JP6674124B2 - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game machine represented by a ball game machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional typical game machine, there is known a distributing mechanism that alternately distributes game balls to two guide paths provided on the left and right, using a seesaw structure in which a tilt direction changes according to the weight of the game balls. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2004-73669

  In the gaming machine having such a configuration, the movement of the structure constituting the distribution mechanism is patterned, and there has been a demand to alternately guide the gaming ball in two directions in a pattern different from the conventional one.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems and the like, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of guiding game balls alternately in two directions in a pattern different from the conventional one. It is.

In order to solve this problem, the invention described in claim 1 is:
A first ball receiving portion for guiding a game ball to enter in a first direction; and a second ball receiving portion for guiding the game ball in a second direction. A rotating ball receiver that alternately moves the first ball receiver and the second ball receiver to a receiving position;
An elastic member that locks the rotating ball receiver while rotating the rotating ball receiver by the load of the game ball,
The first ball receiving portion is formed so as to expand in the first direction,
The second ball receiving portion is formed so as to expand in the second direction ,
The elastic member is configured such that, when the rotating ball receiving portion is rotated by the load of the game ball, a plurality of portions are displaced at different timings to suppress the rotation of the rotating ball receiving portion. Features.

  The present invention can realize a gaming machine capable of guiding game balls alternately in two directions in a pattern different from the conventional one.

It is a perspective view showing an example of a gaming machine. It is a perspective view showing an example of a gaming machine in an open state. It is a perspective view showing an example of a gaming machine in another open state. It is a perspective view showing an example of a gaming machine in another open state. It is a front view showing an example of a gaming machine. It is a front view showing an example of a game board. It is a perspective view showing an example of a game board. It is a rear view showing an example of a gaming machine. It is a block diagram showing an example of an electric configuration of a gaming machine. It is a perspective view showing an example of the 1st starting winning device. It is a perspective view showing the partial exploded view of the 1st starting winning device. It is an approximate line figure used for description of a front cover member. It is a schematic diagram used for description of the right and left taxiways (1). It is a schematic diagram used for description of the right and left taxiways (2). It is an approximate line figure used for explanation of a back taxi way. It is a perspective view showing composition (1) of a rotation cam. It is a front view which shows the structure (2) of a rotating cam. It is a side view which shows the structure (3) of a rotating cam. It is a basic diagram used for description of a cam holding part. It is a basic diagram used for description of arrangement of a rotating cam. It is a basic diagram used for description of arrangement (1) of a leaf spring. It is a basic diagram used for description of arrangement (2) of a leaf spring. It is a basic diagram used for description of the positional relationship of a rotary cam and a leaf spring. It is a basic diagram used for description of the positional relationship of a boundary part and a leaf spring. It is an approximate line figure used for explanation of contact of a leaf spring to a boundary part.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a specific example of the ball-and-ball game machine will be described as the game machine, but the design may be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The gaming machine 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. 1 to 4 are perspective views illustrating an example of the gaming machine 100. FIG. 1 illustrates a closed state of the gaming machine 100. FIG. 2 illustrates a front block 102 and an intermediate block 103 with respect to an outer frame 101. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the front block 102 is opened with respect to the intermediate block 103, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the rear block 104 is opened with respect to the intermediate block 103. Is shown. In addition, various wirings are omitted in FIGS. 2 to 4, and a detailed configuration of the game board 400 is omitted in FIG. 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the gaming machine 100 can open and close the outer frame 101, the front block 102, the intermediate block 103, the rear block 104, and the intermediate block 103 with respect to the outer frame 101. An intermediate block supporting mechanism for detachably supporting, a front block supporting mechanism for supporting the front block 102 so as to be able to open and close and detachably with respect to the intermediate block 103, and a rear block 104 capable of opening and closing and detachable for the intermediate block 103. And a rear block support mechanism for supporting the rear block.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outer frame 101 is a substantially quadrangular frame body in which a top plate 111, a bottom plate 112, a left side plate 113, and a right side plate 114 are assembled, and is provided in a game hall where the gaming machine 100 is installed. It is fitted into the provided gaming machine installation equipment (commonly called “island equipment”: not shown) and is firmly fixed by a fixture (not shown). The outer frame 101 further includes a pedestal plate 115 on which the intermediate block 103 is placed when the intermediate block 103 is closed with respect to the outer frame 101. The top plate 111 and the bottom plate 112 are made of wood, the left side plate 113 and the right side plate 114 are made of a metal material having higher rigidity than wood, and the pedestal plate 115 is made of a resin material.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate block support mechanism includes an upper bearing structure 121 and a lower shaft structure 122 provided on the outer frame 101, and an upper shaft structure 126 and a lower shaft structure 126 provided on the intermediate block 103. A side bearing structure 127 is provided, and the intermediate block 103 is mounted by mounting the upper shaft structure 126 and the lower shaft structure 122 to the upper bearing structure 121 and the lower bearing structure 127, respectively. It is supported on the outer frame 101.

  The front block support mechanism includes, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, an upper shaft structure 131 (FIG. 3 only) and a lower shaft structure 132 (FIG. 1 only) provided in the intermediate block 103. An upper bearing structure 133 (FIG. 3 only) and a lower bearing structure 134 (FIG. 1 only) provided in the block 102 are provided, and the upper bearing structure 133 and the lower bearing structure 134 respectively include: The front block 102 is supported by the intermediate block 103 by being mounted on the upper shaft structure 131 and the lower shaft structure 132. Similarly, the rear block support mechanism is provided in the upper block 136 and the lower bearing structure 137 (see FIG. 7) provided in the intermediate block 103 and in the front block 102, as shown in FIG. And an upper shaft structure 138 and a lower shaft structure 139 (see FIG. 7). The upper shaft structure 138 and the lower shaft structure 139 are respectively an upper bearing structure 136 and a lower bearing structure. By being attached to the body 137, the rear block 104 is supported with respect to the intermediate block 103.

  Also, the gaming machine 100 has an intermediate block locking mechanism for restricting opening and closing of the intermediate block 103 with respect to the outer frame 101, a front block locking mechanism for restricting opening and closing of the front block 102 with respect to the intermediate block 103, an intermediate block locking mechanism and a front block. And a lock opening / closing operation mechanism operated to open and close the locking mechanism. As shown in FIG. 3, the lock cylinder opening / closing operation mechanism provided in the intermediate block 103 and exposed to the front side of the gaming machine 100 through the opening 102A of the front block 102 has a predetermined position with respect to the key cylinder 141 (see also FIG. 1). In response to a clockwise rotation operation by an operation key (not shown), the movable claw 143 of the intermediate block locking mechanism provided on the intermediate block 103 operates, and the fixed claw 142 of the intermediate block locking mechanism provided on the outer frame 101. The engagement between the movable block 143 of the intermediate block locking mechanism provided on the intermediate block 103 and the movable block 143 is released, and the intermediate block 103 is opened and closed with respect to the outer frame 101. On the other hand, in response to the left rotation operation of the key cylinder 141 by a predetermined operation key, the movable claw 144 of the front block locking mechanism provided on the intermediate block 103 and the fixed claw 145 of the front block locking mechanism provided on the front block 102 Is released, and the front block 102 is opened and closed with respect to the intermediate block 103.

  In addition, the gaming machine 100 includes a rear block opening / closing restriction mechanism that restricts opening / closing of the rear block 104 with respect to the intermediate block 103. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the rear block opening / closing restricting mechanism includes three opening / closing restricting portions 150 </ b> A to 150 </ b> C, each of which is provided on the intermediate block 103 and formed on the rear block 104. In response to a rotation operation on a rotating piece 151 protruding to the back side of the gaming machine 100 through the opening 104A, an opening / closing allowance that allows the rotating piece 151 to pass through the opening 104A from an opening / closing prohibited position where the rotating piece 151 cannot pass through the opening 104A. When the intermediate block 103 is moved to the position, the sandwiched pieces 152A to 152C formed on the rear block 104 by the intermediate block 103 and the rotating piece 151 are released, and the rear block 104 is opened and closed with respect to the intermediate block 103. .

  In addition, the gaming machine 100 includes a game ball movement restriction mechanism for restricting the movement of the game ball from the intermediate block 103 to the front block 102. As shown in FIG. 3, the game ball movement regulation mechanism is provided on the intermediate block 103 and urged toward the front block 102 side, a flow-down regulation piece 161, and a regulation change protrusion 162 provided on the front block 102. The movement of the game ball from the intermediate block 103 to the front block 102 is caused by the movement in which the flow-down regulating piece 161 is pressed toward the intermediate block 103 by the regulation change protrusion 162 in the closed state of the front block 102 with respect to the intermediate block 103. On the other hand, when the front block 102 is opened with respect to the intermediate block 103, the flow-down regulating piece 161 is released from the pressing by the regulation changing protrusion 162 and is positioned at the movement prohibiting position where the pressure regulating protrusion 162 projects toward the front block 102. Prohibited by doing so.

  Further, the gaming machine 100 is provided with an interval regulating mechanism for strictly maintaining a constant interval between a later-described central panel 220 in the front block 102 and a later-described gaming board 400 in the intermediate block 103. As shown in FIG. 3, the interval regulating mechanism is provided on the center panel 220, and a projecting piece 171 projecting toward the opening / closing axis side of the intermediate block 103 and the front block 102 on the back side of the front block 102; A protruding piece 172 that is provided on the front side of the intermediate block 103 and protrudes on the side opposite to the opening / closing axis side of the intermediate block 103. Enters the rear side of the projecting piece 172, and finally, the front face of the projecting piece 171 and the rear face of the projecting piece 172 abut against each other in the closed state of the front block 102 with respect to the intermediate block 103.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the gaming machine 100 includes an open / close detection switch 108 for detecting whether the intermediate block 103 is opened or closed with respect to the outer frame 101, and an open / close detection switch 108 shown in FIG. As described above, the open / close detection switch 109 for detecting whether or not the front block 102 is closed with respect to the intermediate block 103 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front block 102 has a base frame 201 having an opening 201A (only in FIG. 3) and an opening provided on the front side of the base frame 201 and communicating with a part of the opening 201A. A front panel 210 having 210A (FIG. 1 only), a central panel 220 provided on the back side of the base frame 201 so as to close the opening 201A, and a main storage mechanism 230 (FIG. 1 only) for storing game balls. An auxiliary storage mechanism 240 (FIG. 1 only) for storing game balls, and a launch operated by a player to sequentially launch game balls stored in the main storage mechanism 230 to the game board 400 (FIG. 3 only). And an operating device 250 (FIG. 1 only).

  As shown in FIG. 1, front panel 210 has an opening peripheral portion 211 around the opening 210 </ b> A, an upper projecting portion 217 that projects forward below opening peripheral portion 211, and in which main storage mechanism 230 is arranged. A lower protruding portion 218 protruding forward below the upper protruding portion 217 and having the auxiliary storage mechanism 240 disposed thereon, and a flat portion being substantially flat to the right of the lower protruding portion 218 and having the firing operation device 250 disposed thereon. 219.

  As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the central panel 220 includes a panel frame 221 (only FIG. 3) attached from the rear side of the base frame 201 and a light-transmitting front fitted into the panel frame 221. A plate 222 (FIG. 1 only) and a light-transmissive rear plate 223 (FIG. 3 only) fitted into the panel frame 221 substantially parallel to the front plate 222 with a predetermined gap therebetween. In addition, the projecting piece 171 of the above-mentioned interval regulating mechanism is formed integrally with the panel frame 221.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main storage mechanism 230 has a storage tub having an inflow port 231A for a game ball, an outflow port (not shown), and a discharge port (not shown) formed upstream of the outflow port. 231, a ball-pulling mechanism for switching the discharge destination of the game ball released from the storage tub 231 by opening and closing the discharge port between the outflow port and the discharge port, and a ball-pulling operation member 232 that operates the ball-pulling mechanism. Have. The game balls obtained in accordance with the progress of the game and the game balls lent out in accordance with a lending operation to the lending operation device 292 described later flow into the storage tub 231 mainly through the inflow port 231A, and the game spheres flowing into the storage tub 231 While being aligned in a line, they are sequentially guided in the direction in which the outlet and the outlet are formed (to the right in FIG. 5). When the ball removing operation (pressing operation) is not performed on the ball removing operation member 232, the game ball is guided to a later-described firing device 330 (see FIG. 3) in the intermediate block 103 through the outlet. On the other hand, when the ball removing operation is being performed on the ball removing operation member 232, the game ball is guided to the auxiliary storage mechanism 240 (see FIG. 1) through the discharge port.

  As shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5, the auxiliary storage mechanism 240 includes a storage tub 241 having an inflow port 241A (only in FIG. 5) and a discharge port 241B for a game ball, and a ball removal mechanism 243 for opening and closing the discharge port 241B. And a ball removing operation member 242 for operating the ball removing mechanism 243. The game balls and the like obtained in accordance with the progress of the game mainly flow into the main storage mechanism 230, but if the storage tub 231 is full, flow into the storage tub 241 through the inflow port 241A, and also perform the ball removal operation for the ball removal operation member 232. Game balls guided from the storage tub 231 according to the operation flow into the storage tub 241 through the inflow port 241C. The bottom of the storage tub 241 is inclined on the mortar toward the discharge port 241B, and is stored in the storage tub 241 by opening the discharge port 241B in response to the ball-pulling operation (right sliding operation) on the ball-pulling operation member 242. All the gaming balls that have been set can be sequentially discharged to the outside of the gaming machine 100. When the release port 241B is completely opened by the ball-pulling-out operation member 242, the state is maintained until the ball-pulling-out operation member 242 is returned (pressing operation or slight left sliding operation). Is maintained. A ball overflow switch 249 (see FIG. 9) for detecting whether or not game balls are excessively stored in the storage tub 241 is provided behind the inflow port 241A.

  The firing operation device 250 includes a pedestal 251 protruding forward from the flat portion 219 of the front panel 210 and a rotatable firing handle 252 provided around the pedestal 251 as shown in FIGS. A variable resistor 253 (see FIG. 9) for detecting the amount of rotation of the firing handle 252, a contact sensor 254 (see FIG. 9) for detecting that the player is in contact with the firing handle 252, A fire stop switch 255 (only in FIG. 5) that is operated and invalidates the ejection of the game ball due to the rotation operation of the firing handle 252. In response to a rotation operation of the firing handle 252 by the player, a game ball is fired from the firing device 330 (see FIG. 3) with an intensity corresponding to the rotation operation amount. Note that when the contact sensor 254 has not detected contact between the firing handle 252 and the player, or when the firing operation has been disabled by operating the firing stop switch 255, the firing handle 252 has been rotated. However, the game ball is not ejected from the firing device 330.

  The front block 102 includes a light emitting device group provided on the base frame 201 and disposed behind the opening peripheral portion 211 of the front panel 210. As shown in FIG. The upper central portion 211A of the portion 211, the upper left corner 211B to the left of the upper central portion 211A, the upper right corner 211C to the right of the upper central portion 211A, the left middle portion 211D below the upper left corner 211B, and the upper right corner. The upper center frame light emitting device 271, the upper left frame light emitting device 272, the upper right frame light emitting device 273, the left middle frame light emitting device 274, and the right middle frame light emitting device 275 arranged corresponding to each of the right middle portions 211E below the portion 211C. (See FIG. 9).

  In addition, the front block 102 includes an acoustic device 280 provided on the base frame 201 and disposed behind the opening peripheral portion 211 of the front panel 210. The acoustic device 280 is located on the upper left corner formed on the opening peripheral portion 211. An upper left sound output unit 281 and an upper right sound output unit 282 are provided at the back of the sound output port 211F and the upper right sound output port 211G, respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the front block 102 includes a game ball lending device 290 provided on the upper protrusion 217, and the game ball lending device 290 is arranged on the side of the gaming machine 100. A frequency display device (not shown) for displaying a numerical value according to the balance of a bill or a card inserted into a card unit (not shown) which is not a component of the gaming machine 100; Lending operation device 292 operated by the player, and return operation device 293 operated by the player when returning the bills, cards, and the like inserted into the card unit. When a lending operation is performed on the lending operation device 292 in a valid state in which numerical values corresponding to the amounts are inserted into the card unit by inserting bills, cards, or the like into the card unit, a predetermined value is determined according to the lending operation. The number of game balls is lent from the payout device 540 of the rear block 104, and the display of the frequency display device is updated with the rent of the game balls. On the other hand, when a return operation is performed on the return operation device 293 in the valid state, a card in which a banknote equivalent or a balance corresponding to the balance is recorded is returned from the card unit in accordance with the return operation.

  The intermediate block 103 is, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, a base frame 301 having an opening (not shown), and a game board 400 (FIG. 3) attached to the front side of the base frame 301 to cover the opening. Only), a game board support mechanism for rotatably and detachably supporting the game board 400 with respect to the base frame 301, a game board fixing mechanism for fixing the position of the game board 400 with respect to the base frame 301, and a game. A launching device 330 (FIG. 3 only) for injecting a game ball into the board 400, a mount 360 provided on the rear side of the game board 400 (FIG. 4 only), and a game progress mounted on the mount 360 are comprehensively managed. And a sub-controller 390 (only FIG. 4) for controlling game effects and state notification based on commands from the main controller 370.

  The base frame 301 includes a guide path 301A for guiding the game balls released from the payout device 540 (see FIG. 7) to the front block 102, frame light emitting devices 271 to 275 provided on the base frame 201 of the front block 102, and sound. A hole (not shown) for electrically connecting the device 280 to the main control device 370 or the sub control device 390 or an opening based on a cutout of the game board 400 into which a signal relay device (not shown) is inserted. 301B are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the game board 400 has a flat base body 401 having various through holes such as an outlet 401A, and a smoothly curved body extending from the lower left to the upper right of the base 401. An outer rail 402 for guiding the game ball fired from the inner rail 403, an inner rail 403 smoothly curved from the lower right to the upper left of the base 401, and an outer rail 402 and an inner rail 403 attached to the upper left end of the inner rail 403. A return ball preventing mechanism 404 that prevents a game ball released from a launch path 401B formed at a portion where the rail 403 faces in parallel and returns to the launch path 401B, and is attached to the upper right end of the outer rail 402. A recoil prevention member 405 for preventing a large rebound of a game ball moving to the left beyond the center of the game board 400, and a portion outside the outer rail 402 constituting a launch path 401B. And a protection member 406 for protecting the. As shown in FIG. 3, there is a gap between the outer rail 402 and the guide member 335 that guides the game ball from the launching device 330 to the launching path 401 </ b> B. A game ball that returns to the firing path 401B without exceeding 404 is formed in the base frame 201, and is returned from the inflow port 241C (see FIG. 5) via the return ball path 201B disposed below the gap. 240 (see FIG. 5). The structure provided in the substantially circular game area which is generally divided by the outer rail 402 and the inner rail 403 and in which the game ball beyond the return ball prevention mechanism 404 is movable will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the game board support mechanism is formed on a support shaft 311 provided on the protection member 406 and the base frame 301, and is provided with a part of the base 401 of the game board 400 placed thereon. It is configured by a bearing portion 313 that engages with the placing portion 312 and the support shaft portion 311, and supports the game board 400 rotatably and detachably. In the case where the game board 400 is rotatably supported, after the game board 400 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more, if the game board 400 is tilted from the rotation axis with a portion of the base 401 that comes into contact with the mounting portion 312 as a fulcrum, The engagement between the shaft portion 311 and the bearing portion 313 is released. Thereby, the game board 400 can be detached from the base frame 301. Conversely, when the game board 400 is mounted on the base frame 301, after a predetermined portion of the game board 400 is mounted on the mounting section 312, the support shaft 311 is engaged with the bearing 313.

  The game board fixing mechanism includes three fixing members 320 (only two fixing members are shown in FIG. 3) provided on the base frame 301, and each of them protrudes forward from the base frame 301. A rotatable rotating shaft (not shown), and an insertion / removal prohibition position which is fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft and cannot pass through a cutout portion 401C (see FIG. 6) formed in a base 401 of the game board 400. A rotating piece 322 that takes an insertion / removal allowance position that can pass through the notch 401C, a pressing plate (not shown) disposed rearward of the rotating piece 322, and a pressing force when the rotating piece 322 is in the insertion / removal prohibition position. An urging member (not shown) for urging the plate toward the rotating piece 322; In the attachment / detachment prohibited state in which the game board 400 is fixed to the base frame 301, the rotating piece 322 projects forward of the base 401 through the cutout portion 401C and is in the insertion / extraction prohibited position. It is held in a pressed state by the piece 322 and the pressing plate. Thus, since the positioning of the game board 400 in the front-rear direction with respect to the base frame 301 can be accurately performed, it is possible to prevent the movement of the game ball from the guide member 335 to the firing passage 401B from being hindered. When the turning piece 322 is rotated from the insertion / removal prohibition position to the insertion / removal allowance position where the turning piece 322 can pass through the notch 401C in response to the rotation operation on the turning piece 322, the urging of the pressing plate from the urging member is performed. Then, the holding of the base 401 by the rotating piece 322 and the pressing plate is released. When all the rotating pieces 322 of the fixtures 320 are in the insertion / removal allowable posture, the game board 400 can be freely rotated with respect to the base frame 301. Conversely, when the game board 400 is fixed to the base frame 301, the game board 400 is rotated in a state where all of the turning pieces 322 of the fixtures 320 are in the insertion / removal allowable posture, and each turning piece is cut out. After passing through 401C, the rotating pieces 322 of all the fixing devices 320 are rotated to the insertion / extraction prohibition posture.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the launching device 330 includes a ball feed mechanism 331 that sequentially sends game balls stored in the main storage mechanism 230 to a firing position, and a ball feed solenoid 332 (which drives the ball feed mechanism 331 ( FIG. 9), a firing mechanism 333 that ejects a game ball placed at the firing position, a firing solenoid 334 (see FIG. 9) that drives the firing mechanism 333, and a game ball fired from the firing mechanism 333. And a guide member 335 for guiding the launch path 401 </ b> B. The firing device 330 operates according to the firing operation on the firing operation device 250 as described above.

  The mounting base 360 is rotatably supported on the base frame 301 via a support mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the main control device 370 includes a main control board 920 (see FIG. 9) and a two-part board case 371 that houses the main control board 920. The main control board 920 is sealed in the board case 371 so that it cannot be opened without leaving a trace of opening.

  The sub-control device 390 includes a sub-control board 940 (see FIG. 9) and a two-part board case 391 that accommodates the sub-control board 940. The sub-control board 940 is sealed in the board case 391. Have been.

  Here, in the game board 400, various structures provided on the base 401 and arranged in the game area will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating an example of the game board. As shown in FIG. 6, the game board 400 has a flow-down changing member such as a nail 411 or a windmill 412 that changes the flow direction or the flow speed of the game ball, and is disposed substantially at the center of the base 401, and has an entrance ( (Not shown), a center frame 420 for guiding a game ball flowing into the vicinity of the first start winning device 450, a first start winning device 450 disposed directly below the center of the center frame 420, and a first start winning device. Start winning switches 440 and 441 (see FIG. 9) for detecting a game ball that has entered 450, a second start winning device 432 arranged at the lower left of the first start winning device 450, and a second start winning device 432. Start winning switch 442 (see FIG. 9) for detecting a game ball that has entered, a large winning device 433 arranged to the right of the first starting winning device 450, and a game ball that has entered the large winning device 433. A large winning switch 443 (see FIG. 9), a starting device 436, a starting switch 446 (see FIG. 9) for detecting a game ball that has entered the starting device 436, general winning devices 438 and 439, and a general winning device 438. General winning switches 448 and 449 (see FIG. 9) for detecting a game ball that has entered 439, a magnetic sensor 491, and a vibration sensor 492 are provided. The game ball that has entered the center frame 420 and the starting device 436 is released to the game area, but the game that has entered the first starting winning device 450, the second starting winning device 432, the large winning device 433, and the general winning devices 438 and 439. The sphere is guided through a through hole formed in the base 401 to a collection / discharge passage (not shown) formed on the back side of the base 401. In addition, game balls that have not entered the first start winning device 450, the second start winning device 432, the large winning device 433, and the general winning device 438 are guided to a collection / discharge path (not shown) through the discharge port 401A. The game balls guided to the collection / discharge passage are discharged from the game machine 100 to a game ball circulation device provided in a game machine installation facility (not shown). When a game ball enters any one of the first start winning device 450, the second start winning device 432, the large winning device 433, and the general winning devices 438, 439, a predetermined number of game balls according to the type of the device. Will be paid out from the payout device 540.

  The first start winning device 450 is provided with two guide paths 51 and 52 corresponding to the two start winning switches 440 and 441 and the distribution mechanism 14 (see FIG. 13). The game balls that have entered the first starting winning device 450 are alternately distributed one by one to the two guide paths 51 and 52 by the distribution mechanism 14. The configuration relating to the distribution of the game balls by the first start winning device 450 will be described later.

  The entry of the game ball into the first start winning device 450 is detected by one of the two start winning switches 440 and 441, and the ball is distributed by the two start winning switches 440 and 441 by the distribution of the game ball by the distribution mechanism 14. Are detected alternately. Of the two start winning switches 440 and 441, one of the start winning switches 441 constitutes a first startup winning device 450 for displaying a first special symbol in a variable manner, and the other start winning switch 440 is a second startup winning switch 440. The same privilege as when a game ball enters the start winning device 432 is provided to the player. Therefore, when the game ball enters the first starting prize device 450, the winning of the first starting prize device 450 and the winning of the second starting prize device 432 can be alternately generated.

  Each of the first start winning device 450 and the general winning devices 438 and 439 has a structure for guiding the entered game ball to the rear side of the base 401 without changing the probability of the game ball entering the device. The configuration of the first start winning device 450 will be described later. In the gaming machine 100, the second start winning device 432 is a variable winning device that changes the entry probability. The game ball can enter the variable winning device when the second starting winning device 432 is in the entry allowable arrangement, but cannot enter the second starting winning device 432 in the entry preventing arrangement. The second start winning device 432 shifts to the entry allowable arrangement for a predetermined time according to the operation of the blade opening / closing solenoid 462 (FIG. 9).

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the gaming board 400 displays the first special symbol in a fluctuating manner with the jackpot lottery related to the first special symbol, or stops the first special symbol according to the lottery result. The first special symbol display device 471 that confirms and displays the second special symbol with the big hit lottery related to the second special symbol, and the second special symbol is stopped and displayed according to the lottery result. A second special symbol display device 472 for confirming and displaying, a first special symbol reservation display device 476 provided on the center frame 420 for displaying the reservation status of the jackpot lottery right related to the first special symbol, and a center frame 420 And a second special symbol holding display device 477 for displaying a state of holding the right of the jackpot lottery related to the second special symbol. A maximum of four jackpot lottery rights pertaining to the first special symbol and the second special symbol are reserved. In addition, when the right of the jackpot lottery relating to the first special symbol is reserved to the maximum, even if a game ball enters the first start winning device 450 and the game ball is detected by the start winning switch 441, the No right is added to the game ball. Similarly, when the right of the jackpot lottery relating to the second special symbol is reserved to the maximum, a game ball enters the second start winning device 432 and the game ball is detected by the start winning switch 442, or Even if a game ball enters the first start winning device 450 and the game ball is detected by the start winning switch 440, no right is added to the game ball.

  The first special symbol display device 471 includes two light emitting units 471A and 471B capable of emitting light in a plurality of colors, and the display is controlled by the main control board 920 (see FIG. 9). The first special symbol is represented by a light emitting pattern (a combination of light emitting colors) of the light emitting units 471A and 471B. Like the first special symbol display device 471, the second special symbol display device 472 is composed of two light emitting portions 472A and 472B capable of emitting light in a plurality of colors, and is displayed by the main control board 920 (see FIG. 9). Is controlled. The second special symbol is represented by a light emitting pattern (a combination of light emitting colors) of the light emitting units 472A and 472B. The first special symbol hold display device 476 and the second special symbol hold display device 477 are various types of lottery depending on the combination of the light emitting states (off, on, blinking) of the two single-color LEDs 476A and 476B and the two single-color LEDs 477A and 477B, respectively. Displays the number of pending rights for.

  Also, the game board 400 is provided on the center frame 420, and displays a normal symbol in a variable manner or a fixed symbol according to a result of the lottery. The display device 473 includes a display device 473 and a normal symbol hold display device 478 provided on the center frame 420 and displaying a hold status of a winning lottery right related to the normal symbol. Up to four lottery rights per normal symbol are reserved. In addition, when the right of the lottery pertaining to the normal symbol is reserved to the maximum, even if the game ball enters the starting device 436, the right is not added to the entry of the game ball.

  The ordinary symbol display device 473 includes two light emitting units 473A and 473B capable of emitting light in a plurality of colors, and the display is controlled by the main control board 920 (see FIG. 9). The normal symbol is represented by a light emitting pattern (a combination of light emitting colors) of the light emitting units 473A and 473B. In addition, the ordinary symbol hold display device 478 displays the number of lottery rights held by a combination of the light emitting states (off, on, blinking) of the two single-color LEDs 478A and 478B.

  In addition, the game board 400 is provided on the center frame 420, and displays a decorative symbol in a fluctuating manner or a fixed display of the decorative symbol in accordance with a jackpot lottery relating to one of the first special symbol and the second special symbol. A decorative pattern display device 479 is provided. The variable display and the fixed display of the decorative symbol based on the control by the sub control board 940 are substantially synchronized with the variable display and the fixed display of the first special symbol and the second special symbol by the main control board 920. In the variation display of the decorative symbol, a more complicated effect is executed than in the variation display of the first special symbol and the second special symbol.

  Here, operations of various devices of the game board 400 will be described. Prior to the description, various game states and transitions between the game states will be described. In the normal gaming state (normal gaming state), the jackpot winning probability of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is low, and the fluctuation display time of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is long ( Hereinafter, it is also referred to as a “low probability non-time saving state”). The gaming state changes based on the jackpot winning. There are five types of jackpots pertaining to the first special symbol: standard probability jackpot, sudden probability jackpot, latent probability jackpot, standard time jackpot, and sudden time jackpot. The type of jackpot related to the second special symbol is the standard probability jackpot. , And two types of standard time college hits. When the player wins the standard probability change big hit or the sudden probability change big hit, the game state temporarily shifts to the special game state in which the special winning device 433 is intermittently allowed to enter, and after the special game state ends, the first special game state is set. The jackpot winning probability of the symbol and the second special symbol is higher than that of the normal game state, and the fluctuation display time of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is shorter than the normal game state (hereinafter, “high”). (Referred to as "probability saving time state"). The high probability time reduction state is maintained until the next jackpot win. Also, in the case of winning the latent probability change big hit, after once shifting to the special gaming state, the big hit winning probability of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is higher than the normal gaming state, the first special symbol A transition is made to a gaming state in which the variable display time of the symbol or the second special symbol is the same as the normal gaming state (hereinafter, referred to as a “high-probability non-saving time state”). The high probability non-time saving state is maintained until the next jackpot winning. In the case of winning the standard time savings jackpot, after the transition to the special gaming state, the jackpot winning probability for the first special symbol and the second special symbol is the same low probability as the normal gaming state, the first special symbol And a game state in which the variable display time of the second special symbol is shorter than the normal game state (hereinafter, referred to as “low probability time reduction state”). The low probability reduction time state is maintained until a predetermined number of times (for example, 100 times) of unit display control related to one of the first special symbol and the second special symbol is completed, and thereafter, the gaming state is changed to the normal gaming state. Return. In the case of a large hit in the high-probability time-short state and the high-probability non-time-short state, one of the probable big hits (standard probable big hit, sudden probable big hit) , The probability of distributing to the big odds of latent probability) is large. Hereinafter, the operation of various devices of the game board 400 will be described in chronological order.

  On the main control board 920, a winning random number relating to a special symbol (common to the first special symbol and the second special symbol), a symbol random number relating to the special symbol (common to the first special symbol and the second special symbol), a stop pattern random number, Various variation pattern random numbers are generated, and in various game states, when a game ball enters the first start winning device 450 and the game ball is detected by the start winning switch 441, a winning random number related to a special symbol is obtained. , The random number of the symbol and the random number of the stop pattern relating to the special symbol are obtained and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM of the main control board 920. At this time, when the special winning device 433 is not in operation, unless both the first special symbol and the second special symbol are being displayed in a variable display or in a fixed display, immediately after the storing, or in addition to the first special symbol and the second special symbol. If any of the special symbols is displayed in a floating display or in a fixed display, all of the jackpot lottery rights relating to the first special symbol acquired in advance and the previously acquired and subsequent acquired right (2) After all the jackpot lottery rights related to the special symbol have been exhausted, it is determined whether or not a jackpot has been won based on the obtained random numbers related to the special symbol. In addition, the winning probability of the big hit according to the first special symbol is, as described above, specifically, a high probability state (high probability time reduction state, high probability non-time reduction state) or a low probability state depending on the current gaming state. (Low-probability time-saving state, low-probability non-time-saving state). Specifically, the winning probability of a big hit in the high-probability state is higher than the winning probability of the big hit in the low-probability state. When the big hit is won, the stop symbol of the first special symbol is further determined based on the symbol random number related to the acquired special symbol. Depending on the type of the stop symbol, it is determined which of the standard probability big hit, the sudden probability variable hit, the latent probability variable big hit, the standard time saving big hit and the sudden time saving big hit. Note that the distribution probability of various big hits varies depending on the current game state, specifically, depending on whether the game is in a high probability state or a low probability state. The distribution probability to the big hit, the sudden change big hit, the latent probability big hit) is higher in the high probability state than in the low probability state. On the other hand, when a big hit is lost and a small hit is won, a small hit symbol is set as a stop symbol, and when no small hit is won, a lost symbol is set as a stop symbol. You.

  After the jackpot lottery related to the first special symbol, the current gaming state, the lottery result of the jackpot lottery, the random number of the stop pattern, various fluctuation pattern random numbers, the total reservation of the right to the jackpot lottery related to the first special symbol and the second special symbol The change display time of the first special symbol is determined based on the number, and the change pattern of the decorative symbol is selected. After that, the variable display of the first special symbol on the first special symbol display device 471 and the variable display of the decorative symbol on the decorative symbol display device 479 (fluctuation effect) are started, and the first special symbol is displayed over the variable display time. In this case, the variable display according to the fixed pattern is continued, and in the case of the decorative design, the variable display is executed according to the variable pattern over the variable display time. As the variable display time elapses, the stop symbol is fixedly displayed as the first special symbol, and the symbol corresponding to the stop symbol of the first special symbol is definitely displayed as the decorative symbol. The fixed display of the first special symbol and the decorative symbol is continued for a certain period of time.

  When the stop symbol of the first special symbol is a big hit symbol, the game state shifts from the normal mode to the special game state after the first special symbol is determined and displayed. In the special game state, the opening / closing mechanism of the special winning device 433 intermittently moves to the entry allowable arrangement a predetermined number of times. After shifting to the entry allowable arrangement, the large prize winning device 433 is set depending on whether a predetermined number (for example, 10 balls) of game balls enter the large prize winning device 433 or when a predetermined maximum opening time has elapsed. Move to Intrusion Prevention configuration. Thereafter, after the elapse of the predetermined closing time, the special winning device 433 again shifts to the entry allowable arrangement. This opening and closing operation is repeated a predetermined number of times. The number of repetitions of the opening / closing operation in accordance with the shift of the special winning device 433 to the entry allowable arrangement, the maximum opening time to stay in the entry allowable arrangement, and the like vary depending on the type of the big hit (the type of stop symbol). Specifically, in the special game state based on the standard probability variable jackpot and the standard time saving jackpot, the opening / closing operation in which the maximum opening time is 29.5 seconds and the closing time is 2.0 seconds is repeated 16 times. Note that, after a standby time (opening time) of 10.0 seconds from the start of the special game state, the transition to the first entry allowable arrangement is started, and 15.0 seconds from the transition to the 16th entry inhibition arrangement. After the waiting time (ending time), the special game state ends. On the other hand, in the special game state based on the sudden change big hit, the latent change big hit and the sudden time saving big hit, the opening and closing operation in which the maximum opening time is 0.8 seconds and the closing time is 2.0 seconds is repeated only twice. In addition, after a standby time (opening time) of 3.2 seconds from the start of the special game state, the movement to the first entry allowable arrangement is started, and 3.2 seconds from the movement to the second entry prevention arrangement. After the waiting time (ending time), the special game state ends. After the end of the special game state, as described above, the game state is shifted to the game state according to the type of the big hit.

  When the stop symbol of the first special symbol is a small hit symbol or a lost symbol, the game state is not changed even after the final display of the first special symbol. However, when a small hit is won, the big prize winning device 433 operates in the same manner as in the special game state based on the sudden change big hit, the latent change big hit and the sudden time saving big hit.

  In the above description, the case where the right of the jackpot lottery according to the first special symbol is exhausted has been described, but also in the case where the right of the jackpot lottery according to the second special symbol has been exhausted, the type of the jackpot is as described above. Except that the first special symbol is different from the second special symbol and that the right of the jackpot lottery related to the second special symbol is digested in preference to the right of the jackpot lottery related to the first special symbol. Since it is almost the same as the case of the one special symbol, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are replaced with the second special symbol and the first special symbol, respectively, and the repeated description is omitted.

  In various game states, when a game ball enters the starting device 436, a winning random number related to a normal symbol is obtained and stored in a predetermined area of a RAM (not shown) of the main control board 920. At this time, in the case where the second start winning device 432 is not in operation, immediately after the normal symbol is not in the variable display or the fixed display, immediately before the normal symbol is in the variable display or the fixed display, the preceding is performed. After all the winning lottery rights that have been acquired have been consumed, it is determined whether or not a winning has been won based on the winning random number associated with the acquired ordinary symbol. Depending on the gaming state at the time of determination, the winning probability per hit is, specifically, a time reduction state (high probability reduction state, low probability reduction state) or a non-reduction state (low probability non reduction state, high probability non reduction state, (Special game state), and the winning probability in the time reduction state is higher than in the non-time reduction state. When a winning is won, a predetermined winning symbol is set as a stop symbol, and when no winning is won, a predetermined losing symbol is set as a stop symbol. After the winning lottery, the fluctuation display of the ordinary symbols is started, and in the non-time reduction state, the fluctuation display in a fixed pattern is continued for a predetermined fluctuation display time (for example, 3.0 seconds), and the time reduction state is set. In the meantime, the fluctuation display in the same pattern as in the normal game state is continued for a predetermined fluctuation display time (for example, 0.5 seconds) shorter than the non-time saving state. With a lapse of a predetermined time according to the game state, a stop symbol is fixedly displayed as a normal symbol for a certain period of time.

  When the stop symbol of the normal symbol is a hit symbol, the movable blade 452 of the second starting winning device 432 shifts to the approach allowable posture at least once after the normal symbol is confirmed and displayed. Specifically, in the case of the winning in the non-time saving state, the movable blade 452 typically enters a predetermined number of times (for example, once) for a predetermined maximum opening time (for example, 0.2 seconds). In the case of winning in the time-saving state after shifting to the allowable posture, the movable blade 452 typically has a predetermined maximum opening time (for example, three times) longer than the non-time-saving state, which is longer than the non-time-saving state. (For example, 1.9 seconds). However, when a predetermined number (for example, 10 balls) of game balls have entered the second starting winning device 432, the movable blade 452 forcibly shifts to the entry blocking state, and the movable blade 452 is movable based on the current winning. The operation of the blade 452 ends.

  The game board 400 includes a board light-emitting device 490 (see FIG. 9) provided on the back side of various structures, and the board light-emitting device 490 controls various types of game progress according to the control by the sub-control board 940. A light emission effect and state notification by light emission are executed.

  The rear block 104 will be described. 7 and 8 are a perspective view and a rear view, respectively, illustrating an example of a gaming machine. 4, 7, and 8, the rear block 104 is attached to the base 501, a support mechanism for supporting the base 501 so that the base 501 can be opened and closed with respect to the intermediate block 103, and a game. A game ball tank 510 for storing game balls supplied from a machine fixing facility (not shown), and a game ball attached to the base body 501 downstream of the game ball tank 510 and rectified and stored in two layers. A tank rail 520 to be aligned and arranged in one stage, a case rail 530 attached to the base 501 on the downstream side of the tank rail 520 and guiding game balls flowing from the tank rail 520, and a base on the downstream side of the case rail 530. A payout device 540 attached to the base 501 for paying out and renting out game balls, and a payout device 540 attached to the base body 501 on the downstream side of the payout device 540. A guide member 550 for guiding the game balls flowing out of the payout device 540 to a guide path (not shown) formed in the base 501, and a payout control for controlling payout of the game balls and lending of the game balls by the payout device 540. The device 560 converts external power into power of a predetermined voltage required by various devices and outputs the power, and cooperates with the main control board 920 to eject game balls based on a firing operation on the firing operation device 250. Signals are relayed between a power supply / launch control device 900 to be controlled, a payout control device 560, a game ball lending device 290 (see FIG. 1), and a card unit (not shown) arranged beside the gaming machine 100. And a relay device 950 that performs the operation.

  The base 501 is integrally formed of a resin (for example, an ABS resin), and includes a substantially flat base 502 and a protective cover 503 protruding rearward from the base 502. The left and right sides and the upper part of the protective cover part 503 are closed, and only a part of the lower part is open. On the back surface of the protective cover 503, a large number of ventilation holes 502A for improving the heat radiation of the heat generated by the main control device 370 and the sub control device 390 are formed.

  The game ball tank 510 is a horizontally long box-shaped container opened upward, and game balls supplied from a ball circulation device (not shown) of the game machine fixing equipment are sequentially supplied from one end in the longitudinal direction. An opening (not shown) is formed on the bottom surface of one end of the game ball tank 510 in the longitudinal direction different from the side on which the game balls are supplied. The bottom surface of the game ball tank 510 is gently inclined in the longitudinal direction, and the game ball supplied to the game ball tank 510 moves to the opening side by its own weight. In addition, the game ball is inclined more gently with respect to a direction (front-back direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and guides the game ball to the front side (the side of the mounting surface to the base 501) dominantly. Further, an antistatic plate 511 (only FIG. 7) covering at least a part of the bottom from one end to which the game ball is supplied from the ball circulation device to the vicinity of the center is attached to the game ball tank 510. 511 is connected to the ground potential.

  The tank rail 520 is attached below the game ball tank 510, and game balls flow into the tank rail 520 through the opening of the game ball tank 510. The tank rail 520 forms a trough-like passage (not shown) in two rows (two rows) partitioned by partitioning pieces (not shown), and a trough-like member 521, and is rotatable with respect to the trough-like member 521. And a pair of rectifying members 522 for rectifying the game balls into two rows while preventing ball clogging of the game balls flowing down the tub-shaped member 521. Each gutter-like passage is gently inclined toward the downstream side, and guides the game ball to the side opposite to the side in which the flow from the game ball tank 510 flows in the longitudinal direction. The rectifying member 522 operates like a pendulum by contact with a game ball.

  The case rail 530 is vertically arranged along one side surface of the protective cover portion 503, and a game ball from the tank rail 520 flows into the case rail 530. The case rail 530 is formed with two ball passages (not shown) that are curved back and forth and right and left with wavy undulations so that game balls do not flow vigorously. A ball out detection switch 539 is mounted on the upstream side of the ball passage. The ball out detection switch 539 is used when the game balls are not sufficiently provided inside the case rail 530, that is, when the ball is clogged on the upstream side of the case rail 530 and the game balls are not supplied to the case rail 530. To detect.

  The payout device 540 includes a delivery mechanism 541 for sending out game balls, and a payout motor 542 for driving the delivery mechanism 541. In response to the operation of the payout motor 542 based on the control by the payout control device 560, the game balls stored in the two ball paths are alternately discharged.

  The payout control device 560 includes a payout control board 930 and a board case that houses the payout control board 930. Like the main control board 920, the payout control board 930 cannot be opened without leaving a trace of opening. Is substantially sealed by the substrate case.

  Next, an electrical configuration of the gaming machine 100 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electric configuration of the gaming machine. As shown in FIG. 9, the gaming machine 100 includes control devices such as a power supply / emission control device 900, a power supply monitoring board 910, a main control board 920, a payout control board 930, and a sub control board 940. In FIG. 9, a circuit device that only relays various signals is omitted. Hereinafter, these main devices will be described in detail individually.

  The power supply / launch control device 900 includes a power supply unit 901 that supplies power of a predetermined voltage to each unit of the gaming machine 100 via a power supply path (broken line in the drawing), and a launch device in response to operation of the launch operation device 250. A firing control unit 902 for controlling the driving of the 330 and a signal relay unit 903 for relaying an initialization signal from the initialization switch 907 and a ball overflow signal from the ball overflow switch 249 are provided.

  The power supply unit 901 takes in external electric power (for example, AC 24 volts) supplied from the outside and converts it into internal electric power (for example, DC 24 volts), and also uses the internal electric power as a device such as various solenoids and various motors. Power of a driving voltage (for example, 12 VDC) for driving the power supply, power of a control voltage (for example, 5 VDC) for driving various switches and executing control processing, a main control board The power of the backup voltage for holding the contents of the RAM 920 is generated and supplied to the power supply monitoring board 910, the main control board 920, the payout control board 930, the sub control board 940, and the like. Specifically, the power of the internal power, the driving voltage, the control voltage, and the backup voltage are supplied to the power supply monitoring board 910, and the power of the driving voltage, the control voltage, and the backup voltage are supplied to the main control board 920. Are supplied via the power supply monitoring unit 911 of the power supply monitoring board 910, the driving voltage and the control voltage are directly supplied to the payout control board 930, and the driving voltage and the control voltage are supplied to the sub-control board 940. The power of the control voltage is directly supplied, and the power of the drive voltage and the power of the control voltage are supplied to the emission control unit 902. A power switch 909 is connected to the power supply unit 901, and when the power switch 909 is in an off state, taking in of external power is stopped. The game can be performed by turning off the power switch 909 or disconnecting a power plug (not shown) connected to the power supply unit 901 via the power switch 909 from an external power supply outlet (not shown). A state in which the supply of power to the inside of the device 100 is stopped or a state in which the supply of external power itself is stopped is collectively referred to as a “power failure state”. The power supply unit 901 is configured to normally output the power of the control voltage for a predetermined period even after shifting to the power failure state. Accordingly, the main control board 920 can save the state so as to return to the current control state and end the control. It is not limited to the main control board 920 that the power of the backup voltage is supplied to retain the contents of the RAM even after the transition to the power failure state and to be able to return to the control state before the power failure. The power supply unit 901 may be configured to include another board such as the 930 and the sub-control board 940, and to supply the power of the backup voltage to the other board.

  The firing control unit 902 controls the driving of the ball feed solenoid 332 and the firing solenoid 334 of the firing device 330 (see FIG. 3) in cooperation with the main control board 920. The operation of the ball feeding solenoid 332 and the firing solenoid 334 is permitted when predetermined conditions are satisfied. Specifically, the fact that the player is touching the firing handle 252 (see FIG. 1) is detected based on the contact sensor signal from the contact sensor 254, and the firing stop switch 255 for stopping firing is provided. The firing control unit 902 outputs an on-state firing permission signal to the main control board 920 on condition that the operation is not performed. The main control board 920 outputs a firing solenoid control signal and a ball feed solenoid control signal to the firing control unit 902 based on the firing permission signal and the firing abnormality signal. The firing control unit 902 operates the ball feeding solenoid 332 based on the ball feeding control signal in the ON state, and operates the firing solenoid 334 based on the reception of the firing solenoid control signal in the ON state and the resistance value of the variable resistor 253. Let it. As a result, game balls are sequentially fired from the firing device 330 with a strength corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor 253 (the amount of rotation of the firing handle 252).

  The signal relay unit 903 outputs an on-state initialization signal to the main control board 920 when the initialization switch 907 is pressed. In the main control board 920, the storage information stored in the RAM of the main control board 920 is initialized in response to receiving the initialization signal in the ON state. In addition, the signal relay unit 903 outputs an ON ball overflow signal to the main control board 920 when the ball overflow switch 249 detects a game ball. Note that the main control board 920 outputs a low-speed payout signal to the payout control board 930 based on the detection of the ball overflow signal in the ON state, and the payout control board 930 that has received the low-speed payout signal outputs the payout motor 542. The rotation speed (payout speed of the game balls from the payout device 540) is reduced. Conversely, a high-speed payout signal is output to the payout control board 930 based on the detection of the ball overflow signal in the off state, and the payout control board 930 receiving the low-speed payout signal increases the rotation speed of the payout motor 542. It will be.

  The power supply monitoring board 910 monitors a power supply state from the power supply / emission control device 900 and outputs a power failure signal to the main control board 920 in response to a transition to the power failure state. A signal relay unit 912 for relaying power supply and transmission of various signals between the device 900 and the main control board 920 is included. The power supply monitoring unit 911 monitors a DC stable voltage of 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 901, and when the voltage becomes less than 22 volts, determines that a transition to a power failure state is made, and turns on the power. Is output to the main control board 920. The main control board 920 recognizes the shift to the power failure state by receiving the power failure signal in the ON state.

  The main control board 920 generally controls the operation of the gaming machine 100. An MPU (not shown) as a one-chip microcomputer is mounted on the main control board 920. The MPU includes a CPU (not shown) as an arithmetic processing unit, a ROM (not shown) storing various control programs and fixed data executed by the CPU, and various data temporarily executed when executing the control programs. And the like (not shown) for storing the same. On the main control board 920, various circuits such as a timer circuit (not shown), a counter circuit (not shown), a clock generation circuit (not shown), and a signal transmitting / receiving circuit (not shown) are mounted. I have. The RAM of the main control board 920 is configured such that internal data can be maintained (backed up) by power supply of the backup voltage from the power supply / emission control device 900 even after shifting to the power failure state.

  The payout control board 930 controls the payout operation of the game balls by the payout device 540 according to the instruction from the main control board 920 and the lending operation of the game balls by the payout device 540 according to the operation of the game ball lending device 290. Like the main control board 920, the payout control board 930 includes an MPU (not shown) as a one-chip microcomputer including a CPU (not shown), a ROM (not shown), and a RAM (not shown), and a timer circuit. (Not shown), various circuits such as a counter circuit (not shown), a clock generation circuit (not shown), and a signal transmitting / receiving circuit (not shown) are mounted. Note that, similarly to the RAM of the main control board 920, the RAM of the payout control board 930 may be configured to be able to maintain internal data even in a power failure state.

  The sub control board 940 controls the operation of various effect devices, various light emitting devices, various audio devices, and the like, based on instructions from the main control substrate 920. Note that, similarly to the RAM of the main control board 920, the RAM of the sub control board 940 may be configured to be able to maintain the internal data even in a power failure state.

  Next, the configuration of the first startup winning device 450 will be described. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first start winning device 450, and FIG. 11 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a state where the first start winning device 450 is partially exploded.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the first starting winning device 450 includes a front cover member 11, a cam holding member 12, and a back cover member 13, each of which is fixed by a screw or the like. The front cover member 11, the cam holding member 12, and the back cover member 13 are each formed as a single member of a transparent resin material.

  The first start winning device 450 causes the cam holding member 12 to hold the rotating cam 60 which is a part of the distribution mechanism 14 in a rotatable state, and the front cover member 11 and the back cover member 13 front and rear of the rotating cam 60. Covers the direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the front cover member 11 has a front cover portion 21 that forms the front surface of the first starting winning device 450, and the path forming portion 23 extends rearward from the front cover portion 21. 26 protrude. The cam holding member 12 has a front plate 31 with a flat front, and in combination with the path components 23 to 26 of the front cover member 11, forms a guide path through which game balls pass.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the first starting winning device 450 having a cross section slightly behind the front cover 21. When the game ball enters the first start winning device 450 from the winning opening 22, it is distributed to either the right or the left by the distribution mechanism 14, and proceeds on the right guideway 51 or the left guideway 52. The details of the distribution mechanism 14 will be described later.

  13 and 14 show a case where a game ball is guided to the right guideway 51. Hereinafter, the right taxiway 51 will be described, and the left taxiway 52 will not be described because it is similar to the right taxiway 51 only in the left-right symmetry. The same applies to the rear taxiway 53 following the right taxiway 51 and the left taxiway 52.

  The game ball entered from the winning opening 22 flows down to the rotating cam 60 of the distribution mechanism 14. The rotating cam 60 has a plurality of ball receiving portions 64A and 64B, enters the ball receiving portion 64A located at the receiving position immediately below the winning opening 22, is guided to the right guideway 51, and is directed downward as it is. And is guided to the path constituting portion 24 having the side surface 24a and the bottom surface 24b. In front of the rotary cam 60, a plate-shaped path component 25 that bends slightly downward from the center, and a path component 26 that has a top surface 26a and a side surface 26b that bends slightly downward from the center are provided. The route components 25 and 26 prevent the game balls from erroneously entering the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B located at positions other than the receiving position of the rotating cam 60 and from being displaced from the path flowing down to the route component 24. , Together with the route forming section 23, constitutes a right guideway 51 through which a game ball passes.

  The path forming portion 24 is provided with a plate-like guiding protrusion 27 that protrudes upward from the bottom surface 24b and is inclined downward from the front cover 21 toward the rear. The dropped game ball collides with the guiding protrusion 27, enters the rear guiding path 53 according to the downward inclination of the guiding protrusion 27, and is guided rearward. In the rear guide path 53, the vehicle enters the back relay portion 35 from the front plate 31 (FIGS. 13 and 14) of the cam holding member 12, and guides the game ball to the rear back cover member 13.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the cam holding member 12 is provided with a back surface relay portion 35 connected to the back cover member 13 from the front plate 31 to the rear. In FIG. 15, the back cover member 13 is omitted for convenience. The back surface relay portion 35 is formed in a tubular shape that passes through forward and backward, and the bottom surface 35 a is formed slightly (about 3 to 7 mm) lower than the bottom surface 24 b of the path constituting portion 24. The bottom surface 35a is provided with a guiding protrusion 36 that is inclined downward from the front to the rear, and guides the entered game ball backward along the guiding protrusion 36.

  On the rear side of the backside relay portion 35, start winning switches 440, 441 having a hole 41a at the center are provided so as to be continuous with the bottom surface 35a, and the entered game ball is dropped from the hole 41a, and the first start winning device 450 is provided. To the outside of the The start winning switches 440 and 441 have, for example, a non-contact sensor configuration, and detect a passing game ball.

  Next, the distribution mechanism 14 for distributing gaming balls to the right guideway 51 or the left guideway 52 will be described. The distribution mechanism 14 includes a rotating cam 60, a rotating shaft 71, and a leaf spring 75.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the rotating cam 60 has a center hole 63 at the center, and the rotating shaft 71 is penetrated through the center hole 63 to perform a rotating operation. The right side surface 61 and the left side surface 62 have a cross shape in which the vertical and horizontal bar portions are widened outward, and the crosses are alternately overlapped and combined. As a result, when viewed from the left and right directions (FIG. 18), the rotating cam 60 has a substantially octagonal shape as a whole.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the rotating cam 60 does not have the left side surface 62 at the position where the right side surface 61 (the bar portion) faces, and conversely, the right side position at the position where the left side surface 62 (the bar portion) faces There is no face. As a result, the rotating cam 60 opens leftward from the right side surface 61 at a portion where the right side surface 61 is present to form a ball receiving portion 64A facing left, and at a portion where the left side surface 62 exists, A rightward ball receiving portion 64B is formed by opening rightward from the left side surface 62, and the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B are alternately positioned.

  The ball receiving portion 64 </ b> A has an inclined surface 65 inclined downward from the outer end of the right side surface 61 toward the left, and a larger inclination than the inclined surface 65 at the center of the inclined surface 65. A protruding protrusion 66 is formed. In addition, on both sides of the inclined surface 65, an inclined side surface 67 that is inclined so as to spread leftward is formed. The inclined side surface 67 is connected to the inclined surface 65 and the inclined side surface 67, and has a substantially trapezoidal shape that opens rightward. A bottom surface 68 is formed. Therefore, the ball receiving portion 64A is shaped so that the trapezoid gradually increases from the bottom surface 68 toward the outside (the step portion 69). In other words, the inclined surface 65 is inclined toward a direction (leftward) that opens toward the center, which is a direction approaching the rotation center (the center hole 63). The inclined side surface 67 is inclined so as to approach the center of the ball receiving portion 64 </ b> A as approaching the bottom surface 68, and the distance between the inclined side surfaces 67 facing each other in the rotation direction becomes smaller as approaching the rotation center. In addition, the inclined side surface 67 is inclined so as to move away from the center of the ball receiving portion 64 </ b> A in a direction (left direction) opening from the right side surface 61, and increases the area of the opening portion as compared with the right side surface 61. ing. The ball receiving portion 64B is the same except that the left-right direction is reversed, and thus the description is omitted. Therefore, the game ball flowing down to the ball receiving portion 64A is guided leftward, and the game ball flowing down to the ball receiving portion 64B is guided rightward.

  Here, in the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B, the inclined side surfaces 67 for guiding the game ball in the left-right direction are always formed on both sides along the circumferential direction in which the rotating cam 60 operates in the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B. There is no necessity, and only the inclined side surface 67 located below the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B located on the front side with respect to the center hole 63 of the rotating cam 60 is shaped to be inclined downward in one of the left and right directions. The inclined side surface 67 corresponding to the opposite side does not necessarily have to have an inclined shape. In addition, the portion for guiding the game ball in the left-right direction does not necessarily need to be formed in a plane shape like the inclined side surface 67. For example, the game ball may be guided to any one of them, and the game ball may be configured to have another shape having a function as a guide portion for guiding the game ball in any of the left and right directions.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, the cam holding member 12 has a cam through hole 33 that is slightly larger than the rotary cam 60. In the vicinity of the center outside the left and right end surfaces of the cam through hole 33, a rotation shaft holding portion 34 that is recessed from the rear to the front is formed. When the rotating cam 60 having the rotating shaft 71 penetrated through the center hole 63 from behind is inserted into the cam through hole 33, as shown in FIG. Is inserted into. In FIG. 19B, the rotary cam 60 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

  Then, when the back cover member 13 is covered from the rear of the cam holding member 12 so that the rotating cam 60 is housed in the cam housing 43, the protrusion 44 provided near the front center of the cam housing 43. Are inserted into the rotation shaft holding portion 34 to fix the rotation shaft 71. Since the center hole 63 is formed slightly larger than the rotation shaft 71, the rotation cam 60 is held rotatably around the fixed rotation shaft 71.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, the rotary cam 60 is housed inside the front cover member 11, the cam holding member 12, and the back cover member 13. The winning opening 22 is located in the front upper part of the rotating cam 60, and the game balls flowing down from the winning opening 22 fall on the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B of the rotating cam 60 located at the receiving position. .

  As shown in FIG. 21, a leaf spring 75 is provided behind the back cover member 13. The leaf spring 75 is formed by punching and bending a thin metal plate such as stainless steel. The leaf spring 75 has a fixing portion 75a fixed to the back cover member 13 by screws 75W, and elongated rectangular rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c extending from the fixing portion 75a. The rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c include a root portion 75bx and 75cx that bends forward from the fixed portion 75a, central portions 75by and 75cy that bend substantially parallel to the vertical direction, and distal ends 75bz and 75cz that bend rearward. By having it, it has a trapezoidal shape without a base that spreads backward.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a step portion 69 is formed at the outer end of the right side surface 61 and the left side surface 62 of the rotating cam 60, and a boundary portion 69a which is a boundary between the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B. Are protruded, and the central portion 69b near the center of the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B is recessed, thereby having a flat trapezoidal recess without a base extending in the circumferential direction. The bending angles of the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c and the depth of the recess in the central portion 69b are not limited, and are appropriately selected so that the rotation of the rotary cam 60 can be smoothly performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the leaf spring 75 faces the step 69 and is positioned so as to enter a part of the step 69. In other words, when the rotating cam 60 attempts to rotate in the rotation direction, the lower side of the step 69 abuts against the base portions 75bx, 75cx, and the rotation is suppressed. In addition, the upper side of the step portion 69 abuts on the tip portions 75bz, 75cz, thereby suppressing rotation in the reverse direction. The roots 75bx, 75cx and the tips 75bz, 75cz are arranged along the step 69, and the position of the rotating cam 60 when stopped is substantially fixed. Accordingly, the distance between the stepped portion 69 and the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c at the time of stop can be kept small, so that even if some impact is applied to the rotating cam 60, the stepped portion 69 and the rotation suppressing portion 75b can be maintained. , 75c can be quickly contacted to prevent the rotation cam 60 from rotating.

  When the game ball flows down from the winning opening 22 (FIG. 20), the game ball falls into the ball receiving portion 64A or 64B which is located at the receiving position and opens diagonally upward, and the rotating cam 60 rotates in the rotation direction by its weight. I do. The game ball that has fallen into the ball receiving portion 64A or 64B is guided by the inclined side surface 67 and the projecting portion 66, quickly falls from the opening in the left-right direction, and is guided to the right guideway 51 or the left guideway 52. Here, the route lower end 23 a (FIG. 13) of the route forming part 23 is formed so as to protrude downward from the winning opening 22. Therefore, the opening to the right guideway 51 and the left guideway 52 formed by the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B at the receiving position and the lower end 23a of the route is smaller than the game ball. Therefore, the game ball is guided to the right guideway 51 and the left guideway 52 only when the rotary cam 60 moves downward by the rotation operation. That is, since the rotating cam 60 requires a rotating operation to guide the game ball to the right guiding path 51 and the left guiding path 52, the rotating cam surely performs the rotating operation. In addition, since the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B are formed so that the width thereof (between the inclined side surfaces 67) is slightly larger than the game balls, only one game ball can be stored therein. For example, two game balls are used. Even when the player successively enters the winning opening 22, one game ball can be surely entered one by one into the ball receiving portion 64A and the ball receiving portion 64B.

  In addition, a game ball descending due to rotation of the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B may be guided to the right guideway and the left guideway via the route forming section 25 (FIG. 12). At this time, it is possible to prevent the falling of the game balls from the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B by slowing down by causing the path constituting portion 25 to receive the load of the game balls applied to the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B, thereby preventing over-rotation. it can.

  The leaf spring 75 (FIGS. 21 and 22) rotates the rotating cam 60 when the rotating cam 60 is rotated by the weight of the game ball, but does not rotate the rotary cam 60 in the free state where there is no game ball. The elastic force has been adjusted. This elastic force is adjusted not only by the shape and thickness of the leaf spring 75 (that is, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c), but also by the tightening degree of the screw 75W that locks the fixing portion 75a. Therefore, for example, when a game ball is dropped on the ball receiving portion 64A, the leaf spring 75 rotates the rotating cam 60 in the rotation direction by one step 69, and locks the next step 69 to rotate the rotating cam 60. 60 rotation is suppressed. As a result, the adjacent ball receiving portion 64B is arranged at the receiving position. As a result, the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B are alternately located at the receiving position, and the game balls flowing down from the winning opening 22 can be alternately guided to the right guideway 51 and the left guideway 52.

  As shown in FIG. 23, in the free state, the root portions 75 bx and 75 cx lock the lower side of the step portion 69, and the tip portions 75 bz and 75 cz lock the upper side (the boundary portion 69 a) of the step portion 69. The rotation of 60 is suppressed. Here, as shown in FIG. 24, the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B of the rotating cam 60 are formed such that their boundaries are inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so as to spread in the guiding direction (right or left). I have.

  For example, when the rotating cam 60 receives the load of the game ball that has entered the ball receiving portion 64A (see FIG. 24A), the root portion 75cx of the left rotation suppressing portion 75c abuts on the boundary portion 69a and then the right portion of the right rotation suppressing portion 75c. The root portion 75bx of the rotation suppressing portion 75c comes into contact with the boundary portion 69a. The rotating cam 60 rejects the two rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c that subsequently come into contact with the rotating force, and as a result, the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B move by one in the rotating direction (FIG. 24B). reference).

  As a result, the elasticity per one rotation suppressing portion 75b, 75c can be set smaller than in the case where only one rotation suppressing portion 75b, 75c is provided, and the rotating cam 60 can be reliably set by the load of the game ball. At the same time, the reaction when the boundary portion 69a repels the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c can be reduced and the rotation can be smoothed, and the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B move by two due to the large reaction. Excessive rotation that would otherwise occur can be prevented.

  In addition, since the leaf spring 75 has the two rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c can be brought into contact with the boundary portion 69a in two stages, and therefore, any impact may cause. It is possible to prevent a situation in which the rotating cam 60 rotates with a momentum.

  Here, the game balls are guided to the right guideway 51 or the left guideway 52 while the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B rotate in the rotation direction, and the load of the game balls is removed. Therefore, the rotating cam 60 continues to rotate in the rotation direction due to the inertial force. After the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B have moved by one distance (see FIG. 24B), the root portion 75bx of the left rotation suppressing portion 75b contacts the boundary portion 69a. At this time, when the inertia force of the rotary cam 60 is weak, the rotation of the rotary cam 60 can be stopped by the base portion 75bx abutting on the boundary portion 69a. On the other hand, when the inertial force of the rotating cam 60 is strong, the rotation cannot be suppressed by contacting the root 75bx, and the rotation cam 60 directly contacts the root 75cx on the right side.

  FIG. 25 is a view as viewed in a perspective direction (downward front direction) in FIG. 23, and shows a boundary portion between the root portions 75bx and 75cx and the central portions 75by and 75cy in the stationary state where the rotating cam 60 is not rotating ( That is, the portion located in the most central direction) is shown by a solid line. As can be seen from the figure, since the timings at which the root portions 75bx and 75cx contact each other are different, the root portion 75cx comes into contact with the boundary portion 69a at a timing when the position of the root portion 75bx returns to the rearward direction to some extent by rotation. The rotation can be suppressed step by step by contact.

  That is, when the inertia force is large, the leaf spring 75 first reduces the inertia force by bringing the root portions 75bx and 75cx located on the right side surface 61 or the left side surface 62 into contact with the boundary portion 69a, and then reduces the inertia force on the opening side. The rotation can be surely suppressed by bringing the positioned root portions 75bx, 75cx into contact with the boundary portion 69a. For this reason, even when the inertia force is strong, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c can surely suppress the rotation by the root portions 75bx and 75cx located on the opening side and disperse the force at the time of contact. The force applied to one of the root portions 75bx, 75cx can be suppressed, and the durability of the leaf spring 75 can be improved.

  In a conventional seesaw-structure distribution mechanism, for example, a game ball is moved to the left and right, and the weight is used to distribute the game ball in two directions. In the seesaw structure, the game ball is rolled to the end with the center as a fulcrum, and the distribution mechanism is rotated in two directions using the principle of leverage. For this reason, the ball receiving portion needs a certain length for the lever to act on, and furthermore, the game ball moves to the end and starts rotating, so if two game balls enter continuously, A situation has occurred in which the two game balls are distributed in one direction.

  Since the distributing mechanism 14 only needs to rotate the rotary cam 60 in one direction, the ball receiving portions 64A and 64B can be designed to be small, and the weight of the game ball is applied directly to quickly start the rotating operation. Therefore, even when two game balls enter continuously, the two game balls can be distributed to the ball receiving portion 64A and the ball receiving portion 64B in advance, and the game balls can be alternately switched in two directions. Can be sorted.

  In addition, in the conventional seesaw-structured distributing mechanism, since the distributing mechanism is rotated in two opposite directions, rotation in both directions must be ensured. Thus, there is a limitation in the design of the rotational force adjusting mechanism, for example, it is necessary to provide an adjusting mechanism in sets of two, or a configuration corresponding to two directions is required. On the other hand, since the distributing mechanism 14 only needs to rotate the rotary cam 60 in one direction, there is a degree of freedom in adjusting the rotational force, and only one adjusting mechanism (for example, a leaf spring 75) is provided. The configuration can be simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the game ball entered from the winning opening 22 is guided to the right guideway 51 and the left guideway 52. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be used in a configuration other than the winning device as a mechanism for distributing in two directions. Further, the present invention can be applied to a configuration other than the distribution mechanism by the rotation operation of the rotary cam 60.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the leaf spring 75 is used as the rotation suppressing portion has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and there is no limitation on the configuration of the rotation suppressing portion, and various shapes made of various materials such as resin and rubber can be used.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the rotation suppressing units 75b and 75c are provided as the plurality of rotation suppressing units. The present invention is not limited to this, and it suffices that the rotation suppressing section only has the base portions 75bx and 75cx. For example, the leading ends 75bz, 75cz of the rotation suppressing parts 75b, 75c may be connected, or the leading end side may not be present from the root parts 75bx, 75cx. However, the rotation suppression portions 75b and 75c include a forward direction suppression portion (root portions 75bx and 75cx) that suppresses rotation (forward rotation) with respect to the direction of rotation when the game ball comes into contact, and a forward rotation. And a reverse direction restraining portion (tip portions 75bz, 75cz) for restraining rotation in the opposite direction to the rotation of the rotating cam 60. It is preferable to be able to further stabilize, and either or both of the forward direction restraining portion and the reverse direction restraining portion act on the rotation of the rotary cam 60 at different timings at the elastic forces of the plurality of elastic deformation portions, The magnitude of the force acting in the rotation direction may be different for each rotation suppression part, and the timing at which the force acting in the rotation direction may be maximum may be different for each rotation suppression part. (Or strange) Manner) deterrent to inhibit the rotation of the rotating cam 60 acts, preferably to be able to stabilize the operation of the rotating cam 60.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation suppression portions 75b and 75c are provided as a plurality of rotation suppression portions in the circumferential direction with respect to the suppression receiving portion corresponding to a part of the outer periphery which is maximally separated from the rotation center of the rotation cam 60. Although the outer peripheral portion of the rotating cam 60 and the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c are configured to be in contact with each other, it is not always necessary to set a part that is maximally separated from the rotation center of the rotating cam 60 as the suppressing receiving portion. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c abut on one or both of the left and right side surfaces 61 and 62 of the rotating cam 60 to suppress the rotation of the rotating cam 60. In such a case as well, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the plurality of rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c are arranged at separated positions, and in particular, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c are arranged along the rotation axis of the rotating cam 60. It is preferable that the rotating cams 60 are arranged at positions separated in the direction, so that the rotating cam 60 can be stabilized in a short time by the plurality of rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the rotary cam 60 has a total of eight ball receiving portions 64A and 64B. The present invention is not limited to this, and a necessary number can be appropriately selected according to the size of the rotating cam 60.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the distribution mechanism is constituted by the rotating cam 60 as the rotating ball receiving portion and the leaf spring 75 as the elastic member. The present invention is not limited to this, and the distribution mechanism of the present invention may be constituted by a rotating ball receiving portion and an elastic member having various other configurations. For example, the rotating ball receiving portion is rotated by a predetermined amount by a load of a game ball. The rotation suppressing portion of the elastic member to be moved may be provided at one place, or may be provided at three or more places. In this case, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c may be configured to have different easiness of rotation between forward rotation and reverse rotation. In the above-described embodiment, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c On the other hand, the fixed portion of the leaf spring 75 is configured to be located on the front side that is continuous to the opposite side to the forward rotation direction in which the rotating cam 60 rotates due to the entry of the game ball, and the rotating cam 60 rotates forward. Is configured to be easier to rotate as compared to the case where it rotates in the opposite direction. However, the rotation suppressing portions 75b and 75c of the leaf spring 75 are inclined relative to the circumferential direction at the portions contacting the suppressing receiving portions of the rotating cam 60. The angle may be set to be larger on the reverse rotation side than on the normal rotation side so that the rotation cam 60 is more difficult to perform reverse rotation.

  Further, the configuration of the first start winning device 450 described above may be implemented in a mechanism for distributing game balls to a winning device different from the above-described embodiment. For example, the distribution of game balls inside the winning device may be performed. May be implemented as a distribution mechanism in the case of implementing the above. Further, it is not always necessary to assign the same privilege to the player as that of the above-mentioned embodiment to which the game ball is to be distributed, and it is also possible to provide the player with a privilege different from that of the above-described embodiment. . For example, one or both of the sorting destinations are simply set as a winning opening (ball entrance) that satisfies the starting condition, similarly to the above-described starting device 436, and a predetermined lottery is executed but a winning (winning) is performed. May not be paid out, or one or both of them may not be a winning prize in which a special symbol or a normal symbol is drawn by lottery. The game ball may be returned to the game area or enter the out port without giving a privilege to the player. That is, one or both of the sorting destinations are a taxiway corresponding to a start winning that can receive a special symbol lottery, a taxiway corresponding to a starting winning that can receive a normal symbol lottery, and a lottery and a special symbol lottery. It may be set to any of the taxiways corresponding to the start winning that can receive other benefits other than the lottery related to the normal symbol, or one of them may be set to a taxiway that cannot receive the lottery.

  Further, it is not always necessary to adopt a configuration in which all the game balls provide a certain privilege to the player at the distribution destination with respect to the game ball distribution mechanism according to the first start winning device 450 described above. For example, a prize path for giving a certain privilege such as generating a prize on the downstream side of the guide paths 51 and 52 through which the game balls are distributed by the rotating cam 60 and another path branching from the prize path. After being distributed, only a part of the game balls may be detected by a predetermined winning switch and a predetermined privilege may be given to the player, or a plurality of distribution mechanisms having a rotating cam 60 may be provided. In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which a guide path into which a game ball enters via a multi-stage distribution is determined. In addition, a variable winning device is provided on the downstream side of one of the guide paths 51 and 52 corresponding to the sorting destination, in which a game ball is easily opened when a lottery for a special symbol or a normal symbol is won. On the other side of the taxiway, a start winning prize switch for detecting a start prize that triggers the lottery may also be provided, whereby a lottery is performed based on a prize of a game ball to one of the taxiways. , A new form of pachinko machine in which a game ball wins on the taxiway.

  Further, the present invention described above may be applied to a pachinko machine or the like of a type different from the above-described embodiment. For example, a pachinko machine that can increase the expected value of a large hit until a large hit state occurs a plurality of times (for example, two or three times) once the big hit occurs. Further, the pachinko machine may be implemented as a pachinko machine which enters a special game state on condition that a ball wins in a predetermined area after a big hit symbol is displayed. Further, the present invention may be applied to an enclosed pachinko machine in which balls circulate. Furthermore, other than a pachinko machine, the present invention may be implemented as various game machines such as an arrangement ball type pachinko and a sparrow ball.

[Inventive groups extracted from the above embodiments]
The features of the invention group extracted from the above embodiment will be described while showing effects and the like as needed. In the following, for ease of understanding, correspondence with the configuration in the above-described embodiment is appropriately shown in parentheses, but is not limited to the configuration in parentheses.

  As described above, in a typical game machine of the related art, a configuration in which an entering game ball is guided to two guide paths formed on the left and right by a distribution mechanism using a seesaw structure (for example, see Patent Document 1) )It has been known.

  In the case of the conventional gaming machine, the movement of the structure constituting the winning device is patterned, and there has been a demand to alternately guide the gaming ball in two directions in a pattern different from the conventional one. That is, when two game balls enter successively, the two game balls entered are guided in the same direction, and the entered game balls may not always be distributed alternately left and right. Further, in order to establish the seesaw structure, a ball receiving member having a certain length in the left-right direction is required, and there is a space-like restriction such that a compact design cannot be achieved. For these reasons, a new structure has been desired as the distribution mechanism.

  In the variable prize device (first start prize device 450), the following features are provided from the viewpoint of reliably distributing the game balls that have entered the prize port 22 to the left and right taxiways (the right taxiway 51 and the left taxiway 52). The group A can be extracted, and the following characteristic group B can be extracted from the viewpoint of stabilizing the rotation operation.

<Characteristic A group>
Feature A1:
A first ball receiving portion (ball receiving portion 64A) for guiding the entering game ball in a first direction (left direction), and a second ball receiving portion for guiding the game ball in a second direction (right direction). A ball receiving portion (ball receiving portion 64 </ b> B) for rotating the first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion alternately to a receiving position for receiving the game ball by rotation ( Rotating cam 60);
An elastic member (leaf spring 75) for locking the rotating ball receiving portion and rotating the rotating ball receiving portion by the load of the game ball.

  It is not necessary to move the first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion one by one, and the first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion are moved by moving two or three or more at a time. Are alternately moved. Of course, a structure other than the ball receiving portion may be provided between the first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion.

  In addition, to alternately move the first ball receiver and the second ball receiver is not limited to a pattern in which the first ball receiver and the second ball receiver are alternately moved one by one. After either or two or more of the first ball receiving portion or the second ball receiving portion are continuous, the pattern includes switching to the other ball receiving portion, and the game ball is alternately guided in two directions. Is not limited to a pattern in which the guiding direction of the game ball is switched one by one, and includes a pattern in which the guiding of the game ball to one side is switched to the guidance to the other side after a plurality of consecutive times.

  The elastic member has a first state in which the rotating ball receiving portion is locked, and a second state in which the locked state of the rotating ball receiving portion is released by being deformed by the load of the game ball with respect to the first state. It is also possible to have a rotation suppressing portion (root portions 75bx, 75cx) that can be displaced in the direction shown in FIG.

If the gaming machine has the feature A1,
The first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion are alternately moved to the receiving position by the rotation operation by the load of the game ball, so that the entering game ball is alternately guided in the first and second directions. Can be. For this reason, the game ball can be alternately guided in two directions in an unprecedented pattern by the rotation operation in one direction (rotation direction) of the rotation cam 60.

Feature A2: In a gaming machine having feature A1,
The rotating ball receiving portion,
A plurality of the first ball bearings and the second ball bearings are provided.

If the gaming machine has the feature A2,
Since the number of the first and second ball receiving portions can be increased, the rotation angle in a single rotation operation can be reduced to reduce the time required for the rotation operation, and the entering game balls can be reliably moved to the first and second ball positions. It can be alternately guided in two directions.

Feature A3: In a gaming machine having feature A1 or A2,
The elastic member,
It is a leaf spring.

If the gaming machine has the feature A3,
The rotation of the rotating ball receiver can be controlled with a simple configuration.

Feature A4: In a gaming machine having any of features A1 to A3,
The rotating ball receiving portion,
A portion facing the first side surface and the second side surface by nesting a first side surface perpendicular to the first direction and a second side surface perpendicular to the second direction. Are open.

If the gaming machine has the feature A4,
It is possible to reliably guide the entered game ball in the opening direction.

Feature A5: In a gaming machine having any of features A1 to A4,
A boundary portion between the first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion protrudes from outer end portions of the first side surface and the second side surface.

If the gaming machine has the feature A5,
The leaf spring can be locked at the boundary portion, and the position of the rotating ball receiving portion can be easily controlled.

Feature A6: In a gaming machine having any of features A5,
The elastic member has a trapezoidal shape with an open bottom.
The boundary portion can be made to extend along the outer end of the first side surface and the second side surface that protrude, and the position of the rotating ball receiving portion can be stabilized.

Feature A7: In a gaming machine having any of features A1 to A6,
The first ball receiving section,
Formed so as to spread in the first direction,
The second ball receiving section,
It is formed so as to spread in the second direction.

If the gaming machine has the feature A7,
Since the game ball is spread in the traveling direction, the game ball can be guided smoothly without being caught by the game ball even if the position changes due to the rotation operation.

Feature A8: In a gaming machine having any of features A1 to A7,
The first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion,
An opening part in the first direction and the second direction at the receiving position is smaller than the game ball.

If the gaming machine has the feature A8,
Since the game ball cannot be guided in the first and second directions unless the rotation operation is performed, the rotation operation can be reliably generated.

<Characteristic B group>
Feature B1:
It has a plurality of ball receiving portions (ball receiving portions 64A and 64B) and a deterrent receiving portion (boundary portion 69a) provided corresponding to the arrangement position of the plurality of ball receiving portions, and receives the game ball by rotation. A rotating ball receiver (rotating cam 60) for sequentially moving the plurality of ball receivers to a receiving position;
A plurality of rotation inhibiting portions (root portions 75bx, 75cx) for rotating the rotating ball receiving portion by the load of the game ball while locking the rotating ball receiving portion by abutting against the inhibiting receiving portion. Have
The plurality of rotation suppressing portions are characterized in that when the rotating ball receiving portion rotates, the timing at which the rotation receiving portions are displaced is shifted.

If the gaming machine has the feature B1,
By providing a plurality of rotation suppressing portions, the elasticity per rotation suppressing portion can be reduced to stabilize the rotating operation of the rotating ball receiving portion, so that the game ball is guided in a new pattern using the rotating operation. be able to.

  In the gaming machine of the feature B1, the plurality of rotation suppressing portions may be shaped so as to shift the timing at which the rotation receiving portions are displaced when the rotating ball receiving portions rotate, and the rotating ball receiving portions rotate. In such a case, the timing may be shifted by making the timings at which the plurality of rotation suppressing portions contact the suppression receiving portions different, or the timings at which the plurality of rotation suppressing portions contact the suppression receiving portions coincide, and the rotation suppressing portions are displaced. The one side may be displaced quickly, and the other side may be displaced slowly with a delay.The inclination angle of the contacting portion between the rotation suppressing portion and the suppressing receiving portion is different, and the rotating angle of the rotating ball receiving portion is different. The acting forces may be different.

  Further, in the gaming machine of Feature B1, instead of the configuration that “the plurality of rotation suppressing sections are shaped to shift the timing of being displaced by the suppression receiving section when the rotating ball receiving section rotates”. Alternatively, or in addition to the configuration, even if the plurality of rotation suppressing portions are shaped to vary the timing at which the force acting on the rotation receiving portion in the rotating direction of the rotating ball receiving portion in contact with the suppressing receiving portion is maximized. good.

Feature B2: In a gaming machine having feature B1,
The rotation suppressing unit includes:
It is a tip end of a leaf spring-like member that is divided into two portions and extends from the fixed portion.

If the gaming machine has the feature B2,
In spite of the two rotation suppressing portions, only one fixing portion needs to be fixed, and the configuration can be simplified.

Feature B3: In a gaming machine having feature B1 or B2,
The deterrence receiving unit,
A boundary portion provided between the plurality of ball receiving portions,
The suppression receiving portion is characterized by being inclined with respect to a horizontal direction.

If the gaming machine has the feature B3,
Since the timing at which the plurality of rotation suppressing portions abut on the suppressing receiving portions can be shifted, it is possible to prevent the rotating ball receiving portions from erroneously turning due to bouncing or the like.

Feature B4: In a gaming machine having any of features B1 to B3,
The ball receiver is configured to guide a game ball to enter in a first direction (left direction) in a first direction (left direction), and to move the game ball in a second direction (right direction). And a second ball receiving portion (ball receiving portion 64B) for guiding the first ball receiving portion and the second ball receiving portion alternately to a receiving position for receiving the game ball by rotation. It is characterized by the following.

If the gaming machine has the feature B4,
The game ball can be guided to an appropriate guiding path while controlling the rotation of the rotating ball receiving unit by the rotation suppressing unit.

Feature B5: In a gaming machine having any of features B1 to B4,
The elastic member has a trapezoidal shape whose base is open. If the gaming machine has the feature B5,
The boundary portion can be made to extend along the outer end of the first side surface and the second side surface that protrude, and the position of the rotating ball receiving portion can be stabilized.

Feature B6: In a gaming machine having any of features B1 to B5,
The rotating ball receiving portion is a direction substantially parallel to the game board and substantially horizontal to the first direction and the direction perpendicular to the second direction as a rotation direction,
The rotation suppressing unit includes:
It is provided in the back direction (rear direction) of the game board.

If the gaming machine has the feature B6,
The state in which the game ball enters the rotating ball receiver and the rotating ball receiver rotates and is distributed to the first and second directions can be visually recognized by the player, and the player can be entertained. In addition, since the rotation suppressing portion is in contact with the suppression receiving portion on the opposite side of the rotation center with respect to the position where the load of the game ball acts on the opposite side, the suppressing force acts to suppress the rotation of the rotating ball receiving portion. Even if the rotating shaft part of the rotating ball receiving part is worn due to long-term use of the gaming machine, the relative positional relationship between the position where the load of the gaming ball acts and the position where the rotation inhibiting force acts changes from the initial state While being difficult to perform, the rotation suppressing portion can be suitably arranged at a position hidden by the rotating ball receiving portion and difficult to visually recognize from the player, so that it has a good appearance, it is easy to reduce the size, and at low cost, Can realize a distribution mechanism for alternately guiding game balls in two directions in different patterns.

  In addition, at least one feature described in the features A1 to A8 and the features B1 to B6 may be applied in combination with any other or a plurality of features. Hereinafter, a basic configuration of a gaming machine to which the above-described features can be applied will be described.

  Pachinko gaming machine: launch operation means operated by a player, game ball launch means for launching a game ball based on the operation of the launch operation means, and a passage for guiding the launched game ball to a predetermined game area. , A gaming machine comprising: a plurality of game components arranged in a game area, wherein a bonus is given to a player when a game ball passes through a predetermined passage portion of the game components.

  The present invention is suitable for a game machine such as an elastic game machine.

11: Front cover member 12: Cam holding member 13: Back cover member 14: Distributing mechanism 21: Front cover part 22: Winning opening 23: Path constituent part 23a: Path lower end 31: Front plate 33: Cam through hole 34: Rotation Shaft holding part 35: Backside relay part 35a: Bottom 36: Guidance projection part 41: Start winning switch 41a: Hole 43: Cam storage part 44: Protrusion part 51: Right guidance path 52: Left guidance path 53: Back guidance path 60: Rotating cam 61: Right side 62: Left side 63: Center holes 64A, 64B: Ball receiving part 69: Stepped part 69a: Boundary part 69b: Central part 71: Rotating shaft 75: Leaf spring 75a: Fixed part 75b: Rotation inhibiting part 75bx: root part 75by: center part 75bz: tip part 75c: rotation suppressing part 75cx: root part 75cy: center part 75cz: tip part 100: gaming machine 400: gaming board 4 2: the second start winning device 450: first start winning devices

Claims (2)

A first ball receiving portion for guiding a game ball to enter in a first direction; and a second ball receiving portion for guiding the game ball in a second direction. A rotating ball receiver that alternately moves the first ball receiver and the second ball receiver to a receiving position;
An elastic member that locks the rotating ball receiver while rotating the rotating ball receiver by the load of the game ball,
The first ball receiving portion is formed so as to expand in the first direction,
The second ball receiving portion is formed so as to expand in the second direction ,
The elastic member is configured such that, when the rotating ball receiving portion is rotated by the load of the game ball, a plurality of portions are displaced at different timings to suppress the rotation of the rotating ball receiving portion. A gaming machine characterized by:   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming machine is a pachinko machine.