but is not limited to receiving directly, but includes cases where it is received indirectly. Moreover, it is not limited to the case where the information output from the main control unit is received as it is, but includes the case where the processing information based on the information output from the main control unit is received.

  As the gaming machine, a ball game machine and a slot machine are preferably exemplified.

  According to the above-described present invention, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that continues to display the gaming state before the power is cut off even when the power is cut off unexpectedly.

It is a perspective view of the pachinko machine of an example. It is the front view which illustrated in detail the game board of the pachinko machine of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the pachinko machine of 1st Example. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic circuit structure of a main control part and an electronic paper control part. It is a circuit diagram which illustrates the internal structure of electronic paper. It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of an electronic paper control part. It is a flowchart explaining the timer interruption process of a main control part. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement content of an electronic paper control part. 2 illustrates an example of a configuration of a drive data table TBL. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic circuit structure of the liquid-crystal control part of 2nd Example. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement content of a liquid-crystal control part. It is a circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of an electronic paper control part. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement content of an electronic paper control part. It is drawing explaining the another control method of an electronic paper control part, and the shielding member of electronic paper.

  Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the ball game machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine GM of the present embodiment. This pachinko machine GM includes a rectangular frame-shaped wooden outer frame 1 that is detachably mounted on an island structure, and a front frame 3 that is pivotably mounted via a hinge 2 fixed to the outer frame 1. It is configured. A game board 5 is detachably attached to the front frame 3 from the back side, and a glass door 6 and a front plate 7 are pivotally attached to the front side so as to be freely opened and closed.

  On the outer periphery of the glass door 6, an electric lamp such as an LED lamp is arranged in a substantially C shape. Further, an electronic paper 30 </ b> A that displays the current gaming state of the gaming machine in a non-volatile manner is disposed at the lower left portion of the glass door 6. Here, the game state means a game state that is directly related to the player's profit, and characters such as “Changing probability” or “Short time” are displayed on the electronic paper 30A.

  “Being probable” means that the winning probability of the big hit lottery is higher than normal, in other words, it means that the gaming machine is likely to shift to the big hit state at present. On the other hand, “short time” means that the presentation time such as the symbol variation action is shortened, but in this game state, the probability of opening the electric tulip and the opening time increase, so the consumption of game balls is reduced. There is an advantage to reduce than usual.

  The front plate 7 is equipped with an upper plate 8 for storing game balls for launching, and a lower plate 9 for storing game balls overflowing or extracted from the upper plate 8 and a launch plate at the lower part of the front frame 3. A handle 10 is provided. The launch handle 10 is interlocked with the launch motor, and a game ball is launched by a striking rod that operates according to the rotation angle of the launch handle 10.

  A chance button 11 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper plate 8. The chance button 11 is provided at a position where it can be operated with the left hand of the player, and the player can operate the chance button 11 without releasing the right hand from the firing handle 10. The chance button 11 does not function normally, but when the game state becomes the button chance state, the built-in lamp is turned on and can be operated. The button chance state is a game state provided as necessary.

  On the right side of the upper plate 8, an operation panel 12 for ball lending operation with respect to the card-type ball lending machine is provided, a frequency display unit for displaying the remaining amount of the card with a three-digit number, and a ball of game balls for a predetermined amount A ball lending switch for instructing lending and a return switch for instructing to return the card at the end of the game are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 5 is provided with a guide rail 13 formed of a metal outer rail and an inner rail in an annular shape, and a liquid crystal color display DISP is provided at the approximate center of the game area 5a inside. Has been placed. In addition, at a suitable place in the game area 5a, a symbol starting port 15, a big winning port 16, a plurality of normal winning ports 17 (four on the right and left sides of the big winning port 16), and a gate 18 serving as two passing ports are arranged. Has been. Each of these winning openings 15 to 18 has a detection switch inside, and can detect the passage of a game ball.

  The liquid crystal display DISP is a device that variably displays a specific symbol related to a big hit state and displays a background image and various characters in an animated manner. This liquid crystal display DISP has special symbol display portions Da to Dc in the center portion and a normal symbol display portion 19 in the upper right portion. The special symbol display portions Da to Dc execute a reach effect that expects a big hit state to be invited, and the special symbol display portions Da to Dc and the surroundings perform a notice effect that informs the result of the determination indefinitely. The

  The normal symbol display unit 19 displays a normal symbol. When a game ball that has passed through the gate 18 is detected, the displayed normal symbol fluctuates for a predetermined time and is extracted at the time when the game ball passes through the gate 18. The stop symbol determined by the random number for lottery is displayed and stopped.

  For example, the symbol start opening 15 is configured to be opened and closed by an electric tulip having a pair of left and right opening and closing claws 15a. When the stop symbol after the fluctuation of the normal symbol display unit 19 displays a winning symbol, the symbol start port 15 is opened and closed. The claw 15a is opened for a predetermined time. As described above, if the game state is “short time”, the stop symbol of the normal symbol display unit 19 is likely to be in a winning state, and the opening time of the electric tulip is also prolonged.

  On the other hand, when a game ball wins at the symbol start port 15, the display symbols of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc change for a predetermined time, and are determined based on the lottery result corresponding to the winning timing of the game ball at the symbol start port 15. Stop at the stop symbol. In addition, in special symbol display parts Da-Dc and its circumference, a notice effect may be performed between a series of symbol effects.

  The big winning opening 16 is controlled to open and close by, for example, an opening / closing plate 16a that can be opened forward. When the stop symbol after the symbol change of the special symbol display portions Da to Dc is a big hit symbol such as “777”, the “big hit” Is started, and the opening / closing plate 16a is opened. A winning area 16 b is provided inside the big winning opening 16.

  After the opening / closing plate 16a of the big prize opening 16 is opened, the opening / closing plate 16a is closed when a predetermined time elapses or when a predetermined number (for example, 10) of game balls wins. In such an operation, the special game is continued up to 15 times, for example, and is controlled in a state advantageous to the player. In addition, when the stop symbol after the change of the special symbol display parts Da to Dc is a specific symbol of the special symbols, the game after the end of the special game is in a high probability state (in other words, “probably changing”). The privilege of becoming is granted. Usually, the big hit by this specific design is called “probable big hit”.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall circuit configuration of the pachinko machine GM that realizes the above-described operations. Broken lines in the figure mainly indicate DC voltage lines.

  As shown in FIG. 3, this pachinko machine GM receives a 24 V AC and outputs various DC voltages, a main control board 21 that mainly controls game operations, and a control received from the main control board 21. An effect control board 22 that executes a lamp effect and a sound effect based on the command CMD, an effect interface board 23 that transmits a signal received from the effect control board 22 to each part, and a control command CMD ′ received from the effect interface board 23 Based on the liquid crystal control board 24 for driving the liquid crystal display DISP, the payout control board 25 for controlling the payout motor M based on the control command CMD "received from the main control board 21 and paying out the game balls, and the player's operation A launch control board 26 that launches a game ball in response to the electronic paper, and an electronic paper control board 27 that drives the electronic paper 30A; It is configured to center.

  Here, the main control board 21, the effect control board 22, the liquid crystal control board 24, and the payout control board 25 are each mounted with a computer circuit including a one-chip microcomputer. The electronic paper control board 27 is also composed of a general-purpose computer circuit in this embodiment. Therefore, the circuits mounted on the main control board 21, the production control board 22, the liquid crystal control board 24, the payout control board 25, and the electronic paper control board 27 and the operations realized by the circuits are collectively referred to as the following. In the description, the main control unit 21, the production control unit 22, the liquid crystal control unit 24, the payout control unit 25, and the electronic paper control unit 27 may be referred to. Note that all or part of the effect control unit 22, the liquid crystal control unit 24, the payout control unit 25, and the electronic paper control unit 27 is a sub-control unit.

  As shown in the figure, the main control unit 21 is connected to the command relay board 29 and is connected to each game component of the game board 5 via the game board relay board 28. And while receiving the switch signal of the detection switch built in each winning opening 16-18 on a game board, solenoids, such as an electric tulip, are driven. The switch signal from the symbol start port 15 is received directly by the main control unit 21 without going through the game board relay board 28.

  The main control unit 21 transmits a control command CMD ″ to the payout control unit 25 in one direction, while the payout control unit 25 receives a prize ball count signal indicating a game ball payout operation and a payout operation. The status signal CON related to the abnormality is received, and the status signal CON includes, for example, a replenishment out signal, a payout shortage error signal, and a lower plate full signal.

  By the way, the one-chip microcomputer of the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25 is supplied with 5V backup power from the power supply board 20. Therefore, even after the AC power supply 24V is shut off due to the end of business or a power failure, the RAM data in the one-chip microcomputer is retained. In this embodiment, the storage contents of the RAM are designed to be retained for at least several days.

  The main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25 are configured such that necessary data is saved in the RAM by NMI (non maskable interrupt) processing when the power supply voltage drops. Therefore, coupled with the operation of the backup power source described above, the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25 can resume the operation before the power shutoff at the start of business or at the time of recovery from a power failure. However, since the backup power is not supplied to the other control boards, the operation in the initial state is started regardless of the operation before the power is shut off at the time of starting business or recovering from the power failure.

  FIG. 4A illustrates the internal configurations of the main control unit 21 and the electronic paper control unit 27 together with the connection relationship therebetween. As shown in the figure, the main control unit 21 includes a one-chip microcomputer 31 incorporating a ROM and a RAM, an address decoder 32, an input port 33, and output ports 34 and 35. The input port 33 is a part that receives a switch signal from switches provided on the game board, and the output port 34 is a part that drives solenoids of game parts provided on the game board. The output port 35 is a part that outputs flag data FG indicating the current gaming state to the electronic paper control unit 27.

  The electronic paper control unit 27 includes a CPU 36 dedicated to electronic paper control, a ROM 37 that stores an electronic paper control program, a character ROM 38 that stores character data to be displayed on the electronic paper 30A as dot data, a work area, and the like. It includes a functioning RAM 39, an address decoder 40 that generates a chip select signal CS, an input port 41 that receives flag data FG from the main control unit 21, and a write circuit 42 for electronic paper 30A.

  Here, the CPU 36 dedicated to electronic paper control is a 16-bit CPU capable of data processing in units of 16 bits. The character ROM 38 is a read only memory having a 16-bit data terminal. In this embodiment, the dot data corresponding to the number of pixels of the electronic paper 30A is 32 × 128. It is stored at address 256. For example, from address 0 to address 255, dot data that can be displayed as “probably changing” is stored. In addition, the other address is divided for every 256 addresses, and for example, dot data corresponding to the display of “short time” or “normal” is stored (see FIG. 8B).

  The schematic operation of the electronic paper control unit 27 is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, a flag sense process for constantly checking the input data of the input port 41 is performed (ST1), and when new flag data FG is input, a write process is executed based on the flag data FG, and the electronic data The display content of the paper 30A is updated (ST3).

  FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the electronic paper 30A. The electronic paper 30A may be displayed in any manner as long as it has a nonvolatile storage display function. In this embodiment, an electrophoretic electronic paper (Electro-Phoretic Display) is used. The electronic paper 30A is configured with 128 × 32 pixels arranged in a matrix. Each pixel includes an electrophoretic element C1, a thin film transistor (TFT) Tr that drives the electrophoretic element C1, and a capacitive element C2 that maintains the electric polarization state of the dispersion in the electrophoretic element. ing. In FIG. 5A, the capacitance C1 indicates an equivalent capacitance of the electrophoretic element.

  As illustrated, the source terminal of the thin film transistor Tr is connected to the drive lines L1 to L32, and the gate terminal is connected to the data lines R1 to R128. The drain terminal is connected to the electrophoretic element C1 and the capacitive element C2. A predetermined potential is commonly applied to the terminals of the electrophoretic element C1. The terminal of the capacitive element C2 is connected to the ground line GND.

  In the circuit configuration of FIG. 5A, when the drive lines L1 to L32 are selectively driven and the data on the data lines R1 to R128 are changed in synchronization with the drive lines L1 to L32, 128 × 32 electrophoresis elements C1 are formed. As a result, the dot pattern of 128 × 32 pixels can be formed in a nonvolatile manner. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the characters “Changing probability”, “During time reduction”, or “Normal” are displayed in a non-volatile manner on the electronic paper 30A (see FIG. 1).

  FIG. 6 illustrates the relationship between the write circuit 42 and other circuit elements in the internal configuration of the electronic paper control unit 27. As illustrated, the write circuit 42 includes 8-bit latch circuits 51a to 51b, four 3-8 line decoders 52a to 52d, a driver circuit 53 for driving the drive lines L1 to L32 of the electronic paper 30A, The latch circuit is composed of 16-bit latch circuits 54a to 54h and a driver circuit 55 for driving the data lines R1 to R128 of the electronic paper 30A.

  Output data (32 bits) from the four line decoders 52a to 52d is supplied to the drive lines L1 to L32 of the electronic paper 30A via the driver circuit 53. On the other hand, output data (128 bits) of the eight latch circuits 54a to 54h is supplied to the data lines R1 to R128 of the electronic paper 30A via the driver circuit 55.

  The latch circuits 51 and 54 are configured by, for example, D-type flip-flops. When the control terminal G is at the L level, the input data (8-bit length or 16-bit length) is stored and held in each flip-flop at the rising edge of the write signal WR supplied to the clock terminal CK. It is comprised so that. The line decoder 52 corresponds to input data (000 to 111) to the 3-bit input terminals A to C, and is a known IC (for example, SN74238) that sets only one bit of the output terminals Y0 to Y7 to the H level. ). The line decoder 52 is provided with a control terminal G. The line decoder operates as described above only when the control terminal G is at the H level. When the control terminal G is at the level, the 3-bit input terminal is operated. Regardless of the data values of A to C, all the output terminals Y0 to Y7 become L level.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart in which a part related to the electronic paper control unit 27 is extracted from the timer interrupt processing repeated at regular intervals in the main control unit 21. In the timer interrupt process of the main control unit 21, first, the big hit counter CT used in the big hit lottery is updated cyclically (ST21). In addition, a signal of a detection switch arranged at the symbol starting port 15 or the gate 18 is acquired (ST22).

  Thereafter, after various processing, normal symbol processing is performed on the condition that the current operation state is not “winning” (ST24). The normal symbol processing means determination as to whether or not to operate an ordinary electric accessory such as an electric tulip. Specifically, when it is determined from the switch input result in step ST22 that the game ball has passed through the gate 18, the value of the winning counter updated in the random number generation process (ST21) is acquired. The acquired random value is compared with the winning value. If the comparison result is a winning state, the state is changed to a “winning” state.

  In the normal symbol processing (ST24) of this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the current game state is in the probability change state. In this normal symbol process (ST24), a transition lottery for determining whether or not to shift the gaming state to the short-time state may be executed regardless of whether or not the game state is being changed.

  After that, special symbol processing is executed on the condition that the current operation state is not “big hit” (ST26). The special symbol process (ST26) includes a big hit lottery process for determining whether or not to operate the first type special electric accessory such as the big prize opening 16 or the like. In the jackpot lottery process, when it is determined that the game ball has won the symbol start port 15 based on the switch input result in step ST22, the value of the jackpot counter CT updated in the random number generation process (ST21) is acquired. The random value obtained at that time is compared with the winning value of the jackpot.

  Then, if the comparison result is a winning state, it is changed to a “big hit” state. The winning state includes a normal jackpot and a probable change jackpot. When winning a promising jackpot, the game state during the probabilistic change comes after a series of jackpot games have ended. In addition, the effect lottery is executed following the big hit lottery, and the outline of the symbol effect including the reach effect is determined.

  The outline of the determined symbol effect is transmitted to the effect control unit 22 via the command relay board 29 as a control command CMD (variation pattern command). Then, in the effect control unit 22, the details of the symbol effect are determined, and a control command CMD ′ that specifically specifies the symbol effect is transmitted to the liquid crystal control unit 24. Therefore, the liquid crystal control unit 24 performs a symbol effect corresponding to the received control command CMD '.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, whether or not the gaming state is shifted to a shorter time or a certain probability change is determined by the lottery process of the normal symbol process (ST24) and the special symbol process (ST26). Then, when the timing to shift the gaming state to “short time” or “probably changing” is triggered, flag data FG indicating the gaming state is output (ST27). The flag data FG is output from the output port 35 of the main control unit 21 and transmitted to the input port 41 of the electronic paper control unit 27 (FIG. 4).

  FIG. 8A is a flowchart for explaining data writing processing in the electronic paper control unit 27. In this data writing process, the drive data table TBL shown in FIG. 9 is used.

  The drive data table TBL is used to output drive pulses from the line decoders 52a to 52d to the driver circuit 53. This drive data table TBL stores 32 rows of 16-bit data (D15 to D0) × 32. The 16-bit data of each row is supplied to the four line decoders 52a to 52d via the two latch circuits 51a and 51b to determine the output value of 8 × 4 bits (Y0 to Y7 × 4). . FIG. 9 also shows a pointer PT of the drive data table TBL.

  As shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 6, the most significant two digits D15 and D14 of the 16-bit data stored in the drive data table TBL are supplied to the control terminals G of the line decoders 52a and 52b, respectively. Therefore, when D15 = 1 (H level), the line decoder 52a functions, but when D15 = 0 (L level), all the outputs of the line decoder 52a become L level. Similarly, when D14 = 1 (H level), the line decoder 52b functions, but when D14 = 0 (L level), all outputs of the line decoder 52b are at L level.

  The above relationship is the same for D7 and D6 of 16-bit data. That is, when D7 = 1 (H level), the line decoder 52c functions, but when D7 = 0 (L level), all the outputs of the line decoder 52c are L level. Similarly, when D6 = 1 (H level), the line decoder 52d functions, but when D6 = 0 (L level), all outputs of the line decoder 52d are at L level.

  Based on the above, the electronic paper writing process of FIG. This electronic paper writing process specifically specifies step ST3 in FIG. 4B. In the electronic paper writing process, first, the pointer PT of the drive data table TBL is initialized (ST10). By this initial processing, the pointer PT points to the first row of the drive data table TBL.

  Next, the corresponding area of the group of dot data stored in the character ROM 38 is specified (ST11). This specifying process means specifying which of “probable change”, “short time”, and “normal” is displayed on the electronic paper 30A. Therefore, specifically, the head address of the corresponding area of the character ROM 38 is specified based on the flag data FG acquired in the data input process (ST1) shown in FIG. The group of dot data stored in the character ROM 38 is 128 bits × 32 corresponding to the number of pixels (128 × 32) of the electronic paper 30A. As shown in FIG. 8B, 128-bit data for each row of the electronic paper 30A is stored in the character ROM in a distributed manner at eight addresses in the memory.

  If the start address of a group of dot data is specified by the processing of step ST11, then the dot data is sequentially read from the character ROM 38 every 16 bits, and is sequentially read to the latch circuits (# 0 to # 7) 54a to 54h. Write (ST12). By executing the write command to the latch circuits (# 0 to # 7), the corresponding chip select signal CSi becomes active and the write control signal WR changes in a pulse shape. Therefore, 16-bit data is acquired by the corresponding latch circuit in synchronization with the rise of the write control signal WR, and the value is held until the next write process.

  When the writing process to the latch circuits (# 0 to # 7) is finished in this way, the CPU next reads 16-bit data indicated by the pointer PT from the drive data table TBL, and reads this data from the latch circuits 51a to 51a. Write to 51b (ST13). Since the pointer PT is set to point to the first row of the drive data table TBL by the initial setting process (ST10), first, binary 1000000000000000 is written into the latch circuits 51a to 51b. Here, since the most significant digit “1” is supplied to the control terminal G of the line decoder 52a, only the Y0 terminal of the line decoder 52a rises to the H level by the first write processing.

  Since the Y0 terminal is connected to the drive line L1 of the electronic paper 30A, the writing process to the pixels in the first row of the electronic paper 30A is started in response to the rising of the Y0 terminal to the H level. . At this time, the dot data in the first row of pixels is supplied to the data lines R1 to R128 of the electronic paper 30A as described above with respect to the processing in step ST12.

  Next, after consuming the writing time required for the writing process to the first row of pixels of the electronic paper 30A (ST14), the clear data is output to the latch circuits 51a to 51b (ST15). The clear data is, for example, 0000H in hexadecimal notation. In this case, the control data “0” is supplied to the control terminals G of all the line decoders 52a to 52d. Since the Y0 terminal is connected to the drive line L1 of the electronic paper 30A, the data of the Y0 terminal that has risen to the H level falls to the L level corresponding to the processing of step ST15. As described above, in this embodiment, a drive pulse having a certain time width is generated by the processing of steps ST13 to ST15, and the corresponding drive line Li is driven via the driver circuit 53.

  Subsequently, the CPU 36 increments and updates the pointer PT of the drive data table TBL (ST16), and determines whether or not the writing process for all 32 rows has been completed (ST17). If the writing process has not been completed, the address value of the character ROM 38 is updated, and the process returns to step ST12 (ST18). In this embodiment, 128 bits of dot data in each row are distributed every 16 bits and stored at address 8 of the character ROM. Therefore, in the process of step ST18, the address value is updated so that the next group of dot data (128 bits) can be accessed.

  The processes in steps ST12 to ST17 are the same as described above, and the process on the second line is executed after the process on the first line of the electronic paper 30A. That is, in the state where new dot data is supplied to the latch circuits # 0 to # 7 (ST12), the data in the second row of the drive data table TBL is output to the latch circuits 51a to 51b (ST13). Thereafter, clear data is output to the latch circuits 51a to 51b through time consumption processing (ST14, ST15). Therefore, a drive pulse is output from the output terminal Y1 of the line decoder 52a, and this is supplied to the drive line L2 via the driver circuit 53. As a result, the data writing process for the second row of the electronic paper 30A is executed.

  The same applies to the following, and by repeating the processes in steps ST12 to ST18, the writing process for all 32 lines to the electronic paper 30A is completed. Therefore, the current gaming state is displayed by characters on the front surface of the gaming machine. Moreover, since the electronic paper 30A is non-volatile, even if the operation of the gaming machine is suddenly interrupted due to a power failure, the gaming state continues to be displayed as before. Therefore, there is no possibility of giving the player anxiety that the advantageous gaming state will disappear. In addition, in this embodiment, the backup power is supplied to the RAM of the one-chip microcomputer of the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25, and necessary data is saved to the RAM by NMI processing when the voltage drops. The gaming machine can correctly resume the gaming state displayed on the electronic paper 30A.

  However, since the backup power is not supplied to the one-chip microcomputer of the liquid crystal control unit 24, it is not possible to resume the rendering operation being executed on the liquid crystal display DISP. Therefore, the player wants to know the result of the reach production interrupted in the middle even at the stage of standby due to a power failure. That is, after the power supply is restored, if the game operation corresponding to the lost state of the big hit lottery is suddenly started, there is a possibility that there is a distrust that the winning state may have been lost due to a power failure.

  In order to solve this problem, it is preferable to provide the configuration of FIG. 10 instead of the configuration of the first embodiment or in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic configuration of the liquid crystal control board 24 according to the second embodiment, and the one-chip microcomputer 60 drives not only the liquid crystal display DISP but also the electronic paper 30B. The electronic paper 30B includes 16-bit data lines R1 to R16 and 128-bit drive lines L1 to L128 (FIG. 5B). Therefore, a total of eight characters and patterns composed of 16 × 16 dots can be displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the liquid crystal control unit 24 is based on a one-chip microcomputer 60 that controls overall symbol display operation, a control memory 61 that defines the operation content of the one-chip microcomputer 60, and instructions from the one-chip microcomputer 60. A graphic controller (specifically a VDP: Video Display Processor) 62 for generating a drawing signal to the liquid crystal display DISP, a CG memory 63 for storing CG data such as sprite pattern data drawn on the liquid crystal display DISP, It includes a character ROM 64 that stores dot data to be displayed on the electronic paper 30B, an input port 65 that receives a control command CMD ', and a writing circuit 66 for the electronic paper 30B.

  Specifically, the control memory 61 includes a control ROM that stores a control program that defines the operation content of the liquid crystal control unit 24, and a RAM that volatilely stores a series of scenario data groups that specify the design effects of the liquid crystal display DISP. It is divided into. The CG memory 63 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a CG data group for specifying each sprite drawn on the liquid crystal display DISP is stored in a nonvolatile manner.

  The writing circuit 66 and the character ROM 64 have a configuration similar to that of the writing circuit 42 and the character ROM 38 shown in FIG. 4, respectively, and details thereof will be described later with reference to FIG. The input port 65 receives the control command CMD ′ output from the output port 67 of the effect control unit 22 via the bus buffer 68 of the effect interface board 23. The control command CMD ′ specifically specifies the symbol effect on the liquid crystal display DISP, and the effect control unit 22 determines the effect based on the effect command lottery process based on the control command CMD output from the main control unit 21. This control command CMD 'also includes a control command for defining a left stop symbol, a middle stop symbol, and a right stop symbol, which are stop symbols after the changing operation in the liquid crystal display. Note that the control command CMD ′ that defines these stop symbols is transmitted to the liquid crystal control unit 24 at the initial stage of the rendering operation and before the start of the so-called reach rendering or the like.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the liquid crystal control unit 24. The operation of the liquid crystal control unit 24 includes a command reception interrupt routine (not shown) that is activated when the input port 65 receives the control command CMD ′, and a drawing interrupt routine that is activated by the interrupt signal INT from the VDP 62 (FIG. 11B). )) And a main routine (FIG. 11 (a)) that centrally executes a series of operations of the liquid crystal control unit.

  The VDP 62 draws one frame (one screen) of the liquid crystal display DISP in 1/60 second, and outputs an interrupt signal INT in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal every time drawing of one frame is completed. On the other hand, the one-chip microcomputer 60 receives this interrupt signal INT, starts the drawing interrupt routine (FIG. 11B), sets the drawing request flag FLG, and finishes the process.

  Therefore, in the main routine, it is determined whether or not the drawing timing has been reached based on the value of the drawing request flag FLG (ST30). When the drawing timing is reached, the drawing process corresponding to the control command CMD ′ received from the effect control unit 22 is executed (ST31, ST34). Specifically, command analysis processing (ST31) and drawing processing (ST34) are executed, and necessary data is written in the VDP 62 based on the scenario data stored in the control memory 61, and the liquid crystal display DISP by the VDP 62 is written. Update the drawing operation.

  However, if the left stop symbol, the middle stop symbol, and the right stop symbol, which are the final stop symbols, are specified in the command analysis process of step ST31, these are written in the electronic paper 30B (ST33). The left stop symbol, middle stop symbol, and right stop symbol are specified not only by the control command CMD ′ received from the upstream control unit, but also by the lottery process or the like in the liquid crystal control unit 24. Is also included.

  The writing process is the process shown in FIG. 13 corresponding to the process of FIG. 8, and the display content is a specific display of the left stop symbol, the middle stop symbol, and the right stop symbol. It should be noted that the dot data enabling the display of these symbols is stored in the character ROM 64.

  FIG. 11 exemplifies a case where a reach effect is executed and finally a losing state is achieved, and a case where a winning state is achieved. For example, “737 sorry!” Or “777 great!” Is displayed on the electronic paper 30B. In this embodiment, the stop symbol is notified within 8 characters. Here, as the arrangement position of the display paper 30B, an appropriate position that is easy for the player to see is selected. However, an illumination lamp is arranged around the electronic paper 30B, and the symbol variation effect on the liquid crystal display is fixed. Until then, the display contents of the electronic paper 30B are not seen by the flashing operation of the electric lamp. Therefore, the player does not know the stop symbol before the symbol variation effect is finished.

  On the other hand, when a power failure occurs, all the electronic circuits of the liquid crystal control unit 24 are in the initial state even after the power is restored, so that only a predetermined demonstration screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display. However, since the electronic paper 30B keeps the display content in a non-volatile manner, it is possible to correctly notify the player of the result of the symbol variation operation interrupted midway. As described above, the main control unit 21 and the payout control unit 25 correctly resume the interrupted gaming operation. Therefore, if the display content of the electronic paper 30B is in a winning state, the gaming machine corresponds to this. It is possible to shift to a big hit state. On the other hand, even if the gaming machine does not shift to the big hit state, the player already knows that the previous symbol variation effect has been lost based on the display content of the electronic paper 30B. I don't have it.

  FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram for explaining the relationship between the writing circuit 66 and other circuits of the liquid crystal control unit 24. In the write circuit 66, the arrangement positions of the latch circuit 51 and the latch circuit 54 are reversed from the case of FIG. That is, a single (16-bit length) latch 54 for holding write data is connected to the driver circuit 55 corresponding to the 16-bit data lines R1 to R16 of the electronic paper 30B. Further, eight (16-bit length) latches 51a to 51h for holding drive data are connected to the driver circuit 53 in correspondence with the 128-bit drive lines L1 to L128 of the electronic paper 30B.

  The character ROM 64 stores characters and patterns (hereinafter referred to as characters) formed by 16 × 16 dots, divided into 16 addresses (16 × 16 bits) (see FIG. 13B). ). As described above, the 16 × 16 bit data specifies a character that specifies the end of the symbol variation effect on the liquid crystal display.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a writing routine (ST33) for writing necessary information to the electronic paper 30B. In this embodiment, the CPU 60 generates the drive pulse directly by outputting the data at the DATA address without passing through a logic circuit such as a line decoder.

  Therefore, the CPU 60 first stores 0001H, which is an initial value, in the DATA address (ST40). The data at the DATA address is then cyclically shifted (rotation) toward the upper bits one bit at a time (ST45), thereby generating a drive pulse. When the initial setting of the DATA address is completed (ST40), the series of processes of steps ST42 to ST48 is repeated up to eight times. The number of repetitions N (N ≦ 8) corresponds to the number of characters displayed on the electronic paper 30B.

  In this embodiment, the first to Nth characters are written on the electronic paper 30B under the control of the variable i. Specifically, for the i-th character identified in the command analysis process (ST31), the storage area of the character ROM that stores the dot data of this character is identified (ST42). This specifying process is nothing but storing the start address of the corresponding area of the character ROM in the address variable AD.

  Next, 16-bit data at the address designated by the address variable AD is written into the write data holding latch 54 (ST43). Then, the corresponding dot data is supplied to the data lines R1 to R16 of the electronic paper 30B by this writing process.

  Next, the data at the DATA address is read out and written to any of the latches (the latch 51 for holding drive data) from the first latch 51a to the eighth latch 51h. Since the content of the DATA address is 0001H in the initial state, this initial data is initially written in the first latch 51a. Then, the least significant bit of the first latch 51a becomes 1, and only the drive line L1 of the electronic paper 30B rises to the H level.

  Then, after the data at the DATA address is updated by a cyclic shift operation (ST45), it is consumed for an appropriate time (ST46), and the clear data 0000H is output to the first latch 51a in this case. . As a result, the drive line L1 of the electronic paper 30B maintains the H level for a predetermined time and then returns to the L level, and writing to the 16 pixels in the first row is executed by this drive pulse.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the writing process for one character has been completed (ST48). If the processing for one character has not been completed, the address variable AD is updated and the process returns to step ST43 (ST49).

  Therefore, in step ST43, the dot data (16 bits) of the second row of the i-th (now the first) character is written into the latch 54, and the electronic paper 30B is stored based on the data 0002H of the DATA address. A drive pulse is output to the drive line L2 (ST44 to ST47). Therefore, writing to the 16 pixels in the second column of the electronic paper is executed.

  The same applies to the following. By repeating the processing of steps ST42 to ST47 16 times in total, the i-th (now first) character is written on the electronic paper 30B. Therefore, after that, the variable i = 2 and the writing process for the second and subsequent characters is executed. By repeating this, a maximum of eight characters can be written to the electronic paper 30B.

  The display contents written in this way are maintained even if the power supply voltage is cut off, so that even if a power failure occurs, the player correctly ends the symbol variation effect interrupted halfway. I can know.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described concretely, the concrete description content does not limit this invention at all. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the display content of the electronic paper 30 </ b> B is controlled so as not to be visible at normal time by flashing the illumination lamp flashingly, but the configuration is not limited to this.

  FIGS. 14A and 14B are flowcharts for explaining the liquid crystal control unit 24 configured not to execute the writing operation to the electronic paper 30B as long as the AC power is normally supplied to the gaming machine. In this embodiment, a voltage drop signal is supplied as an interrupt signal from the power supply board 20 to the NMI (non maskable interrupt) terminal of the one-chip microcomputer 60 when the AC power supply drops (FIG. 10). (See the broken line part).

  If the final symbol of the symbol effect is specified in the main routine of the liquid crystal control unit 24 (ST32 in FIG. 14A), the final symbol is displayed without executing the writing operation to the electronic paper 30B. The result is stored in the RAM work area together with the result (ST33 '). In the illustrated example, data of “7”, “3”, and “7” and the result of whether or not to lose are stored in the work area. At this stage, nothing is displayed on the electronic paper 30B.

  However, when the AC power supply voltage drops due to a power failure or the like, the NMI interrupt process shown in FIG. 14B is activated by the interrupt signal supplied from the power supply board 20. Then, based on the data stored in the work area, the writing process to the electronic paper 30B is executed, and the final result of the interrupted symbol effect is displayed on the electronic paper 30B, such as “737 Sorry!”. Since this display content is maintained in a non-volatile manner even after the power supply voltage has completely dropped, the player has no sense of resistance to the game state of loss that is resumed after the power supply is restored.

  As yet another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14C, it is also preferable to arrange a shielding member 70 on the front surface of the electronic paper 30B. In this case, it is sufficient that the liquid crystal control unit 24 is operated as shown in FIG.

  The shielding member 70 includes, for example, a shielding screen SC, an electromagnetic piston PT having an advance / retreat rod R that retreats upward when energized, and a weight W that applies a load to the shielding screen SC. The shielding screen SC is suspended from the advancing / retracting rod R, and is configured such that an opening HO having the same shape as the display surface of the electronic paper 30B and a main body BD slightly larger than the opening HO are connected vertically. .

  In addition, the shielding member 70 includes, for example, a shielding screen SC and an electromagnetic piston PT having an advance / retreat rod R that advances upward when energized. In this case, the opening HO is not required in the shielding screen SC, and the entire shielding screen SC is pushed up by the advance / retreat rod R. In any case, the glass door 6 is formed transparent on the front surface of the electronic paper 30B.

  In such an embodiment, a stop symbol is displayed on the electronic paper 30B at the stage of step ST33 in FIG. However, at this time, since the front surface of the electronic paper 30B is concealed by the shielding screen SC, the player cannot see the display content of the electronic paper 30B, and therefore there is no fear of making the design effect of the liquid crystal display white. .

  On the other hand, when a power failure occurs, the shielding screen SC is surely lowered to the limit position by its own weight or supported by the load of the weight W. And in this descent state, since it is comprised so that a shield may not exist in the front surface of the electronic paper 30B, the player can see the display content of the electronic paper 30B. Therefore, even when the symbol effect is interrupted in the middle, the final stop symbol can be known, and there is no distrust in the game operation resumed after the power supply is restored.

  By the way, in each of the embodiments described above, whether or not to perform the writing operation to the electronic paper 30 or whether or not to display the display contents to the player is entirely controlled on the side of the gaming machine. However, it is also preferable to control the electronic paper 30 so as to be visible based on the player's operation. For example, it is also preferable to display appropriate display contents on the electronic paper 30 so as to be visible based on the gaming state of the gaming machine, the pressing operation of the chance button 11 and the like, the lottery result, and the like.

  In the above embodiment, the general-purpose CPU is in charge of the electronic paper writing process, but it is needless to say that a dedicated controller similar to the VDP may be used. In addition, the element is not limited to electronic paper as long as it has a nonvolatile memory display function. The content displayed in a non-volatile manner is not limited to the display of the exemplified gaming state or the display of the stop symbol. Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIG. 14, the voltage drop signal is supplied from the power supply board 20 to the NMI terminal to start the interrupt processing. However, a dedicated command may be transmitted from the main control unit 21. In the case of such a configuration, when the power supply voltage including a power failure state drops, each sub-control unit can execute the final process that is managed by the main control unit and is consistently matched.

GM gaming machine 30 storage display element 21 main control unit 24 sub control unit ST27 information grasping means ST10 to ST18 information display means

Claims (4)

A gaming machine that determines whether or not to generate a big hit state advantageous to a player by a lottery process due to the occurrence of a predetermined detection state related to the operation of the player,
A main control unit that centrally controls the gaming operation by executing the winning / no-win lottery process and outputting a control command for specifying the lottery result;
A display device for notifying the lottery result based on a stop symbol after the specific symbol related to the big hit state is variably displayed, and a storage display element capable of displaying the notification information for specifying the lottery result in a nonvolatile manner, A sub-control unit for controlling based on the control command,
The main control unit is configured to save necessary data at the time of power down before the power is shut down and to hold the saved data based on a backup power source even after the power is shut down.
The sub-control unit is configured to start an operation in an initial state in the display device when power is restored because backup power is not supplied.
The sub-control unit drives the storage display element to display the notification information in a non-volatile manner before informing the result of the success / failure lottery process by the stop symbol in the display device, and the stop symbol is A gaming machine configured to conceal the notification information until it is displayed on a display device or as long as the gaming machine is in a conductive state.   A one-chip microcomputer that controls the operation of the storage display element and the operation of the display device, a control memory that defines the operation content of the one-chip microcomputer, and the display device based on instructions from the one-chip microcomputer Based on a graphic controller that generates a drawing signal, a CG memory that stores CG data to be drawn on the display device, a character ROM that stores dot data to be displayed on the storage display element, and control of the one-chip microcomputer The gaming machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a writing circuit that operates to drive the memory display element.   The said one-chip microcomputer produces | generates the drive pulse for write-in operation | movement by outputting the data memorize | stored in the predetermined area | region, when writing display data in the said memory | storage display element. Game machines. The one-chip microcomputer is
First means for reading display data from the storage unit and supplying it to the first input unit of the storage display element via a first drive circuit;
4. A second means for generating a driving pulse and supplying the driving pulse to a second input portion of the storage display element via a second driving circuit. Game machines.

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