JP6982420B2 - Pachinko machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gaming machine that determines by lottery whether or not to give a gaming benefit to a player.

Generally, in a game machine (pachinko machine), a game ball is launched toward a game area in the game board by a player's handle operation, and the game ball that has flowed down the game area enters the start port. A lottery related to the symbol is executed. Then, on the special symbol display, the special symbol is displayed in a variable manner, and the special symbol determined by the lottery is stopped and displayed, so that the player is notified of the lottery result. At this time, when a specific special symbol indicating that it is a big hit is stopped and displayed on the special symbol display, a big role game that is advantageous to the player as compared with the normal game is started. In this big role game, the attacker device opens and closes a predetermined number of times, and the game ball can be entered into the big prize opening, so that the player can receive a large number of prize balls to be paid out.

In such a gaming machine, in order to give the player the expectation that the variable display on the special symbol display is a big hit, the accessory provided in the gaming machine may be driven according to the variable display. , The lamp may be made to emit light. In order to realize such an effect, for example, a technique is known in which a control signal generated by an effect control board is once converted into serial data, serial-parallel converted on the game board side, and then an accessory or a lamp is operated. (For example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-011367

By using serial transmission for communication between the driver that outputs the discrete (ON / OFF) signal to the accessory or lamp and the controller that controls it, not only the number of harnesses is reduced, but also security is improved and communication is stable. Can be achieved.

However, if the drivers for operating the accessories and the lamps are individually prepared, the number of types of drivers is unnecessarily increased, and the control thereof becomes complicated. In addition, when a peripheral that only performs serial-parallel conversion is used as a driver, the discrete signal must be updated at a predetermined cycle regardless of the operation of the accessory or the lamp, which causes an increase in processing load and radiation noise. It will be.

In view of such problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine capable of appropriately controlling an accessory while reducing the types of drivers.

In order to solve the above problems, the gaming machine of the present invention includes a moving or rotatable directing accessory device, a directing lighting device including a light emitting body, a directing determining means for determining the directing as the game progresses, and the above-mentioned. An effect executing means for generating a command based on a control command for operating the effect accessory device and the effect lighting device associated with the determined effect, and an excitation pattern of the effect accessory device based on the command. A controller that generates excitation pattern data indicating the above-mentioned excitation pattern data and emission amount data indicating the emission amount of the illuminant, assigns an identifier common to the excitation pattern data and the emission amount data, and outputs them as serial data, and a single unit. When the effect accessory device and the effect lighting device can be connected and the serial data has an identifier indicating itself, the effect accessory device is driven by PWM based on the excitation pattern data. In addition, a driver for dimming the light emitting body by PWM based on the light emission amount data is provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the accessory while reducing the types of drivers.

It is a perspective view of the gaming machine which shows the state which the door is opened. It is a front view of a gaming machine. It is a block diagram of a gaming machine. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the control mode of the effect display unit, the effect accessory device, the effect lighting device, and the music output device in the sub-control board. It is a flowchart which shows the control mode in the sub-control board. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the flow of processing of a production accessory device and a production lighting device. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating transmission timing of a controller. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating transmission timing of a controller. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating transmission timing of a controller. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating transmission timing of a controller. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the output mode of the excitation pattern data. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the operation of a plurality of production accessory devices. It is explanatory drawing which showed the control instruction table associated with the effect accessory apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which showed the control instruction table associated with the effect accessory apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which showed the control instruction table associated with the effect accessory apparatus. It is an external view for demonstrating the schematic mechanical structure of a slot machine. It is an external view with the front door open for explaining the schematic mechanical structure of a slot machine. It is a figure which shows the symbol arrangement of a reel. It is a block diagram which showed the schematic electric structure of a slot machine.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, other specific numerical values, etc. shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to omit duplicate description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown. do.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, first, the mechanical configuration and the electrical configuration of the gaming machine will be briefly described, and then specific processing on each substrate will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gaming machine 100 of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the door is opened. As shown in the figure, the gaming machine 100 includes an outer frame 102 in which a surrounding space is formed by four sides assembled in a substantially rectangular shape, and an inner frame 104 that is openably and closably attached to the outer frame 102 by a hinge mechanism. The middle frame 104 is provided with a front frame 106 that is openably and closably attached by a hinge mechanism.

Similar to the outer frame 102, the middle frame 104 has a surrounding space formed by four sides assembled in a substantially rectangular shape, and the game board 108 is held in the surrounding space. Further, the front frame 106 holds a transparent plate 110 made of glass or resin. When the middle frame 104 and the front frame 106 are closed with respect to the outer frame 102, the gaming board 108 and the transmission plate 110 face each other substantially in parallel while maintaining a predetermined distance from the front side of the gaming machine 100. , The game board 108 becomes visible through the transparent plate 110.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the gaming machine 100. As shown in this figure, an operation handle 112 projecting to the front side of the gaming machine 100 is provided at the lower part of the front frame 106. The operation handle 112 is provided so that the player can rotate the operation handle 112. When the player rotates the operation handle 112 to perform a firing operation, the operation handle 112 has a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the operation handle 112 and is not shown. A game ball is launched by the launch mechanism. The game ball launched in this way rises between the rails 114a and 114b provided on the game board 108 and is guided to the game area 116.

The game area 116 is a space formed at a distance between the game board 108 and the transmission plate 110, and is an area where the game ball can flow down or roll. A large number of nails and windmills are provided on the game board 108, and the game ball guided to the game area 116 collides with the nails and the windmills so as to flow down and roll in an irregular direction.

The game area 116 includes a first game area 116a and a second game area 116b in which the degree of entry of the game ball differs from each other according to the firing intensity of the firing mechanism. The first gaming area 116a is located on the left side of the gaming area 116 as seen from the player facing the gaming machine 100, and the second gaming area 116b is the gaming area 116 as seen from the player facing the gaming machine 100. It is located on the right side of. Since the rails 114a and 114b are on the left side of the game area 116, the game ball launched by the launch mechanism with a firing intensity lower than the predetermined intensity enters the first game area 116a and is launched with a firing intensity equal to or higher than the predetermined strength. The resulting game ball will enter the second game area 116b.

Further, the game area 116 is provided with a general winning opening 118, a first starting opening 120, and a second starting opening 122 into which a game ball can enter, and these general winning openings 118, the first starting opening 120, and the first starting port 122 are provided. 2 When a game ball enters the starting port 122, a predetermined prize ball is paid out to the player. The number of prize balls may be any number as long as it is one or more, and the number of prize balls to be paid out at each of the general winning opening 118, the first starting port 120, and the second starting opening 122 may be different. , The same number of prize balls may be set. At this time, it is also possible to set the number of prize balls that the game ball enters and pays out to the first starting port 120 to be smaller than the number of prize balls that the game ball enters and pays out to the second starting port 122. be.

A first starting area is provided in the first starting port 120, and a second starting area is provided in the second starting port 122. Then, when the game ball enters the first starting port 120 or the second starting port 122 and the game ball enters the first starting area or the second starting area, any one of a plurality of special symbols provided in advance is used. A lottery is held to determine the special symbol of 1. Each special symbol is associated with various game benefits such as whether or not a player can execute a major role game that is advantageous to the player, and what kind of game state the subsequent game state is to be. Therefore, when the game ball enters the first starting port 120 or the second starting port 122, the player obtains a predetermined prize ball and at the same time obtains an opportunity to acquire the right to receive various game benefits. It becomes.

Further, the movable piece 122b is provided in the second starting port 122 so as to be openable and closable so that the ease of entry of the game ball into the second starting port 122 changes according to the state of the movable piece 122b. It has become. Specifically, when the movable piece 122b is in the closed state, it is impossible for the game ball to enter the second starting port 122. On the other hand, when the game ball passes through the approach area in the gate 124 provided in the game area 116, a lottery of ordinary symbols is performed, and when the winning is won by this lottery, the movable piece 122b is in an open state for a predetermined time. Is controlled by. As described above, when the movable piece 122b is opened, the movable piece 122b functions as a saucer for guiding the game ball to the second starting port 122, and the game ball can easily enter the second starting port 122. Here, it is determined that when the second starting port 122 is in the closed state, it is impossible for the game ball to enter the second starting port 122, but the second starting port 122 is in the closed state. Even in a certain case, the game ball may be configured to be able to enter the ball at a constant frequency.

Further, the game area 116 is provided with a large winning opening 128 into which a game ball can enter. An opening / closing door 128b is provided in the large winning opening 128 so that the opening / closing door 128b can be opened / closed. Normally, the opening / closing door 128b closes the large winning opening 128, making it impossible for a game ball to enter the large winning opening 128. It has become. On the other hand, when the above-mentioned big role game is executed, the opening / closing door 128b is opened, and the game ball can enter the big winning opening 128. Then, when the game ball enters the large prize opening 128, the predetermined prize ball is paid out to the player.

At the bottom of the game area 116, a game ball that has not entered any of the general winning opening 118, the first starting opening 120, the second starting opening 122, and the large winning opening 128 is played from the gaming area 116. A discharge port 130 for discharging is provided on the back surface side of the board 108.

The gaming machine 100 is controlled by an effect display device 200 composed of a liquid crystal display device, an effect accessory device 202 composed of a drive device, and various lighting modes and emission colors as an effect device for producing an effect while the game is in progress. An effect lighting device 204 composed of a lamp, a music output device 206 composed of a speaker, and an effect operation device 208 for receiving an operation of a player are provided.

The effect display device 200 includes an effect display unit 200a including an image display unit for displaying an image, and the effect display unit 200a can be visually recognized from the front side of the game machine 100 at a substantially central portion of the game board 108. It is arranged. As shown in the figure, the effect symbols 210a, 210b, and 210c are variablely displayed on the effect display unit 200a, and the player is notified of the large winning combination lottery result by the stop display mode of each of the effect symbols 210a, 210b, 210c. Will be executed.

The effect accessory device 202 is arranged in front of the effect display unit 200a, and moves and rotates in a region visible to the player to give the player a sense of expectation of a big hit. For example, the rotating accessory 202a as the effect accessory device 202 in FIG. 2 is interlocked with the rotation of the motor (pulse motor or geared motor) that is the drive source during the fluctuation display of the effect symbols 210a, 210b, 210c. Then, it rotates around the axis in the front-back direction. Further, the moving accessory 202b as the effect accessory device 202 in FIG. 2 is normally retracted to the evacuation area in the game board 108, but during the variable display of the effect symbols 210a, 210b, 210c and the like, the effect symbols 210a, 210b, 210c may be displayed. Move to the front of the effect display unit 200a.

The effect lighting device 204 is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), is provided on the effect accessory device 202, the game board 108, or the like, and is lit in various ways according to the image or the like displayed on the effect display unit 200a. Be controlled.

The music output device 206 is provided at the upper position of the front frame 106 and the lowest position of the outer frame 102, and various music is directed toward the front side of the gaming machine 100 according to the image displayed on the effect display unit 200a. Is output.

The effect operation device 208 is composed of a button that accepts a player's pressing operation and a rotation operation unit (for example, a jog dial) that accepts a player's rotation operation, and is substantially at the center position in the width direction of the game machine 100. It is provided below the transmission plate 110. The effect operation device 208 is enabled according to an image or the like displayed on the effect display unit 200a, and when the player's operation is received within the operation valid period, various effects are executed according to the operation. ..

Further, behind the effect operation device 208, there is a prize ball paid out from the game machine 100 and an upper plate 132 to which the game ball rented from the game ball lending device is guided, and when the upper plate 132 is filled with the game balls. , The game ball will be guided to the lower plate 134. Further, on the bottom surface of the lower plate 134, a ball extraction hole (not shown) for ejecting a game ball from the lower plate 134 is formed. This ball pulling hole is normally closed by an opening / closing plate (not shown), but by sliding the ball pulling knob 134a in the left-right direction in the figure, the opening / closing plate slides integrally with the ball pulling knob 134a. However, it is possible to eject the game ball below the lower plate 134 from the ball extraction hole.

Further, on the game board 108, the first special symbol display 160, the second special symbol display 162, and the first special symbol are held at a position outside the game area 116 and visible to the player. A display 164, a second special symbol hold display 166, a normal symbol display 168, a normal symbol hold display 170, and a right-handed notification display 172 are provided. Each of these indicators 160 to 172 is a device for displaying various situations related to the game.

(Internal configuration of control means)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a control means for controlling the progress of the game. The main control board 300 controls the basic operation of the game. The main control board 300 includes a main CPU 300a, a main ROM 300b, and a main RAM 300c. Based on the input signals from each detection switch and timer, the main CPU 300a reads the program stored in the main ROM 300b and performs arithmetic processing, directly controls each device and display, or produces the result of arithmetic processing. Send commands to other boards accordingly. The main RAM 300c functions as a data work area during arithmetic processing of the main CPU 300a.

The main control board 300 has a general winning opening detection switch 118s for detecting that a game ball has entered the general winning opening 118, and a first starting port for detecting that a game ball has entered the first starting port 120. The detection switch 120s, the second start port detection switch 122s for detecting that the game ball has entered the second start port 122, the gate detection switch 124s for detecting that the game ball has passed through the gate 124, and the large winning opening 128 A large winning opening detection switch 128s for detecting that a game ball has entered is connected, and a detection signal is input to the main control board 300 from each of these detection switches.

Further, on the main control board 300, a normal electric accessory solenoid 122c that operates the movable piece 122b of the second starting port 122 and a large winning opening solenoid 128c that operates the opening / closing door 128b that opens and closes the large winning opening 128 are provided. It is connected, and the main control board 300 controls the opening and closing of the second starting port 122 and the large winning opening 128.

Further, the main control board 300 includes a first special symbol display 160, a second special symbol display 162, a first special symbol hold display 164, a second special symbol hold display 166, a normal symbol display 168, and a normal symbol display. The symbol hold indicator 170 and the right-handed notification indicator 172 are connected, and the display control of each of these indicators is performed by the main control board 300.

Further, the gaming machine 100 of the present embodiment is started mainly by a special game started by the entry of the gaming ball into the first starting port 120 or the second starting opening 122 and by the gaming ball passing through the gate 124. It is roughly divided into ordinary games that are played. The main ROM 300b of the main control board 300 stores various programs for advancing special games and normal games, as well as data and tables required for various games.

Further, a payout control board 310 and a sub control board 330 are connected to the main control board 300.

The payout control board 310 controls to launch the game ball and controls to pay out the prize ball. The payout control board 310 also includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and is connected to the main control board 300 so as to be communicable in both directions. A game information output terminal board 312 is connected to the payout control board 310, and various information on the game progress output from the main control board 300 is transmitted via the payout control board 310 and the game information output terminal board 312. , Will be output to the hall computer of the amusement store.

Further, a payout motor 314 for paying out the game ball stored in the storage unit to the player as a prize ball is connected to the payout control board 310. The payout control board 310 controls the payout motor 314 based on the payout number designation command transmitted from the main control board 300 to control the player to pay out a predetermined prize ball. At this time, the number of game balls paid out is detected by the payout ball counting switch 316s, and it is possible to know whether or not the prize balls to be paid out have been paid out to the player.

Further, a plate full tank detection switch 318s for detecting the full tank state of the lower plate 134 is connected to the payout control board 310. The plate full tank detection switch 318s is provided in a passage that guides the game ball to be paid out as a prize ball to the lower plate 134, and each time the game ball passes through the passage, a game ball detection signal is sent to the payout control board 310. It is designed to be entered.

Then, when a predetermined amount or more of the game balls are stored in the lower plate 134 and the tank is full, the game balls stay in the passage toward the lower plate 134, and the plate full tank detection switch 318s is directed toward the payout control board 310. , The game ball detection signal is continuously input. When the game ball detection signal is continuously input for a predetermined time, the payout control board 310 determines that the lower plate 134 is in a full tank state, and transmits a plate full tank command to the main control board 300. On the other hand, if the continuous input of the game ball detection signal is interrupted after the dish full tank command is transmitted, it is determined that the full tank state has been canceled, and the dish full tank release command is transmitted to the main control board 300.

Further, the payout control board 310 is provided with a launch control circuit 320 that controls the launch of the game ball. The payout control board 310 is provided with an operation handle 112, and is connected to a touch sensor 112s for detecting that the player touches the operation handle 112 and an operation volume 112a for detecting the operation angle of the operation handle 112. ing. Then, when a signal is input from the touch sensor 112s and the operation volume 112a, the launch control circuit 320 controls to energize the launch solenoid 112c provided in the game ball launcher to launch the game ball.

The sub-control board 330 mainly controls each effect such as during a game or during standby. The sub control board 330 includes a sub CPU 330a, a sub ROM 330b, and a sub RAM 330c, and communicates with the main control board 300 in one direction from the main control board 300 to the sub control board 330 from the viewpoint of fraud prevention. Can be connected. The sub CPU 330a reads out the program stored in the sub ROM 330b based on the command transmitted from the main control board 300, the input signal from the timer, and the like, performs arithmetic processing, and executes and controls the effect. At this time, the sub RAM 330c functions as a data work area during the arithmetic processing of the sub CPU 330a.

Specifically, the sub-control board 330 performs image display control for displaying an image on the effect display unit 200a. The sub ROM 330b stores a large amount of image data such as a pattern and a background displayed on the effect display unit 200a, and the sub CPU 330a reads the image data from the sub ROM 330b into a VRAM (not shown) to display the effect display unit 200a. Control the image display. Further, the sub-control board 330 performs drive control of the effect accessory device 202, lighting control of the effect lighting device 204, and music output control of outputting music from the music output device 206.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a control mode of the effect display unit 200a, the effect accessory device 202, the effect lighting device 204, and the music output device 206 on the sub control board 330, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram common to them. It is a flowchart which shows the control mode to perform. The sub CPU (CPU) 330a provided on the sub control board 330 functions as the effect determining means 332 and the effect executing means 334 in cooperation with the program and the sub RAM 330c stored in the sub ROM 330b. The effect determining means 332 decodes a command transmitted from the main control board 300, and determines an effect pattern (content indicating a series of effects) corresponding to the command. The effect executing means 334 transmits a command to each device such as the image IC 340a, the controller 342, and the music IC 346a based on the determined effect pattern to execute the effect. Both the effect determining means 332 and the effect executing means 334 are processes corresponding to interrupts (interruption processes), and are executed at the interrupt timing associated with each device.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the effect determining means 332 waits for the arrival of a predetermined interrupt cycle (for example, 33.3 msec) (NO in S10), and when the predetermined interrupt cycle arrives (YES in S10). Image data based on the effect pattern (data corresponding to the image displayed on the effect display unit 200a among the effects shown by the effect pattern) is determined (S11). Then, the effect executing means 334 transmits an image command capable of specifying image data to the image IC 340a (S12), and repeats the process from step S10. The image IC 340a, also called VDP (Video Display Processor), reads the image data specified by the image command from the image ROM 340b to the image RAM (VRAM) 340c, and sequentially outputs the image data to the effect display unit 200a. It should be noted that some kind of image is always displayed on the effect display unit 200a. Therefore, the effect determining means 332 always determines the image data for each interrupt cycle. The image RAM 340c has different layers, and each layer can hold different image data. Then, the image IC 340a superimposes the image data held on the plurality of layers, and the superposed image data is output to the effect display unit 200a.

Further, when a predetermined interrupt cycle (for example, 2 msec) arrives with the determination of the effect pattern in parallel with the control for the image IC 340a, the effect determination means 332 serves as a function based on the effect pattern. An object pattern (a content indicating a series of operations of the effect accessory device 202 among the effects indicated by the effect pattern) is determined (S11). Then, the effect executing means 334 gives the controller 342 a command indicating at least one of a traveling direction (rotational direction), a traveling amount (rotating amount), and a traveling speed (rotating speed) at predetermined time intervals according to the accessory pattern. Transmission (S12), and the process from step S10 is repeated. The controller 342 drives the effect accessory device 202 according to such a command. Here, the effect accessory device 202 operates only when the accessory pattern is determined. Since the effect device 202 is a temporary effect accompanied by a physical action that raises the expectation of a big hit for the player, it is a role as compared with the image data, the lighting pattern described later, and the music data. The frequency with which the object pattern is determined is low.

Further, when a predetermined interrupt cycle (for example, 33 msec) arrives (YES in S10) with the determination of the effect pattern, the effect determining means 332 produces an illumination pattern based on the effect pattern (among the effects indicated by the effect pattern). A content indicating a series of lighting modes of the lighting device 204) is determined (S11). Then, the effect executing means 334 transmits a 1 (ON) or 0 (OFF) command to the controller 342 at predetermined time intervals according to the illumination pattern, as in the accessory pattern (S12), and repeats the process from step S10. .. The controller 342 turns on or off the FET that drives the effect lighting device 204 according to the command. In this way, the lighting of the lamp, which is the effect lighting device 204, is controlled. The effect lighting device 204 is constantly turned on and off. Therefore, the effect determining means 332 always determines the effect pattern for each interrupt cycle.

Further, the effect determining means 332 changes the effect pattern when a predetermined interrupt cycle (for example, 50 msec) arrives with the determination of the effect pattern in parallel with the control on the image IC 340a and the controller 342 (YES in S10). Based on the music data (data corresponding to the music to be output to the music output device 206 among the effects indicated by the effect pattern) is determined (S11). Then, the effect executing means 334 transmits a music command capable of specifying the music data to the music IC 346a (S12), and repeats the process from step S10. The music IC 346a reads the music data specified by the music command from the music ROM 346b to the music IC 346a, and sequentially outputs the music data to the speaker which is the music output device 206. It should be noted that some kind of music is always output to the music output device 206. Therefore, the effect determining means 332 always determines the music data for each interrupt cycle. The music IC 346a has a plurality of music buffers (buffers), and each music buffer can hold different music data. Then, the music IC 346a superimposes the music data held in the plurality of music buffers, and the superimposed music data is output to the music output device 206.

Here, a series of functional units such as a sub CPU 330a, a sub RAM 330c, an image IC 340a, an image ROM 340b, an image RAM 340c, a controller 342, a music IC 346a, and a music ROM 346b are integrated into one integrated circuit as a SoC (System-on-a-Chip). It is accumulated in. However, which functional unit is integrated in the SoC can be arbitrarily set. Further, each functional unit such as the sub CPU 330a, the sub RAM 330c, the image IC 340a, the image ROM 340b, the image RAM 340c, the controller 342, the music IC 346a, and the music ROM 346b may be integrated as different integrated circuits and electrically connected.

Further, the sub-control board 330 has a detection signal from the press detection switch 208s that detects that the effect operation device 208 has been pressed, and the rotation detection switch 209s that detects that the effect operation device 208 has been rotated. Is entered. When a detection signal is input from the press detection switch 208s or the rotation detection switch 209s, various effects such as displaying an image on the effect display unit 200a are executed.

A power supply board (not shown) is connected to each board, and power is supplied from a commercial power source to each board via the power supply board.

(Explanation of the effect accessory device 202 and the effect lighting device 204)
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing flow of the effect accessory device 202 and the effect lighting device 204, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory views for explaining the transmission timing of the controller 342. As described above, in the sub-control board 330, the effect determining means 332 determines the accessory pattern based on the effect pattern, and the effect executing means 334 generates a command according to the accessory pattern. Here, an example of driving the motor 222 that operates the rotating accessory 202a as the effect accessory device 202 will be described. Therefore, the rotating accessory 202a rotates in conjunction with the drive (rotation) of the motor 222. Although the example of driving the rotary motor 222 that operates the rotary accessory 202a as the effect accessory device 202 is described here, any actuator that moves or rotates in response to an electric signal may be used. , Various electromagnetic devices such as linear motors and solenoids can be applied.

Specifically, the effect executing means 334 reads out the control instruction table corresponding to the accessory pattern from the sub ROM 330b. The control instruction table (control instruction program) is a list of a plurality of control instructions constituting a series of accessory patterns executed based on the effect pattern in chronological order, and is in a defined processing order (sequentially, in order). Processing is performed on branching and repetition). The control command is a command indicating a driving condition for driving the motor 222, and for example, a rotation direction, a rotation amount, a rotation speed, and the like are described.

The effect executing means 334 extracts control commands from the top of the control command table at predetermined time intervals, analyzes the extracted control commands, generates a command based on the analysis content, and transmits the command to the controller 342. For example, if the read control command is the control command "ADV" indicating rotation in the positive direction, a command to rotate in the positive direction by the amount of rotation added to the control command is generated at the rotation speed added to the control command. do. When the control command involves timekeeping processing or processing for sensor input, the effect executing means 334 performs these processing in a self-contained manner. For example, when the rotation of the rotating accessory 202a is started after a predetermined time has elapsed, or when the effect operating device 208 receives the pressing operation of the player to start the rotation of the rotating accessory 202a. , The standby process for the arrival of such an opportunity is internally completed, and only the command related to the rotational operation of the rotating accessory 202a is transmitted to the controller 342. As described above, the effect executing means 334 executes complicated processing in a self-contained manner, while the controller 342 executes only simple processing, whereby an efficient and inexpensive system can be formed as a whole.

The controller 342 is also called an SMC (Serial Management Controller), and as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of drivers 220 are connected to one controller 342. The controller 342 and the plurality of drivers 220 are connected in a tree shape by a clock-synchronized serial bus (ASIB: Axell Serial Interface Bus), respectively. By connecting a plurality of drivers 220 to one controller 342 in this way, the controller 342 controls a plurality of (for example, 24) motors 222 and a plurality of (for example, 32) sensors related to the motor 222. Can be done.

Then, when the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, the controller 342 automatically internally generates an excitation pattern for driving an arbitrary motor 222 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 7A. For example, when an arbitrary motor 222 is rotated in the normal direction by one-phase excitation, an excitation pattern is generated in which the A phase, the B phase, the / A phase, and the / B phase are sequentially turned ON / OFF with different phases. Then, when the timing at which the excitation pattern of the arbitrary motor 222 is changed, for example, the timing at which the A phase changes from OFF to ON (/ the B phase changes from ON to OFF), the controller 342 arrives in FIG. 7. As shown in (b), the excitation pattern data showing the changed contents is combined with the identifier (address ID) of the driver 220 to which the target motor 222 is connected, and is output to the serial bus as serial data. The excitation pattern data is composed of a pulse signal for driving a motor, for example, a pulse signal indicating data for four phases with respect to one motor 222. Further, although the example of 1-phase excitation has been described here as a driving mode, it goes without saying that serial data is transmitted at the same timing even when 2-phase excitation and 1-2 phase excitation are adopted.

Here, since the controller 342 is configured to output only the serial data for the target motor 222 at the timing when the excitation pattern changes, the serial bus is compared with the case where the peripheral that only performs serial-parallel conversion is used as the driver. It is possible to shorten the occupied time in the above and reduce the processing load and radiation noise (for example, 1 Mbit band).

Each driver 220 reads the serial data output from the controller 342, determines whether or not the identifier attached to the serial data is an identifier that specifies itself, and if the identifier is an identifier that specifies itself, The excitation pattern data in the serial data is taken in internally. Here, if the identifier is not an identifier that specifies itself, the serial data is ignored (not captured). Then, the driver 220 generates an excitation pattern of the target motor 222 according to the excitation pattern data.

Specifically, the exciting phase of the motor 222 is connected to each of the discrete (ON / OFF) outputs of the driver 220, and the driver 220 turns on / off the current in order according to the exciting pattern of each exciting phase, and the duty is changed. The motor 222 is driven by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) having a ratio of 50%. For example, as shown in FIG. 7C, at the timing when the excitation pattern data for turning the A phase from OFF to ON is taken in, the A phase is turned from OFF to ON, and at the same time, the / B phase is changed from ON to OFF. During this period, the B phase and / A phase are maintained OFF.

When the solenoid is connected to the driver 220, it can be driven by controlling the discrete (ON / OFF) output for 1 bit (1 port) as in the effect lighting device 204 described later. ..

Here, since the controller 342 performs the update calculation of the excitation pattern, the excitation pattern is centrally managed by the controller 342, and each driver 220 only outputs the signal of each excitation phase according to the received excitation pattern data. There is no problem that the output timing differs due to the processing delay of the driver 220.

Further, the effect determining means 332 determines the lighting pattern based on the effect pattern, and the effect executing means 334 generates a command according to the lighting pattern. Here, an example of causing the LED (light emitting body) 224 to emit light as the effect lighting device 204 will be described. As the light emitting body, a light bulb or a lamp can be used in addition to the LED.

Specifically, the effect executing means 334 reads out the control instruction table corresponding to the illumination pattern from the sub ROM 330b. Similar to the control command table of the accessory pattern, the control command table is a time-series list of a plurality of control commands constituting a series of lighting patterns executed based on the effect pattern, and is a defined process. Processing is performed in order (sequential, branch, iteration). Here, the control command is a command indicating a light emitting condition for causing the LED 224, which is a light emitting body, to emit light. Will be done.

The effect executing means 334 extracts control commands from the top of the control command table at predetermined time intervals, analyzes the extracted control commands, generates a command based on the analysis content, and transmits the command to the controller 342. For example, if the read control command is the control command "SLINE" that gradually changes the brightness, the time added to the control command from the brightness at the start added to the control command to the brightness at the end is calculated. Generate a command to change over. When the control command involves timekeeping processing or processing for sensor input, the effect executing means 334 may perform these processing in a self-contained manner, as in the case of the accessory pattern.

When the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, the controller 342 automatically internally generates a light emission pattern of the brightness for any LED 224 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 8A. The light emission pattern of the LED 224 is formed for, for example, each of the three LED 224s responsible for the light emission color of each of RGB. That is, one port of the driver 220 is assigned to the LED 224 of any one of RGB. Then, when the timing at which the light emission pattern of the arbitrary LED 224 is changed, for example, the timing at which the brightness changes, the controller 342, as shown in FIG. 8B, shows the brightness data (brightness data) indicating the brightness after the change. The light emission amount data) is combined with the identifier of the driver 220 to which the target LED 224 is connected, and is output to the serial bus as serial data. At this time, the brightness and the PWM pulse width do not have a proportional relationship, and the brightness of the LED 224 changes non-linearly with respect to the change in the PWM pulse width. Therefore, in order to absorb such a non-linearity relationship, the controller 342 corrects the luminance to the PWM value through the luminance adjustment table in which the luminance and the PWM pulse width are uniquely associated with each other.

Also here, since the controller 342 is configured to output only the serial data for the target LED 224 at the timing when the light emission pattern changes, the serial bus is compared with the case where the peripheral that only performs serial-parallel conversion is used as the driver. It is possible to shorten the occupancy time and reduce the processing load and radiation noise.

Each driver 220 reads the serial data output from the controller 342, determines whether or not the identifier attached to the serial data is an identifier that specifies itself, and if the identifier is an identifier that specifies itself, Take in the brightness data in the serial data inside. Then, the driver 220 sets the brightness of the target LED 224 according to the brightness data. Here, the luminance of the LED 224 is expressed in, for example, 128 gradations by PWM control of the discrete signal as shown in FIG. 8 (c). Therefore, as the brightness increases, the pulse width per unit time increases.

Here, since the brightness dimming is possible by PWM control in the driver 220, heat generation can be minimized, and it is possible to save power and extend the continuous driving time by reducing the ON time. The driver 220 is originally intended to cause the LED 224 to emit light by PWM, and the above-mentioned motor 222 is operated by using the PWM function provided in the LED 224. In this way, the motor 222 and the LED 224 can be operated by sharing the PWM function.

As described above, the driver 220 of the present embodiment can drive the motor 222 and make the LED 224 emit light. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor 222 and the LED 224 can be connected in parallel to the driver 220 of 1. Further, by sharing the format of the serial data for driving the motor 222 and the serial data for causing the LED 224 to emit light, such as identifier + data, a plurality of drivers 220 can be collectively used by one controller 342. Can be controlled. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the types of drivers 220. By reducing the types of the driver 220 in this way, the management of the driver 220 can be unified, so that the design of the control instruction table for controlling the driver 220 can be facilitated and the processing can be standardized. Further, even in the electrical design, it is not necessary to refer to the standards of each of the plurality of types of drivers, and it becomes possible to standardize the wiring.

Further, although the controller 342 of 1 controls a plurality of drivers 220 in parallel here, as described above, the serial data is output only at the timing when the excitation pattern or the light emission pattern changes. Compared with the case of using a peripheral that only performs serial-parallel conversion as a driver, it is possible to shorten the occupied time in the serial bus and reduce the processing load and radiation noise.

(Controller 342)
However, if a plurality of drivers 220 (a plurality of motors 222) are controlled by one controller 342 in this way, the following problems may occur.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the transmission timing of the controller 342. When the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, the controller 342 automatically internally generates an excitation pattern for driving an arbitrary motor 222 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 9A. For example, when an arbitrary motor 222 is rotated in the normal direction by one-phase excitation, an excitation pattern is generated in which the A phase and the B phase are sequentially turned ON / OFF with different phases. Then, when the timing at which the excitation pattern of the arbitrary motor 222 is changed, for example, the timing at which the A phase changes from OFF to ON, arrives at the controller 342, the content after the change is as shown in FIG. 9B. The excitation pattern data showing the above is combined with the identifier of the driver 220 to which the target motor 222 is connected, and is output to the serial bus as serial data.

Here, it is assumed that the rotation speeds of the other motors 222 among the plurality of driving motors 222 are the same, and the change timing of the excitation pattern is close to the change timing of any motor 222. Since the controller 342 can control a plurality of motors 222 in parallel, it is also possible to automatically generate an excitation pattern for driving another motor 222 internally as shown in FIG. 9C. Then, the controller 342, like any motor 222, when the timing at which the excitation pattern of the other motor 222 is changed, for example, the timing at which the A phase changes from OFF to ON, arrives, the excitation indicating the content after the change is reached. The pattern data is combined with the identifier of the driver 220 to which the other target motor 222 is connected, and an attempt is made to output the pattern data to the serial bus as serial data. However, here, the excitation pattern data of the arbitrary motor 222 is already output as serial data, and a transmission collision (conflict) occurs.

In this way, the change timing of the excitation pattern is close to each other among the plurality of motors 222, and the other motors 222 are not finished transmitting the serial data of any motor 222 whose excitation pattern is changed first. If the excitation pattern of is changed, serial data cannot be transmitted to the other motor 222. Here, the effect executing means 334 monitors the controller 342, confirms whether or not the serial data has been transmitted according to the change in the excitation pattern, and if the serial data has not been transmitted, prompts the retransmission (retry) of the serial data. It is conceivable to configure it. However, if such a configuration is adopted, the processing load of the effect executing means 334 increases, and the overall processing efficiency decreases.

Therefore, the configuration of the controller 342 is devised so that the motor 222 is appropriately driven regardless of the change timing of the excitation pattern of each of the plurality of motors 222. For example, if the excitation pattern of the other motor 222 changes during the transmission of the excitation pattern data, the controller 342 transmits the excitation pattern data of the other motor 222 after the transmission of the excitation pattern data being transmitted is completed. The specific operation will be described below.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the transmission timing of the controller 342. Similar to FIG. 9, when the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, the controller 342 automatically internally generates an excitation pattern for driving an arbitrary motor 222 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 10A. do. Then, when the timing at which the excitation pattern of the arbitrary motor 222 is changed, for example, the timing at which the A phase changes from OFF to ON, arrives at the controller 342, the content after the change is as shown in FIG. 10 (b). The excitation pattern data shown in is combined with the identifier and output to the serial bus as serial data. Here, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the excitation pattern of the other motor 222 changes, the controller 342 combines the excitation pattern data indicating the changed content with the identifier and serializes it as serial data at that timing. Try to output to the bus.

However, since the excitation pattern data of the arbitrary motor 222 has already been output here, the controller 342 postpones the start of transmission of the excitation pattern data of the other motor 222, and is arbitrary as shown in FIG. 10 (b). After the transmission of the excitation pattern data of the motor 222 of the above is completed, the excitation pattern data of another motor 222 is transmitted following the excitation pattern data of any motor 222.

For example, the controller 342 has a shift register having a FIFO (First In First Out) function in order to hold the excitation pattern data. Then, the controller 342 holds the excitation pattern data of the motor 222 by the shift register at the timing when the excitation pattern of any of the motors 222 changes, and sequentially outputs the data from the shift register.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an output mode of excitation pattern data. Specifically, the controller 342 has a shift register as shown in FIG. 11A. Then, when the excitation pattern of the arbitrary motor 222 changes, the controller 342 holds the serial data (identifier + excitation pattern data) of the arbitrary motor 222 in the shift register as shown in FIG. 11B. After that, as shown in FIG. 11C, the serial data of the arbitrary motor 222 is sequentially output according to the clock defined in the serial bus.

When the excitation pattern of the other motor 222 changes during the transmission of the serial data of such an arbitrary motor 222, that is, while the transmission of the serial data is not completed, the controller 342 is as shown in FIG. 11 (d). Holds the serial data of the other motor 222 in the shift register. However, since the serial data of the arbitrary motor 222 remains in the shift register, the serial data of the other motor 222 is held immediately after the excitation pattern data of the arbitrary motor 222.

After that, as shown in FIG. 11E, when the output of the serial data of the arbitrary motor 222 is completed according to the clock defined in the serial bus, the output of the serial data of the other motor 222 is started. The time from FIG. 11 (d) to FIG. 11 (e) is the output delay time of the serial data of the other motor 222. In this way, the excitation pattern of the other motor 222 is temporarily disturbed, but since it is an extremely short time, it does not affect the operation of the actual effect device 202. Then, the serial data of the other motors 222 are sequentially output as serial data according to the clock defined in the serial bus, and the output of all the serial data is completed as shown in FIG. 11 (f).

In this way, even if the excitation patterns of the plurality of motors 222 are asynchronous, the controller 342 proactively transmits one of the serial data in response to a data collision based on the asynchronous regardless of the change mode. Although the transmission timing of the serial data is delayed by the configuration of delaying and absorbing the delay with the shift register, the blurring is minimized and the plurality of effecting accessory devices 202 can be used without imposing a load on the effect executing means 334. It can be driven properly.

(Interference of production accessory device 202)
In this way, while making it possible to appropriately drive the plurality of effect accessory devices 202, the number of the effect accessory devices 202 provided in one gaming machine 100 continues to increase, and the plurality of effect accessory devices 202 In some cases, they may interfere with each other. Under such circumstances, when an attempt is made to operate an arbitrary effect accessory device 202, it is confirmed that the other effect accessory device 202 is not in a position of interfering with any effect accessory device 202 to be operated. There must be.

However, if the position of another effecting accessory device 202 is confirmed every time the effecting accessory device 202 is operated and it is determined whether or not the effecting accessory device 202 interferes with the effecting accessory device 202, the control becomes complicated and the processing load becomes large. Invite an increase. Further, in a situation where an abnormality (error) has occurred in the gaming machine 100 for some reason, if the effecting accessory device 202 is not immediately retracted to the retracted position, the effecting accessory device 202 displays the effect display unit 200a. There was a risk of hindering or damaging the structure. Therefore, here, a method of avoiding interference between the effecting accessory devices 202 by a simple process will be described.

As described above, the effect executing means 334 operates the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control command table based on the control command table. When there are a plurality of such effect accessory devices 202, a control command table is associated with each of the plurality of effect accessory devices 202, and the effect execution means 334 starts the plurality of control command tables at the same time. By processing in parallel (to be exact, processing in time division), a plurality of effect accessory devices 202 can be operated in parallel. However, if the effect accessory devices 202 have a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship, the control instruction table associated with the effect accessory device 202 must also grasp the progress of each other. Therefore, in addition to such a control instruction table, an event flag that can be commonly referred to by a plurality of control instruction tables is provided. The event flag is held in the sub RAM 330c (event flag holding unit) so that it can be read by the effect executing means 334. Further, although an example in which only one event flag is used will be described here, when it is necessary to separately manage a plurality of effect accessory devices 202 together, an event flag is provided for each management unit. Can be done.

Such an event flag objectively indicates what kind of moving state or rotation state the plurality of effecting accessory devices 202 are in as a result of executing each control instruction table, and among the plurality of effecting accessory devices 202. It is possible to specify which effect accessory device 202 is permitted to move or evacuate, and which effect accessory device 202 is restricted (restricted) to move or evacuate. Therefore, in the plurality of control instruction tables, the progress of each of the other control instruction tables, that is, the position of the effect device 202 associated with the other control instruction tables, and the position of the own. It is possible to determine whether or not the operation is possible only by referring to the event flag without checking whether the position interferes with the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control instruction table, and avoids interference between the effect accessory devices 202. be able to.

After providing such an event flag, when the event flag satisfies a predetermined permission condition in the control instruction table, the effect execution means 334 is associated with the control instruction table satisfying the permission condition. It is assumed that the accessory device 202 is operated. Here, the permission condition means a condition that the operation of the effect accessory device 202 associated with the own control instruction table is not hindered. Therefore, when the event flag satisfies a predetermined permission condition in the control command table, the moving state or the rotation state of the plurality of effecting accessory devices 202 indicated by the event flag is associated with the own control instruction table. It is shown that the state does not interfere with the operation of the object device 202. On the contrary, if the event flag does not satisfy a predetermined permission condition in the control instruction table, the movement of the effect device device 202 associated with the own control instruction table is restricted (restricted).

With this configuration, in the execution of the control instruction table, the effect device 202 associated with the own control instruction table operates by referring only to the event flag without grasping the progress of other control instruction tables. Since it is possible to grasp whether or not it is possible, the effect executing means 334 can freely operate the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control instruction table when the event flag satisfies a predetermined permission condition. It becomes.

Further, the effect executing means 334 updates (sets) the event flag when a predetermined update condition in the control instruction table is satisfied. Here, the update condition means a condition that the effect device device 202 associated with the own control instruction table has performed an operation that affects the event flag. The event flag is updated according to the control instruction. Therefore, satisfying a predetermined update condition in the control command table means that the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control command table of its own is moved or rotated based on the control instruction table, and thus a plurality of effect accessory devices are satisfied. Indicates that the moving or rotating state of 202 has changed. In this case, the event flag is updated.

With such a configuration, in the execution of the control command table, the result of the operation of the effect device device 202 associated with the own control command table can be reflected in the event flag. Then, in the other control instruction table, by referring to the event flag reflected in this way, it is possible to grasp the moving state or the rotating state of the plurality of effecting accessory devices 202 at the present time. In this way, the event flag is updated by the operation of any effect accessory device 202, and another effect accessory device 202 operates according to the updated event flag. By interlocking, a desired series of operations is completed.

Further, when the event flag satisfies a predetermined save condition in the control command table, the effect execution means 334 saves the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control command table satisfying the save condition. do. Here, the evacuation condition means a condition that the evacuation of the effecting accessory device 202 associated with the own control command table is not hindered. Therefore, when the event flag satisfies a predetermined evacuation condition in the control command table, the moving state or the rotating state of the plurality of effecting accessory devices 202 indicated by the event flag is associated with the own control instruction table. It shows that the state does not prevent the evacuation of the object device 202. On the contrary, if the event flag does not satisfy a predetermined save condition in the control command table, the save operation of the effect device device 202 associated with the own control command table is restricted (restricted).

With this configuration, in the execution of the control instruction table, even if the progress status of another control instruction table is not grasped, if only the event flag is referred to, the effect device 202 associated with the own control instruction table is saved. Since it is possible to grasp whether or not it is possible, the effect executing means 334 can appropriately evacuate the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control instruction table when the event flag satisfies a predetermined save condition. It becomes.

In this way, even when there is a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship between the plurality of effect accessory devices 202 only by determining whether or not the permission condition, the update condition, and the evacuation condition are satisfied by using the event flag. The effect device 202 can be appropriately moved and retracted while avoiding the respective interferences. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the structure from being damaged or the display of the effect display unit 200a from being obstructed. Further, as long as the control instruction table is provided with a control instruction for determining whether or not the permission condition, update condition, save condition, etc. are satisfied, the control instruction table is not provided with a control instruction for monitoring the progress of other control instruction tables. Also, it can be processed in a self-contained manner without the intervention of a higher-level program.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the plurality of effect accessory devices 202. Here, an example in which the three effect accessory devices 202 (202c, 202d, 202e) interfere with each other will be given, and the control for avoiding the interference will be described.

Referring to FIG. 12, the effect accessory device 202c is retracted to the retracted position shown by the solid line, and can be moved to the moved position indicated by the broken line by rotating around the rotation axis C. Further, the effect accessory device 202d is retracted to the retracted position shown by the solid line, and can be moved to the moved position indicated by the broken line by rotating around the rotation axis D. Further, the effect accessory device 202e is retracted to the retracted position shown by the solid line, and can be moved to the moved position indicated by the broken line by sliding upward in the figure. For example, when the liquid crystal display device as the effect display device 200 is arranged at the moving position of the effect accessory device 202e, the effect accessory device 202e becomes the liquid crystal display device by moving to the move position of the effect accessory device 202e. Since it is located on the front surface, the effect device device 202e and the liquid crystal image behind the effect device 202e can produce an integrated effect, so that the effect of notifying the game result can be enhanced.

However, the three effecting accessory devices 202 (202c, 202d, 202e) are in a positional relationship of interfering with each other. Cannot move, and by moving the effect accessory device 202c to the moving position, the effect accessory device 202d can be moved. Similarly, while the device 202d is in the retracted position, the effect accessory device 202e cannot move, and the effect accessory device 202d moves to the move position, so that the effect accessory device 202e can move. On the other hand, regarding evacuation, while the effect accessory device 202e is in the moving position, the effect accessory device 202d cannot be evacuated, and the effect accessory device 202e can be moved to the retract position to evacuate the effect accessory device 202d. Will be. Similarly, while the effect accessory device 202d is in the moving position, the effect accessory device 202c cannot be retracted (although it can actually be retracted, when the effect accessory device 202c is retracted to the retracted position, the effect accessory device 202c cannot be retracted. Since the 202d cannot be evacuated to the evacuation position, control is performed to prohibit the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202c), and the effect accessory device 202d can be evacuated by moving to the evacuation position. Will be. Here, under such conditions, we propose a control instruction table that avoids interference between the three effect device devices 202 (202c, 202d, 202e).

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a control command table associated with the effect accessory device 202c, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a control command table associated with the effect accessory device 202d. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a control command table associated with the effect accessory device 202e. Here, in order to facilitate understanding, the control instructions in the control instruction table are shown in a flowchart based on the processing flow. The event flag (EVF) takes a value of 0 to 5. Here, event flags 0 to 2 indicate permission conditions. Specifically, the event flag 0 does not interfere with the operation of the effect accessory device 202c, the event flag 1 does not interfere with the operation of the effect accessory device 202d, and the event flag 2 indicates the operation of the effect accessory device 202e. Show that it is not disturbed. In addition, event flags 3 to 5 indicate evacuation conditions. Specifically, the event flag 3 does not prevent the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202e, the event flag 4 does not prevent the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202d, and the event flag 5 does not prevent the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202c. Show that it is not disturbed. The initial value of the event flag is 0. Hereinafter, the flow of individual processing of the effect accessory devices 202c, 202d, and 202e will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15, and then the overall processing flow will be described.

(Direction accessory device 202c: Step S10)
First, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag (EVF) is 0. As a result, if the event flag is 0, the process is transferred to step S11, and if the event flag is not 0, the process is transferred to step S15.

(Step S11)
If it is determined in step S10 that the event flag is 0, the effect executing means 334 moves the effect accessory device 202c to the moving position as shown in FIG. 13A.

(Step S12)
Next, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the movement of the effect accessory device 202c. As a result, if an abnormality has occurred, the process is transferred to step S13, and if no abnormality has occurred, the process is transferred to step S14.

(Step S13)
If it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in step S12, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 5 so as to satisfy the evacuation condition of the effect accessory device 202c, and retracts the effect accessory device 202c. To give permission.

(Step S14)
If it is determined in step S12 that no abnormality has occurred, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 1 so as to satisfy the permission condition of the effect accessory device 202d, and operates the effect accessory device 202d. To give permission.

(Step S15)
Next, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag is 5. As a result, if the event flag is 5, the process is transferred to step S16, and if the event flag is not 5, the process from step S10 is repeated.

(Step S16)
If it is determined in step S15 that the event flag is 5, the effect executing means 334 retracts the effect accessory device 202c to the retracted position and retracts the effect accessory device 202c as shown in FIG. 13 (b). End the operation.

(Direction accessory device 202d: Step S20)
First, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag (EVF) is 1. As a result, if the event flag is 1, the process is transferred to step S21, and if the event flag is not 1, the process is transferred to step S25.

(Step S21)
If it is determined in step S20 that the event flag is 1, the effect executing means 334 moves the effect accessory device 202d to the moving position as shown in FIG. 14A.

(Step S22)
Next, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the movement of the effect accessory device 202d. As a result, if an abnormality has occurred, the process is transferred to step S23, and if no abnormality has occurred, the process is transferred to step S24.

(Step S23)
If it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in step S22, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 4 so as to satisfy the evacuation condition of the effect accessory device 202d, and retracts the effect accessory device 202d. To give permission.

(Step S24)
If it is determined in step S22 that no abnormality has occurred, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 2 so as to satisfy the permission condition of the effect accessory device 202e, and operates the effect accessory device 202e. To give permission.

(Step S25)
Next, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag is 4 or more (4 or 5). As a result, if the event flag is 4 or more, the process is transferred to step S26, and if the event flag is not 4 or more, the process from step S20 is repeated.

(Step S26)
If it is determined in step S25 that the event flag is 4 or more, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag is 4. As a result, if the event flag is 4, the process is transferred to step S27, and if the event flag is not 4, the operation of the effect accessory device 202d is terminated.

(Step S27)
If it is determined in step S26 that the event flag is 4, the effect executing means 334 retracts the effect accessory device 202d to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 14 (b).

(Step S28)
Next, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 5 so as to satisfy the evacuation condition of the effect accessory device 202c, permits the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202c, and ends the operation of the effect accessory device 202d. do.

(Direction accessory device 202e: Step S30)
First, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag (EVF) is 2. As a result, if the event flag is 2, the process is transferred to step S31, and if the event flag is not 2, the process is transferred to step S35.

(Step S31)
If it is determined in step S30 that the event flag is 2, the effect executing means 334 moves the effect accessory device 202e to the moving position as shown in FIG. 15A.

(Step S32)
Next, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the movement of the effect accessory device 202e. As a result, if an abnormality has occurred, the process is transferred to step S34, and if no abnormality has occurred, the process is transferred to step S33.

(Step S33)
If it is determined in step S32 that no abnormality has occurred, the effect executing means 334 maintains (waits) the state of FIG. 15A in order to execute another effect.

(Step S34)
Next, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 3 so as to satisfy the evacuation condition of the effect accessory device 202e, and permits the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202e.

(Step S35)
Next, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag is 3 or more (3, 4 or 5). As a result, if the event flag is 3 or more, the process is transferred to step S36, and if the event flag is not 3 or more, the process from step S30 is repeated.

(Step S36)
If it is determined in step S35 that the event flag is 3 or more, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag is 3. As a result, if the event flag is 3, the process is transferred to step S37, and if the event flag is not 3, the operation of the effect accessory device 202e is terminated.

(Step S37)
If it is determined in step S36 that the event flag is 3, the effect executing means 334 retracts the effect accessory device 202e to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 15B.

(Step S38)
Next, the effect executing means 334 sets the event flag to 4 so as to satisfy the evacuation condition of the effect accessory device 202d, permits the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202d, and ends the operation of the effect accessory device 202e. do.

With reference to FIGS. 13 to 15, when the overall processing flow of the effect accessory device 202c, 202d, 202e is followed, first, since the event flag of the effect accessory device 202c is 0 (initial value). It moves to the move position (step S11), and the event flag is set to 1 (step S14). When the event flag is set to 1, the effect accessory device 202d moves to the moving position (step S21), and the event flag is set to 2 (step S24). Then, when the event flag is set to 2, the effect accessory device 202e moves to the moving position (step S31) and maintains that state (step S33).

Then, when the other effects are completed, the event flag is set to 3 (step S34). When the event flag is set to 3, the effect device device 202e is evacuated to the retracted position (step S37), and the event flag is set to 4 (step S38). Then, when the event flag is set to 4, the effect device device 202d is evacuated to the retracted position (step S27), and the event flag is set to 5 (step S28). Finally, when the event flag is set to 5, the effecting accessory device 202c is evacuated to the evacuation position (step S16). In this way, the effect accessory devices 202c, 202d, and 202e can be appropriately moved and retracted without interfering with each other.

Further, if an abnormality occurs while the effecting accessory device 202c is moving, the event flag is set to 5 (step S13). When the event flag is set to 5, the effecting accessory device 202c is evacuated to the evacuation position (step S16). Further, when the event flag is set to 5, the effect accessory devices 202d and 202e end their operations (steps S25 and S35). In this way, the effect accessory device 202c can be appropriately retracted without moving the effect accessory devices 202d and 202e.

Further, if an abnormality occurs during the movement of the effect accessory device 202d, the event flag is set to 4 (step S23). In this way, when the event flag is set to 4, the effect accessory device 202e ends its operation (step S35). Then, when the event flag is set to 4, the effect device device 202d is evacuated to the retracted position (step S27), and the event flag is set to 5 (step S28). When the event flag is set to 5, the effecting accessory device 202c is evacuated to the evacuation position (step S16). In this way, the effect accessory devices 202c and 202d can be appropriately retracted without moving the effect accessory device 202e.

Similarly, if an abnormality occurs during the movement of the effect accessory device 202e, the event flag is set to 3 (step S34). When the event flag is set to 3, the effect device device 202e is evacuated to the retracted position (step S37), and the event flag is set to 4 (step S38). Then, when the event flag is set to 4, the effect device device 202d is evacuated to the retracted position (step S27), and the event flag is set to 5 (step S28). Finally, when the event flag is set to 5, the effecting accessory device 202c is evacuated to the evacuation position (step S16). In this way, the effect accessory devices 202c, 202d, and 202e can be appropriately evacuated. Here, the evacuation process of the effect accessory devices 202c, 202d, 202e in the normal operation is used to realize the evacuation process of the effect accessory devices 202c, 202d, 202e in the case of an abnormality.

In this way, each control instruction table operates in a self-contained manner without referring to other control instruction tables, and uses an event flag to determine whether or not the permission condition is satisfied (steps S10, S20, S30), determining whether or not the update condition is satisfied (steps S12, S22, S32), and determining whether or not the evacuation condition is satisfied (steps S15, S26, S36). Even when there is a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship between the physical devices 202, it is possible to avoid interference between them.

When there is a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship between the plurality of effect accessory devices 202, it is possible to set a priority order for permitting the operation of each effect accessory device 202. In this case, the event flag may be represented by an ascending or descending numerical value according to the priority.

For example, in the examples of FIGS. 13 to 15, the priority of permitting the operation is higher in the order of effect accessory device 202c> effect accessory device 202d> effect accessory device 202e. That is, for smooth operation, the operation of the effect accessory device 202c must be permitted first, and then the operation of the effect accessory device 202d must be permitted. In this case, as described above, numerical values (0, 1, 2) in ascending order are added as event flags according to the priority order of the effect accessory device 202c, the effect accessory device 202d, and the effect accessory device 202e. By doing so, it can be easily grasped that the higher the numerical value of the event flag is, the more operations of the effect accessory device 202 are permitted.

In addition, it is possible to set a priority order for permitting evacuation for each effecting accessory device 202. In this case, the event flag may be represented by an ascending or descending numerical value according to the priority.

For example, in the examples of FIGS. 13 to 15, the priority of permitting the evacuation is higher in the order of the effect accessory device 202e, the effect accessory device 202d, and the effect accessory device 202c. That is, for smooth operation, first, the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202e must be permitted, and then the evacuation of the effect accessory device 202d must be permitted. In this case, as described above, numerical values (3, 4, 5) in ascending order are given as event flags according to the priority order of the effect accessory device 202e, the effect accessory device 202d, and the effect accessory device 202c. By doing so, it is possible to easily grasp that the higher the numerical value of the event flag, the more evacuation of the effect accessory device 202 is permitted.

Further, when the evacuation of the effecting accessory device 202 having a lower priority than the self is permitted as in step S35 of FIG. 15 and step S25 of FIG. 14, the movement of the effecting accessory device 202 of the self is caused by the inequality sign. By limiting the above, it is possible to reliably avoid unnecessary interference between the effecting accessory devices 202.

Here, as long as a simple control command such as conditional branching such as whether or not the permission condition and save condition are satisfied and the setting of the event flag when the update condition is satisfied is provided, other control is performed in a higher-level program. Since it is not necessary to monitor the instruction table, the processing can be executed in a self-contained manner only with the control instruction table. Therefore, the designer can easily and self-completely design only the control instruction table of the target effectary accessory device 202 without worrying about the master-slave relationship or the exclusive relationship between the plurality of effector device 202. Is possible, and the convenience of design is improved.

In addition, the event flag centrally manages the movement and evacuation of each effect accessory device 202, and the event flag can uniquely specify the movement state or rotation state of a plurality of effect accessory devices 202. It is not necessary to assume the complicated operation of the effect device 202, and even if only each control command table is designed, a problem is unlikely to occur.

Here, an example of setting the event flag by substituting a numerical value of 0 to 5 has been described, but the setting is not limited to such a case, and the setting is, for example, a logical sum (OR operation) or a logical product (AND). It can be performed in various modes such as (calculation), addition each time, and inversion in bit units.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Will be done.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, as a gaming machine, a symbol determining means for determining one from a plurality of types of symbols including a jackpot symbol, and a symbol display when a predetermined fluctuation time elapses after the symbol is determined. Of the symbol display means for displaying a symbol on the unit, the large role game execution means for executing a large role game composed of a plurality of round games when the jackpot symbol is displayed on the symbol display unit, and the round game in the large role game. When a game ball that has entered a large winning slot enters a specific area during a preset specific round game, a game profit-giving means that grants a predetermined game profit and a production execution means that executes a production during a major role game. An example of a pachinko machine equipped with, but not limited to such cases, for the winning combination lottery means for determining one of multiple types of winning combinations by the winning combination lottery based on the operation of the start switch, and for the operation of the start switch. Correspondingly, a plurality of rotary reels in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged are rotationally controlled, and are operated based on the lottery result of the winning combination lottery means according to the operation of the stop switch corresponding to the rotating rotary reel. It can also be applied to a slot machine provided with a reel control means for stopping and controlling each of the rotary reels corresponding to the stop switch, and an effect control means for executing one of a plurality of types of effects. Hereinafter, the slot machine 600 will be described in detail.

(Mechanical configuration of slot machine 600)
As shown in the external views of FIGS. 16 and 17, the slot machine 600 can be opened and closed by a housing 602 which is a substantially rectangular box body and a connecting member which can rotate with respect to the front opening of the housing 602. The front lower door 604, which is located below the front upper door 604 and is attached to the front opening of the housing 602 so as to be openable and closable, and the front lower door 606, which is located below the front upper door 604. It is located at the lower part of the door 606 and is provided with a saucer portion 608 for storing the medals paid out from the medal ejection port 608a.

An operation unit installation table 622 is formed on the upper part of the front lower door 606, and a medal insertion unit 624, a bet switch 626, a start switch 628, a stop switch 630, an effect switch 632, etc. are arranged on the operation unit installation table 622. ing.

The medal insertion unit 624 located on the right side of the operation unit installation table 622 accepts the insertion of medals as a game medium through the medal insertion slot 624a, and medals are inserted into the medal selector (not shown) provided on the back of the front lower door 606. To send. The medal selector includes a blocker (not shown) that guides medals inserted outside the insertion period or non-standard medals to the medal outlet 608a, and medals within the standard inserted during the insertion period. A throw-in medal detection unit 624b for detecting the passage of the above is provided. Here, the medal guided to the medal ejection port 608a is ejected to the saucer portion 608. When a player inserts medals in excess of the specified number of medals inserted to start one game, a predetermined number of medals (for example, 50) exceeding the specified number of medals are inserted. ) Is electrically stored inside the slot machine 600 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a credit). The above 1 game will be described in detail later.

Further, here, the specified input number is set to "3" or "2". If the number of medals required to execute one game can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of specified input numbers, the maximum number among the plurality of specified input numbers is called the maximum specified input number, and the minimum number is used. Is called the minimum specified input number. If the specified input number can be selected from 1 to 3, the maximum specified input number is "3" and the minimum specified input number is "1".

The bet switch 626 is a push-type button switch for inserting (betting) a specified number of medals among the credited medals. If the bet switch 626 is pressed while more than the specified number of medals are credited, one game can be started and the number of credited medals is reduced by the specified number of inserted medals.

The start switch 628 located on the left side of the operation unit installation table 622 is composed of a lever capable of detecting the tilting operation, and detects the start operation of one game by the player. Further, the start switch 628 can also be configured by a button switch capable of detecting a pressing operation.

A colorless and transparent design display window 636 made of a glass plate, a transparent resin plate, or the like is provided in the lower center of the front upper door 604, and a reel is provided at a position corresponding to the design display window 636 in the housing 602. A unit 634 is provided. As shown in the reel symbol arrangement of FIG. 18, the reel unit 634 has three rotary reels (left reel 634a, middle reel 634b, right) in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged in each region equally divided into 21. The reels 634c) are provided independently and rotatably, and the player can visually recognize the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c through the symbol display window 636. The reel unit 634 starts the rotation of the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c, triggered by the operation of the start switch 628.

The stop switch 630 located at the center of the operation unit installation table 622 is a button switch provided corresponding to each of the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c, and is a button switch capable of detecting the pressing operation of the player. The stop operation of the player who tries to stop each of the reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c is detected. The three button switches related to the stop switch 630 are particularly called stop button switches, and are referred to as a stop button switch 630a, a stop button switch 630b, and a stop button switch 630c in order from the left according to their positions.

The effect switch 632 is composed of a push-type button switch and a jog dial switch rotatably arranged around the push-type button switch, and detects a player's pressing operation and rotation operation. The effect switch 632 is mainly used during the effect, and the effect mode can be changed by the operation of the player.

A liquid crystal display unit 638 that displays various images accompanying the effect is provided in the upper center of the front upper door 604. Further, on the upper portion and the left and right of the front upper door 604, for example, an effect lamp 642 composed of a high-luminance light emitting diode (LED) is provided. Further, between the symbol display window 636 and the operation unit installation table 622, a production accessory device 660 composed of a drive device is provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, speakers that produce auditory effects such as sound effects and musical sounds at the left and right positions of the liquid crystal display unit 638 on the back surface of the front upper door 604 and the inner surface left and right positions on the back surface of the front lower door 606. 640 is provided. Further, below the reel unit 634 in the housing 602, a medal payout device (medal hopper) 764 for paying out medals from the medal discharge port 608a is provided. The medal payout device 764 has a medal storage unit 764a for storing medals, a payout control unit 764b for discharging medals stored in the medal storage unit 764a from the medal discharge port 608a, and medals discharged from the medal discharge port 608a. It is provided with a payout medal detection unit 764c for detecting. Specifically, the payout control unit 764b is rotatably supported by the exterior of the main body of the payout control unit 764b, and has a plurality of medal insertion holes in the circumferential direction into which medals dropped from the medal storage unit 764a are fitted one by one from above. It is equipped with an arranged disc (not shown) and a disc motor (not shown) that rotates the disc, and the disc is rotated to insert medals into the medal fitting holes one by one through an extrusion mechanism. In addition to discharging to the outside, the next medals are sequentially fitted into the medal fitting holes vacated by the discharging, so that the medals are continuously discharged one by one.

Further, although not shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, inside each of the rotary reels 634a, 634b, and 634c, among the symbols applied to the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c, the symbol display window is displayed. Reel backlight 644 that illuminates the upper, middle, and lower symbols of each rotating reel 634a, 634b, 634c corresponding to 636 (which can be the target of the effective line that is the target of payout) independently from the back surface. (See FIG. 19) is provided. Further, a reel upper light 646 that directly illuminates the front of all of the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c is also provided on the upper part of the back surface of the symbol display window 636.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, in the operation unit installation table 622, the main credit display unit 652 and the main payout display unit are on the substantially horizontal plane of the step portion 622a provided between the symbol display window 636 and the stop switch 630. 654 is provided. Further, a sub-credit display unit 656 and a sub-payout display unit 658 are provided between the symbol display window 636 and the operation unit installation table 622. The number of credits is displayed on the main credit display unit 652 and the sub-credit display unit 656, and the number of medals paid out is displayed on the main payout display unit 654 and the sub-payout display unit 658. The sub-credit display unit 656 and the sub-payout display unit 658 can also display various numerical values associated with the effect.

Further, a power switch 648 is provided at an arbitrary position in the housing 602. The power switch 648 is composed of a switch such as a rocker switch that can detect a pressing operation, and is operated by an administrator who manages the slot machine 600 to switch between two states, a power off state and a power on state. Used.

In this embodiment, in the above one game, a medal is inserted through the medal insertion unit 624, a credited medal is inserted through the operation of the bet switch 626, or a replay combination is displayed on the valid line. After any of the automatic insertion of medals based on the above is performed, a plurality of rotating reels 634a, 634b, 634c are rotationally controlled and a winning combination lottery is executed according to the operation of the start switch 628 by the player, and the winning combination is won. In response to the lottery result of the winning combination lottery and the operation of the plurality of stop button switches 630a, 630b, 630c by the player, the rotating reels 634a, 634b, 634c corresponding to the operated stop button switches 630a, 630b, 630c are stopped and controlled, respectively. If a winner is awarded a medal that can be paid out, the game is played until the medal is paid out. In addition, if the winning combination that can receive the medal payout is not won, or if the winning combination is won but the prize is not won, one game ends when all the rotating reels 634a, 634b, and 634c are stopped. However, the start of one game may be read as the operation of the start switch 628 by the player instead of inserting the above medal or winning the replay combination. Further, the number of times such one game is repeated is defined as the number of games.

(Electrical configuration of slot machine 600)
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of the slot machine 600. As shown in FIG. 21, the slot machine 600 is mainly controlled by a control board. Here, as an example of the control board, the main control board 700 and the sub control board 702, which share the functions of the control board, will be described. For example, among the programs related to the progress of the game, particularly important processing such as lottery of the winning combination to be used for the game and its winning is executed on the main control board 700, and other processing related to the production, for example, is performed on the sub control board 702. Is running on. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the transmission of electrical signals between the main control board 700 and the sub control board 702 is one from the main control board 700 to the sub control board 702 from the viewpoint of fraud prevention and the like. Limited to direction only. However, if there is no such limitation, bidirectional communication is technically possible.

(Main control board 700)
The main control board 700 has various semiconductor integrated circuits including a main CPU 700a which is a central processing unit, a main ROM 700b in which programs and the like are stored, and a main RAM 700c which functions as a work area, and controls the entire slot machine 600 in an integrated manner. do. However, a backup power supply (not shown) is connected to the main RAM 700c, and even if the power is turned off, the data will not be erased unless the settings are changed and the initialization process of the main RAM 700c is executed. Be retained.

Further, the main control board 700 functions by the main CPU 700a cooperating with the main RAM 700c based on the program stored in the main ROM 700b, the initialization means 800, the betting means 802, the winning combination lottery means 804, and the reel control means. It has functional units such as 806, determination means 808, payout control means 810, state transition means 812, command determination means 814, and command transmission means 816.

The initialization means 800 executes the initialization process on the main control board 700. The betting means 802 bets medals for use in the game. Here, the bet is based on the case where the credited medal is inserted through the operation of the bet switch 626, the case where the medal is inserted through the medal insertion unit 624, and the case where the replay combination is displayed on the valid line. Includes all cases of automatic input. The winning combination lottery means 804 determines one of a plurality of types of winning combinations including a small winning combination, a replay winning combination, a bonus winning combination, and a loss by winning combination lottery based on the bet of the medal and the operation of the start switch 628. do.

The reel control means 806 controls the rotation of the plurality of rotary reels 634a, 634b, 634c according to the operation of the start switch 628, and the plurality of stop button switches 630a corresponding to the rotating rotary reels 634a, 634b, 634c, respectively. , 630b, 630c, the rotary reels 634a, 634b, 634c corresponding to the operated stop button switches 630a, 630b, 630c are stopped and controlled, respectively. Further, the reel control means 806 enables the operation of the stop switch 630 in the previous game in response to the operation of the start switch 628, and then the stop switch 630 by the player to display the lottery result of the winning combination lottery. The time until the operation is enabled (disabled by the completion of the operation of the stop switch 630 in the previous game) is extended from the specified time, during which the rotary reels 634a, 634b, and 634c are rotated in various modes. Reel production (freeze production) may be performed. In the reel effect, any switch that should be originally enabled is not enabled for a predetermined time, the processing that should be originally executed is suspended for a predetermined time, and the signal of any switch that should be originally transmitted / received is transmitted or received for a predetermined time. It can be realized by not having it.

The determination means 808 determines whether or not the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination determined in the winning combination lottery is displayed on the valid line. Here, the display of the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination determined in the winning combination lottery on the valid line may be simply referred to as winning. The payout control means 810 pays out as many medals as the number corresponding to the winning combination based on the fact that the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination determined in the winning combination lottery is displayed on the valid line (winning). .. The state transition means 812 transitions the gaming state based on the winning or winning of the bonus combination.

The command determination means 814 sequentially determines commands related to the game associated with the operations of the bet means 802, the winning combination lottery means 804, the reel control means 806, the determination means 808, the payout control means 810, the state transition means 812, and the like. The command transmitting means 816 sequentially transmits the commands determined by the command determining means 814 to the sub-control board 702.

The main control board 700 receives various detection signals from the input medal detection unit 624b, the bet switch 626, the start switch 628, and the stop switch 630, and based on the received detection signals, the bet means 802 and the winning combination lottery means. The 804, the reel control means 806, and the determination means 808 execute the various processes described above. Further, a main credit display unit 652 and a main payout display unit 654 are connected to the main control board 700, and the payout control means 810 displays the number of medals credits and the number of payouts to both display units 652 and 654. Control.

Further, a reel drive control unit 758 is connected to the main control board 700. The reel drive control unit 758 drives and stops the stepping motor 762 based on the rotation start signals of the rotary reels 634a, 634b, and 634c transmitted from the reel control means 806 in response to the operation signal of the start switch 628. Drive of the stepping motor 762 based on the stop signals of the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c and the detection signals of the rotation position detection circuit 760 transmitted from the reel control means 806 in response to the operation signal of the switch 630. To stop.

Further, a medal payout device 764 is connected to the main control board 700. A detection signal of the payout medal detection unit 764c is input to the main control board 700, and the payout control means 810 counts the number of medals to be paid out according to the detection signal from the payout control unit 764b. Control the ejection of medals.

Further, the main control board 700 is provided with a random number generator 700d. The random number generator 700d sequentially increments the count value, loops it within a predetermined total number (for example, 65536) (0 to 65535), and generates (acquires) a random number by extracting the count value at a predetermined time point. The random numbers generated by the random number generator 700d of the main control board 700 (hereinafter referred to as the winning combination lottery random number) are used for the game profit given to the player, for example, the winning combination lottery means 804 for executing the winning combination lottery. Will be.

(Sub-control board 702)
Further, the sub control board 702 has various semiconductor integrated circuits including a sub CPU 702a which is a central processing device, a sub ROM 702b in which a program or the like is stored, a sub RAM 702c which functions as a work area, and the like, like the main control board 700. , In particular, the effect is controlled based on the command from the main control board 700. Further, like the main RAM 700c, a backup power supply (not shown) is connected to the sub RAM 702c, and even when the power supply is turned off, the data is retained without being erased. The sub-control board 702 is also provided with a random number generator 702d as in the main control board 700, and the random numbers generated by the random number generator 702d (hereinafter referred to as “directed lottery random numbers”) mainly represent the mode of the effect. Used to determine.

Further, the sub control board 702 includes initialization determination means 830, command receiving means 832, effect control means 834, etc., in which the sub CPU 702a functions by cooperating with the sub RAM 702c based on the program stored in the sub ROM 702b. It has a functional part.

The initialization determination means 830 executes the initialization process on the sub-control board 702. The command receiving means 832 receives a command from another control board such as the main control board 700, and processes the command. The effect control means 834 receives the detection signal from the effect switch 632, and determines the effect of the game performed by each device of the liquid crystal display unit 638, the speaker 640, and the effect lamp 642 based on the winning combination command. Specifically, the effect control means 834 includes image data displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 638, an effect lamp 642, a reel backlight 644, a reel upper light 646, a sub-credit display unit 656, a sub-payout display unit 658, and the like. The lighting data for the production through the lighting device is determined, and the audio data constituting the sound to be output from the speaker 640 is determined. Then, the effect control means 834 executes the effect of the determined game.

The effect includes an effect executed by the main control board 700 such as the reel effect described above and an effect executed by the sub control board 702. The effect executed by the sub control board 702 is a liquid crystal display unit 638, a speaker 640, an effect lamp 642, a reel backlight 644, a reel upper light 646, a sub credit display unit 656, and a sub payout display unit as the game progresses. It is a visual and auditory expression means provided through 658 and the like, and can give a story to the game and suggest the result of the winning combination lottery with a more dynamic image. In such an effect, for example, an effect suggesting winning of a bonus game can be performed over a plurality of games to raise the player's expectation. In addition, even if you have not won any of the winning roles, you can give the player a sense of expectation of a high payout through the production as if you were also winning, so that the player will not get bored. It will be possible.

In the slot machine 600, the effect control means 834 functions as the effect determination means 332 and the effect execution means 334 described above, the effect accessory device 660 functions as the effect accessory device 202 described above, and the sub RAM 702c It functions as the above-mentioned sub RAM 330c.

202, 660 Directional accessory device 220 Driver 222 Motor 224 LED
330, 702 Sub control board 330a, 702a Sub CPU (CPU)
330b, 702b sub ROM
330c, 702c sub RAM
332 Direction determination means 334 Effect execution means 342 Controller 834 Effect control means (effect determination means, effect execution means)

Claims (1)

With a movable or rotatable directing accessory device,
A production lighting device that includes a light emitter,
A production decision method that determines the production as the game progresses,
An effect executing means for generating a command based on a control command for operating the effect accessory device and the effect lighting device associated with the determined effect.
Based on the command, the excitation pattern data indicating the excitation pattern of the effecting accessory device and the light emission amount data indicating the light emission amount of the light emitting body are generated, and an identifier common to the excitation pattern data and the light emission amount data is used. With a controller that outputs as serial data
When the effecting accessory device and the effecting lighting device can be connected independently and the serial data has an identifier indicating itself, the effecting accessory device is PWMed based on the excitation pattern data. And a driver that adjusts the light emitter by PWM based on the light emission amount data.
A gaming machine equipped with.

Images