JP7599232B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines.

As one example of an amusement machine, a pachinko machine is known to have a serial line that can transmit data (signals) via serial communication on specific boards such as a game control board or a performance control board, as described in the following Patent Document 1.

JP 2006-015036 A

Conventionally, in a specific board (e.g., an image control board) on which a serial line is provided, a specific IC (e.g., a VRAM) is mounted on the component side of the specific board. Data is then transmitted to the specific IC via the serial line by serial communication. In this conventional specific board, because the serial line is provided on the component side together with the specific IC, there is a risk that external radiation noise will act on the serial line provided on the component side, causing data transmission to be interrupted.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances. In other words, the objective of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can reduce the occurrence of situations in which data transmission is not performed normally.

The gaming machine of the present invention is
A game board on which game balls can flow;
A specific IC to which data is transmitted;
A specific board is disposed on the back side of the game board and has the specific IC mounted on its component surface;
A communication pattern for transmitting the data to the specific IC via Serial ATA on the specific board .
The component surface is a surface of the specific board opposite to a player side when the specific board is disposed opposite to the game board,
This is a gaming machine characterized in that a portion of the communication pattern is provided on an anti-component surface of the specific board opposite the component surface.

The gaming machine of the present invention makes it possible to reduce the occurrence of situations where data transmission is not performed normally.

1 is a perspective view of a gaming machine according to an embodiment. 2 is an oblique view showing the structure of the gaming machine frame of the gaming machine. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the gaming machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the gaming machine. 5 is an enlarged view of part A shown in FIG. 4, showing displays provided on the gaming machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the game control board of the gaming machine. FIG. A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the performance control board of the gaming machine. 2 is an oblique view showing the back side of the gaming machine according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the performance control unit. 1A is a view of the rear unit case as seen from the rear, and FIG. 1B is a view of the rear unit case as seen from the front. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a through hole of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a through hole of a comparative example. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image control board of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an image control board according to a comparative example. Graph (A) shows the results of far-field measurements in the horizontal direction when the signal line is mounted on the surface, graph (B) shows the results of far-field measurements in the horizontal direction when the signal line is inner-layered, and graph (C) is the result of subtracting the result shown in (A) from the result shown in (B). Graph (A) shows the results of far-field measurements in the vertical direction when the signal line is mounted on the surface, graph (B) shows the results of far-field measurements in the vertical direction when the signal line is inner-layered, and graph (C) is the result of subtracting the result shown in (A) from the result shown in (B). A cross-sectional view of the performance data board. 13 is an oblique view of a modified game control board case. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a recess of a modified example.

1. Structure of the gaming machine A pachinko gaming machine PY1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the left and right directions of each part of the pachinko gaming machine PY1 will be described as being the same as the left and right directions of a player facing the pachinko gaming machine PY1. In addition, the front direction of each part of the pachinko gaming machine PY1 will be described as the direction approaching the player facing the pachinko gaming machine PY1, and the rear direction of each part of the pachinko gaming machine PY1 will be described as the direction away from the player facing the pachinko gaming machine PY1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko game machine PY1 of the embodiment has a game machine frame 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the game machine frame 2 constitutes the outer shell of the pachinko game machine PY1 and has an outer frame 22, an inner frame 21, and a front door 23 (front frame). The outer frame 22 is a vertically rectangular frame body that forms the outer shell of the pachinko game machine PY1. The inner frame 21 is disposed inside the outer frame 22 and is a vertically rectangular frame body to which the game board 1 described below is attached. The front door 23 is disposed on the front side of the outer frame 22 and the inner frame 21 and is a vertically rectangular frame body that protects the game board 1. The front door 23 is the part that faces the player and is decorated with various ornaments.

The gaming machine frame 2 is configured with a hinge section 24 on the left end side. This hinge section 24 allows the front door 23 to rotate freely relative to the outer frame 22 and the inner frame 21, and the inner frame 21 to rotate freely relative to the outer frame 22 and the front door 23. An opening 23a is formed in the center of the front door 23, and a transparent plate 23t is attached to the opening 23a so that the player can see the game area 6 described below. In this embodiment, the transparent plate 23t is a glass plate, but it may also be a transparent synthetic resin plate. In other words, the transparent plate 23t may be any plate that allows the game area 6 to be seen from the front.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the front door 23 is provided with a handle 72k (game ball shooting means) for shooting game balls with a shooting strength according to the rotation angle, a ball supply tray (upper tray) 34 for storing game balls, and a surplus ball receiving tray (lower tray) 35 for storing game balls that cannot be accommodated in the ball supply tray 34. The front door 23 is also provided with a performance button (input unit) 40k and a select button 42k that can be operated by the player during performances that are executed as the game progresses. The select button (cross key) 42k is composed of an up button, a down button, a left button, and a right button. The front door 23 is also provided with a decorative frame lamp 212 and a speaker that outputs sound (not shown in Figure 1).

The game board 1 shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the game machine frame 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the game board 1 has a game area 6, in which game balls released by operating the handle 72k flow down, surrounded by a rail member 62. The game board 1 is also provided with a number of decorative board lamps 54. The game area 6 has a number of game nails protruding therefrom to guide the game balls. The game board 1 is an integrated unit consisting of a game board 1X (see FIG. 4) that is arranged in an upright position at the front and through which game balls can flow down, and a back unit (a unit for attaching various control boards, an image display device 50, harnesses, etc., described later) arranged at the rear.

In addition, near the center of the game area 6, an image display device 50 (effect display means, image display means) which is a liquid crystal display device is provided. The image display device may be another image display device such as an organic EL display device. The display screen 50a (display unit) of the image display device 50 has a performance pattern display area which performs variable display of a performance pattern EZ (decorative pattern) synchronized with the variable display of the first special pattern and the second special pattern described below. The performance which displays the performance pattern EZ is called a performance pattern variable performance. The performance pattern variable performance is sometimes called a "decorative pattern variable performance" or simply a "variable performance". The performance pattern display area consists of three performance pattern display areas, for example, "left", "middle", and "right". The left performance pattern EZ1 is displayed in the left performance pattern display area, the middle performance pattern EZ2 is displayed in the middle performance pattern display area, and the right performance pattern EZ3 is displayed in the right performance pattern display area.

Each of the performance symbols EZ consists of a number of symbols, for example, representing the numbers "1" through "9." The image display device 50 clearly displays the results of the variable display of the first and second special symbols displayed on the first special symbol display device 81a and the second special symbol display device 81b (described below) (i.e., the results of the jackpot lottery) by combining the left performance symbol EZ1, the center performance symbol EZ2, and the right performance symbol EZ3.

For example, if a jackpot is won, the EZ pattern is displayed as a repeating number such as "777". If a jackpot is lost, the EZ pattern is displayed as a random number such as "637". This makes it easier for the player to understand the progress of the game. In other words, the player generally does not understand the results of the jackpot lottery using the first special symbol display 81a or the second special symbol display 81b, but rather uses the image display device 50 to understand the results. The position of the display area for the special symbols does not have to be fixed. The EZ pattern can be displayed in a variable manner, for example by scrolling vertically.

The image display device 50 displays on the display screen 50a not only the effect pattern change effect using the effect pattern EZ as described above, but also the big win effect that is performed in parallel with the big win game, and the demo effect for waiting for customers (customer waiting effect), etc. In the effect pattern change effect, in addition to the effect pattern EZ such as numbers, effect images other than the effect pattern EZ, such as background images and character images, are also displayed.

The display screen 50a of the image display device 50 also has a reserve icon display area that displays a reserve icon HA (effect reserve image) according to the number of reserved first special symbols and reserved second special symbols, which will be described later. By displaying the reserve icon HA, the number of reserved first special symbols displayed on the first special symbol reserve display 83a, which will be described later, and the number of reserved second special symbols displayed on the second special symbol reserve display 83b, which will be described later, can be clearly shown to the player.

A center frame 61 (inner wall portion) is disposed near the center of the game area 6 and in front of the image display device 50. A stage 61s is formed at the bottom of the center frame 61, which can guide the game balls rolling on the top surface to the first starting opening 11 described below. A warp 61w is provided at the left part of the center frame 61, which allows the game balls to flow in from the entrance and out to the stage 61s from the exit. A board movable body 55k that can move up and down is provided at the top of the center frame 61. The board movable body 55k can be moved from an origin position above the display screen 50a to a performance position that overlaps with the center of the display screen 50a in the front-to-rear direction.

Below the image display device 50 in the game area 6, a first start winning device 11D is provided, which has a first start opening 11 (ball entry opening) that always allows the game ball to enter with a constant ease. The first start opening 11 is also called the first ball entry opening, fixed ball entry opening, first start winning opening, or first start area. The first start winning device 11D is also called the first ball entry means, fixed ball entry means, or first start winning device. The entry of a game ball into the first start opening 11 triggers the drawing of a first special pattern (a jackpot drawing, i.e., obtaining and determining a jackpot random number, etc.).

In addition, below the first starting hole 11 in the game area 6, there is provided a normal variable winning device (normal electric device, so-called electric chute) 12D equipped with a second starting hole 12 (ball entry hole). The second starting hole 12 is also called the second ball entry hole, variable ball entry hole, second starting winning hole, or second starting area. The electric chute 12D is also called the second ball entry means, variable ball entry means, or second starting winning device. The entry of a game ball into the second starting hole 12 triggers the drawing of a lottery for a second special symbol (a big win lottery).

The electric chute 12D is equipped with an electric chute opening/closing member 12k (ball entry opening/closing member) that can be in an open or closed state, and the second starting opening 12 is opened and closed by the operation of the electric chute opening/closing member 12k. The electric chute opening/closing member 12k is driven by an electric chute solenoid 12s described below. When the electric chute opening/closing member 12k is in the open state, it is possible for a game ball to enter the second starting opening 12, and when it is in the closed state, it is impossible for a game ball to enter the second starting opening 12. In other words, the second starting opening 12 is a starting opening in which the ease of entering a game ball can be changed. Note that the electric chute does not have to be one that makes it impossible for a ball to enter the second starting opening when it is in the closed state, as long as it makes it easier for a ball to enter the second starting opening when the electric chute opening/closing member is in the open state than when it is in the closed state.

In addition, to the right of the first starting hole 11 in the game area 6, a large prize device (special electric device) 14D equipped with a large prize hole 14 is provided. The large prize hole 14 is also called a special prize hole (special prize section). The large prize device 14D is also called an attacker (AT), special prize means, or special variable prize device. The large prize device 14D is equipped with an AT opening/closing member 14k (special prize hole opening/closing member) that can be in an open state (first state) or a closed state (second state), and opens and closes the large prize hole 14 by operating the AT opening/closing member 14k. The AT opening/closing member 14k is driven by an AT solenoid 14s, which will be described later. The large prize hole 14 can receive game balls only when the AT opening/closing member 14k is in an open state.

A gate 13 through which game balls can pass is provided to the right of the center frame 61. The gate 13 is also called a passing opening or a passing area. The passage of a game ball through the gate 13 triggers the execution of a normal pattern lottery (i.e., the acquisition and determination of a normal pattern random number (winning random number)) that determines whether or not the electric chute 12D is opened. Furthermore, a number of general winning openings 10 are provided at the bottom of the game area 6. Also, an outlet 19 is provided at the bottom of the game area 6 to discharge game balls that have been shot into the game area 6 but have not entered any of the winning openings out of the game area 6.

The game area 6 in which the various winning holes are arranged has a left game area 6L (first game area) on the left side of the center in the left-right direction, and a right game area 6R (second game area) on the right side. A hitting style in which the game ball is shot so that it flows down the left game area 6L is called a left hit. On the other hand, a hitting style in which the game ball is shot so that it flows down the right game area 6R is called a right hit. In this form of pachinko game machine PY1, the flow path through which the game ball flows down when playing with a left hit is called the first flow path R1, and the flow path through which the game ball flows down when playing with a right hit is called the second flow path R2.

On the first flow path R1, there are a first starting hole 11, a general winning hole 10, an electric chute 12D, and an outlet 19. By hitting a game ball so that it flows down the first flow path R1, the player can aim to win at the first starting hole 11 or the general winning hole 10. Note that since there is no gate on the first flow path R1, the electric chute 12D will not open when hitting from the left.

On the other hand, the second flow path R2 is provided with a gate 13, a general winning opening 10, a large winning device 14D, an electric chute 12D, and an outlet 19. By hitting a game ball so that it flows down the second flow path R2, the player can aim to pass through the gate 13 or win at the general winning opening 10, the second starting opening 12, or the large winning opening 14.

As shown in Fig. 4, displays 8 are arranged in the lower right corner of the game board 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the displays 8 include a first special symbol display 81a that variably displays the first special symbol, a second special symbol display 81b that variably displays the second special symbol, and a regular symbol display 82 that variably displays the regular symbol (regular symbol). The first special symbol is also called the first special symbol or special symbol 1, and the second special symbol is also called the second special symbol or special symbol 2. The regular symbol is also called the regular symbol.

The displays 8 also include a first special chart reserved display 83a that displays the number of reserved activations (first special chart reserved) stored in the first special chart display 81a, a second special chart reserved display 83b that displays the number of reserved activations (second special chart reserved) stored in the second special chart display 81b, and a regular chart reserved display 84 that displays the number of reserved activations (regular chart reserved) stored in the regular chart display 82.

The variable display of the first special symbol is triggered by the entry of a game ball into the first starting hole 11. The variable display of the second special symbol is triggered by the entry of a game ball into the second starting hole 12. In the following explanation, the first special symbol and the second special symbol are sometimes collectively referred to as special symbols (special symbols). Furthermore, the first special symbol display 81a and the second special symbol display 81b are sometimes collectively referred to as the special symbol display 81. Furthermore, the first special symbol reserve display 83a and the second special symbol reserve display 83b are sometimes collectively referred to as the special symbol reserve display 83. Furthermore, the first special symbol reserve and the second special symbol reserve are sometimes collectively referred to as the special symbol reserve.

The special symbol display 81 notifies the result of a lottery (special symbol lottery, jackpot lottery) based on winning at the first start port 11 or the second start port 12 by displaying (changing) a special symbol (identification symbol) in a variable manner and then stopping to display it. The special symbol (stopping symbol, special symbol derived and displayed as a display result of the variable display) that stops is one special symbol selected from a plurality of types of special symbols by the special symbol lottery. If the stopping symbol is a predetermined specific special symbol (a special symbol with a specific stopping mode, i.e., a jackpot symbol), a jackpot game (one example of a special game) is played in which the jackpot opening port 14 is opened in an opening pattern that corresponds to the type of the specific special symbol that stops and is displayed (i.e., the type of jackpot that has been won). The opening pattern of the jackpot opening in the special game will be described later.

Specifically, the special display 81 is composed of, for example, eight LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) arranged side by side, and displays a special pattern according to the result of the jackpot lottery depending on the lighting state of the LEDs. For example, if a jackpot (one of the multiple types of jackpots described below) is won, the jackpot pattern is displayed with the first, second, fifth, and sixth LEDs from the left lit, as in "○○●●○○●●" (○: lit, ●: off). Also, if the jackpot is lost, a losing pattern is displayed with only the rightmost LED lit, as in "●●●●●●●○". A mode in which all LEDs are turned off as a losing pattern may be adopted. Note that the losing pattern is not a specific special pattern. Also, before the special pattern is displayed in a stopped state, the special pattern is displayed in a variable manner for a predetermined variable time, and the variable display mode is, for example, a mode in which each LED is lit so that light flows repeatedly from left to right. The manner in which the variable display takes place can be anything, such as all LEDs flashing at the same time, as long as the individual LEDs are not displayed as stopped (illuminated in a specific manner).

In this pachinko game machine PY1, when a game ball enters the first start hole 11 or the second start hole 12, the values (numerical information, judgment information) of various random numbers such as the jackpot random number obtained for that entry are temporarily stored in the special chart reservation memory unit 105 described below. In detail, if the game ball enters the first start hole 11, it is stored as the first special chart reservation in the first special chart reservation memory unit 105a described below, and if the game ball enters the second start hole 12, it is stored as the second special chart reservation in the second special chart reservation memory unit 105b described below. There is an upper limit to the number of special chart reservations that can be stored in each special chart reservation memory unit 105, and in this embodiment, the upper limit is "4".

The reserved special symbols stored in the reserved special symbols memory unit 105 are consumed when it becomes possible to change the display of the special symbols based on the reserved special symbols. The consumption of reserved special symbols means determining the jackpot random number or the like that corresponds to the reserved special symbols, and executing the changeable display of the special symbols to show the result of the determination. Therefore, in this pachinko game machine PY1, even if the changeable display of the special symbols based on the winning of the game ball into the first start hole 11 or the second start hole 12 cannot be performed immediately after the winning, that is, even if a winning occurs during the changeable display of the special symbols or during the playing of a special game, the right to draw the jackpot for that winning can be reserved up to a specified number.

The number of reserved special drawings is then displayed on the reserved special drawing display 83. Specifically, each reserved special drawing display 83 is composed of, for example, four LEDs, and the number of reserved special drawings is displayed by lighting up the LEDs equal to the number of reserved special drawings.

The variable display of the normal symbol is triggered by the passage of the game ball through the gate 13. The normal symbol display 82 variably displays (varies) the normal symbol and then displays it in a stopped state, thereby announcing the result of the normal symbol lottery based on the passage of the game ball through the gate 13. The stopped normal symbol (normal symbol stop symbol, normal symbol derived and displayed as the display result of the variable display) is one normal symbol selected from among multiple types of normal symbols by the normal symbol lottery. If the stopped normal symbol is a specific normal symbol (a normal symbol in a predetermined stopping state, i.e., a normal winning symbol), an auxiliary game is played in which the second start hole 12 is opened in an opening pattern according to the current game state. The opening pattern of the second start hole 12 will be described later.

Specifically, the normal pattern display 82 is composed of, for example, two LEDs (see FIG. 5), and displays the normal pattern according to the result of the normal pattern lottery by the way they are lit. For example, if the lottery result is a win, a normal winning pattern with both LEDs lit is displayed as "○○" (○: lit, ●: off). If the lottery result is a loss, a normal loss pattern with only the right LED lit is displayed as "●○". A mode in which all LEDs are turned off may be adopted as a normal loss pattern. Note that a normal loss pattern is not a specific normal pattern. Before the normal pattern is displayed in a stopped state, the normal pattern is displayed in a specified change time, and the change display mode is, for example, a mode in which both LEDs are lit alternately. Note that the change display mode may be anything, such as all LEDs flashing at once, as long as the LEDs are not displayed in a stopped state (lighting display in a specific mode).

In this pachinko game machine PY1, when a game ball passes through gate 13, the value of the normal symbol random number (winning random number) obtained for that passage is temporarily stored as a normal symbol reserve in the normal symbol reserve memory unit 106 described below. There is an upper limit to the number of normal symbol reserves that can be stored in the normal symbol reserve memory unit 106, and in this embodiment, the upper limit is "4".

The reserved normal symbols stored in the reserved normal symbols memory unit 106 are consumed when it becomes possible to change the display of the normal symbols based on the reserved normal symbols. The consumption of reserved normal symbols means determining the normal symbol random number (winning random number) corresponding to the reserved normal symbol and executing the variable display of the normal symbol to show the result of the determination. Therefore, in this pachinko game machine PY1, even if the variable display of the normal symbol based on the passage of the game ball through the gate 13 cannot be performed immediately after the passage, that is, even if a prize is won while the variable display of the normal symbol is being performed or while an auxiliary game is being performed, it is possible to reserve the right to draw the normal symbol for that passage, up to a specified number.

The number of reserved general maps is then displayed on the reserved general map display 84. Specifically, the reserved general map display 84 is composed of, for example, four LEDs, and displays the number of reserved general maps by lighting up the LEDs equal to the number of reserved general maps.

2. Electrical Configuration of the Game Machine Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko game machine PY1 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the pachinko game machine PY1 includes a game control board 100 (main control board) that controls game profits such as big win lottery and transition of game state, a performance control board 120 (sub-control board) that controls performance executed as the game progresses, and a payout control board 170 that controls payout of game balls. The game control board 100 and the payout control board 170 constitute a main control unit, and the performance control board 120 constitutes a sub-control unit together with an image control board 140, a sub-drive board 162, and a performance data board 130, which will be described later.

The sub-controller must have at least the presentation control board 120 and be capable of controlling game presentations using presentation means (image display device 50, speaker 620, board lamp 54, board movable body 55k, frame lamp 212, etc.).

The pachinko gaming machine PY1 also includes a power supply unit 190. The power supply unit 190 (power supply unit) inputs AC 24V power from outside the pachinko gaming machine PY1, and generates power (power supply) of various voltages (DC 5V, DC 12V, DC 18V, DC 24V, DC 37V) required for the operation of the pachinko gaming machine PY1 based on the AC 24V power. The DC 5V power is mainly used as a power supply for various integrated circuits (ICs). The DC 12V power is mainly used as a power supply for various sensors and solenoids. The DC 18V power is mainly used as a power supply for various LEDs. The DC 24V power and DC 37V power are mainly used as power supplies for motors (drive means) used for performance.

The power supply unit 190 (power supply unit) first supplies the generated power to the payout control board 170. The generated power is then supplied to the game control board 100 and the performance control board 120 via the payout control board 170. The generated power is then supplied to other devices via the payout control board 170, the game control board 100, and the performance control board 120.

A power switch 195 (power switching section) is also connected to the power supply unit 190. The power switch 195 can be switched between an ON state where power can be supplied based on an externally supplied 24V AC power source, and an OFF state where power cannot be supplied. In other words, the power switch 195 switches between power on and power off by an ON or OFF operation, and when the power switch 195 is turned ON, it is in the ON state, and when the power switch 195 is turned OFF, it is in the OFF state.

The power supply unit 190 is also provided with a RAM clear switch 191 (RAM clear operation means) that can be pressed. The RAM clear switch 191 is for erasing information related to the game (such as information on the game state, such as high probability state, information on the results of special chart reservation and jackpot judgment, etc.) stored in the game RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 of the game control microcomputer 101 described later. As shown in FIG. 8, the RAM clear switch 191 is provided on the power supply unit 190 arranged on the back side of the present pachinko game machine PY1 (more specifically, to the right of the power switch 195 on the power supply unit 190 when the pachinko game machine PY1 is viewed from the back). Therefore, only employees of the game facility who can open the game machine frame 2 can operate the RAM clear switch 191. In other words, the RAM clear switch 191 can be said to be an operation means that is substantially impossible for players to operate. In this embodiment, the RAM clear switch 191 is provided on the power supply unit 190, but the location of the RAM clear switch 191 can be changed as appropriate, and it may be provided, for example, on the game control board 100 or on a dedicated board.

As shown in Figure 6, the game control board 100 is equipped with a one-chip game control microcomputer (hereinafter "game control microcomputer") 101 that controls the progress of the game on the pachinko game machine PY1 according to a program. The game control microcomputer 101 (main control means, game control means) includes a game ROM (Read Only Memory) 103 that stores programs for controlling the progress of the game, a game RAM 104 used as a work memory, a game CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102 that executes the programs stored in the game ROM 103, and a game I/O (Input/Output) port section 118 for inputting and outputting data and signals. The game RAM 104 (storage means) is provided with the above-mentioned special chart reservation memory section 105 (first special chart reservation memory section 105a and second special chart reservation memory section 105b) and normal chart reservation memory section 106. In addition, the game control board 100 is provided with a 7-segment display 300 and a setting key cylinder 180, as shown in FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 6, various sensors and solenoids are connected to the game control board 100 via a relay board 110. Therefore, signals are input from each sensor to the game control board 100, and signals are output from the game control board 100 to each solenoid. Specifically, the sensors connected include a first start port sensor 11a, a second start port sensor 12a, a gate sensor 13a, a big prize port sensor 14a, a general prize port sensor 10a, and an outlet sensor 18a.

The first start opening sensor 11a is provided in the first start opening 11 and detects game balls that have entered the first start opening 11. The second start opening sensor 12a is provided in the second start opening 12 and detects game balls that have entered the second start opening 12. The gate sensor 13a is provided in the gate 13 and detects game balls that have passed through the gate 13. The special prize opening sensor 14a is provided in the special prize opening 14 and detects game balls that have entered the special prize opening 14. The general prize opening sensor 10a is provided in the general prize opening 10 and detects game balls that have entered the general prize opening 10.

The outlet sensor 18a is provided in an outlet (not shown) that discharges game balls outside the pachinko game machine PY1, and detects game balls that have passed through the outlet. The outlet is provided at the lower end of the inner frame 21, and game balls that have been shot into the game area 6 enter either the first start port 11, the second start port 12, the big prize port 14, the general prize port 10, or the out port 19, and then finally pass through the outlet. Therefore, by detecting game balls that have passed through the outlet with the outlet sensor 18a, it is possible to detect all game balls that have been shot into the game area 6. The number of all game balls that have been shot into the game area 6 can be called the total number of shot balls. The total number of shot balls is the same as the number of all game balls that are discharged outside the pachinko game machine PY1, and can also be called the number of discharged balls, the total number of discharged balls, or the number of out balls.

The solenoids connected include an electric chute solenoid 12s and an AT solenoid 14s. The electric chute solenoid 12s drives the electric chute opening and closing member 12k of the electric chute 12D. The AT solenoid 14s drives the AT opening and closing member 14k of the big prize device 14D.

Furthermore, the game control board 100 is connected to a special chart display 81 (first special chart display 81a and second special chart display 81b), a regular chart display 82, a special chart reserved display 83 (first special chart reserved display 83a and second special chart reserved display 83b), and a regular chart reserved display 84. In other words, the display control of these displays 8 is performed by the game control microcomputer 101.

The game control board 100 also transmits various commands and signals to the payout control board 170, and receives signals from the payout control board 170 to monitor payouts. The payout control board 170 is connected to a card unit CU (installed adjacent to the pachinko game machine PY1, which enables ball lending based on information from an inserted prepaid card, etc.) and a prize ball payout device 73, as well as to a launching device 72 via a launch control circuit 175. The launching device 72 includes a handle 72k (see FIG. 1).

The payout control board 170 (first control board) is equipped with a payout control one-chip microcomputer (hereinafter "payout control microcomputer") 171 that can execute control processing related to the payout of game balls according to a program. The payout control microcomputer 171 (payout control means) includes a payout ROM 173 that stores a program for controlling payout, a payout RAM 174 used as a work memory, a payout CPU 172 that executes the program stored in the payout ROM 173, and a payout I/O port unit (input/output circuit) 178 for inputting and outputting data and signals. The payout ROM 173 may be external.

The payout control board 170 drives the prize ball motor 73m of the prize ball payout device 73 to pay out prize balls or pay out loan balls based on a signal from the game control microcomputer 101 or a signal from the card unit CU connected to the pachinko game machine PY1. For example, when a game ball enters the first start hole 11 (wins), a detection signal from the first start hole sensor 11a is input to the game control microcomputer 101. As a result, the game control microcomputer 101 outputs a prize ball signal indicating that the game ball has entered the first start hole 11 to the payout control board 170. In this case, the payout control microcomputer 171 that receives the prize ball signal drives the launch solenoid 72s via the launch control circuit 175 based on the prize ball number information stored in the payout ROM 173, and pays out prize balls (for example, three balls) based on the ball entering the first start hole 11. At this time, the paid-out game balls are detected by the prize ball sensor 73a for counting, and a detection signal from the prize ball sensor 73a is output to the payout control board 170. The payout control board 170 is also provided with a backup power supply circuit 179.

When the player operates the handle 72k (see Figure 1) of the launching device 72, the touch switch 72a detects contact with the handle 72k, and the launch volume 72b detects the amount of rotation of the handle 72k. The launch solenoid 72s is then driven to launch a game ball with a strength that corresponds to the magnitude of the detection signal from the launch volume 72b. In this pachinko game machine PY1, one game ball is launched in about 0.6 seconds.

The gaming control board 100 also transmits various commands to the presentation control board 120. The connection between the gaming control board 100 and the presentation control board 120 is a one-way communication connection that only allows signals to be sent from the gaming control board 100 to the presentation control board 120. In other words, a unidirectional circuit (not shown, for example, a circuit using a diode) is interposed between the gaming control board 100 and the presentation control board 120 as a means for restricting the direction of communication.

As shown in FIG. 7, the performance control board 120 is equipped with a performance control one-chip microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as the "performance control microcomputer") 121 that controls the performance of the pachinko game machine PY1 according to a program. The performance control microcomputer 121 includes a performance ROM 123 that stores programs for controlling the performance as the game progresses, a performance RAM 124 used as a work memory, a performance CPU 122 that executes the programs stored in the performance ROM 123, and a performance I/O port section 128 for inputting and outputting data and signals. The performance ROM 123 may be external. The performance control board 120 is supplied with power (e.g., DC 5V power) from the power supply unit 190 via the payout control board 170.

As shown in FIG. 7, the image control board 140 is connected to the performance control board 120, and a sub-drive board 162 (sub-drive circuit) is also connected to the performance control board 120. The performance control microcomputer 121 (performance control means) of the performance control board 120 causes the image control board 140 to control the display of the image display device 50 based on commands received from the game control board 100.

The image control board 140 includes an image ROM 142 that stores programs for image control, an image RAM 143 that is used as a work memory, and an image CPU 141 that executes the programs stored in the image ROM 142. The image control board 140 also includes a CGROM (Character Generator Read Only Memory) 145 that stores image data to be displayed on the image display device 50, a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) 146 that is used for expanding the image data stored in the CGROM 145, and a VDP (Video Display Processor) 144. All or part of these electronic components may be configured on a single chip.

The VDP 144 reads image data from the CGROM 145 and displays it in the display area in the VRAM 146 according to a display list created by the image CPU 141 based on instructions from the performance control microcomputer 121. The VDP 144 then appropriately combines the displayed image data to draw an image in the frame buffer in the VRAM 146. The image drawn in the frame buffer is then output to the image display device 50 as an RGB signal. As a result, various performance images are displayed on the display screen 50a.

The display list is made up of a set of commands that instruct the execution of drawing on a frame-by-frame basis. The display list contains various parameter information such as the type of image to be drawn, the position at which the image is to be drawn, the display priority, the display magnification, and the transparency of the image.

The performance data board 130 is also connected to the image control board 140. The performance data board 130 is equipped with a performance data ROM 131 that stores performance data such as image data to be displayed on the image display device 50 and audio data such as sound output from the speaker 620. The audio data may be stored in the image ROM 142 of the image control board 140 or the performance ROM 123 of the performance control board 120.

A speaker 620 (sound output means) is connected to the performance control board 120. The performance control microcomputer 121 outputs voice, music, sound effects, etc. from the speaker 620 via the voice control circuit 127 based on commands received from the game control board 100. The sound data such as voice output from the speaker 620 is read from the performance data ROM 131 of the performance data board 130 based on commands from the performance control microcomputer 121.

Although the performance control board 120 is shown to control the sound of the speaker 620, the image control board 140 may control the sound of the speaker 620, or an audio control board may be provided separately from the performance control board 120 and the image control board 140, and this audio control board may control the sound of the speaker 620. In this case, the audio control board may be connected to the performance control board 120, or may be connected to the performance control board 120 via the image control board 140. A CPU may also be implemented on the audio control board, in which case the CPU may be made to execute the sound control. Furthermore, in this case, a ROM may also be implemented on the audio control board, and sound data may be stored in the ROM.

Here, a master switch 126 that can be rotated is provided on the performance control board 120 (see FIG. 8). The master switch 126 can be rotated to change its operating position over ten levels from "0" to "9". This master switch 126 is provided on the back side of the pachinko game machine PY1, and can therefore only be operated by arcade employees who are able to open the game machine frame 2 (inner frame 21), and cannot be operated by players who are unable to open the game machine frame 2. The master switch 126 in this form can determine the upper limit volume setting and the upper limit light setting according to the operating position from "0" to "9".

As shown in FIG. 7, the performance control microcomputer 121 controls the lighting of lamps such as the frame lamp 212 and board lamp 54 via the sub-drive board 162 based on commands received from the game control board 100. In detail, the performance control microcomputer 121 creates light pattern data (data that determines the on/off state, light color, etc., also called lamp data) that determines the light emission mode of each lamp, and controls the light emission of each lamp according to the light pattern data. Note that data stored in the performance ROM 123 of the performance control board 120 is used to create the light pattern data.

Furthermore, the performance control microcomputer 121 controls the drive of the movable board body 55k via the sub-drive board 162 based on commands received from the game control board 100. In detail, the performance control microcomputer 121 creates operation pattern data (also called drive data) that determines the operation mode of the movable board body 55k, and controls the drive of the motor for driving the movable board body 55k according to the operation pattern data. The data stored in the performance ROM 123 of the performance control board 120 is used to create the operation pattern data.

A CPU may be mounted on the sub-drive board 162, in which case the CPU may be made to control the lighting of the lamps and the drive of the movable plate body 55k. In this case, a ROM may be mounted on the sub-drive board 162, and data relating to the light emission patterns and operation patterns may be stored in the ROM.

In addition, an input section detection sensor (performance button detection sensor) 40a and a select button detection sensor 42a are connected to the performance control board 120. The input section detection sensor 40a detects that the input section 40k (see FIG. 1) has been pressed. When the input section 40k is pressed, a detection signal is output from the input section detection sensor 40a to the performance control board 120. The select button detection sensor 42a detects that the select button 42k (see FIG. 1) has been pressed. When the select button 42k is pressed, a detection signal is output from the select button detection sensor 42a to the performance control board 120.

Note that Figures 6 and 7 are merely functional block diagrams for explaining the electrical configuration of this pachinko gaming machine PY1, and the boards shown in Figures 6 and 7 are not the only ones provided. With the exception of the gaming control board 100, any of the boards shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be configured as one board, and the one board shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be configured as multiple boards.

Next, the arrangement of the boards and units will be described based on FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the power supply unit 190 is disposed on the lower rear side of the inner frame 21. The payout control board 170 is disposed behind the power supply unit 190, and the power supply unit 190 and the payout control board 170 overlap at least partially in the front-to-rear direction. The power supply unit 190 and the payout control board 170 are disposed outside the transparent outer cover 25 disposed behind the game board 1. Therefore, the payout control board 170 can be said to be a "frame side board" disposed on the game machine frame 2 (inner frame 21) rather than the game board 1. The payout control board 170 is housed in a payout control board case 170A that does not impede the visibility of the payout control microcomputer 171. In other words, the payout control board case 170A is made of transparent synthetic resin, and the payout control microcomputer 171 can be seen from the outside of the payout control board case 170A.

On the other hand, the game control board 100, the performance control board 120, the sub-drive board 162, the image control board 140, and the performance data board 130 are arranged inside the outer cover 25 of the game board 1. Therefore, the game control board 100, the performance control board 120, the sub-drive board 162, the image control board 140, and the performance data board 130 can be said to be "board side boards" that are provided on the game board 1, not on the game machine frame 2. The game control board (main control board) 100 is housed in a game control board case (main board case) 100A that does not interfere with the visibility of the game control microcomputer 101. In other words, the game control board case 100A is made of transparent synthetic resin, and the game control microcomputer 101 can be seen even from outside the game control board case 100A.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the performance control board 120, the sub-drive board 162, the image control board 140, and the performance data board 130 are housed in a performance board case 120A. Therefore, the performance board case 120A, and the performance control board 120, the sub-drive board 162, the image control board 140, and the performance data board 130 housed in this performance board case 120A constitute a performance board unit 120B.

3. Configuration of the performance board unit Next, the configuration of the performance board unit 120B will be described. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the performance board unit 120B shown in FIG. 8, and in particular shows the performance board case 120A in an exploded state. As shown in FIG. 9, the performance board case 120A (specific part, board case) can be divided into two parts: a front unit case 151 arranged on the front side, and a rear unit case 152 arranged on the rear side. The front unit case 151 and the rear unit case 152 are made of transparent synthetic resin. And, the front unit case 151 and the rear unit case 152 are each formed into an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, and are configured so that the peripheral walls overlap each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, the rear unit case 152 has a first recess 152a at the lower right, a second recess 152b at the upper right, and a third recess 152c at the lower part, approximately in the center in the left-right direction. The first recess 152a is for exposing the connector 129 (see FIG. 9) provided on the performance control board 120 to the outside of the performance board case 120A. The second recess 152b is for exposing the connector 147 provided on the image control board 140 to the outside of the performance board case 120A. The third recess 152c is for exposing the master switch 126 provided on the performance control board 120 to the outside of the performance board case 120A.

Here, FIG. 10(A) shows the rear wall 152d of the rear unit case 152 as viewed from the rear, and FIG. 10(B) shows the rear wall 152d of the rear unit case 152 as viewed from the front. The rear wall 152d is a wall portion of the rear unit case 152 that stands upright, and forms a plane in the vertical and horizontal directions. As shown in FIG. 10(A), the rear surface 152x (specific surface) on the rear side of the rear wall 152d is flat, and a model name sticker 153 is attached to the lower right part of the rear surface 152x (lower left part of FIG. 10(A)), and a volume sticker 154 is attached to the lower left part of the rear surface 152x (lower right part of FIG. 10(A)). The model name sticker 153 (specific sticker) is a sticker of model information on which the model name and manufacturer name of the pachinko game machine PY1 are written. The volume sticker 154 (specific sticker) is a sticker that describes the relationship between the operating position of the master switch 126 and the set volume. Note that, as shown in FIG. 10(B), the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154 are not affixed to the front surface 152y of the rear unit case 152.

However, in the past, it was not anticipated that the performance board case 120A would be reused (reused). Therefore, in order to make effective use of resources, it has been considered to reuse the performance board case 120A, but this has the following problems. That is, when reusing the performance board case 120A, in order to attach new model name stickers and volume stickers, it is necessary to peel off the old model name sticker 153 and volume sticker 154 from the rear surface 152x of the rear unit case 152. However, the model name sticker 153 and volume sticker 154 are each attached in their entirety to a flat surface with no bumps, such as the rear surface 152x of the rear unit case 152. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is difficult to easily peel off the attached model name sticker 153 and volume sticker 154.

In this embodiment, to address the above-mentioned problems, as shown in Figs. 10(A) and (B), four through holes 152e are provided in the lower right (lower left in Fig. 10(A)) of the rear wall 152d of the rear unit case 152, and four through holes 152f are provided in the lower left (lower right in Fig. 10(A)) of the rear wall 152d of the rear unit case 152. Here, each through hole 152e, 152f is a hole that penetrates from the rear surface 152x (specific surface) of the rear wall 152d to the front surface 152y (rear surface) and extends in the front-rear direction. Also, each through hole 152e, 152f is circular when viewed in the front-rear direction, as shown in Fig. 11(A).

As shown in Figures 10(A) and 10(B), the four through holes 152e are provided in correspondence with the four corners of the model name sticker 153. The model name sticker 153 is attached to the rear surface 152x of the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 so as to cover the rear sides of the four through holes 152e. In other words, the rear sides of the four through holes 152e are blocked by the model name sticker 153. However, as shown in Figure 10(B), the front sides of the four through holes 152e are not blocked.

As shown in Figures 10(A) and 10(B), the four through holes 152f are provided in correspondence with the four corners of the volume sticker 154. The volume sticker 154 is then attached to the rear surface 152x of the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 so as to cover the rear ends of the four through holes 152f. In other words, the rear ends of the four through holes 152f are blocked by the four corners of the volume sticker 154. However, as shown in Figure 10(B), the front ends of the four through holes 152f are not blocked.

In this embodiment, when reusing the performance board case 120A, as shown in FIG. 9, it is first disassembled into the front unit case 151 and the rear unit case 152. Then, a rod-shaped member like a skewer is inserted from the front into the through hole 152e in the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152. The rod-shaped member then pushes out from the front the portion of the model name sticker 153 that is blocking the through hole 152e.

Here, since there are four through holes 152e instead of one, the rod-shaped member pushes the portions of the model name sticker 153 that block the four through holes 152e from the front side to the rear side. This makes it possible to effectively weaken the adhesive force between the model name sticker 153 and the rear surface 152x of the rear unit case 152. In particular, as described above, the four through holes 152e are provided at the four corners of the model name sticker 153. Therefore, since the rod-shaped member pushes each of the four corners of the model name sticker 153 toward the rear side, it is possible to more effectively weaken the adhesive force of the model name sticker 153 compared to, for example, a case in which only the center portion of the model name sticker 153 is pushed toward the rear side.

In this way, the adhesive strength of the model name sticker 153 is weakened, and the rod-shaped member inserted into the through-hole 152e can be pushed even more strongly rearward, making it possible to easily peel off the model name sticker 153. Note that the above describes the case where the model name sticker 153 is peeled off by inserting a rod-shaped member into the through-hole 153e, but the same applies when inserting a rod-shaped member into the through-hole 153f to peel off the volume sticker 154, so a description of this will be omitted.

Next, the meaning of the shape and size of the through holes 152e and 152f will be explained based on FIG. 11(A). As shown in FIG. 11(A), the through holes 152e and 152f are circular, so the through holes 152e and 152f do not have corners. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the stress concentration caused by the through holes 152e and 152f. In other words, when the through hole 152g is rectangular, as in the comparative example shown in FIG. 11(B), the through hole 152g has corners. Therefore, in the through hole 152g, stress concentration is likely to occur at each corner, and the strength of the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 is likely to decrease. In this way, by making the shape of the through holes 152e and 152f circular, it is possible to prevent a significant decrease in the strength of the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152.

In this embodiment, the diameter φ of the through holes 152e and 152f is set to 3 mm. This is based on the following reason. That is, if the diameter φ of the through holes 152e and 152f is too large, the contact area between the model name sticker 153 or the volume sticker 154 and the rear surface 152x of the rear unit case 152 will be small. Therefore, during normal use of the performance board case 120A, the adhesive strength between the model name sticker 153 or the volume sticker 154 and the rear surface 152x will be weaker than necessary, and these stickers 153 and 154 will be easily peeled off. Also, if the diameter φ of the through holes 152e and 152f is too large, when the model name sticker 153 or the volume sticker 154 is attached to the rear surface 152x, the unevenness around the through holes 152e and 152f will be easily noticeable, and the appearance of the sticker will be poor. Therefore, from the standpoint of ensuring the adhesive strength of the model name sticker 153 or the volume sticker 154, and of the appearance when the sticker is attached, it is preferable that the diameter φ of the through holes 152e, 152f is 5 mm or less, and in this embodiment, the diameter φ of the through holes 152e, 152f is 3 mm.

Here, in this embodiment, the performance board case 120A houses the performance control board 120, the image control board 140, the sub-drive board 162, and the performance data board 130, and each of these control boards has electronic components (specific electronic components) related to processing during play. Specifically, the electronic components related to processing during play are the performance control microcomputer 121, the image CPU 141, the image ROM 142, the image RAM 143, the VDP 144, the CG ROM 145, the VRAM 146, the performance data ROM 131, etc. These electronic components related to processing during play and the through holes 152e, 152f provided in the rear unit case 152 are arranged so as not to overlap (not to face) in the front-to-back direction. In this way, the distance from each through hole 152e, 152f to the electronic components related to processing during play is not linearly close. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of fraudulent activity using the through holes 152e and 152f on electronic components involved in processing during play.

However, as the board case in which the through holes 152e and 152f are provided, it is preferable that the board case (performance board case 120A) accommodates performance boards such as the performance control board 120, image control board 140, sub-drive board 162, and performance data board 130, as in this embodiment. In other words, the game control board 100, payout control board 170, power board, etc. are boards to be tested to check whether they operate normally, and if the board case that accommodates them has through holes, they may be judged as non-compliant in the test. Therefore, as in this embodiment, if the performance board case 120A accommodates the performance boards (performance control board 120, image control board 140, sub-drive board 162, and performance data board 130), it is possible to make it difficult to be judged as non-compliant in the test, even if the through holes 152e and 152f are provided.

Incidentally, a control board on which electronic components such as ICs (integrated circuits) are mounted is housed inside the board case, and this board case may be provided with heat dissipation holes. However, these heat dissipation holes and the above-mentioned through holes 152e, 152f have significantly different technical features. That is, heat dissipation holes are provided to prevent heat generated by ICs and the like from building up inside the board case, and are not blocked with a seal. In contrast, the above-mentioned through holes 152e, 152f are provided to make it easier to peel off the seal, and are intended to be blocked with a seal.

Next, the structure of the image control board 140 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 12, the image control board 140 is a multi-layer board, specifically a six-layer printed circuit board. The multi-layer board is formed by stacking insulators and patterns in a wafer-like shape, and has an outer layer that is located on the outside and forms the outer surface, and an inner layer that is located on the inside and does not form the outer surface. The image control board 140 may be configured as a multi-layer board other than six layers. The image control board 140 is also a rigid board that uses a non-flexible insulating base material. The image control board 140 may be configured as a flexible board that uses a thin, flexible material for the insulating base material, or as a rigid-flexible board that uses a hard material and a thin, flexible material.

The image control board 140 is provided with a component surface (wiring layer) a1, a plane layer a2, a wiring layer a3, a wiring layer a4, a plane layer a5, and a solder surface (solder layer) a6, in that order from the top of FIG. 12. The component surface a1 is an outer layer on which electronic components are mounted. As shown in FIG. 8, the image control board 140 is arranged to stand up on the rear side of the game board 1, and the component surface a1 is the surface of the image control board 140 opposite the player side. The plane layer a2 and the plane layer a5 are inner layers that become a power supply layer or a ground layer. These plane layers a2 and a5 can supply a stable potential/ground and reduce power supply noise. The wiring layer a3 and the wiring layer a4 are (inner layers) that provide patterns from the mounted electronic components inside the board. The solder surface a6 is an outer layer that fixes the electronic components mounted on the component surface a1 with solder. As mentioned above, the image control board 140 is positioned so that it stands upright at the rear of the game board 1, and the solder surface a6 is the surface of the image control board 140 facing the player.

As shown in FIG. 12, component side a1 shows a state in which CGROM 145 (specific IC) and VRAM 146 (specific IC) are mounted. Other integrated circuits (ICs) such as VDP 145, and peripheral components such as resistors, capacitors, and DC-DC converters are also mounted on component side a1, but are not shown in FIG. 12. CGROM 145 and VRAM 146 are connected to enable high-speed serial communication (SATA), and performance data such as image data and audio data is sent from CGROM 145 to VRAM 146 via high-speed serial communication.

In conventional image control boards, the patterns (also called "circuit wiring" or "signal lines") for transmitting performance data via high-speed serial communication appear only on component side a1. However, this has the following problems:

That is, in the high-speed serial communication (SATA) pattern, data is transmitted at high speed, so resistance to noise is basically low. And since the distance from the various control boards (see FIG. 8) arranged on the back side of the game board 1 to the game ball circulation equipment installed in the game hall (hall), the bill transport rails in the card unit, and another pachinko game machine installed at the back (rear) of this pachinko game machine PY1 is relatively short, these game ball circulation equipment, bill transport rails, and another pachinko game machine become noise sources. Therefore, radiation noise from these sources is likely to affect the pattern provided on the component surface a1 of the image control board 140. As a result, there is a risk that the performance data (image data, sound data) will be distorted, and the image will not be displayed properly, or the sound will not be output properly.

In this embodiment, in order to address the above problem, a pattern is provided for transmitting performance data by high-speed serial communication, as shown in FIG. 12. That is, the pattern PT1 provided on the component side a1 is connected to the CGROM 145. Since the CGROM 145 is provided on the component side a1, at least a part of the pattern connected to the CGROM 145 (pattern PT1) will always appear on the component side a1. The pattern PT1 is connected to the pattern PT2 provided on the solder side a6 through the via BA1. The via BA1 is provided so as to penetrate the image control board 140, and electrically connects (allows high-speed serial communication) the pattern PT1 on the component side a1 and the pattern PT2 on the solder side a6.

Pattern PT2 is connected to pattern PT3 provided on solder surface a6, and pattern PT3 is connected to pattern PT4 provided on solder surface a6. Pattern PT4 is connected to pattern PT5 provided on component surface a1 through via BA2. Via BA2 is provided to penetrate image control board 140, and electrically connects pattern PT4 on solder surface a6 and pattern PT5 on component surface a1 (enabling high-speed serial communication). VRAM 146 is connected to pattern PT5 provided on component surface a1. Since VRAM 146 is provided on component surface a1, at least a portion of the pattern connected to VRAM 146 (pattern PT5) will always appear on component surface a1.

Thus, in the pattern (serial line) connecting CGROM 145 and VRAM 146, patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 are not provided on component surface a1, but on solder surface a6. In other words, unlike conventional patterns, patterns for transmitting performance data by high-speed serial communication are not provided only on component surface a1. Therefore, even if radiation noise from the game ball circulation equipment, the bill transport rail, and another pachinko game machine acts on the image control board 140, it is possible to strengthen resistance to radiation noise by distributing the pattern connecting CGROM 145 and VRAM 146 between component surface a1 and solder surface a6. As a result, when image data is transmitted from CGROM 145 to VRAM 146 via patterns PT1, PT2, PT3, PT4, and PT5 by high-speed serial communication, it is possible to almost completely prevent the image data from being distorted due to the influence of radiation noise. Patterns PT1 to PT5 correspond to "serial lines."

In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, the image control board 140 is arranged at the rear of the game board 1 so as to face the upright game board 1X (see FIG. 4) (see FIG. 8), and the component surface a1 is the surface of the image control board 140 opposite the player side when the image control board 140 faces the game board 1X. On the other hand, the solder surface a6 is the surface of the image control board 140 facing the player side. Therefore, the patterns P2, P3, and P4 provided on the solder surface a6 are farther away from the game ball circulation equipment, the banknote transport rail, and other pachinko game machines, which are noise sources, than the patterns P1 and P5 provided on the component surface a1. Therefore, the effect of radiation noise on the patterns P2, P3, and P4 can be reduced, making it possible to make it less likely that image data will not be transmitted normally from the CGROM 145 to the VRAM 146.

In this embodiment, of all the patterns connecting CGROM 145 and VRAM 146, the majority, patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 (part of the serial pattern), are provided on solder surface a6 and do not appear on the surface of the image control board 140 opposite the player side (component surface a1). In other words, of all the patterns connecting CGROM 145 and VRAM 146, more than half of the patterns (patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4) are provided as far away as possible from the noise source. This minimizes the possibility of radiation noise adversely affecting the patterns connecting CGROM 145 and VRAM 146.

Here, in the image control board 140 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 are provided on the solder surface a6 as an outer layer. In contrast, it is also possible to provide the pattern PT6 as an inner layer on the wiring layer a3, as in the image control board 140A shown in FIG. 13. In the image control board 140 shown in FIG. 13, one end (the right end in FIG. 13) of the pattern PT6 is connected to the pattern PT1 through the via BA3, and the other end (the left end in FIG. 13) of the pattern PT6 is connected to the pattern PT5 through the via BA4. As described above, in the image control board 140 shown in FIG. 12 of this embodiment, unlike the image control board 140A shown in FIG. 13, the patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 are not provided as inner layers, but are provided as outer layers on the solder surface a6, for the following reasons.

First, Figures 14(A), 14(B), and 14(C) show the results of far-field measurements in the horizontal direction of the board. Specifically, Figure 14(A) shows a graph showing the relationship between frequency [MHz] and electric field strength [dBμV/m] in the horizontal direction of the board when wiring (pattern) is provided on the first layer (surface) of the board as the outer layer. Note that electric field strength indicates the strength of radio waves in space, and means the magnitude of noise. Figure 14(B) shows a graph showing the relationship between frequency [MHz] and electric field strength [dBμV/m] in the horizontal direction of the board when wiring is provided on the third layer (the third layer from the surface) of the board as the inner layer. And Figure 14(C) shows a graph in which the results shown in Figure 14(B) are subtracted from the results shown in Figure 14(A).

Therefore, by looking at FIG. 14(C), it is clear whether the noise (electric field strength) is greater in the horizontal direction of the board depending on the frequency, in the outer layer or the inner layer. In other words, if the electric field strength graph is shown above the line where the electric field strength is "0", this means that the noise is greater in the outer layer than in the inner layer, and the noise is reduced by the inner layer. Conversely, if the electric field strength graph is shown below the line where the electric field strength is "0", this means that the noise is smaller in the outer layer than in the inner layer, and the noise is increased by the inner layer. Therefore, by looking at FIG. 14(C), it is clear that in the horizontal direction of the board, at approximately 850 MHz, the noise is greater in the inner layer, and at other frequencies, the noise does not change between the inner layer and the outer layer.

Next, Figures 15(A), (B), and (C) show the far-field measurement results in the vertical direction of the board. Specifically, Figure 15(A) shows a graph showing the relationship between frequency [MHz] and electric field strength [dBμV/m] in the vertical direction of the board when wiring (pattern) is provided on the first layer (surface) of the board as the outer layer. Figure 15(B) shows a graph showing the relationship between frequency [MHz] and electric field strength [dBμV/m] in the vertical direction of the board when wiring is provided on the third layer (third layer from the surface) of the board as the inner layer. And Figure 15(C) shows a graph in which the results shown in Figure 15(B) are subtracted from the results shown in Figure 15(A).

Therefore, by looking at Figure 15(C), it can be seen that in the vertical direction of the board, depending on the frequency, the noise (electric field strength) is greater in the outer layer or the inner layer. Therefore, by looking at Figure 15(C), it can be seen that in the vertical direction of the board, the noise is reduced by the inner layer up to approximately 600 MHz or less, but above approximately 600 MHz, the noise actually increases due to the inner layer.

As described above, based on the far-field measurement results shown in FIG. 14(C) and FIG. 15(C), in the low-frequency range up to approximately 600 MHz, the noise can be reduced by layering the wiring (pattern) on the inside rather than layering it on the outside. On the other hand, in the high-frequency range above approximately 600 MHz, the noise can be reduced by layering the wiring on the outside rather than layering it on the inside.

Therefore, in the image control board 140 of this embodiment, the communication speed of high-speed serial communication (SATA) is assumed to be ultra-high speed of about 3 Gbps, and the pattern for high-speed serial communication becomes a signal line in the high frequency range exceeding 600 MHz. Therefore, it is considered that noise can be reduced when patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 are layered on the outer side as shown in FIG. 12, compared to when pattern PT6 is layered on the inner side as shown in FIG. 13. Therefore, in the image control board 140 of this embodiment, unlike the image control board 140A shown in FIG. 13, patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 are not layered on the inner side, but are provided on the solder surface a6 as the outer layer.

Next, the structure of the performance data board 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 16. As described above, the performance data board 130 (prescribed board) is a control board that implements a performance data ROM 131 that stores performance data (image data, audio data, etc.). As shown in FIG. 8, the performance data board 130 is positioned behind the upper left portion 140L of the image control board 140 so as to overlap in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 16, the performance data board 130 is a multi-layer board, specifically a six-layer printed circuit board. The multi-layer board is made by stacking insulators and patterns in a wafer-like shape, and has an outer layer that is located on the outside and forms the outer surface, and an inner layer that is located on the inside and does not form the outer surface. The image control board 140 may be configured as a multi-layer board other than six layers. The image control board 140 is also a rigid board that uses a non-flexible insulating base material. The image control board 140 may be configured as a flexible board that uses a thin, flexible material for the insulating base material, or as a rigid-flexible board that uses a hard material and a thin, flexible material.

The performance data board 130 is provided with a rear surface a11, a plane layer a12, a wiring layer a13, a wiring layer a14, a plane layer a15, and a front surface a16, in that order from the top of FIG. 16. The rear surface a11 is an outer surface provided on the rear side of the performance data board 130. As shown in FIG. 8, the performance data board 130 is arranged to stand up on the rear side of the game board 1, and the rear surface a11 is the surface of the performance data board 130 opposite the player side. The plane layer a12 and the plane layer a15 are inner layers that become a power supply layer or a ground layer. These plane layers a12 and a15 can supply a stable potential/ground and reduce power supply noise. The wiring layer a13 and the wiring layer a14 are (inner layers) that provide patterns from the mounted electronic components inside the board. The front surface a16 is an outer surface provided on the front side of the performance data board 130. As described above, the performance data board 130 is positioned so that it stands upright at the rear of the game board 1, and the front surface a16 is the surface of the performance data board 130 facing the player. The front surface a16 is also the outer layer (solder surface) that solders the electronic components mounted on the rear surface a11.

Conventionally, a memory board mounting a storage means such as a memory is arranged at the rear of the game board 1, facing the upright game board 1X, as in the performance data board 130 described above. The rear surface of the memory board is also provided with a pattern (also called "circuit wiring" or "signal line"), along with mounting the storage means and peripheral components (capacitors, resistors, etc.). The rear surface refers to the surface of the memory board opposite the player side. However, this has the following problems.

As described above, the circulation equipment for game balls installed in the game hall (hall), the transport rails for bills in the card unit, and another pachinko game machine installed at the back (rear) of this pachinko game machine PY1 are noise sources. The radiation noise generated from these noise sources is likely to affect the rear surface of the memory board because the rear surface is the side opposite the player side (see Figure 8). In other words, the rear surface and front surface of the memory board are arranged so that the rear surface is more susceptible to the effects of radiation noise than the front surface. Therefore, in the past, there was a risk that radiation noise would enter the pattern on the rear surface of the memory board, preventing normal access to the storage means and making it impossible to read the performance data. There was also a risk that noise would enter the peripheral components and storage means (memory) itself installed on the rear surface of the memory board, causing them to malfunction.

In this embodiment, therefore, to address the above problems, the performance data board 130 is configured as shown in FIG. 16. That is, the performance data ROM 131 (predetermined IC, storage means) is mounted on the front surface a16, not on the rear surface a11. The pattern PT11 connected to the performance data ROM 131 is also provided on the front surface a16, not on the rear surface a11. The pattern PT11 (control line) is a signal line for accessing the performance data ROM 131, and is also a signal line for reading performance data from the performance data ROM 131. Although not shown in FIG. 16, integrated circuits (ICs) other than the performance data ROM 131 are also mounted on the front surface a16.

In addition, in this embodiment, the peripheral components such as resistors RR and capacitors are also provided on the front surface a16, not on the rear surface a11. Thus, in this embodiment of the performance data board 130, all integrated circuits (ICs) such as the performance data ROM 131 are provided on the front surface a16, and all peripheral components such as resistors RR and capacitors are also provided on the front surface a16. In other words, no electronic components are provided on the rear surface a11 of the performance data board 130, and each electronic component is provided only on the front surface a16.

As described above, by providing the performance data ROM 131 on the front surface a16 of the performance data board 130 when the performance data board 130 faces the game board 1X, noise due to radiation noise is less likely to enter the performance data ROM 131 compared to when the performance data ROM 131 is provided on the rear surface a11. As a result, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of a situation in which the performance data ROM 131 malfunctions. Also, by providing the pattern PT11 connected to the performance data ROM 131 on the front surface a16 of the performance data board 130, noise is less likely to enter the pattern PT11 due to radiation noise compared to when the pattern PT11 is provided on the rear surface a11. As a result, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of a situation in which the performance data ROM 131 cannot be accessed or the performance data cannot be read normally.

In addition, by providing all peripheral components such as resistors RR and capacitors on the front surface a16 of the performance data board 130, radiation noise is less likely to enter the peripheral components compared to when the peripheral components are provided on the rear surface a11. As a result, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of the peripheral components malfunctioning. Thus, in this form of performance data board 130a, by providing each electronic component only on the front surface 16a, without providing any electronic components on the rear surface a11, it is possible to significantly improve the resistance of the performance data board 130a as a whole to radiation noise.

In this embodiment of the performance data board 130, as shown in FIG. 16, part of the pattern (signal line) extending from the performance data ROM 131 is provided on the wiring layer a14 as pattern PT12. Pattern PT12 (control line) is connected to pattern P11 through a via (not shown), and is provided as an inner layer. Thus, instead of providing all of the patterns connected to the performance data ROM 131 as an outer layer on the front surface 16a, part of the pattern extending from the performance data ROM 131 is provided on the wiring layer a14 as an inner layer for the following reasons.

As explained in the far-field measurement results shown in Figures 14(C) and 15(C), in the low-frequency range up to approximately 600 MHz or less, noise can be reduced by placing the pattern (wiring) on an inner layer, whereas in the high-frequency range above approximately 600 MHz, noise can be reduced by placing the wiring on an outer layer. Therefore, whether the inner or outer layer is preferable depends on the frequency range of the pattern (signal line).

The pattern connected to the performance data ROM 131 of this embodiment is intended for the low frequency range of approximately 600 MHz or less, rather than the high frequency range exceeding approximately 600 MHz. Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing noise, it is preferable to provide the pattern on the wiring layer a14 as an inner layer rather than providing the pattern on the front surface 16a as an outer layer. On the other hand, since the performance data ROM 131 is provided on the front surface 16a, at least a part of the pattern connected to the performance data ROM 131 (pattern PT11) will necessarily appear on the front surface 16a. For this reason, in the pattern connected to the performance data ROM 131 of this embodiment, pattern P11 is provided on the front surface 16a as an outer layer, while pattern P12 is provided on the wiring layer a14 as an inner layer.

4. Effect of the Present Form As described above in detail, according to the pachinko game machine PY1 of the present form, the pattern PT3 capable of transmitting performance data to the VRAM 146 by high-speed serial communication is provided in the image control board 140 so as not to appear on the component surface a1, as shown in Fig. 12. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for a situation to occur in which the performance data cannot be transmitted normally due to radiation noise from outside the pachinko game machine PY1 (a circulation facility for game balls installed in the game hall (hall), a transport rail for bills in a card unit, or another pachinko game machine installed at the back (rear) of the pachinko game machine PY1).

Furthermore, according to the pachinko gaming machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 are provided on the solder surface a6 of the image control board 140, which is opposite the component surface a1. This makes it possible to reduce the effect of radiation noise from outside the pachinko gaming machine PY1, compared to when a pattern capable of transmitting performance data to the VRAM 146 is layered inside the image control board 140.

Furthermore, according to the pachinko gaming machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the image control board 140 is arranged to face the gaming board 1X (see FIG. 4). And, as shown in FIG. 12, the component surface a1 of the image control board 140 is the surface of the image control board 140 opposite the player side, and is therefore more susceptible to the effects of radiation noise from outside the present pachinko gaming machine PY1 than the solder surface a6, which is the surface of the image control board 140 facing the player. Therefore, by arranging the patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 so that they do not appear on the component surface a1, it is possible to reduce the effects of radiation noise from outside the present pachinko gaming machine PY1.

According to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 of the performance board case 120A is provided with through holes 152e and 152f. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(A), a model name sticker 153 is attached to the rear surface 152x of the rear wall portion 152d so as to block each through hole 152e, and a volume sticker 154 is attached to the rear surface 152x of the rear wall portion 152d so as to block each through hole 152f. Therefore, when reusing the performance board case 120A, first, a rod-shaped member such as a skewer is inserted into the through hole 152e from the front side (see FIG. 9). Then, the rod-shaped member is used to push out the part of the model name sticker 153 that blocks the through hole 152e from the front side to the rear side, and the model name sticker 153 is peeled off. Similarly, a rod-shaped member such as a skewer is used to push the portion of the volume sticker 154 that is blocking the through hole 152f from the front side to the rear side, and the volume sticker 154 is peeled off. In this way, by using the through holes 152e and 152f, it is possible to easily peel off the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154.

Furthermore, according to the pachinko gaming machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the performance board case 120A is a board case that houses the performance control board 120, the image control board 140, the sub-drive board 162, and the performance data board 130. Therefore, as described above, it is possible to easily peel off the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154 attached to the performance board case 120A. As a result, it is possible to easily reuse the performance board case 130A that has been discarded until now.

In addition, according to the present pachinko game machine PY1, the performance board case 120A houses the performance control board 120, the image control board 140, the sub-drive board 162, and the performance data board 130. Each of these control boards is equipped with the performance control microcomputer 121, the image CPU 141, the image ROM 142, the image RAM 143, the VDP 144, the CG ROM 145, the VRAM 146, the performance data ROM 131, and the like, as electronic components related to processing during play. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, each through hole 152e, 152f provided in the performance board case 120A is arranged so as not to face (so as not to overlap in the front-to-back direction) the electronic components related to the processing during play described above. This prevents the distance from each through hole 152e, 152f to the electronic components involved in processing during play from becoming too close, making it difficult to commit fraud against the electronic components involved in processing during play.

In addition, according to the pachinko game machine PY1, as shown in FIG. 11(A), each through hole 152e, 152f is circular, so stress concentration is less likely to occur in the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 compared to, for example, a case in which each through hole 152g is rectangular, as shown in FIG. 11(B). This makes it possible to prevent a significant decrease in the strength of the rear wall portion 152d in which the through holes 152e, 152f are provided.

However, if the diameter φ (see FIG. 11A) of the through holes 152e, 152f exceeds 5 mm, the attached portion of the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154 will be reduced, and the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154 will be easily peeled off from the rear surface 152x. Also, if the diameter φ (see FIG. 11A) of the through holes 152e, 152f exceeds 5 mm, the unevenness of the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154 will be easily noticeable, and the appearance will be poor. Therefore, according to the present pachinko game machine PY1, the diameter φ (see FIG. 11A) of each through hole 152e, 152f is 5 mm or less, specifically 3 mm. This makes it difficult for the model name sticker 153 and the volume sticker 154 to peel off from the rear surface 152x, and prevents the appearance from deteriorating.

In addition, according to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the performance data board 130 is arranged opposite the game board 1X (see FIG. 4), and as shown in FIG. 16, the performance data ROM 131 mounted on the performance data board 130 is provided on the front face a16 on the player side of the performance data board 130. Therefore, compared to when the performance data ROM 131 is provided on the rear face a11 on the opposite player side of the performance data board 130, it is possible to reduce the influence of radiation noise from the outside (the game ball circulation equipment installed in the game hall (hall), the bill transport rail in the card unit, and another pachinko game machine installed at the back (rear) of this pachinko game machine PY1). As a result, it is possible to make it less likely for the performance data board 130 to malfunction.

In addition, according to the pachinko game machine PY1 of this embodiment, the front surface a16 of the performance data board 130 is provided with various electronic components including the performance data ROM 131, while the rear surface a11 of the performance data board 130 is not provided with any electronic components including peripheral components such as resistors RR and capacitors. This makes it possible to eliminate the electronic components on the performance data board 130 that are easily affected by external radiation noise, making it less likely for malfunctions to occur on the performance data board 130.

Furthermore, according to the pachinko gaming machine PY1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, of the patterns connected to the performance data ROM 131, pattern PT11 is provided on the front surface a16 as an outer layer, and pattern P12 is provided on the wiring layer a14 as an inner layer. In other words, either pattern PT11 or P12 connected to the performance data ROM 131 is provided so as not to appear on the rear surface a11, which is the side opposite the player, of the performance data board 130. This reduces the effect of external radiation noise on the patterns connected to the performance data ROM 131, making it less likely for malfunctions to occur on the performance data board 130.

5. Modifications The following describes the modifications. In the description of the modifications, the same components as those in the pachinko game machine PY1 of the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description is omitted. Of course, the components of the modifications may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, the technical features in the above embodiment and the following modifications may be appropriately deleted unless they are described as essential in this specification.

In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, a model name sticker 153 and a volume sticker 154 are attached to the rear unit case 152 of the performance board case 120A, and through holes 152e and 152f are provided. In contrast, in the modified embodiment, as shown in Fig. 17, a model name sticker 113, an external terminal information sticker 114, and a board management sticker 115 are attached to the rear board case 112 of the game control board case 100A, and through holes 112e, 112f, and 112g are provided.

Below, a modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 17, the gaming control board case 100A (specific part, board case) is a case that houses the gaming control board 100, and is configured to be separable into a front board case 111 located at the front side, and a rear board case 112 located at the rear side. A model name sticker 113 (specific sticker) bearing the model name and manufacturer name of the pachinko gaming machine PY1, etc., is affixed to the lower left of the rear surface of the rear board case 112.

An external terminal information sticker 114 (specific sticker) that describes the external terminals of the pachinko game machine PY1 is attached to the upper left of the rear surface of the rear board case 112. The external terminals (not shown) of the pachinko game machine PY1 are terminals for outputting information from the pachinko game machine PY1 to an external device such as a hall computer, and include, for example, a prize ball signal indicating the number of prize balls paid out by the pachinko game machine PY1, a frame open signal indicating that the game machine frame 2 is open, a pattern confirmation signal indicating that the special chart 1 or special chart 2 has been stopped and displayed, a jackpot signal 1 indicating that a jackpot game is in progress, and a jackpot signal 2 indicating that a jackpot game is in progress or that the game is in a time-saving state.

In addition, the upper right corner of the rear surface of the rear board case 112 is affixed with a board management seal 115 (specific seal) which lists the management number of the game control board 100 and has space to record the name of the person who opened the case and the date of opening if the game control board case 100A is opened for inspection, etc. (if the crimping pin is removed to release the seal on the game control board case 100A).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the rear wall of the rear substrate case 112 is provided with through holes 112e penetrating in the front-rear direction in correspondence with the positions of the four corners of the model name sticker 113. The rear ends of the through holes 112e are blocked by the four corners of the model name sticker 113. The rear wall of the rear substrate case 112 is provided with through holes 112f penetrating in the front-rear direction in correspondence with the positions of the four corners of the external terminal information sticker 114. The rear ends of the through holes 112f are blocked by the four corners of the external terminal information sticker 114. The rear wall of the rear substrate case 112 is provided with through holes 112g penetrating in the front-rear direction in correspondence with the positions of the four corners of the board management sticker 115. The rear ends of the through holes 112g are blocked by the four corners of the board management sticker 115.

According to this modified example, when reusing the game control board case 100A, first, with the front board case 111 and the rear board case 112 spaced apart in the front-rear direction, a skewer-like rod-shaped member is inserted into the through hole 112e from the front side. Then, the rod-shaped member is used to push the part of the model name sticker 113 that blocks the through hole 112e from the front side to the rear side, and the model name sticker 113 is peeled off. Similarly, a skewer-like rod-shaped member is used to push the part of the external terminal information sticker 114 that blocks the through hole 112f from the front side to the rear side, and the external terminal information sticker 114 is peeled off. Similarly, a skewer-like rod-shaped member is used to push the part of the board management sticker 115 that blocks the through hole 112g from the front side to the rear side, and the board management sticker 115 is peeled off. In this way, by using the through holes 112e, 112f, and 112g, it is possible to easily remove the model name sticker 113, the external terminal information sticker 114, and the board management sticker 115.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the rear unit case 152 has through holes 152e and 152f that penetrate the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 in the front-rear direction. In contrast, in the modified embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the rear wall portion 152d of the rear unit case 152 has a recess 152h that does not penetrate the rear unit case 152 in the front-rear direction.

Below, a modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 18. As shown in FIG. 18, recesses 152h (specific holes) are provided in the rear surface 152x of the rear unit case 152, corresponding to the four corners of the model name sticker 153. Each recess 152h is circular and formed so that its horizontal cross section is also circular. In other words, each recess 152h is formed in a dome shape that is convex toward the front. The diameter of each recess 152h is set to 3 mm. In this modified example, the entire rear end of each recess 152h is not blocked by the four corners of the model name sticker 153, and half (a part) of the rear end of each recess 152h is blocked by the four corners of the model name sticker 153.

According to this modified example, when reusing the performance board case 120A (rear unit case 152), a rod-shaped member like a skewer is inserted into the recess 152h from the rear side. Then, the rod-shaped member is used to push out the part (half) of the model name sticker 113 that is blocking the recess 152h from the front side to the rear side, so as to hook it. This makes it possible to easily peel off the model name sticker 153. Also, in this modified example, since only half (a part) of the rear end of each recess 152h is blocked by the four corners of the model name sticker 153, as described above, the model name sticker 153 can be peeled off by operating from the rear side of the rear unit case 152. Therefore, it is possible to peel off the model name sticker 153 without disassembling the performance board case 120A into the front unit case 151 and the rear unit case 152. In this specification, the term "hole" refers to a penetrating part, and the term "hole" also includes a non-penetrating part.

In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, a model name sticker 153 (specific sticker) and a volume sticker 154 (specific sticker) are attached to the rear unit case 152 of the performance board case 120A (specific part, board case), and each through hole 152e, 152f (specific hole) is provided (see Fig. 9). Also, as shown in Fig. 17, a model name sticker 113 (specific sticker), an external terminal information sticker 114 (specific sticker), and a board management sticker 115 (specific sticker) are attached to the rear board case 112 of the game control board case 100A (specific part, board case), and each through hole 112e, 112f, 112g is provided.

However, the specific part on which the specific sticker is attached and the specific hole is provided is not limited to the rear unit case 152 (rear board case 112) or the game control board case 100A (rear board case 112), and can be changed as appropriate as long as it is reusable. Therefore, the specific part may be, for example, the front unit case 151 of the performance board case 120A or the front board case 111 of the game control board case 100A. It may also be, for example, a case that houses the payout control board case 170A or the power board. It may also be a performance part such as the outer cover 25, the performance movable body (board movable body 55k or frame movable body), operation means (input unit 40k), decorative member (logo member, etc.), or lamp member, instead of a board case.

In the above embodiment, the performance board case 120A is a case that houses the performance control board 120, the image control board 140, the sub-drive board 162, and the performance data board 130. However, a performance control board case that houses the performance control board 120, an image control board case that houses the image control board 140, a sub-drive board case that houses the sub-drive board 162, and a performance data board case that houses the performance data board 130 may each be provided separately, and specific stickers may be affixed to these performance control board cases, image control board cases, sub-drive board cases, and performance data board cases, and specific holes (through holes) that are blocked by the specific stickers may be provided.

The specific stickers are not limited to the model name stickers 113, 153, the volume sticker 154, the external terminal information sticker 114, and the board management sticker 115, but may be, for example, a sealing sticker with the words "Do not open" written on it to indicate that the game control board case 100A must not be opened, or a sticker for performance that is affixed to a performance movable body or a decorative member (such as a logo member).

In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, a model name sticker 153 (specific sticker) that covers the through holes 152e and 152f (specific holes) is attached to the rear surface 152x (specific surface, see Fig. 10(A)) of the rear unit case 152. However, the specific surface to which the specific sticker is attached is not limited to the rear surface 152x, but may be the front surface 152y (see Fig. 10(B)), the left side surface, the right side surface, the top surface, or the bottom surface, and can be changed as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11(A), the through holes 152e and 152f (specific holes) have a circular shape, and as shown in FIG. 18, the recess 152h (specific hole) has a circular shape. However, the shape of the specific hole is not limited to a circular shape, and may be a rectangular shape (including a square shape), an elliptical shape, or a triangular shape, as shown in FIG. 11(B), and may be changed as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the diameter φ of the through holes 152e, 152f (see FIG. 11) is 3 mm, and the diameter of the recess 152h (see FIG. 18) is also 3 mm. However, the diameter of the specific holes such as the through holes and recesses is not limited to 3 mm, and may be, for example, 10 mm, and can be changed as appropriate. However, as mentioned above, from the viewpoint of the resistance of the specific sticker to peeling off and the viewpoint of the appearance of the specific sticker, it is preferable that the diameter is 5 mm or less.

In the above embodiment, the number of through holes 152e (specific holes) blocked by the model name sticker 153 (specific sticker) was four (see FIG. 9), and the number of recesses 152h partially blocked by the model name sticker 153 (specific sticker) was four (see FIG. 18). However, the number of specific holes blocked by the specific sticker is not limited to four, and may be one, two, three, or five or more, and can be changed as appropriate. However, although the greater the number of specific holes blocked by the specific sticker, the easier it is to peel off the specific sticker, the more likely it is that the strength of the wall part in which the specific holes are provided will decrease, and the appearance of the specific sticker will deteriorate. Therefore, when priority is given to suppressing the decrease in strength of the wall part in which the specific holes are provided and to the appearance of the specific sticker over the ease of peeling off the specific sticker, it is preferable that the number of specific holes blocked by one specific sticker is one.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 (part of the serial line) that are connected to VRAM 146 (specific IC) and capable of transmitting performance data via high-speed serial communication are provided on solder surface a6 in the image control board 140. However, patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 do not necessarily have to be provided on solder surface a6, and may be provided, for example, on wiring layer a3 as an inner layer as shown in FIG. 13. They may also be provided on plane layers a2, a5, or wiring layer a4.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, among the patterns connected to CGROM 145 and VRAM 146 (specific IC), patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 (part of the serial line) are made not to appear on component side a1. However, the specific IC connected to the serial line that does not appear on component side a1 is not limited to CGROM 145 and VRAM 146, and can be changed as appropriate as long as it is an IC capable of high-speed serial communication. For example, it may be VDP 144 or image RAM 143. Furthermore, the specific IC is not limited to the IC (integrated circuit) to which performance data is sent via high-speed serial communication, but may be the IC that sends performance data via high-speed serial communication.

In the above embodiment, the specific board in which part of the serial line does not appear on the component surface was the image control board 140. However, the specific board is not limited to the image control board 140, and can be changed as appropriate as long as it is a control board capable of high-speed serial communication (SATA). For example, the specific board may be the performance control board 120, performance data board 130, game control board 100, payout control board 170, audio control board, etc.

In the above embodiment, the image control board 140 (specific board) in which the patterns PT2, PT3, and PT4 do not appear on the component side a1 is arranged to stand up as shown in FIG. 8, and the component side a1 is the side of the image control board 140 opposite the player side. However, the arrangement of the specific board is not limited to the above and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the specific board may not stand up, but may be arranged to extend horizontally. In this case, a part of the serial line is provided on the side opposite the component side of the specific board, and is preferably arranged on the side (upper horizontal surface or lower horizontal surface) away from the outside, which is a source of noise (the circulation equipment for game balls installed in the game hall (hall), the transport rail for bills in the card unit, another pachinko game machine installed at the back (rear) of this pachinko game machine PY1).

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, in the performance data board 130 (specified board), the performance data ROM 131 (specified IC) was provided on the front a16 (player side) on the player side. However, the specified board on which the specified IC is provided on the player side is not limited to the performance data board 130, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the specified board may be the performance control board 120, the image control board 140, the sub-drive board 162, the game control board 100, the payout control board 170, the power supply board, the audio control board, etc. Therefore, for example, if the specified board is the performance control board 120, the specific IC may be the performance control microcomputer 121 (any of the performance CPU 122, the performance ROM 123, or the performance RAM 124). For example, if the specified board is image control board 140, it may be any one of image CPU 141, image ROM 142, image RAM 143, VDP 144, CGROM 145, and VRAM 146. For example, if the specified board is game control board 100, the specific IC may be game control microcomputer 101 (any one of game CPU 102, game ROM 103, and game RAM 104).

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the front surface a16 (player side) of the performance data board 130 is provided with various electronic components including the performance data ROM 131, while the rear surface a11 (opposite player side) of the performance data board 130 is not provided with any electronic components including peripheral components such as resistors RR and capacitors. However, electronic components may be provided on the rear surface a11 (opposite player side) of the performance data board 130. However, it is preferable that the number of electronic components provided on the front surface a16 of the performance data board 130 is greater than the number of electronic components provided on the rear surface a11 of the performance data board 130. This is because the number of electronic components that are easily affected by external radiation noise among the electronic components provided on the performance data board 130 (predetermined board) can be significantly reduced, making it less likely for the performance data board 130 to malfunction.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, in the performance data board 130 (specified board), of the patterns (control lines) connected to the performance data ROM 131 (specified IC), pattern PT11 is provided on the front surface a16 (player side) as an outer layer, and pattern P12 is provided on the wiring layer a14 as an inner layer. However, all of the patterns (control lines) connected to the performance data ROM 131 (specified IC), i.e., both patterns PT11 and P12, may be provided on the front surface a16 (player side) as outer layers.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the above inventions are applied to a pachinko gaming machine that is controlled to a jackpot gaming state (special gaming state) when a special symbol indicating a jackpot win is displayed as a control condition. In contrast, the above inventions may also be applied to slot machines (reel-type gaming machines, pachislot gaming machines).

The type of slot machine may be any type. In the case of a so-called normal machine (A-type slot machine) that increases the number of medals acquired by winning a big bonus or a regular bonus, the state in which a bonus such as a big bonus or a regular bonus is being executed corresponds to the special gaming state. In the case of a so-called ART machine or AT machine that increases the number of medals acquired during a special gaming period such as ART (assist replay time) or AT (assist time) in which small winning combinations can be frequently won corresponds to the special gaming state. In the case of a normal machine, the control condition for entering the special gaming state is that after winning a big bonus or a regular bonus, a combination of symbols that will be a transition trigger to a big bonus or a regular bonus is derived and displayed as a display result for each reel on the activated winning line. In the case of an ART machine or AT machine, the control condition for entering the special gaming state is, for example, winning the execution lottery for the ART or AT, and then reaching the timing for activating the ART or AT by playing a specified number of games.

6. Inventions shown in the above-described embodiments The above-described embodiments show the inventions of the following means. In the explanation of the means described below, the corresponding component names and expressions in the above-described embodiments and the symbols used in the drawings are added in parentheses for reference. However, the components of each invention are not limited to these additions.

<Means A>
The invention according to Means A1 is as follows:
A specific board (image control board 140) on whose component surface (component surface a1) specific ICs (CGROM 145, VRAM 146) are mounted;
A gaming machine (pachinko gaming machine PY1) having a serial line (patterns PT1 to PT5) connected to the specific IC and capable of transmitting data (performance data) by serial communication,
A gaming machine characterized in that, on the specific board, a portion of the serial line (patterns PT2, PT3, PT4) is provided so as not to appear on the component surface (see Figure 12).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, a portion of the serial line that is connected to a specific IC and can transmit data via serial communication is arranged on the specific board so that it does not appear on the component surface. This makes it less likely that external radiation noise will cause data transmission to be disrupted.

The invention according to Means A2 is as follows:
In the gaming machine according to the means A1,
This gaming machine is characterized in that a portion of the serial line (patterns PT2, PT3, PT4) is provided on the opposite component surface (solder surface a6) of the specific board from the component surface.

In a gaming machine with this configuration, a portion of the serial line is provided on the opposite component side of the specific board. This makes it possible to reduce the effects of external radiation noise compared to when a portion of the serial line is layered internally within the specific board.

The invention according to Means A3 is:
In the gaming machine according to the means A1 or A2,
A game board (1X) on which game balls can flow down is provided,
This gaming machine is characterized in that the component surface (component surface a1) is the surface of the specific board opposite the player side (see Figure 12) when the specific board is positioned opposite the gaming board (see Figure 8).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, the component side of the specific board is the side opposite the player side, and is susceptible to the effects of external radiation noise. However, by arranging a portion of the serial line so that it does not appear on the component side, it is possible to reduce the effects of external radiation noise.

In the gaming machine described in JP 2006-015036 A, a specific board such as a game control board or a performance control board is provided with a serial line capable of transmitting signals (data) by serial communication. In the specific board (e.g., an image control board) on which the serial line is provided, a specific IC (e.g., a VRAM) is mounted on the component side of the specific board. Data is transmitted to the specific IC by serial communication via the serial line. In this conventional specific board, the serial line is provided on the component side together with the specific IC, so there is a risk that external radiation noise may act on the serial line provided on the component side, causing a situation in which data transmission is not performed normally. Therefore, the invention according to means A1 to A3 differs from the gaming machine described in JP 2006-015036 A in that a part of the serial line is provided on the specific board so as not to appear on the component side. This makes it possible to solve the problem of providing a gaming machine that makes it difficult for a situation in which data transmission is not performed normally to occur (achieve the effect of doing so).

<Method B>
The invention according to means B1 is as follows:
In a gaming machine (pachinko gaming machine PY1) equipped with a specific part (performance board case 120A) to which specific stickers (model name sticker 153, volume sticker 154) are attached,
The specific surface (rear surface 152x) of the specific component to which the specific sticker is attached is provided with specific holes (through holes 152e, 152f),
The specific sticker is attached to the specific surface so as to cover at least a part of the specific hole (see Figures 10(A) and (B)).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, a specific hole is provided on a specific surface of the specific part, and a specific sticker is affixed to the specific surface so as to cover the specific hole. Therefore, when reusing the specific part, the specific sticker is peeled off from the portion of the specific sticker that covers the specific hole using a tool or the like. In this way, by utilizing the specific hole, it is possible to make it easier to peel off the specific sticker.

The invention according to means B2 is as follows:
In the gaming machine according to the means B1,
This gaming machine is characterized in that the specific hole is a through hole that penetrates from the specific surface (rear surface 152x) of the specific part to the rear side surface (front surface 152y) behind the specific surface (see Figures 10 (A) and (B)).

When reusing a specific part with this configuration of gaming machine, a tool is inserted into the through hole from the back side. Then, the part of the specific sticker that is blocking the specific hole is pushed out from inside the through hole. This makes it easier to peel off the specific sticker.

The invention according to means B3 is as follows:
In the gaming machine according to the means B1 or B2,
The specific component is a board case (performance board case 120A) that houses boards (performance control board 120, image control board 140, sub-drive board 162, performance data board 130) (see Figure 8), which is a gaming machine characterized by the above.

With this type of gaming machine, it is possible to easily remove the special stickers attached to the circuit board case. As a result, it is possible to easily reuse circuit board cases that have previously been discarded.

The invention according to means B4 is as follows:
In the gaming machine according to the means B2,
The specific parts are a board case (performance board case 120A) that houses boards (performance control board 120, image control board 140, sub-drive board 162, performance data board 130),
The boards (performance control board 120, image control board 140, sub-drive board 162, performance data board 130) are equipped with specific electronic components (performance control microcomputer 121, image CPU 141, image ROM 142, image RAM 143, VDP 144, CG ROM 145, VRAM 146, performance data ROM 131) involved in processing during play,
The through hole is arranged so as not to face the specific electronic component (see FIG. 9).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, the through-holes in the circuit board case are positioned so as not to face the specific electronic components mounted on the circuit board. In this way, by preventing the through-holes from being too close to the specific electronic components, it is possible to make it difficult to commit fraud against the specific electronic components.

The invention according to means B5 is as follows:
In the gaming machine according to any one of means B1 to B4,
The specific hole is circular (see FIG. 11(A)).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, because the specific hole is circular, stress concentration is less likely to occur at the specific hole than if the specific hole were, for example, rectangular. This makes it possible to prevent a significant decrease in the strength of the wall portion of the specific component in which the specific hole is located.

The invention according to means B6 is as follows:
In the gaming machine according to the means B5,
This gaming machine is characterized in that the diameter (φ) of the specific hole is 5 mm or less.

In a gaming machine with this configuration, if the diameter of the special hole exceeds 5 mm, the area where the special sticker is attached will be reduced, making the special sticker more likely to peel off. Furthermore, when the special sticker is attached, the unevenness of the special sticker will be more noticeable, making the appearance unattractive. Therefore, by making the diameter of the special hole 5 mm or less, the special sticker will be less likely to peel off and it is possible to prevent the appearance from worsening.

In the gaming machine described in JP 2006-212273 A, a specific seal (a seal on which inspection information is written) is attached to a specific component (for example, a circuit board case). Here, in the past, it was not assumed that a specific component to which a specific seal is attached would be reused (reused). Therefore, in order to effectively use resources, it is possible to reuse the specific component, but there are the following problems. That is, when reusing a specific component, it is necessary to peel off the old specific seal in order to attach a new specific seal. However, since the specific seal is attached to a flat surface without any irregularities on the specific surface of the specific component, there is a problem that the specific seal is difficult to peel off from the specific component. Therefore, the invention according to means B1 to B6 differs from the gaming machine described in JP 2006-212273 A in that a specific hole is provided on the specific surface of the specific component to which the specific seal is attached, and the specific seal is attached to the specific surface so as to cover at least a part of the specific hole. This makes it possible to solve the problem (achieve the effect) of providing a gaming machine that makes it easy to peel off specific stickers.

<Method C>
The invention according to Means C1 is
A game board (1X) on which game balls can flow;
A predetermined board (performance data board 130, see FIG. 8) arranged opposite the game board;
A predetermined IC (performance data ROM 131) mounted on the predetermined board, and a gaming machine (pachinko gaming machine PY1) equipped with the predetermined IC (performance data ROM 131),
This gaming machine is characterized in that, when the designated board is positioned opposite the game board, the designated IC mounted on the designated board is provided on the player side (front surface a16) of the designated board facing the player (see Figure 16).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, the designated board is placed opposite the game board, and the designated IC mounted on the designated board is provided on the player side of the designated board. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the effect of external radiation noise on the designated IC compared to when the designated IC is provided on the anti-player side of the designated board, which is opposite the player side. As a result, it is possible to make it less likely for the designated board to malfunction.

The invention according to Means C2 is:
In the gaming machine according to the means C1,
This gaming machine is characterized in that, when the specified board is positioned opposite the game board, the number of electronic components (all electronic components such as ICs and peripheral components) provided on the player side (front side a16) of the specified board facing the player is greater than the number of electronic components provided on the anti-player side (rear side a11) of the specified board opposite the player side.

With this type of gaming machine, when the designated board is placed opposite the game board, the number of electronic components on the player side of the designated board is greater than the number of electronic components on the non-player side of the designated board. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of electronic components on the designated board that are susceptible to external radiation noise, making it less likely for malfunctions to occur on the designated board.

The invention according to Means C3 is:
In the gaming machine according to the means C1 or C2,
This gaming machine is characterized in that, when the specified board is positioned opposite the game board, electronic components (all electronic components such as ICs and peripheral components) are provided on the player side (front side a16) of the specified board facing the player, while no electronic components are provided on the anti-player side (rear side a11) of the specified board opposite the player side (see Figure 16).

In a gaming machine with this configuration, the specified board is placed opposite the game board, and electronic components are provided only on the player side of the specified board. This makes it possible to eliminate electronic components that are easily affected by external radiation noise among the electronic components provided on the specified board, making it less likely for malfunctions to occur on the specified board.

The invention according to Means C4 is:
In the gaming machine according to any one of means C1 to C3,
This gaming machine is characterized in that the control lines (patterns P11, PT12) connected to the specified IC are arranged so as not to appear on the anti-player side (rear side a11) of the specified board opposite the player side when the specified board is placed opposite the game board.

In a gaming machine with this configuration, not only the designated IC but also the control lines connected to the designated IC are arranged so that they do not appear on the side of the designated board opposite the player. This reduces the effect of external radiation noise on the control lines, making it less likely that malfunctions will occur on a specific board.

In the gaming machine described in JP 2016-221291 A, a predetermined board (e.g., a performance control board) is disposed on the back side of the gaming board, facing the gaming board, and a predetermined IC (e.g., a performance control means) is mounted on the predetermined board. This predetermined board has a player side, which is the surface facing the player, and a non-player side opposite the player side, and the predetermined IC is provided on the non-player side. However, when the predetermined board is disposed facing the gaming board, the non-player side of the predetermined board is more susceptible to radiation noise from outside the gaming machine (such as the circulation equipment for gaming balls, the transport rail for bills, and another gaming machine installed at the back) than the player side of the predetermined board. Therefore, there was a risk that the predetermined IC provided on the non-player side of the predetermined board would malfunction due to the influence of radiation noise from outside the gaming machine. Therefore, the invention relating to means C1 to C4 differs from the gaming machine described in JP 2016-221291 A in that the specified IC is provided on the player side of the specified board. This makes it possible to provide a gaming machine (achieve the effect of) making it difficult for the specified board to malfunction.

PY1... Pachinko game machine 120... Performance control board 120A... Performance board case 120B... Performance board unit 121... Performance control microcomputer 130... Performance data board 131... Performance data ROM
140: Image control board 145: CGROM
146...VRAM
151...Front unit case 152...Rear unit case 152e, 152f...Through hole 152h...Recess 152x...Rear surface 152y...Front surface 153...Model name sticker 154...Volume sticker PT1 to PT5...Pattern a1...Component surface a6...Solder surface a11...Front surface a16...Rear surface

Claims (2)

A game board on which game balls can flow;
A specific IC to which data is transmitted;
A specific board is disposed on the back side of the game board and has the specific IC mounted on its component surface;
A communication pattern for transmitting the data to the specific IC via Serial ATA on the specific board .
The component surface is a surface of the specific board opposite to a player side when the specific board is disposed opposite to the game board,
A gaming machine characterized in that a portion of the communication pattern is provided on an anti-component surface of the specific board opposite the component surface. 2. The gaming machine according to claim 1,
An amusement machine characterized in that the area of the communication pattern provided on the opposite component side of the specific board is more than half of the total area of the communication pattern provided on the specific board .

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