JP7219798B2 - game machine - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a gaming machine that determines by lottery whether or not to give a game profit to a player.

In general, in a gaming machine (pachinko machine), a game ball is shot toward a game area in a game board by a player's steering wheel operation, and a game ball that has flowed down the game area enters a starting hole. A lottery related to the design is executed. Then, the special symbols are variably displayed on the special symbol display device, and the special symbols determined by the lottery are stopped and displayed to inform the player of the result of the lottery. At this time, when a specific special symbol indicating a big hit is stopped and displayed on the special symbol display device, a big win game that is more advantageous to the player than a normal game is started. In this big win game, the attacker device opens and closes a predetermined number of times, allowing game balls to enter the big winning opening, so that the player can receive a lot of payout balls.

In such a gaming machine, in order to make the player expect that the variable display on the special symbol display device is a big win, the accessories provided in the gaming machine are driven in accordance with the variable display. , There may be an effect such as lighting a lamp. 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 first converted into serial data, serial-parallel converted on the game board side, and then the accessories and lamps are operated. (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-011367 A

By using serial transmission for communication between the driver that outputs discrete (ON/OFF) signals to accessories and lamps and the controller that controls them, not only is the number of harnesses reduced, security is improved and communication is stable. can be improved.

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

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine capable of appropriately controlling accessories.

In order to solve the above problems, the gaming machine of the present invention includes a movable or rotatable performance accessory device, performance determination means for determining a performance as the game progresses, and a performance associated with the determined performance. production execution means for generating a command based on a control command for operating the production accessory device; generating an excitation pattern for the production accessory device based on the command; a controller that serially transmits pattern data; a driver that drives the plurality of performance accessory devices in parallel based on the excitation pattern data; and a shift register that sequentially outputs data; can asynchronously generate the excitation patterns of the plurality of performance accessory devices corresponding to the above, attach an identifier specifying the driver to the generated excitation pattern data, and during transmission of the excitation pattern data, another When the excitation pattern of the production accessory device changes, the excitation pattern data of the other production accessory device is held in the shift register, and after the transmission of the excitation pattern data being transmitted is completed, the other production accessory device When the identifier designates itself, the driver drives the performance accessory device based on the excitation pattern data .

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the role product.

1 is a perspective view of a gaming machine showing a state in which a door is opened; FIG. 1 is a front view of a game machine; FIG. It is a block diagram of a game machine. It is a block diagram for explaining 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. 4 is a flow chart showing a control mode in a sub-control board; It is an explanatory view for explaining the flow of processing of the effect accessory device and the effect lighting device. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining transmission timing of a controller; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining transmission timing of a controller; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining transmission timing of a controller; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining transmission timing of a controller; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an output mode of excitation pattern data; It is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of a plurality of performance accessories device. It is an explanatory view showing a control command table associated with the performance accessories device. It is an explanatory view showing a control command table associated with the performance accessories device. It is an explanatory view showing a control command table associated with the performance accessories device. 1 is an external view for explaining a schematic mechanical configuration of a slot machine; FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view of the slot machine with the front door opened, for explaining the schematic mechanical configuration of the slot machine; It is a figure which shows the pattern arrangement|sequence of a reel. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of a slot machine; FIG.

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

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gaming machine 100 of this embodiment, showing a state in which the door is opened. As shown, the game machine 100 includes an outer frame 102 in which a space is formed by four sides assembled in a substantially rectangular shape, a middle frame 104 attached to the outer frame 102 by a hinge mechanism so as to be freely opened and closed, and the A front frame 106 attached to the middle frame 104 by a hinge mechanism so as to be openable and closable is provided.

Similarly to the outer frame 102, the middle frame 104 has a surrounding space formed by four sides assembled in a substantially rectangular shape, and a game board 108 is held in this surrounding space. Further, the front frame 106 holds a transmission 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 game board 108 and the transmission plate 110 face each other substantially parallel to each other while maintaining a predetermined distance. , the game board 108 becomes visible through the transparent plate 110 .

FIG. 2 is a front view of the gaming machine 100. FIG. As shown in this figure, an operation handle 112 projecting toward the front side of the gaming machine 100 is provided at the lower portion of the front frame 106 . The operating handle 112 is provided so that the player can rotate it, and when the player rotates the operating handle 112 to perform a shooting operation, the strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the operating handle 112 is applied (not shown). A game ball is shot by the shooting mechanism. The game ball shot in this manner rises between rails 114 a and 114 b provided on the game board 108 and is guided to the game area 116 .

The game area 116 is a space formed between the game board 108 and the transmission plate 110, and is an area in which game balls can flow down or roll. The game board 108 is provided with a large number of nails and windmills, and the game balls guided to the game area 116 collide with the nails and the windmills to flow down and roll in irregular directions.

The game area 116 is provided with a first game area 116a and a second game area 116b in which the degree of entry of game balls differs from each other according to the firing intensity of the shooting mechanism. The first game area 116a is located on the left side of the game area 116 when viewed from the player facing the gaming machine 100, and the second game area 116b is located on the left side of the game area 116 when viewed from the player facing the gaming machine 100. located on the right side of the Since the rails 114a and 114b are located on the left side of the game area 116, the game ball fired by the shooting mechanism with a shooting intensity lower than a predetermined intensity enters the first game area 116a and is shot with a shooting intensity equal to or higher than the predetermined intensity. The played game ball enters the second game area 116b.

In addition, 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 game balls can enter. When a game ball enters the second start hole 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 may be different for each of the general prize winning opening 118, the first starting opening 120, and the second starting opening 122. , may be set to the same number of prize balls. At this time, it is also possible to set the number of winning balls to be put out by entering the first starting port 120 to be smaller than the number of winning balls to be put out by entering the second starting port 122.例文帳に追加be.

A first starting region is provided within the first starting port 120 , and a second starting region is provided within the second starting port 122 . Then, when the game ball enters the first start port 120 or the second start port 122 and enters the first start area or the second start area, one of a plurality of special symbols provided in advance is selected. A lottery is held to determine 1 special symbol. Each special symbol is associated with various game benefits such as whether or not a large winning game advantageous to the player can be executed, and what kind of game state the subsequent game state should be. Therefore, when a game ball enters the first start hole 120 or the second start hole 122, the player can obtain a predetermined prize ball and at the same time obtain an opportunity to obtain rights to receive various game benefits. becomes.

In addition, a movable piece 122b is provided in the second starting port 122 so that it can be opened and closed. It's becoming Specifically, when the movable piece 122b is in the closed state, it is impossible to enter the game ball into the second starting port 122.例文帳に追加On the other hand, when the game ball passes through the entry area in the gate 124 provided in the game area 116, a normal pattern lottery is performed, and when winning is won by this lottery, the movable piece 122b is opened for a predetermined time. controlled by In this way, when the movable piece 122b is in the open state, the movable piece 122b functions as a tray that guides the game ball to the second starting hole 122, making it easier for the game ball to enter the second starting hole 122. In addition, here, when the second starting port 122 is in the closed state, it is assumed that the game ball cannot enter the second starting port 122, but when the second starting port 122 is in the closed state In some cases, it may be configured so that the game ball can be entered with a certain frequency.

Furthermore, the game area 116 is provided with a big winning opening 128 into which game balls can enter. An openable/closable door 128b is provided in the large winning opening 128. Normally, the opening/closing door 128b closes the large winning opening 128, making it impossible for game balls to enter the large winning opening 128. It's becoming On the other hand, when the above-mentioned big win game is executed, the opening/closing door 128b is opened, and the entry of the game ball into the big winning opening 128 becomes possible. Then, when a game ball enters the big winning hole 128, a predetermined prize ball is paid out to the player.

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

The game machine 100 includes a performance display device 200 comprising a liquid crystal display device, a performance accessory device 202 comprising a driving device, and various lighting modes and emission colors as performance devices for performing performance during the progress of a game. A production lighting device 204 made up of a lamp, a music output device 206 made up of a speaker, and a production operation device 208 that accepts a player's operation are provided.

The effect display device 200 is provided with a effect display unit 200a consisting of an image display unit for displaying an image. are placed. In this effect display section 200a, effect patterns 210a, 210b, and 210c are variably displayed as shown, and the player is notified of the result of the large role lottery by the stopped display mode of each of these effect patterns 210a, 210b, and 210c. will be executed.

The effect accessory device 202 is arranged in front of the effect display section 200a, and moves and rotates in an area visible to the player, thereby giving the player a sense of anticipation of a big win. 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 variable display of the above-described effect symbols 210a, 210b, and 210c. and rotate about the longitudinal axis. Also, the moving accessory 202b as the effect accessory device 202 in FIG. It moves to the front of the effect display section 200a.

The effect lighting device 204 is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and is provided in the effect accessory device 202, the game board 108, etc., and variously lights up in accordance with the image displayed on the effect display section 200a. controlled.

The music output device 206 is provided at the upper position of the front frame 106 or the lowest position of the outer frame 102, and outputs various music to the front side of the gaming machine 100 in accordance with the images displayed on the effect display section 200a. to output

The effect operation device 208 is composed of a button that receives a player's pressing operation and a rotation operation unit (for example, a jog dial) that receives a player's rotation operation. It is provided below the transmission plate 110 . The effect operation device 208 is activated in accordance with the image displayed on the effect display section 200a, and when the player's operation is received within the operation valid period, various effects are executed in accordance with the operation. .

In addition, behind the effect operation device 208, there is an upper tray 132 to which the prize balls paid out from the gaming machine 100 and the game balls rented from the game ball lending device are guided. , the game ball is guided to the lower plate 134 . Also, the bottom surface of the lower tray 134 is formed with a ball removal hole (not shown) for ejecting game balls from the lower tray 134 . This ball removal hole is normally closed by an opening/closing plate (not shown), but by sliding the ball removal knob 134a in the horizontal direction in the drawing, the opening/closing plate slides integrally with the ball removal knob 134a. Then, the game ball can be discharged below the lower tray 134 through the ball extraction hole.

In addition, on the game board 108, a first special symbol display device 160, a second special symbol display device 162, a first special symbol holding device, and a first special symbol display device 160, a second special symbol display device 162, and a first special symbol reserve are provided outside the game area 116 and at positions visible to the player. A display device 164, a second special symbol reservation display device 166, a normal symbol display device 168, a normal symbol reservation display device 170, and a right-handed information display device 172 are provided. Each of these displays 160 to 172 is a device for displaying various situations relating to the game.

(Internal configuration of control means)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of control means for controlling the progress of a game. The main control board 300 controls the basic operations of the game. The main control board 300 includes a main CPU 300a, a main ROM 300b, and a main RAM 300c. The main CPU 300a reads the program stored in the main ROM 300b based on the input signals from the detection switches and timers and performs arithmetic processing, and directly controls each device and display, or the result of the 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 includes a general winning hole detection switch 118s for detecting that a game ball has entered the general winning hole 118, and a first starting hole for detecting that a game ball has entered the first starting hole 120. A detection switch 120s, a second start opening detection switch 122s for detecting that a game ball has entered the second start opening 122, a gate detection switch 124s for detecting that a game ball has passed through the gate 124, and a 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.

In addition, the main control board 300 has a normal electric accessory solenoid 122c that operates the movable piece 122b of the second starting port 122, and a large winning prize opening solenoid 128c that operates an open/close door 128b that opens and closes the large winning prize opening 128. The main control board 300 controls the opening and closing of the second starting port 122 and the big winning port 128 .

Furthermore, the main control board 300 includes a first special symbol display 160, a second special symbol display 162, a first special symbol reservation display 164, a second special symbol reservation display 166, a normal symbol display 168, and a normal symbol display. A symbol holding indicator 170 and a right-handed information indicator 172 are connected, and the main control board 300 controls the display of each of these indicators.

In addition, the gaming machine 100 of the present embodiment mainly includes a special game that is started by entering a game ball into the first start port 120 or the second start port 122, and a game ball that starts when the game ball passes 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 progressing special games and normal games, data necessary for various games, and tables.

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

The payout control board 310 performs control for shooting game balls and payout prize balls. This payout control board 310 also includes a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and is connected to the main control board 300 so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. A game information output terminal board 312 is connected to the payout control board 310 , and various information on the progress of the game output from the main control board 300 is transmitted via the payout control board 310 and the game information output terminal board 312 . , is output to a hall computer or the like of the amusement arcade.

The payout control board 310 is also connected with a payout motor 314 for paying out the game balls stored in the storage portion to the player as prize balls. 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 pay out predetermined prize balls to the player. At this time, the number of put-out game balls is detected by the put-out ball counting switch 316s, and it is grasped whether the prize balls to be put out have been put out to the player.

Further, the payout control board 310 is connected with a full-dish detection switch 318 s for detecting the full state of the lower tray 134 . This full-dish detection switch 318s is provided in a passage leading game balls paid out as prize balls to the lower tray 134, and every time a 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 the lower tray 134 is filled with a predetermined amount or more of game balls, the game balls stay in the passage toward the lower tray 134, and are directed toward the payout control board 310 from the tray full detection switch 318s. , the game ball detection signal is continuously input. The payout control board 310 determines that the lower tray 134 is full when the game ball detection signal is continuously input for a predetermined period of time, and transmits a full tray command to the main control board 300 . On the other hand, when the continuous input of the game ball detection signal is interrupted after the full-dish command is transmitted, it is determined that the full-drained state is canceled, and the full-dish full-drain release command is transmitted to the main control board 300 .

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

The sub-control board 330 mainly controls each effect such as during a game or during standby. This sub-control board 330 includes a sub-CPU 330a, a sub-ROM 330b, and a sub-RAM 330c. connected as possible. The sub CPU 330a reads 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, etc., performs arithmetic processing, and executes and controls the performance. 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 section 200a. The sub ROM 330b stores a large amount of image data such as patterns and backgrounds to be displayed in the effect display section 200a. Controls image display. Also, the sub control board 330 drives and controls the performance accessory device 202 , controls lighting of the performance lighting device 204 , and performs music output control for outputting music from the music output device 206 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the control mode of the effect display unit 200a, the effect accessory device 202, the effect lighting device 204, and the music output device 206 in the sub control board 330, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a control mode to be performed. A sub CPU (CPU) 330a provided on the sub control board 330 functions as effect determining means 332 and effect executing means 334 in cooperation with a program stored in a sub ROM 330b and a sub RAM 330c. The effect determining means 332 interprets the command transmitted from the main control board 300 and determines the effect pattern (contents 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 (interrupt processes) corresponding to interrupts, and are executed at interrupt timings associated with respective devices.

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 section 200a among the effects indicated 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 processing from step S10. The image IC 340a, also called a VDP (Video Display Processor), reads image data specified by an image command from the image ROM 340b to an image RAM (VRAM) 340c, and sequentially outputs the image data to the effect display section 200a. Some kind of image is always displayed in the effect display section 200a. Therefore, the effect determining means 332 always determines the image data for each interrupt period. The image RAM 340c has different layers, and each layer can hold different image data. Then, image IC 340a superimposes the image data held in a plurality of layers, and outputs the superimposed image data to effect display section 200a.

In addition, in parallel with the control over the image IC 340a, the effect determining means 332, when a predetermined interrupt period (for example, 2 msec) has arrived (YES in S10) with the determination of the effect pattern, performs a role based on the effect pattern. An object pattern (contents indicating a series of actions of the production accessory device 202 among the effects indicated by the production pattern) is determined (S11). Then, the effect executing means 334 sends a command indicating at least one of the advancing direction (rotating direction), advancing amount (rotating amount), advancing speed (rotating speed) to the controller 342 at predetermined time intervals according to the character pattern. It transmits (S12) and repeats the processing from step S10. The controller 342 drives the performance accessory device 202 according to such commands. Here, the performance accessory device 202 operates only when the accessory pattern is determined. Note that the performance accessory device 202 is a temporary performance accompanied by physical actions that heighten the player's expectation of a big win. Object patterns are determined infrequently.

In addition, when a predetermined interrupt period (for example, 33 msec) comes along with the determination of the effect pattern (YES in S10), the effect determination means 332 determines the lighting pattern based on the effect pattern. content indicating a series of lighting modes of the lighting device 204) is determined (S11). Then, according to the illumination pattern, the effect executing means 334 transmits a command of 1 (ON) or 0 (OFF) to the controller 342 at predetermined time intervals (S12), and repeats the processing from step S10, in the same manner as the character pattern. . The controller 342 turns on or off the FETs that drive the effect lighting device 204 according to such commands. Thus, lighting control of the lamp, which is the effect lighting device 204, is performed. It should be noted that the effect lighting device 204 is always repeatedly turned on and off. Therefore, the effect determining means 332 always determines the effect pattern for each interrupt period.

In parallel with the control over the image IC 340a and the controller 342, the effect determination means 332 determines the effect pattern, and when a predetermined interrupt period (for example, 50 msec) arrives (YES in S10), the effect pattern is executed. (S11). Then, the effect executing means 334 transmits a music command capable of specifying music data to the music IC 346a (S12), and repeats the processing from step S10. The music IC 346a reads 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. FIG. 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 period. The music IC 346a has a plurality of music buffers (buffers), and each music buffer can hold different music data. Then, the music IC 346 a superimposes the music data held in the plurality of music buffers, and outputs the superimposed music data to the music output device 206 .

Here, a series of functional units such as sub-CPU 330a, sub-RAM 330c, image IC 340a, image ROM 340b, image RAM 340c, controller 342, music IC 346a, music ROM 346b, etc. are integrated into one integrated circuit as SoC (System-on-a-Chip). are accumulated in However, it is possible to arbitrarily set which function units are integrated in such SoC. Also, the sub CPU 330a, sub RAM 330c, image IC 340a, image ROM 340b, image RAM 340c, controller 342, music IC 346a, music ROM 346b, and other functional units may be integrated as different integrated circuits and electrically connected.

Furthermore, in the sub control board 330, a detection signal from a depression detection switch 208s for detecting that the effect operation device 208 is pressed and a rotation detection switch 209s that detects that the effect operation device 208 is rotated. is entered. When a detection signal is input from the depression detection switch 208s or the rotation detection switch 209s, various effects such as an image being displayed on the effect display section 200a are executed.

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

(Description of production accessory device 202 and production lighting device 204)
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the processing flow of the production accessory device 202 and the production lighting device 204, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the transmission timing of the controller 342. FIG. As described above, in the sub-control board 330, the effect determining means 332 determines a character pattern based on the effect pattern, and the effect executing means 334 generates a command according to the character 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, in conjunction with the drive (rotation) of the motor 222, the rotary accessory 202a rotates. Here, an example of driving the rotating system motor 222 that operates the rotating accessory 202a as the effect accessory device 202 is described, but any actuator that moves or rotates according to an electric signal may be used. , a linear motor, a solenoid, etc., can be applied.

Specifically, the effect executing means 334 reads a control command table corresponding to the character pattern from the sub ROM 330b. The control command table (control command program) is a time-series list of a plurality of control commands that constitute a series of character patterns to be executed based on the performance pattern. branching, iteration) are processed. The control command is a command that indicates driving conditions for driving the motor 222, and describes, for example, the direction of rotation, the amount of rotation, the speed of rotation, and the like.

The effect executing means 334 extracts control commands at predetermined time intervals from the head of the control command table, analyzes the extracted control commands, generates commands based on the analysis contents, and transmits the commands to the controller 342 . For example, if the read control command is a control command "ADV" indicating rotation in the forward direction, a command to rotate in the forward direction by the amount of rotation added to the control command at the rotation speed added to the control command is generated. do. In addition, when the control command accompanies the timing process or the process for the sensor input, the effect executing means 334 performs those processes 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 operation device 208 receives the pressing operation of the player, the rotation of the rotating accessory 202a is started. , the waiting process for the arrival of such an opportunity is internally completed, and only the commands related to the rotation operation of the rotating accessory 202a are transmitted to the controller 342. In this way, the performance executing means 334 executes complicated processing in a self-contained manner, while the controller 342 executes only simple processing, thereby forming an efficient and inexpensive system as a whole.

The controller 342 is also called an SMC (Serial Management Controller), and as shown in FIG. 6, multiple drivers 220 are connected to one controller 342 . The controller 342 and the plurality of drivers 220 are connected in a tree configuration by a clock synchronous serial bus (ASIB: Axell Serial Interface Bus). By connecting multiple drivers 220 to one controller 342 in this manner, the controller 342 can control multiple (eg, 24) motors 222 and multiple (eg, 32) sensors associated with the motors 222 . can be done.

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

Here, the controller 342 is configured to output only serial data to the target motor 222 at the timing when the excitation pattern changes. In addition to shortening the occupancy time in the , it is possible to 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 the identifier attached to the serial data is an identifier that designates itself, and if the identifier is an identifier that designates itself, Takes in the excitation pattern data in the serial data. Here, if the identifier does not specify itself, the serial data is ignored (not captured). Then, the driver 220 generates an excitation pattern for the target motor 222 according to the excitation pattern data.

Specifically, the discrete (ON/OFF) outputs of the driver 220 are connected to the excitation phases of the motor 222, respectively. The motor 222 is driven by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) with a ratio of 50%. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(c), at the timing when the excitation pattern data for turning ON the A phase from OFF is taken, the A phase is turned ON from OFF and, at the same time, the /B phase is changed from ON to OFF. During this time, the B phase and /A phase are kept OFF.

If a solenoid is connected to the driver 220, it can be driven by controlling a discrete (ON/OFF) output of 1 bit (1 port) like the effect lighting device 204 described later. .

Here, the excitation pattern is centrally managed by the controller 342 by performing update calculation of the excitation pattern by the controller 342, and each driver 220 simply outputs a 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 .

Also, the effect determining means 332 determines a lighting pattern based on the effect pattern, and the effect executing means 334 generates a command according to the lighting pattern. Here, an example in which an LED (light emitter) 224 is caused to emit light as the effect lighting device 204 will be described. In addition to LEDs, light bulbs and lamps can also be used as light emitters.

Specifically, the effect executing means 334 reads a control command table corresponding to the lighting pattern from the sub ROM 330b. Similar to the control instruction table for the character pattern, the control instruction table is a list in which a plurality of control instructions constituting a series of lighting patterns executed based on the effect pattern are listed in chronological order. Processing is performed in order (sequential, branching, iterative). Here, the control command is a command indicating a light emission condition for causing the LED 224, which is a light emitter, to emit light. be done.

The effect executing means 334 extracts control commands at predetermined time intervals from the head of the control command table, analyzes the extracted control commands, generates commands based on the analysis contents, and transmits the commands to the controller 342 . For example, if the read control instruction is a control instruction "SLINE" that gradually changes the luminance, the time added to the control instruction is changed from the luminance at the start to the luminance at the end added to the control instruction. Generates a command that varies over If the control command involves timing processing or sensor input processing, the effect executing means 334 may perform these processing self-sufficiently, as in the case of the character pattern.

When the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, it internally automatically generates a luminance light emission pattern for an arbitrary LED 224 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 8(a). In addition, the light emission pattern of LED224 is formed with respect to each of three LED224 which bears each emission color of RGB, for example. That is, one port of the driver 220 is assigned to one of the RGB LEDs 224 . Then, when the timing at which the light emission pattern of the arbitrary LED 224 is changed, for example, the timing at which the luminance changes, the controller 342 generates luminance data ( light emission amount data) is combined with the identifier of the driver 220 to which the target LED 224 is connected, and is output as serial data to the serial bus. At this time, the luminance and the PWM pulse width do not have a proportional relationship, and the luminance of the LED 224 changes nonlinearly with respect to the change in the PWM pulse width. Therefore, in order to absorb such a non-linear relationship, the controller 342 corrects the brightness to a PWM value through a brightness adjustment table that uniquely associates brightness and PWM pulse width.

Here also, the controller 342 is configured to output only serial data to the target LED 224 at the timing when the light emission pattern changes. It is possible to shorten the occupation time and reduce the processing load and radiation noise.

Each driver 220 reads the serial data output from the controller 342, determines whether the identifier attached to the serial data is an identifier that designates itself, and if the identifier is an identifier that designates itself, The luminance data in the serial data is taken 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 represented by, for example, 128 gradations by PWM control of discrete signals, as shown in FIG. 8(c). Therefore, as the brightness increases, the pulse width per unit time increases.

Here, brightness can be adjusted by PWM control in the driver 220, so heat generation can be minimized, and power saving and continuous driving time can be extended by reducing the ON time. The driver 220 is originally intended to cause the LED 224 to emit light by PWM, and the motor 222 described above is operated using the PWM function provided in the LED 224 . Thus, the PWM function can be shared to operate the motor 222 and the LED 224 .

As described above, the driver 220 of this embodiment can drive the motor 222 and cause the LED 224 to emit light. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor 222 and the LED 224 can be connected in parallel to one driver 220 . Further, by standardizing 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 controlled 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 drivers 220 in this way, the management of the drivers 220 can be centralized, which facilitates the design of the control instruction table for controlling the drivers 220 and makes it possible to standardize the processing. Also, in the electrical design, there is no need to refer to the standards of each of the multiple types of drivers, making it possible to standardize the wiring.

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

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

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the transmission timing of the controller 342. As shown in FIG. When the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, it automatically generates an excitation pattern internally for driving an arbitrary motor 222 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 9(a). For example, when an arbitrary motor 222 is rotated forward 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, the controller 342 changes the content after the change as shown in FIG. 9B. is combined with the identifier of the driver 220 to which the target motor 222 is connected, and output as serial data to the serial bus.

Here, it is assumed that among the plurality of motors 222 being driven, the rotation speeds of the other motors 222 are equal and the change timing of the excitation pattern is close to the change timing of the arbitrary motor 222 . Since the controller 342 can control a plurality of motors 222 in parallel, it can also internally and automatically generate excitation patterns for driving other motors 222 as shown in FIG. 9(c). When the timing at which the excitation pattern of the other motors 222 is changed, for example, the timing at which the phase A changes from OFF to ON, the controller 342 controls the excitation pattern indicating the contents after the change, similarly to the arbitrary motor 222 . 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 it as serial data to the serial bus. However, here, the excitation pattern data of arbitrary motor 222 has already been output as serial data, and transmission collision (competition) occurs.

In this way, the excitation pattern change timings of the plurality of motors 222 become close, and while the serial data transmission of the arbitrary motor 222 whose excitation pattern changed first is not completed, the other motors 222 If the excitation pattern of , the other motors 222 cannot transmit serial data. 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 prompts the retransmission (retry) of the serial data if the serial data has not been transmitted. It is conceivable to configure However, if such a configuration is adopted, the processing load on the effect executing means 334 will increase, and the overall processing efficiency will decrease.

Therefore, the configuration of the controller 342 is devised so that the motors 222 are 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 another motor 222 changes during transmission of the excitation pattern data, the controller 342 transmits the excitation pattern data of the other motor 222 after completing the transmission of the excitation pattern data being transmitted. The specific operation will be described below.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the transmission timing of the controller 342. As shown in FIG. As in FIG. 9, when the controller 342 receives a command from the effect executing means 334, it automatically generates an excitation pattern internally for driving an arbitrary motor 222 according to the received command, as shown in FIG. 10(a). do. 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 controller 342 changes the contents after the change as shown in FIG. 10(b). is combined with the identifier and output as serial data to the serial bus. Here, as shown in FIG. 10(c), when the excitation pattern of the other motor 222 changes, the controller 342 combines the excitation pattern data indicating the content after the change with the identifier at that timing as serial data. Attempt to output to the bus.

However, since the excitation pattern data for an arbitrary motor 222 has already been output here, the controller 342 postpones the start of transmission of the excitation pattern data for the other motors 222, and as shown in FIG. After the transmission of the excitation pattern data of the motor 222 is completed, the excitation pattern data of the other motors 222 is transmitted following the excitation pattern data of the arbitrary motor 222 .

For example, the controller 342 has a shift register with a FIFO (First In First Out) function to hold the excitation pattern data. At the timing when the excitation pattern of any motor 222 changes, the controller 342 holds the excitation pattern data of the motor 222 in the shift register 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. 11(a). When the excitation pattern of an 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. 11(b). After that, as shown in FIG. 11(c), serial data of an arbitrary motor 222 are sequentially output in accordance with the clocks determined on the serial bus.

If the excitation pattern of another motor 222 changes during the transmission of serial data of any motor 222, that is, while the transmission of the serial data is not completed, the controller 342 holds the serial data of the other motors 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 motors 222 are held immediately after the excitation pattern data of the arbitrary motor 222 .

After that, as shown in FIG. 11(e), when the output of serial data from an arbitrary motor 222 is completed in accordance with the clock specified for the serial bus, the output of serial data from another 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. FIG. In this way, the excitation pattern of the other motors 222 is temporarily disturbed, but since it is for an extremely short time, it does not affect the actual operation of the performance accessory device 202 . Then, the serial data of the other motors 222 are sequentially output as serial data in accordance with the clock specified for the serial bus, and the output of all 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 can proactively transmit one serial data in response to a data collision based on asynchronization regardless of the change mode. Although the transmission timing of serial data is delayed by a configuration in which the delay is delayed and the delay is absorbed by the shift register, the blurring is minimized and the plurality of production accessory devices 202 are operated without imposing a load on the production execution means 334.例文帳に追加Appropriate driving becomes possible.

(Interference of production accessories device 202)
In this way, while the plurality of performance accessory devices 202 can be appropriately driven, the number of performance accessory devices 202 provided in one gaming machine 100 continues to increase, and the plurality of performance accessory devices 202 There may be a positional relationship in which they interfere with each other. Under such circumstances, when trying to operate an arbitrary performance accessory device 202, it is confirmed that the other performance accessory device 202 is not in a position to interfere with the arbitrary performance accessory device 202 that is the target of operation. There must be.

However, if the position of another performance accessory device 202 is checked each time the performance accessory device 202 is operated and it is determined whether or not there is interference with that performance accessory device 202, the control becomes complicated and the processing load increases. lead to an increase. In addition, under a situation where an abnormality (error) has occurred in the gaming machine 100 for some reason, if the performance accessory device 202 is not immediately retracted to the retracted position, the performance accessory device 202 will not be displayed on the performance display section 200a. and damage the structure. Therefore, here, a method for avoiding interference between the production accessory devices 202 by simple processing 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 production accessory devices 202, each of the plurality of production accessory devices 202 is associated with a control command table, and the production execution means 334 simultaneously starts the plurality of control command tables, By performing parallel processing (more precisely, time-division processing), a plurality of production accessory devices 202 can be operated in parallel. However, if the production accessory devices 202 are in a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship, the control instruction tables associated with the production accessory devices 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 section) so that it can be read by the effect executing means 334. FIG. Also, here, an example using only one event flag will be described, but if it is necessary to separately manage a plurality of production accessory devices 202 collectively, an event flag may be provided for each management unit. can be done.

This event flag objectively indicates what kind of moving state or rotating state the plurality of performance accessory devices 202 are in as a result of executing each control command table, and It is possible to specify which production accessory device 202 is permitted to move or retreat, and which production accessory device 202 is restricted (restricted) in movement or evacuation. Therefore, in a plurality of control command tables, the progress status of each other control command table, that is, the position of the production accessory device 202 associated therewith by the other control command table, and its own To avoid interference between the performance accessory devices 202 by judging whether or not the operation is possible only by referring to the event flag without confirming whether or not it is in a position to interfere with the performance accessory device 202 associated with the control command table. be able to.

After providing such an event flag, the effect executing means 334, when the event flag satisfies a predetermined permission condition in the control command table, creates a effect associated with the control command table that satisfies the permission condition. Assume that the accessory device 202 is operated. Here, the permission condition means a condition that the operation of the performance accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table is not hindered. Therefore, when the event flag satisfies the predetermined permission condition in the control command table, the movement state or rotation state of the plurality of performance accessory devices 202 indicated by the event flag is associated with its own control command table. This indicates that the object device 202 is in a state where it does not interfere with its operation. Conversely, if the event flag does not satisfy the predetermined permission conditions in the control command table, the movement of the effect accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table is restricted (restricted).

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

In addition, the effect executing means 334 updates (sets) the event flag when a predetermined update condition in the control command table is satisfied. Here, the update condition is a condition that the production accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table has performed an action that affects the event flag. Note that the update of the event flag is executed according to the control instruction. Therefore, satisfying the predetermined update condition in the control instruction table means that the production accessory device 202 associated with its own control instruction table has moved or rotated based on the control instruction table, and a plurality of production accessory devices have been moved or rotated. 202 has changed its translation or rotation state. In this case the event flag is updated.

With this configuration, in executing the control command table, the result of operation of the production accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table can be reflected in the event flag. By referring to the event flags reflected in this manner, the other control command tables can grasp the current movement states or rotation states of the plurality of production accessory devices 202 . In this way, the event flag is updated by the operation of an arbitrary performance accessory device 202, and the other performance accessory devices 202 operate according to the updated event flag. By working together, a series of desired operations is completed.

In addition, when the event flag satisfies a predetermined save condition in the control command table, the effect executing means 334 saves the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control command table that satisfies the save condition. do. Here, the retraction condition refers to a condition that retraction of the production accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table is not prevented. Therefore, when the event flag satisfies the predetermined save condition in the control command table, the movement state or rotation state of the plurality of performance accessory devices 202 indicated by the event flag is associated with its own control command table. This indicates that the object device 202 is in a state where it is not prevented from retracting. Conversely, if the event flag does not satisfy the predetermined save conditions in the control command table, the save operation of the production accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table is limited (restricted).

With such a configuration, in executing the control command table, if only the event flag is referred to without grasping the progress of other control command tables, the effect accessory device 202 associated with its own control command table is saved. Since it is possible to grasp whether it is possible or not, the effect executing means 334 can appropriately retract the effect accessory device 202 associated with the control command table by the fact that the event flag satisfies the predetermined retraction condition. becomes.

In this way, even if a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship exists between a plurality of production accessory devices 202, only by determining whether or not the permission condition, the update condition, and the save condition are satisfied using the event flag, It is possible to appropriately move and retract the production accessory device 202 while avoiding interference between them. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the structure from being damaged and the display of the effect display section 200a from being obstructed. Further, the control instruction table does not need to provide a control instruction for monitoring the progress of other control instruction tables, as long as a control instruction for determining whether or not a permission condition, an update condition, a save condition, etc. are satisfied is provided. , and 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 production accessory devices 202. As shown in FIG. Here, an example in which the three production accessory devices 202 (202c, 202d, 202e) interfere with each other will be given, and control for avoiding the interference will be described.

Referring to FIG. 12, the performance accessory device 202c is retracted to the retreat position indicated by the solid line, and can be moved to the movement position indicated by the broken line by rotating around the rotation axis C. As shown in FIG. Also, the performance accessory device 202d is retracted to the retracted position indicated by the solid line, and can be moved to the moving position indicated by the broken line by rotating around the rotation axis D. Also, the performance accessory device 202e is retracted to the retreat position indicated by the solid line, and can be moved to the movement 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 movement position of the effect accessory device 202e, the effect accessory device 202e moves to the movement position of the liquid crystal display device. Since the effect accessory device 202e and the liquid crystal image behind the effect accessory device 202e can be integrated with each other, it is possible to enhance the effect of notifying the game results.

However, the three production accessory devices 202 (202c, 202d, 202e) are in a positional relationship that interferes with each other. cannot be moved, and the production accessory device 202d can be moved by moving the production accessory device 202c to the movement position. Similarly, while the device 202d is at the retracted position, the performance accessory device 202e cannot be moved, and the performance accessory device 202e can be moved by moving the performance accessory device 202d to the movement position. On the other hand, regarding retraction, the effect accessory device 202d cannot be retracted while the effect accessory device 202e is at the movement position, and the effect accessory device 202d can be retracted by moving the effect accessory device 202e to the retracted position. becomes. Similarly, while the production accessory device 202d is at the moving position, the production accessory device 202c cannot be retracted (although it is actually retractable, if the production accessory device 202c is retracted to the retracted position, the production accessory device 202d cannot retreat to the retracted position, control is performed to prohibit retraction of the performance accessory device 202c), and the performance accessory device 202c can be retracted by moving the performance accessory device 202d to the retracted position. becomes. Here, under such conditions, a control command table is proposed to avoid interference between the three production accessory devices 202 (202c, 202d, 202e).

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a control instruction table associated with the production accessory device 202c, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a control instruction table associated with the production accessory device 202d. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a control command table associated with the performance accessory device 202e. Here, for ease of understanding, the control instructions in the control instruction table are shown in a flow chart based on the flow of processing. Also, the event flag (EVF) takes a value of 0-5. Here, event flags 0 to 2 indicate permission conditions. Specifically, the event flag 0 indicates that the operation of the performance accessory device 202c is not hindered, the event flag 1 indicates that the operation of the presentation accessory device 202d is not hindered, and the event flag 2 indicates that the operation of the presentation accessory device 202e is not hindered. Indicates unhindered. Event flags 3 to 5 indicate save conditions. Specifically, the event flag 3 indicates that the evacuation of the production accessory device 202e is not prevented, the event flag 4 indicates that the evacuation of the production accessory device 202d is not prevented, and the event flag 5 indicates that the evacuation of the production accessory device 202c is not prevented. Indicates unhindered. Note that the initial value of the event flag is 0. 13 to 15, the processing flow of each of the production accessory devices 202c, 202d, and 202e will be described, and then the overall processing flow will be described.

(Production Accessory Device 202c: Step S10)
First, the effect executing means 334 determines whether or not the event flag (EVF) is zero. As a result, if the event flag is 0, the process moves to step S11, and if the event flag is not 0, the process moves to step S15.

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Production Accessory Device 202d: Step S20)
First, the effect execution means 334 determines whether the event flag (EVF) is 1 or not. As a result, if the event flag is 1, the process moves to step S21, and if the event flag is not 1, the process moves to step S25.

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

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

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

(Step S24)
If it is determined in step S22 that no abnormality has occurred, the effect execution means 334 sets the event flag to 2 so as to satisfy the permission condition of the effect accessory device 202e, and causes the effect accessory device 202e to operate. 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 moves 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 the event flag is 4 or not. As a result, if the event flag is 4, the process proceeds 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 production executing means 334 sets the event flag to 5 so that the evacuation condition of the production accessory device 202c is satisfied, permits the evacuation of the production accessory device 202c, and ends the operation of the production accessory device 202d. do.

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

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

(Step S32)
Next, the production executing means 334 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the movement of the production accessory device 202e. As a result, if an abnormality has occurred, the process proceeds to step S34, and if no abnormality has occurred, the process proceeds 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. 15(a) in order to execute another effect.

(Step S34)
Next, the production executing means 334 sets the event flag to 3 so as to satisfy the evacuation condition of the production accessory device 202e, and permits the evacuation of the production 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 proceeds 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 the event flag is 3 or not. As a result, if the event flag is 3, the process proceeds to step S37, and if the event flag is not 3, the operation of the production accessory device 202e is terminated.

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

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

Referring to FIGS. 13 to 15, following the overall processing flow of the production accessory devices 202c, 202d, and 202e, first, the event flag of the production accessory device 202c is 0 (initial value). It moves to the movement position (step S11), and the event flag is set to 1 (step S14). Triggered by the event flag being set to 1, the effect accessory device 202d moves to the movement position (step S21), and the event flag is set to 2 (step S24). Then, when the event flag is set to 2, the production accessory device 202e moves to the movement position (step S31) and maintains that state (step S33).

Then, when another effect is completed, the event flag is set to 3 (step S34). When the event flag is set to 3, the effect accessory device 202e retreats to the retreat position (step S37), and the event flag is set to 4 (step S38). Then, when the event flag is set to 4, the production accessory device 202d retreats to the retreat position (step S27), and the event flag is set to 5 (step S28). Finally, when the event flag is set to 5, the production accessory device 202c retreats to the retreat position (step S16). In this way, the production accessory devices 202c, 202d, and 202e can move and retreat appropriately without interfering with each other.

Also, if an abnormality occurs during the movement of the performance accessory device 202c, the event flag is set to 5 (step S13). Triggered by the fact that the event flag is set to 5, the production accessory device 202c retreats to the retreat position (step S16). In addition, when the event flag is set to 5, the performance accessory devices 202d and 202e end their operations (steps S25 and S35). In this way, the production accessory device 202c can be appropriately retracted without moving the production accessory devices 202d and 202e.

Also, when an abnormality occurs during the movement of the performance accessory device 202d, the event flag is set to 4 (step S23). In this way, when the event flag is set to 4, the production accessory device 202e ends its operation (step S35). Then, when the event flag is set to 4, the production accessory device 202d retreats to the retreat position (step S27), and the event flag is set to 5 (step S28). Triggered by the fact that the event flag is set to 5, the production accessory device 202c retreats to the retreat position (step S16). In this way, the production accessory devices 202c and 202d can be appropriately retracted without moving the production accessory device 202e.

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

In this way, each control instruction table operates self-sufficiently without referring to other control instruction tables, and uses event flags to determine whether or not permission conditions are satisfied (steps S10, S20, S30), determining whether or not update conditions are satisfied (steps S12, S22, S32), and determining whether or not saving conditions are satisfied (steps S15, S26, S36). Even if there is a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship between the physical devices 202, interference between them can be avoided.

In addition, when there is a master-slave relationship or an exclusive relationship between a plurality of production accessory devices 202, it is possible to determine the order of priority for permitting the operation of each production accessory device 202. FIG. In this case, the event flags may be represented by numerical values in ascending or descending order according to priority.

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

In addition, the order of priority for permitting evacuation can be set for each of the performance accessory devices 202 . In this case, the event flags may be represented by numerical values in ascending or descending order according to priority.

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

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

Here, if only a simple control instruction such as conditional branching to determine whether or not the permission condition, save condition, etc. are satisfied, and setting of an event flag when the update condition is satisfied, other control Since there is no need to monitor the instruction table, processing can be self-contained using only the control instruction table. Therefore, the designer can easily and self-sufficiently design only the control command table of the target production accessory device 202 without worrying about the master-slave relationship and exclusive relationship between the plurality of production accessory devices 202. is possible, and the convenience of design is improved.

In addition, the movement and evacuation of each production accessory device 202 are centrally managed by the event flag, and the movement state or the rotation state of the plurality of production accessory devices 202 can be uniquely specified by the event flag. There is no need to assume complicated operations of the performance accessory device 202, and even if only each control instruction table is designed, problems are less likely to occur.

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

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope of the claims, and it should be understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. be done.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the gaming machine includes a symbol determining means for determining one of a plurality of types of symbols including a jackpot symbol, and a symbol display when a predetermined variation time elapses after the symbol is determined. a symbol display means for displaying symbols on a part; a big win game executing means for executing a big win game composed of a plurality of round games when a big winning pattern is displayed on the symbol display part; A game profit imparting means for imparting a predetermined game profit when a game ball entering a big winning hole enters a specific area during a preset specific round game, and an effect execution means for executing a performance during the big win game. Although the pachinko machine has been exemplified, it is not limited to this case, and based on the operation of the start switch, a winning combination lottery means for determining one of a plurality of types of winning combinations by a winning combination lottery, and the operation of the start switch Accordingly, rotation of a plurality of rotating reels on which a plurality of types of symbols are respectively arranged is controlled, and operation of the stop switch corresponding to the rotating rotating reel is performed based on the lottery result of the winning combination lottery means. The present invention can also be applied to a slot machine provided with reel control means for stopping and controlling the rotating reels corresponding to the stop switches, respectively, and effect control means for executing any one of a plurality of types of effects. The slot machine 600 will be described in detail below.

(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 that is a substantially rectangular box and a connecting member that can rotate with respect to the front opening of the housing 602. a front upper door 604 attached to the front upper door 604; A tray portion 608 is provided below the door 606 and stores the medals dispensed from the medal discharge port 608a.

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

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

Also, here, the prescribed number of inputs is set to "3" or "2". In addition, when the number of medals required for executing one game can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of specified number of inserted medals, the maximum number of the plurality of specified number of inserted medals is called the maximum prescribed number of inserted medals, and the smallest number of medals is called the maximum prescribed number of inserted medals. is called the minimum prescribed number of inputs. If the specified number of inputs can be selected from 1 to 3, the maximum specified number of inputs is "3" and the minimum specified number of inputs is "1".

The bet switch 626 is a push button switch for inserting (betting) a specified number of inserted medals among credited medals. When the bet switch 626 is pressed in a state in which the prescribed number of inserted medals or more is credited, one game can be started and the number of credited medals is reduced by the prescribed inserted number.

A start switch 628 located on the left side of the operation unit installation table 622 is composed of a lever capable of detecting a tilting operation, and detects a player's start operation of one game. Also, the start switch 628 can be configured by a button switch whose pressing operation can be detected.

A colorless and transparent pattern display window 636 made of a glass plate, a transparent resin plate, or the like is provided at approximately the center of the lower portion of the upper front door 604. At a position corresponding to the pattern display window 636 in the housing 602, a reel A unit 634 is provided. The reel unit 634 has three rotating reels (a left reel 634a, a middle reel 634b, a right The reels 634c) are independently rotatable, and the player can view the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c through the symbol display window 636. FIG. When the start switch 628 is operated, the reel unit 634 starts rotating the left reel 634a, middle reel 634b, and right reel 634c.

A stop switch 630 positioned in the center of the operation unit installation table 622 is a button switch capable of detecting a player's pressing operation, which is provided corresponding to each of the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c. A player's stop operation to stop each of the reels 634a, middle reel 634b, and right reel 634c is detected. The three button switches associated with the stop switch 630 are particularly referred to as stop button switches, and are designated stop button switch 630a, stop button switch 630b, and 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 it, and detects a player's push operation or rotation operation. Such effect switch 632 is mainly used during the effect, and the effect mode can be changed by the player's operation.

A liquid crystal display section 638 for displaying various images associated with the production is provided at approximately the center of the upper portion of the front upper door 604 . In addition, on the upper part and on the left and right of the front upper door 604, there are provided lamps 642 for effect, which are composed of, for example, high-brightness light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Also, between the pattern display window 636 and the operation unit installation table 622, a performance accessory device 660 consisting of a driving device is provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17, on the left and right positions of the liquid crystal display section 638 on the rear surface of the upper front door 604 and on the left and right positions on the inner surface of the rear surface of the lower front door 606, there are speakers for producing auditory effects such as sound effects and musical tones. 640 is provided. Further, below the reel unit 634 in the housing 602, a medal dispensing device (medal hopper) 764 for dispensing medals from the medal ejection port 608a is provided. The medal payout device 764 includes a medal storage portion 764a for storing medals, a payout control portion 764b for ejecting the medals stored in the medal storage portion 764a from the medal ejection port 608a, and the medals ejected from the medal ejection port 608a. and a payout medal detection unit 764c for detecting . Specifically, the payout control unit 764b is rotatably supported by the main body exterior of the payout control unit 764b, and has a plurality of medal insertion holes in the circumferential direction into which the medals dropped from the medal storage unit 764a are inserted one by one from above. Equipped with a disc (not shown) and a disc motor (not shown) for rotating the disc. By rotating the disc, the medals fitted into the medal insertion holes are pushed out one by one through the push-out mechanism. The medals are continuously discharged one by one by discharging the medals to the outside and sequentially inserting the next medals into the medal insertion holes opened by the discharge.

Also, although not shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, inside each of the rotating reels 634a, 634b, 634c, there are pattern display windows for the patterns provided on the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c. A reel backlight 644 that individually and independently illuminates the upper, middle, and lower patterns of the reels 634a, 634b, and 634c corresponding to 636 (which can be the target of the payout line, which is the payout line). (see FIG. 19) is provided. In addition, a reel upper light 646 is provided on the upper back surface of the pattern display window 636 to directly illuminate the front of all the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, on the substantially horizontal surface of the stepped portion 622a provided between the symbol display window 636 and the stop switch 630 in the operation unit installation table 622, a main credit display portion 652 and a main payout display portion are provided. 654 is provided. A sub-credit display section 656 and a sub-payout display section 658 are provided between the symbol display window 636 and the operation section installation table 622 . The main credit display portion 652 and the sub-credit display portion 656 display the number of credits, and the main payout display portion 654 and the sub-payout display portion 658 display the payout number of medals. It should be noted that the sub-credit display portion 656 and the sub-payout display portion 658 can also display various numerical values associated with the effects.

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

In the present embodiment, the above-described one game is the insertion of medals through the medal insertion unit 624, the insertion of credited medals through the operation of the bet switch 626, or the display of a replay combination on the activated line. After one of the medals is automatically inserted based on the above, the rotation of a plurality of reels 634a, 634b, and 634c is controlled according to the operation of the start switch 628 by the player, and a winning combination lottery is executed to win a prize. Rotating reels 634a, 634b, and 634c corresponding to the operated stop button switches 630a, 630b, and 630c are controlled to stop, respectively, according to the lottery result of the combination lottery and the operation of the plurality of stop button switches 630a, 630b, and 630c by the player. If a player wins a winning combination that can receive a payout of medals, the game is played until the payout of the medals is executed. In addition, when the winning combination that can receive the payout of medals is not won, or when the player wins but does not win, one game ends when all the rotating reels 634a, 634b, 634c stop. However, the start of one game may be read as the operation of the start switch 628 by the player instead of inserting medals or winning a replay combination. Also, the number of times such one game is repeated is 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. As shown in FIG. 21, the slot machine 600 is mainly controlled by a control board. Here, as an example of the control board, a main control board 700 and a sub control board 702 sharing the functions of the control board will be described. For example, among the programs related to the progress of the game, the main control board 700 executes particularly important processes such as the lottery of the winning combination to be used in the game and the winning of the prize, and the sub control board 702 executes other processes such as effects. running with In addition, as shown in FIG. 21, the transmission of electrical signals between the main control board 700 and the sub control board 702 is one-way from the main control board 700 to the sub control board 702 from the viewpoint of fraud prevention. Limited to direction only. However, if there are no such restrictions, two-way communication is technically possible electrically.

(Main control board 700)
The main control board 700 has various semiconductor integrated circuits including a main CPU 700a that is a central processing unit, a main ROM 700b that stores programs and the like, a main RAM 700c that functions as a work area, etc., and controls the entire slot machine 600. do. However, the main RAM 700c is connected to a backup power source (not shown), and even if the power is turned off, the data will not be erased unless the settings are changed and the main RAM 700c is initialized. retained.

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. 806, determination means 808, payout control means 810, state transition means 812, command determination means 814, command transmission means 816 and other functional units.

The initialization means 800 executes initialization processing in the main control board 700 . A betting means 802 bets medals to be used in a game. Here, bets are made on the basis of the insertion of credited medals through the operation of the bet switch 626, the insertion of medals through the medal insertion unit 624, and the display of the replay combination on the active line. including any case of automatic input. A winning combination lottery means 804 determines one of a plurality of types of winning combinations including minor combinations, replay combinations, and bonus combinations, and a losing combination by lottery based on medal bets and operation of the start switch 628. do.

The reel control means 806 controls the rotation of a plurality of reels 634a, 634b, 634c according to the operation of the start switch 628, and operates a plurality of stop button switches 630a corresponding to the rotating reels 634a, 634b, 634c. , 630b and 630c, the reels 634a, 634b and 634c corresponding to the operated stop button switches 630a, 630b and 630c are controlled to stop. In addition, the reel control means 806 activates the operation of the stop switch 630 in the previous game in response to the operation of the start switch 628, and then activates the stop switch 630 by the player in order to display the lottery result of the winning combination lottery. The time until the operation is validated (invalidated due to the completion of the operation of the stop switch 630 in the previous game) is extended beyond the prescribed time, during which the reels 634a, 634b and 634c are rotated in various manners. A reel effect (freeze effect) may be performed. In the reel performance, an arbitrary switch that should be enabled is not enabled for a predetermined time, processing that should be executed is suspended for a predetermined time, or a signal of an arbitrary switch that should be transmitted and received is transmitted or received for a predetermined time. It can be realized by doing or not.

A determination means 808 determines whether or not the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination determined by the winning combination lottery is displayed on the activated line. Here, the fact that the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination determined by the winning combination lottery is displayed on the activated line may simply be called winning. A payout control means 810 pays out the number of medals corresponding to the winning combination based on the fact that the symbol combination corresponding to the winning combination decided by the winning combination lottery is displayed on the activated line (that the winning combination is won). . The state transition means 812 transitions the game state based on the winning of the bonus combination and the prize winning.

The command determination means 814 sequentially determines commands related to the game associated with the operations of the betting 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 transmission means 816 sequentially transmits the commands determined by the command determination means 814 to the sub control board 702 .

The main control board 700 receives various detection signals from the inserted medal detection section 624b, the bet switch 626, the start switch 628, and the stop switch 630. Based on the received detection signals, the betting means 802 and the winning combination lottery means 804, reel control means 806, and determination means 808 execute the various processes described above. 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 medal credits and the number of payouts on both display units 652 and 654. Control.

A reel driving control section 758 is connected to the main control board 700 . This reel drive control unit 758 drives the stepping motor 762 based on the rotation start signal of each of the rotating reels 634a, 634b, and 634c transmitted from the reel control means 806 in response to the operation signal of the start switch 628, and stops it. A stepping motor 762 is driven based on the stop signal of each of the left reel 634a, the middle reel 634b, and the right reel 634c and the detection signal of the rotation position detection circuit 760, which are transmitted from the reel control means 806 according to the operation signal of the switch 630. to stop.

A medal payout device 764 is also connected to the main control board 700 . The main control board 700 receives a detection signal from the payout medal detection section 764c, and the payout control means 810 counts the number of payout medals according to the detection signal. Controls the ejection of medals.

Also, the main control board 700 is provided with a random number generator 700d. The random number generator 700d sequentially increments the count value, loops (0 to 65535) within a predetermined total number (eg, 65536), and extracts the count value at a predetermined point in time to generate (obtain) a random number. A random number generated by the random number generator 700d of the main control board 700 (hereinafter referred to as a winning combination lottery random number) is used to give a game profit to the player, for example, the winning combination lottery means 804 executes a winning combination lottery. be done.

(Sub control board 702)
The sub-control board 702, like the main control board 700, has various semiconductor integrated circuits including a sub-CPU 702a that is a central processing unit, a sub-ROM 702b that stores programs and the like, and a sub-RAM 702c that functions as a work area. , based on the command from the main control board 700, especially controls the performance. The sub-RAM 702c is also connected to a backup power source (not shown) in the same way as the main RAM 700c, so that data is retained without being erased even when the power is turned off. The secondary control board 702 is also provided with a random number generator 702d, similar to the main control board 700. The random number generated by the random number generator 702d (hereinafter referred to as the effect lottery random number) mainly reflects the mode of effect. used to determine

In addition, the sub-control board 702 functions by sub-CPU702a cooperating with sub-RAM702c based on the program stored in sub-ROM702b, initialization determining means 830, command receiving means 832, effect control means 834, etc. It has a functional part.

The initialization determining means 830 executes initialization processing in the sub control board 702 . The command receiving means 832 receives commands from other control boards such as the main control board 700 and processes the commands. 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 section 638, the speaker 640 and the effect lamp 642 based on the winning combination command. Specifically, the effect control means 834 controls the image data displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 638, the effect lamp 642, the reel backlight 644, the reel upper light 646, the sub-credit display unit 656, the sub-payout display unit 658, and the like. Illumination data for performance through the illumination equipment is determined, and audio data constituting the audio to be output from the speaker 640 is determined. And the production|presentation control means 834 performs the production|presentation of the determined game.

Effects include effects executed by the main control board 700 such as the reel effects described above and effects executed by the sub control board 702 . The effects executed by the sub-control board 702 are liquid crystal display section 638, speaker 640, effect lamp 642, reel backlight 644, reel upper light 646, sub-credit display section 656, and sub-payout display section as the game progresses. 658, etc., and can give a story to the game and suggest the result of the winning lottery with a more dynamic image. In such an effect, for example, an effect suggesting winning of the bonus game is performed over a plurality of games, and the player's sense of expectation can be heightened. In addition, even if none of the winning roles have been won, it is possible to make the player feel the expectation of a high payout through an effect as if the player had won, so that the player does not get bored. It becomes possible.

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

202, 660 production accessory device 220 driver 222 motor 224 LED
330, 702 Sub-control boards 330a, 702a Sub-CPU (CPU)
330b, 702b Sub-ROM
330c, 702c sub-RAM
332 effect determination means 334 effect execution means 342 controller 834 effect control means (effect determination means, effect execution means)

Claims (1)

a movable or rotatable production accessory device;
an effect determination means for determining an effect as the game progresses;
effect execution means for generating a command based on a control command for operating the effect accessory device, which is associated with the determined effect;
a controller that generates an excitation pattern for the performance accessory device based on the command and serially transmits the excitation pattern data at the timing when the excitation pattern changes;
a driver that drives a plurality of said performance accessory devices in parallel based on said excitation pattern data;
a shift register for sequentially outputting data;
with
The controller is
It is possible to asynchronously generate the excitation patterns of the plurality of performance accessory devices corresponding to the driver,
Attaching an identifier designating the driver to the generated excitation pattern data,
When the excitation pattern of the other production accessory device changes during transmission of the excitation pattern data, the excitation pattern data of the other production accessory device is held in the shift register, and the excitation pattern data being transmitted is changed. After the transmission is completed, transmit the excitation pattern data of the other production accessory device ,
The driver drives the performance accessory device based on the excitation pattern data when the identifier designates itself .

Images