JP7630484B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines, and in particular to the technical field of gaming machines equipped with a communication board equipped with an insulating transmission means that provides electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the gaming machine and an external device.

Some gaming machines are equipped with a communication board for communicating signals with external devices such as game ball and medal dispensers and hall computers (see, for example, Patent Document 1). On such communication boards, an insulating transmission means such as a photocoupler is mounted to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external devices.

JP 2014-223398 A

The purpose of this invention is to improve the freedom of component placement in gaming machines while improving insulation from external devices.

The gaming machine of the present invention is provided with a communication board on which an insulating transmission means is mounted for providing electrical insulation on a signal communication path between the gaming machine and an external device, and the communication board is formed with an outer circuit which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and a separation section is formed to separate the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area, the insulating transmission means is arranged on the separation section, an external connector for electrically connecting to the external device is provided in the outer circuit area, and an internal connector for electrically connecting to the other board is provided in the inner circuit area, the external connector and the internal connector are arranged side by side at one end of the communication board , the ground of the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area are a solid ground, the solid ground in the outer circuit and the inner circuit extends to an area that is closer to the separation section than the terminal of the insulating transmission means, and in the outer circuit and the inner circuit, signal lines from the terminal of the insulating transmission means are pulled out to the opposite side of the separation section rather than to the separation section side .
This improves insulation by separating the inner and outer circuits, while aligning the internal and external connectors to one end of the board, preventing variation in the connector positions and enabling the area on the board in which other components can be overlapped to avoid the connector positions to be expanded.

The present invention makes it possible to improve the insulation from external devices while increasing the freedom of component placement in the gaming machine.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a gaming machine. 1 is an oblique view of the gaming machine when the front frame is open. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a gaming board of a gaming machine. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the gaming machine. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a preview performance. 13 is a flowchart showing the main processing on the main control side. 13 is a flowchart showing a main loop process. 13 is a flowchart showing the main control side timer interrupt processing. 13 is a flowchart showing normal pattern management processing. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a normal winning determination table. A diagram explaining an example of a winning type, a fluctuation time, and a determination time for a normal pattern fluctuation display game. 13 is a flowchart showing a special symbol management process. This is a flowchart showing the starting port check processing of Special Figure 1. 13 is a flowchart showing the special pattern variation start processing. This is a flowchart showing the jackpot random number determination process. A diagram showing an example of a jackpot determination table. A diagram explaining a jackpot random number determination method. 13 is a flowchart showing a symbol lottery process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a design table. 13 is a flowchart showing a variation pattern lottery process. A figure showing an example of a variation pattern lottery table. An explanatory diagram of an example of signals communicated between the payout control board and the ball dispensing machine in an embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of various electronic components on a dispensing control board in an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a connection between an external connector and each insulating transmission means in the embodiment. 2 is a circuit diagram for explaining an example of specific paths of a BRDY signal, a BRQ signal, an EXS signal, a PRDY signal, and a P-OUT signal in an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram for explaining an example of specific paths of a BRDY signal, a BRQ signal, an EXS signal, a PRDY signal, and a P-OUT signal in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram for explaining an example of specific paths of a BRDY signal, a BRQ signal, an EXS signal, a PRDY signal, and a P-OUT signal in the embodiment. A diagram showing an example of a wiring pattern on the surface (component mounting surface) of the dispensing control board in an embodiment. A diagram showing an example of a wiring pattern on the back surface of a dispensing control board in an embodiment. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the arrangement of an insulating transmission means in the embodiment. FIG. An explanatory diagram of the positions of various connectors on a dispensing control board in an embodiment. A schematic cross-sectional view to explain an example of the formation pattern of a separation section and a ground in a dispensing control board as an embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram regarding the width of a separation portion in the embodiment. An explanatory diagram of a communication board provided in a gaming machine as a first modified example. An explanatory diagram of a communication board provided in a gaming machine as another example of the first modified example. An explanatory diagram of a communication board provided in a gaming machine as a second modified example. An explanatory diagram of a communication board provided in an amusement machine as another example of the second modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1. Structure of the gaming machine
2. Control configuration of gaming machine
2.1 Main control board
[2.2 Performance control board]
<3. Overview of operation>
[3.1 Game Status]
[3.2 Variable symbol display game]
[3.3 About the jackpot]
[3.4 Production]
<4. Processing of the main control board>
[4.1 Main processing on the main control side]
[4.2 Main control side timer interrupt processing]
<5. About the communication board>
[5.1 Communication function with external devices and board configuration overview]
[5.2 Example of substrate configuration as an embodiment]
(5.2.1 Configuration example A)
(5.2.2 Configuration example B)
(5.2.3 Configuration example C)
(5.2.4 Configuration example D)
(5.2.5 Configuration examples E and F)
[5.3 First Modification (Configuration Example G)]
[5.4 Second Modification (Configuration Example H)]
6. Other Modifications

1. Structure of the gaming machine
The overall structure of a gaming machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the gaming machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the gaming machine 1 according to the embodiment when the front frame 4 is opened.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gaming machine 1 comprises a wooden outer frame 2, an inner frame 3 attached to the outer frame 2 by a hinge mechanism so as to be openable and closable, and a front frame 4 attached to the inner frame 3 by a hinge mechanism so as to be openable and closable.
The inner frame 3 is formed in a picture frame shape and holds inside the inner frame 3 a game board 5. On the rear side of the game board 5, various control boards (see FIG. 4) for controlling game operations are arranged.

The front frame 4 holds a transparent glass 6 in the center, and a side unit 7 is provided so as to surround all or part of the periphery of the transparent glass 6.
The side unit 7 itself is given a decorative shape that matches the theme of the gaming machine 1, and may be equipped with LEDs, gimmicks, and other presentation elements inside, providing a presentation effect that conveys the atmosphere of the game to the player. The side unit 7 is a unit that is attached to the front frame 4 in a replaceable manner.

A key cylinder (not shown) for unlocking the door is provided on the front side of the front frame 4. By inserting a key into this key cylinder and operating it to one side, the locked state of the front frame 4 relative to the inner frame 3 is released, allowing the front frame 4 to be opened to the front. By operating it to the other side, the locked state of the inner frame 3 relative to the outer frame 2 is released, allowing the inner frame 3 to be opened to the front.

A front operation panel 8 is disposed below the front frame 4. An upper tray unit 9 is provided on the front operation panel 8, and an upper tray 10 is formed in the upper tray unit 9 to store the ejected game balls.

The upper tray unit 9 is also provided with a ball lending button 11 for requesting the game ball lending device (not shown) to dispense game balls, a card return button 12 for requesting the return of a valuable medium inserted into the game ball lending device, and a ball removal button 13 for removing game balls stored in the upper tray 10 below the gaming machine 1.

The upper tray unit 9 is also provided with an operation section 14 (see FIG. 4) that is configured to be operable by the player. The operation section 14 is configured to include a performance button 14a, a cross key 14b, and a decision button 14c. The performance button 14a has a built-in lamp (button LED 49) that lights up during a specified input reception period, making it operable (input reception possible), and it is possible to bring about a change in the performance by performing a specified operation (pressing, tapping repeatedly, pressing and holding, etc.) while the built-in lamp is lit.
The cross key 14b is an operator that allows a user such as a player or hall staff to select various items, give direction instructions, etc. The decision button 14c is an operator that issues an instruction to decide on a selected item.

A firing operation handle 15 for operating the firing device 44 (see Figure 4) is provided on the right end side of the front operation panel 8.

A number of decorative lamps 16 (e.g., full-color LEDs for light effects) that create a light effect through light decoration are provided in appropriate locations on the front frame 4. A number of these decorative lamps 16 are provided around the gaming machine 1, for example, on the periphery of the front frame 4 and within the side unit 7.

In addition, speakers 17 that produce sound effects (sound effects) through acoustics are provided on both sides of the upper part of the inner frame 3 and on the upper side of the launch operation handle 15.
The multiple speakers 17 enable so-called stereophonic reproduction or multi-channel audio reproduction of sounds related to the performance.

Next, the configuration of the game board 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a front view of the game board 5.
The illustrated game board 5 has a ball guide rail 18 that guides the launched game ball attached in a ring shape as a board surface partition member, and the approximately circular area surrounded by this ball guide rail 18 is the game area 19, while the four corners are non-game areas.
The game area 19 is a space formed between the game board 5 and the transparent glass 6, and is an area through which game balls can flow down.

Approximately in the center of this game area 19, a liquid crystal display device (LCD) 20 is provided which is capable of independently displaying (displaying changes and displaying stops) multiple types of decorative patterns (e.g., a left pattern (corresponding to the left display area), a middle pattern (corresponding to the middle display area), a right pattern (corresponding to the right display area)) using numbers, characters, symbols, etc. in, for example, three (left, middle, right) display areas (pattern changing display areas).
Under the control of a performance control board 41 described later, the liquid crystal display device 20 displays various performances as images, in addition to the varying display operation of decorative symbols.

In addition, a center ornament 21 is provided in the center of the game area 19 so as to surround at a distance the display surface of the liquid crystal display device 20. The center ornament 21 is provided along the front side of the game board 5, and protects the display surface of the liquid crystal display device 20 from collision with game balls, and also functions as a flow path distribution means that enables the flow path of the game ball to be distributed to the left or right depending on the strength or stroke length of the game ball's launch.
In this embodiment, the center ornament 21 is disposed at approximately the center of the play area 19, and divides the play area 19 into a left play area 19a and a right play area 19b on the left and right sides. A game ball launched by the launching device 44 with a launch strength less than a predetermined value flows down the left play area 19a, and a game ball launched with a launch strength equal to or greater than the predetermined value flows down the right play area 19b.

The non-play area at the bottom of the game board 5 is a display section for various functions, and is provided with a special symbol display device 22a and a special symbol display device 22b using dot displays.
In addition, various function display sections including the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b are shown in an enlarged scale in FIG.

The special symbol display devices 22a and 22b are adapted to execute a special symbol variable display game by varying the display operation of the "special symbol" represented by the dot display. The liquid crystal display device 20 described above is adapted to execute a decorative symbol variable display game together with various preview effects (effect images) by displaying decorative symbols in a variable display manner that is synchronized in time with the variable display of the special symbols by the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b.

The various function display section also includes a composite display device 22c, which is made up of a dot display device, just like the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b. It is called a composite display device because it is a reserved/time-saving/high-probability composite display device (hereinafter simply referred to as a "composite display device") that has five display functions: displaying the first special symbol (hereinafter, the first special symbol will be referred to as "special symbol 1" and sometimes abbreviated to "special symbol 1"), the second special symbol (hereinafter, the second special symbol will be referred to as "special symbol 2" and sometimes abbreviated to "special symbol 2"), the number of reserved balls for normal symbols, and notifying the status during the time-saving state and the high-probability state.

The various function display section is also provided with a composite display device 22d, which is also made up of a dot display.
In this composite display device 22d, a round number display is performed to notify the specified number of rounds (maximum number of rounds) related to a jackpot by a combination of the on/off states of four LEDs.
In addition, in the composite display device 22d, as the normal symbol display, a normal symbol variable display game is executed by a variable display operation of the normal symbol represented by one LED.
In addition, the composite display device 22d is configured to display a right-hand hit indication using three LEDs. The right-hand hit indication indicates that it is more advantageous for the player to shoot the game ball toward the right game area 19b than to shoot the game ball toward the left game area 19a.

A first starting hole 23 is provided in the center of the game board 5 and below the liquid crystal display device 20. Inside the first starting hole 23, a first starting hole detection sensor 23a (see FIG. 4) is provided to detect the passage of a game ball.
A second starting hole 24 is provided in the right game area 19b, and a second starting hole detection sensor 24a (see Figure 3) is provided inside the second starting hole 24 to detect the passage of a game ball.

The first starting hole 23 is a winning hole related to the starting condition of the variable display operation of the special symbol 1 in the special symbol display device 22a, and is configured as a fixed starting hole without a starting hole opening/closing means (means for opening or enlarging the starting hole). In this embodiment, due to the action of a game ball fall direction changing member (e.g., a game nail, a windmill, a center ornament 21, etc.) in the game area 19, the first starting hole 23 is configured to be easy for game balls rolling in the left game area 19a to enter, but difficult or impossible for game balls rolling in the right game area 19b to enter.

The second starting port 24 is a winning port related to the starting conditions for the variable display operation of the special pattern 2 in the special pattern display device 22b, and is configured as a variable starting port whose opening and closing is controlled by a normal electric device 25.
The normal electric device 25 is controlled to an open state that allows a game ball to enter the second starting hole 24, and a closed state that makes it difficult or impossible for a game ball to enter the second starting hole 24. In this embodiment, the second starting hole 24 is provided in the right playing area 19b, and only game balls that have rolled in the right playing area 19b can enter the hole, but game balls that have rolled in the left playing area 19a may also be allowed to enter the hole.

Above the second starting hole 24, that is, above the middle part of the right play area 19b, there is provided a normal symbol gate 26 through which game balls can pass. This normal symbol gate 26 is a winning hole related to the variable display operation of the normal symbol in the composite display device 22d, and inside it is provided a normal symbol gate detection sensor 26a (see FIG. 4) that detects game balls passing through. In this embodiment, the normal symbol gate 26 is provided only in the right play area 19b, and only game balls that have rolled in the right play area 19b can enter. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be provided only in the left play area 19a, or in both.

A first large prize opening 27 and a second large prize opening 28 are provided below the second starting opening 24 in the right game area 19b. The first large prize opening 27 and the second large prize opening 28 are arranged in a position where only game balls rolling in the right game area 19b can enter. However, the first large prize opening 27 and the second large prize opening 28 may be arranged so that only game balls rolling in the left game area 19a can enter, or so that game balls rolling in the left game area 19a and the right game area 19b can enter.
The first large prize opening 27 is controlled to open and close by a first special electric device 29. The first special electric device 29 is controlled to an open state that allows a game ball to enter the first large prize opening 27, and a closed state that makes it difficult or impossible for a game ball to enter the first large prize opening 27.
The second large prize opening 28 is controlled to open and close by a second special electric device 30. The second special electric device 30 is controlled to an open state that allows a game ball to enter the second large prize opening 28, and a closed state that makes it difficult or impossible for a game ball to enter the second large prize opening 28.
A first large prize opening detection sensor 27a and a second large prize opening detection sensor 28a (see Figure 4) are provided inside the first large prize opening 27 and the second large prize opening 28, respectively, to detect the passage of a gaming ball.

A plurality of general winning openings 31 are provided on the lower left and right sides of the game area 19, and a general winning opening detection sensor 31a (see Figure 4) is provided inside each of them to detect the passage of game balls.
Additionally, within the area of the game board, movable devices (not shown) that provide visual effects are arranged in positions that do not interfere with the rolling of the game ball.

In the gaming machine 1 of this embodiment, when a gaming ball enters one of the various winning holes provided in the gaming area 19, the number of prize balls set for the winning hole into which the gaming ball entered (for example, three for the first start hole 23, one for the second start hole 24, fifteen for the first large winning hole 27 and the second large winning hole 28, and five for the general winning hole 31) is paid out from the gaming ball payout device 46 (see FIG. 4). Gaming balls that do not enter any of the above winning holes are discharged from the gaming area 19 via the outlet 32.

2. Control configuration of gaming machine
Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the gaming machine 1. A configuration (control configuration) for realizing game operation control of the gaming machine 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of Fig. 4.
The gaming machine 1 of this embodiment is composed of a main control board 40 that is responsible for overall control of all gaming operations (gaming operation control), a presentation control board 41 that receives presentation control commands from the main control board 40 and is responsible for overall control of the execution of presentations by the presentation means, a payout control board 42 that controls the payout of prize balls, and a power supply board 200 (see Figure 44) that generates and supplies the power supply voltage required for the gaming machine 1 from an external power source (not shown).

2.1 Main control board
The main control board 40 is equipped with a microprocessor that has a built-in CPU (Central Processing Unit) 40a (main control CPU), as well as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 40b (main control ROM) that stores a control program that describes the game operation control procedures, as well as various data necessary for game operation control, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 40c (main control RAM) that functions as a work area and buffer memory, and as a whole constitutes a microcomputer.

Although not shown, the main control board 40 also includes a CTC (Counter Timer Circuit) for implementing periodic interrupts, a function for generating pulse output at a fixed period (bit rate generator), and a time measurement function, an interrupt controller circuit for implementing interrupt enable/disable functions such as a timer interrupt that provides an interrupt signal to the CPU 40a, a reset circuit that can detect power-on/off or power supply abnormalities and output a system reset signal to reset the CPU 40a, a watchdog timer (WDT) circuit that monitors for operational abnormalities in the control program, an IAT (Inhibit Outside Designated Area) circuit that monitors whether the program is being executed correctly within a preset address range, and a counter circuit for generating random numbers within a certain range in hardware.

The counter circuit is comprised of a random number generation circuit that generates random numbers, and a sampling circuit that samples random numbers from the random number generation circuit at a predetermined timing, and functions as a 16-bit counter as a whole. The CPU 40a sends instructions to the sampling circuit according to the processing state, thereby obtaining the number indicated by the random number generation circuit as a random number for determining a jackpot (0 to 65535), and uses the random number for determining a jackpot (win/lose lottery). Note that the random number for determining a jackpot is obtained by adding a soft random number generated by appropriate software processing and a hard random number to prevent cheating such as aiming for a win.

The main control board 40 is connected to a first start gate detection sensor 23a that detects balls entering the first start gate 23, a second start gate detection sensor 24a that detects winning at the second start gate 24, a normal pattern gate detection sensor 26a that detects passage through the normal pattern gate 26, a first large prize gate detection sensor 27a that detects winning at the first large prize gate 27, a second large prize gate detection sensor 28a that detects winning at the second large prize gate 28, a general prize gate detection sensor 31a that detects winning at the general prize gate 31, and an OUT monitoring sensor 32a that detects game balls (out balls) discharged from the game area 19, and the main control board 40 is capable of receiving detection signals output from these. Based on the detection signals from each sensor, the main control board 40 is capable of determining which prize gate the game ball has entered.

The main control board 40 is also connected to a normal electric role solenoid 25a that operates the normal electric role 25 that opens and closes the second starting opening 24, a first special electric role solenoid 29a that operates the first special electric role 29 that opens and closes the first large winning opening 27, and a second special electric role solenoid 30a that operates the second special electric role 30 that opens and closes the second large winning opening 28, and the main control board 40 is capable of transmitting control signals to control these.

The special pattern display device 22a and the special pattern display device 22b are connected to the main control board 40, and the main control board 40 is capable of transmitting control signals for controlling the display of special patterns 1 and 2.
In addition, the composite display device 22c and the composite display device 22d are connected to the main control board 40, and the main control board 40 is capable of transmitting control signals for controlling the display of various information displayed on the composite display device 22c and the composite display device 22d.

A RAM clear switch 34 is connected to the main control board 40, and the main control board 40 is capable of receiving a detection signal from the RAM clear switch 34. The RAM clear switch 34 is provided at a predetermined position inside the gaming machine 1. For example, it is located on the main control board 40.

The RAM clear switch 34 is, for example, a push button switch for inputting an instruction to initialize a predetermined area of the RAM 40c.
The RAM clear switch 34 is turned ON/OFF in response to the operation of a RAM clear button that is operable when the front frame 4 is open.

In addition, a performance indicator 35 is connected to the main control board 40 .
The performance indicator 35 is configured to have, for example, a seven-segment display, and functions as a display means capable of displaying performance information described later. The performance indicator 35 is mounted, for example, at a position on the main control board 40 where it can be easily seen.
The main control board 40 is capable of transmitting a control signal to the performance display 35 for displaying performance information.

The payout control board 42 is connected to the main control board 40, and when it is necessary to pay out prize balls, a control command related to the payout (a payout control command that specifies the number of prize balls) can be sent to the payout control board 42.

In addition, an external centralized terminal board for frames 43 is connected to the main control board 40 via a payout control board 42, making it possible to transmit specified game information (e.g., jackpot information, number of winning balls information, pattern change execution information, etc.) to an externally installed hall computer HC.
The hall computer HC is an information processing device (computer device) that monitors game information from the main control board 40 and comprehensively manages the operating status of the gaming machines in the pachinko hall.

A launch control board 45 that controls the launch device 44 and a game ball payout device 46 that pays out game balls are connected to the payout control board 42. Furthermore, a ball lending machine 70 is connected to the payout control board 42. The ball lending machine 70 is provided outside the gaming machine 1, and executes processing for causing the payout control board 42 to execute a ball lending operation.
The main roles of the payout control board 42 are to receive payout control commands from the main control board 40, control the payout of prize balls from the game ball payout device 46 based on the payout control commands, send status signals to the main control board 40, and control the payout control board 42 for ball lending operations based on the results of communication with the ball lending machine 70.

The game ball payout device 46 is provided with a supply shortage detection sensor 46a that detects a shortage of game balls and a ball counting sensor 46b that detects the game balls (prize balls) to be paid out, and the payout control board 42 is capable of receiving each of these detection signals. The game ball payout device 46 is also provided with a payout motor 46c that drives a ball payout mechanism (not shown) for paying out game balls, and the payout control board 42 is capable of transmitting a control signal for controlling the payout motor 46c.

The payout control board 42 is connected to a full-ball detection sensor 47 that detects when the upper tray 10 is full of game balls, and a front door open sensor 48 that detects when the front frame 2 is open.

The payout control board 42 is capable of transmitting various status signals to the main control board 40 based on detection signals from the full detection sensor 47, the front door open sensor 48, the supply shortage detection sensor 46a, and the ball counting sensor 46b. These status signals include a ball jamming signal indicating a full state, a door open signal indicating that at least the front frame 2 is open, a supply shortage signal indicating a shortage of game balls from the game ball payout device 46, a counting error signal indicating a shortage of prize balls paid out or an abnormality has occurred in the ball counting sensor 46b, and a payout completion signal indicating that the payout operation has been completed, and is configured to be capable of transmitting various status signals. Based on these status signals, the main control board 40 monitors the open state of the front frame 2 (door open error), whether the payout operation of the game ball payout device 46 is normal or not (supply shortage error), and the full state of the upper tray 10 (ball jamming error).

The payout control board 42 is also capable of transmitting a permission signal to the launch control board 45 to permit launch. Based on the permission signal being output from the payout control board 42, the launch control board 45 controls the energization of the launch solenoid (not shown) provided in the launch device 44, and realizes the launch operation of the game ball by operating the launch operation handle 15. Specifically, the launch operation of the game ball is permitted under the conditions that the launch permission signal is output from the payout control board 42 (launch permission signal ON state), the touch sensor (not shown) provided in the launch operation handle 15 detects that the player is touching the handle, and the launch stop switch (not shown) provided in the launch operation handle 15 is not operated. Therefore, when the launch permission signal is not output (launch permission signal OFF state), the launch operation is not executed even if the launch operation handle 15 is operated, and the game ball is not launched. In addition, the launch strength of the game ball can be changed according to the amount of operation of the launch operation handle 15.
In addition, when the payout control board 42 detects the above-mentioned ball jam error, it sends a ball jam signal to the main control board 40 and stops outputting the launch permission signal to the launch control board 45 (launch permission signal OFF), and controls the firing operation to stop until the full state of the upper tray 10 is resolved.
In addition, the payout control board 42 outputs a launch permission signal to the launch control board 45 on the condition that launch permission is instructed by the main control board 40.

(About performance indication)
The main control board 40 is capable of transmitting a control signal to the performance display 35 for displaying predetermined performance information.
Performance information is information that pachinko halls and related agencies want to confirm, and typical examples include information regarding the presence or absence of illegal prize ball cheating, such as excessive prize balls for the gaming machine 1, and information regarding the original ball output performance of the gaming machine 1. Therefore, unlike preview effects, the performance information itself is information that is not directly related to the progress of the game itself when a player is playing the game.

For this reason, the performance display 35 is provided inside the gaming machine 1, for example, on the main control board 40, payout control board 42, launch control board 45, relay board, presentation control board 41, or in the board case (protective cover that protects the board), in a position where the display information can be seen when the front frame 2 is in the open state.

Here, the performance information may specifically include the following information:
(1) Information (specific ratio information) based on the value (α/β) obtained by dividing the total number of payout balls paid out as a result of winning during a specific state (total number of prize balls during a specific state: α) by the total number of out balls discharged from the game area 19 during the specific state (number of out balls during a specific state: β) can be adopted as performance information.
The above "total number of payouts" refers to the total value of game balls (prize balls) paid out when a winning ball is won at the winning slots (first starting slot 23, second starting slot 24, general winning slot 31, first large winning slot 27, second large winning slot 28).
In addition, the state to be adopted as the specific state can be appropriately determined according to the state under which the performance information is to be grasped. In the case of this embodiment, any state among a plurality of game states and a jackpot game can be adopted. In addition, a plurality of types of states may be the measurement target. For example, all game states except a jackpot game, and the type to be measured can be appropriately determined.
In addition, the total number of payouts may be calculated by excluding one or more specific winning ports from the measurement (total number of payouts excluding specific winning ports). For example, the total number of payouts may be calculated by excluding the first large winning port 27 and the second large winning port 28 from the measurement.

(2) Alternatively, the total number of balls paid out, the total number of balls paid out excluding a specific winning slot, or the total number of balls taken out may be measured, and the measurement results may be used as performance information.

In this embodiment, the total number of payouts during normal state (number of payouts under normal conditions) and the total number of balls out during normal state (number of balls out under normal conditions) are measured in real time, and the value obtained by dividing the number of payouts under normal conditions by the number of balls out under normal conditions and multiplying this value by 100 (the value calculated by number of payouts under normal conditions ÷ number of balls out under normal conditions × 100) is displayed as performance information (hereinafter referred to as "normal ratio information"). Note that the displayed value in this case is rounded off to one decimal place.
Therefore, each data of the number of payouts in normal time, the number of out balls in normal time, and the ratio information in normal time is stored (memorized) in the corresponding area of the RAM 40c (the storage area for the total number of prize balls in specific time, the storage area for the number of out balls in specific time, and the storage area for the specific ratio information). However, instead of simply measuring permanently and displaying the performance information, when the total number of out balls reaches a predetermined specified number (for example, 60,000 balls), the measurement is temporarily terminated. This specified number is not the total number of out balls in the normal state, but the total number of out balls in all game states (including during a winning game) (hereinafter referred to as the "number of out balls in all states"). This number of out balls in all states is also measured in real time and stored in the corresponding area of the RAM 40c (the storage area for the number of out balls in all states). Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the storage area for the total number of prize balls in specific time, the storage area for the number of out balls in specific time, the storage area for the specific ratio information, and the storage area for the number of out balls in all states are abbreviated to "measurement information storage area".

Then, the normal time ratio information at the end is stored in a specified area (performance display storage area) of RAM 40c (this normal time ratio information is stored), and then the measurement information storage area (number of payouts in normal time, number of out balls in normal time, and number of out balls in all states) is cleared, and measurement is started again (measurement of number of payouts in normal time, number of out balls in normal time, normal time ratio information, and number of out balls in all states is started). Then, the setting and performance display 35 is configured to display the previous normal time ratio information (measurement history information) and the normal time ratio information currently being measured. Note that it is not limited to the previous information, and it may be configured to display history from the time before last or the time before that (three times before), and it is possible to determine how many times back the information to display.

(Performance control command)
The main control board 40 is capable of transmitting various presentation control commands, including information on the special symbol variation display game and information on errors, to the presentation control board 41 according to the processing state. However, in order to prevent fraudulent acts such as cheating, the main control board 40 is configured for one-way communication in which it only transmits signals to the presentation control board 41 and cannot receive signals from the presentation control board 41.

Here, the performance control command defines the function by a two-byte configuration consisting of a one-byte-long mode (MODE) and a one-byte-long event (EVENT), and in order to distinguish between MODE and EVENT, Bit 7 of MODE is ON and Bit 7 of EVENT is OFF. When these pieces of information are transmitted as valid, a strobe signal is output corresponding to each of the mode (MODE) and event (EVENT). That is, when there is a command to be transmitted, the CPU 40a (main control CPU) sets and outputs mode (MODE) information for transmitting the command to the performance control board 41, and transmits the first strobe signal after a predetermined time has elapsed since this setting. Furthermore, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of this strobe signal, it sets and outputs event (EVENT) information, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since this setting, it transmits the second strobe signal. The strobe signal is controlled to an active state by CPU 40a for a predetermined period of time to ensure that CPU 41a (performance control CPU) can receive commands.

[2.2 Performance control board]
The performance control board 41 is equipped with a microprocessor with a built-in CPU 41a, as well as a ROM 41b which stores performance data required for performance control processing, and a RAM 41c which functions as a work area and buffer memory. In addition, it is equipped with an audio control unit (sound source IC), an RTC (Real Time Clock) function unit, a counter circuit, an interrupt controller circuit, a reset circuit, a WDT circuit, etc., and controls the overall performance operation.

The CPU 41a performs calculations for various presentation operations and controls each presentation means based on the presentation control program and the presentation control commands received from the main control board 40. In the case of the gaming machine 1 of this embodiment, the presentation means are the liquid crystal display device 20 (main liquid crystal display device 20M, sub-liquid crystal display device 20S), the light display device 16a, the sound generating device 17a, and movable role objects (not shown).

The ROM 41b stores a control program for the performance operation by the CPU 41a and various data required for controlling the performance operation.
The RAM 41c is used as a work area used by the CPU 41a for various arithmetic processing, a table data area, a buffer area for various input/output data and processing data, and the like.
The performance control board 41 is configured to have, for example, a one-chip microcomputer and its peripheral circuits mounted thereon, but various configurations of the performance control board 41 are possible. For example, in addition to the microcomputer, it may also have an interface circuit with each section, a random number generating circuit that generates random numbers for lottery for performance, a CTC for various time counts, a watchdog timer (WDT) circuit, an interrupt controller circuit that gives an interrupt signal to the CPU 41a, and the like.

The main role of this performance control board 41 is to receive performance control commands from the main control board 40, select and decide the performance based on the performance control commands, control the display of the liquid crystal display device 20 (supply of display data), control the sound output of the sound generating device 17a, control the light emission of the light display device 16a (LED), and control the operation of the movable body role (drive control of the movable body role motor 50).

Since this performance control board 41 also functions as a control device for the liquid crystal display device 20, the performance control board 41 also has the functions of a so-called VDP (Video Display Processor), image ROM, and VRAM (Video RAM), and the CPU 41a also functions as a liquid crystal control unit.
VDP refers to a function for controlling the overall video output process, such as image development and image drawing.
The image ROM refers to a memory in which image data that is to be subjected to image development processing by the VDP is stored.
The VRAM is an image memory area that temporarily stores image data rendered by the VDP.

With these configurations, the performance control board 41 generates various image data based on performance control commands from the main control board 40, and outputs it to the main liquid crystal display device 20M and the sub liquid crystal display device 20S. As a result, various performance images are displayed on the main liquid crystal display device 20M and the sub liquid crystal display device 20S.
3 is the main liquid crystal display device 20M. The sub liquid crystal display device 20S is not shown in FIG.

The performance control board 41 also has an audio control section for an audio generating device 17 a including multiple speakers 17 , and the audio signals output by the audio control section are amplified by an amplifier section 17 b and supplied to the speakers 17 .
In addition, the performance control board 41 is connected to a lamp driver unit 16b that functions as a light display control unit for the light display device 16a including the decorative lamp 16 and various LEDs, and a motor driver unit 50a (motor drive circuit) that functions as a drive control unit for the movable body role motor 50 that operates the movable body (not shown). The performance control board 41 issues instructions to the lamp driver unit 16b and the motor driver unit 50a to control the light display operation by the light display device 16a and the operation of the movable body role motor 50.

In addition, an origin switch 51 and a position detection sensor 52 for monitoring the operation of the movable props are connected to the performance control board 41.
The origin switch 51 is composed of, for example, a photointerrupter, and detects whether the movable body role motor 50 is at the origin position. The origin position is, for example, a position where the movable body is not normally exposed on the board surface of Fig. 2. The performance control board 41 is capable of determining whether the movable body role motor 50 is at the origin position based on the detection information of this origin switch 51.
In addition, the performance control board 41 controls the operation mode while monitoring the current operating position of the movable body role (for example, the amount of movement from the origin position) based on the detection information from the position detection sensor 52. Furthermore, the performance control board 41 monitors malfunctions in the operation of the movable body role based on the detection information from the position detection sensor 52, and if a malfunction occurs, detects it as an error.

The performance control board 41 is also connected to operation detection switches for the performance button 14a, cross key 14b, and decision button 14c, which are shown as the operation unit 14, and is capable of receiving operation detection signals from the performance button 14a, cross key 14b, and decision button 14c.

The performance control board 41 is further provided with a handle sensor 53 (touch sensor) for detecting whether the firing operation handle 15 shown in FIG. 1 is being touched by a player. Based on the detection information of this handle sensor 53, the performance control board 41 is able to determine whether the firing operation handle 15 is being touched by a user.

Based on the performance control commands sent from the main control board 40, the performance control board 41 selects (determines) a performance pattern by lottery or uniquely from multiple types of performance patterns prepared in advance, and controls various performance means at the required timing to produce the desired performance. This realizes the display of a performance image by the liquid crystal display device 20 corresponding to the performance pattern, the playback of sound from the speaker 17, and the lighting and blinking of the decorative lamps 16 and LEDs, and the chronological development of various performance patterns (such as decorative pattern changing display operations and preview performances) to realize a "performance scenario" in the broad sense.

Here, for the performance control command, the performance control board 41 (CPU 41a) generates an interrupt process based on the input of the above-mentioned strobe signal transmitted by the main control board 40 (CPU 40a) to receive and analyze the command. Specifically, the CPU 41a executes a control program for command reception interrupt process based on the input of the above-mentioned strobe signal, and in the interrupt process realized by this, obtains the performance control command and analyzes the command content.
In this case, when an interrupt occurs based on the input of a strobe signal, even if an interrupt process based on another interrupt (a timer interrupt process executed periodically) is being executed, the CPU 41a interrupts the process and performs command reception interrupt processing, and even if another interrupt occurs at the same time, the command reception interrupt processing is given priority.

<3. Overview of operation>
Next, an overview of the gaming operation of the gaming machine 1 realized by the above-mentioned control configuration (FIG. 4) will be described.

[3.1 Game Status]
In the gaming machine 1 according to the present embodiment, in addition to the special game state of the big win game, a plurality of game states can be set. In order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, first, various game states will be described.

In this embodiment of the gaming machine 1, the game progresses in one of two game states that combine either a low probability state or a high probability state with either a non-time-saving state or a time-saving state.

The low probability state is a state in which the probability of winning the jackpot lottery described below is relatively low, and the high probability state is a state in which the probability of winning the jackpot lottery is relatively high.
The non-time-saving state is a state in which it is relatively difficult for a game ball to enter the second start hole 24, and the time-saving state is a state in which it is relatively easy for a game ball to enter the second start hole 24. In this embodiment, the opening time of the second start hole 24 when a normal winning lottery described later is won is set longer in the time-saving state than in the non-time-saving state. However, if it is easier for a game ball to enter the second start hole 24 in the time-saving state than in the non-time-saving state, for example, the probability of winning the normal winning lottery may be higher or the fluctuation time of the normal pattern may be shorter in the time-saving state than in the non-time-saving state.

In this embodiment, the "normal state" refers to a low probability state and a non-time-saving state, and corresponds to the initial state.

[3.2 Variable symbol display game]
(Regarding special drawings)
In the gaming machine 1, when a game ball enters the first starting hole 23 or the second starting hole 24, that is, when a detection signal is input from the first starting hole detection sensor 23a or the second starting hole detection sensor 24a, random numbers related to the special pattern change display game described below (random numbers for determining a jackpot, random numbers for determining special patterns, random numbers for change patterns) are obtained, and these random numbers are stored as reserved data in the special pattern reserved memory area of RAM 40c up to a predetermined upper limit value, which is the maximum reserved memory number (for example, a maximum of 4).
This special drawing reserve memory area is provided with special drawing reserve memory areas corresponding to the special drawing 1 side and the special drawing 2 side, i.e., a special drawing 1 reserve memory area and a special drawing 2 reserve memory area.

These special pattern reserved memory areas are provided with reserved 1 memory area to reserved n memory area (n is the maximum reserved memory number: in this embodiment, n = 4), and each of them can store reserved data up to the maximum reserved memory number. The maximum reserved memory numbers of the special pattern 1 reserved memory area and the special pattern 2 reserved memory area are not particularly limited. In addition, all or part of the maximum reserved memory numbers of each pattern may be different, and the number can be appropriately determined according to the game characteristics.
The game balls related to the reserved data stored in the special chart reserved memory area are also called "reserved balls." In order to make the number of reserved balls clear to the player, the dot indicators corresponding to the reserved ball numbers of special charts 1 and 2 in the composite display device 22c are lit up, or the reserved indicators provided as icon images on the screen of the liquid crystal display device 20 (the main liquid crystal display device 20M or the sub liquid crystal display device 20S) are lit up.

(Special pattern change display game)
In the gaming machine 1 of this embodiment, a "jackpot lottery" is performed by random number lottery in the main control board 40 based on a predetermined starting condition, specifically, based on the game ball entering (winning) the first starting hole 23 or the second starting hole 24. Based on the lottery result of the jackpot lottery, the main control board 40 displays special symbols 1 and 2 on the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b to start the special symbol variable display game, and after a predetermined variable time has elapsed, displays the result on the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b, thereby ending the special symbol variable display game. Unless otherwise necessary, "special symbol 1" and "special symbol 2" are simply referred to as "special symbols" (sometimes abbreviated to "special symbols").

Here, in this embodiment, the jackpot lottery for special chart 1 based on winning the first starting hole 23 and the jackpot lottery for special chart 2 based on winning the second starting hole 24 are performed separately and independently. For this reason, the jackpot lottery result for special chart 1 is displayed on the special pattern display device 22a, and the jackpot lottery result for special chart 2 is displayed on the special pattern display device 22b. Specifically, on the condition that a game ball has entered the first starting hole 23, the special pattern display device 22a displays the special chart 1 in a variable manner to start the first special pattern variable display game, while on the other hand, on the condition that a game ball has entered the second starting hole 24, the special pattern display device 22b displays the special chart 2 in a variable manner to start the second special pattern variable display game. Then, when the special pattern variable display game is started on special pattern display device 22a or special pattern display device 22b, after a predetermined variable time has elapsed, the special pattern being displayed in a variable manner is stopped and displayed in a predetermined "jackpot" manner if the jackpot lottery result is a "jackpot", or in a predetermined "miss" manner otherwise, thereby announcing the game result (jackpot lottery result).

For ease of explanation, the first special pattern change display game on the special pattern display device 22a side will be referred to as "special pattern change display game 1," and the second special pattern change display game on the special pattern display device 22b side will be referred to as "special pattern change display game 2." Furthermore, "special pattern change display game 1" and "special pattern change display game 2" will be referred to simply as "special pattern change display games."

When the result of the jackpot lottery is a "jackpot," that is, when the special pattern change display game ends and as a result a special pattern is displayed stationary in a "jackpot" mode on the special pattern display device 22a or the special pattern display device 22b, a special game state (jackpot game) which is more advantageous to the player than during the special pattern change display game occurs.
As described later in detail, the jackpot game is a "round game" in which the first large prize winning hole 27 or the second large prize winning hole 28 is closed when a predetermined time (maximum opening time: for example, 29.8) has passed since the first large prize winning hole 27 or the second large prize winning hole 28 was opened or when the number of game balls that have entered the first large prize winning hole 27 or the second large prize winning hole 28 reaches a predetermined number (maximum number of winning balls), after the predefined number of rounds (for example, up to 10 rounds) has passed. Then, after the specified number of rounds, when a post-opening interval time (ending time) has passed to notify the end of the jackpot game, the jackpot game ends. The "s" after the number stands for "seconds."

(Decorative pattern changing display game)
When the special symbol variable display game is started, the main liquid crystal display device 20M changes and displays decorative symbols (game symbols for presentation), and various presentations are performed. When the special symbol variable display game ends, the decorative symbol variable display game also ends, and the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b display a predetermined special symbol indicating the result of the big win lottery, and the main liquid crystal display device 20M displays a decorative symbol reflecting the result of the big win lottery. In other words, the result of the special symbol variable display game is reflected and displayed by the decorative symbol variable display game for presentation, including the decorative symbol variable display operation.

Therefore, for example, if the result of the special symbol change display game is a "jackpot" (if the jackpot lottery result is a "jackpot"), the decorative symbol change display game will develop an effect that reflects that result. Then, when the special symbol is displayed in a display mode indicating a jackpot (for example, the 7-segment display shows "7") on the special symbol display devices 22a and 22b, the decorative symbols are displayed in a display mode reflecting the "jackpot" in each of the "left", "center", and "right" display areas on the main liquid crystal display device 20M (for example, the three decorative symbols are displayed as "7", "7", and "7" in each of the "left", "center", and "right" display areas).

Regarding the information necessary to execute the decorative pattern change display game described above, first, the main control board 40, based on the game ball entering the first start hole 23 or the second start hole 24, specifically, on the condition that the game ball is detected by the first start hole detection sensor 23a or the second start hole detection sensor 24a and the start condition (start condition related to the special pattern) is met, conducts a jackpot lottery to determine whether it will be a "jackpot" or a "miss", and a pattern lottery to determine the type of special pattern (jackpot type, miss type) that will finally be stopped and displayed, and determines the change pattern of the special pattern based on the result of the lottery.
In the pattern lottery, if the result of the jackpot lottery is a "jackpot", one of the multiple jackpot types is determined by lottery, and if the result is a "miss", one of the multiple miss types is determined by lottery. However, there may be only one jackpot type and one miss type, and in that case, the type may be determined without a lottery.
Then, the main control board 40 transmits a "variation pattern designation command" including at least information on the variation pattern of the special symbol (variation pattern information (e.g., information on the result of the big win lottery and the variation time of the special symbol, etc.)) to the performance control board 41 as a performance control command specifying the processing state. This causes basic information required for the decorative symbol variation display game to be transmitted to the performance control board 41.

The special symbol fluctuation pattern information may include information specifying whether or not a specific advance notice performance (such as the "reach performance" or "pseudo consecutive performance" described below) occurs. In more detail, the special symbol fluctuation pattern is roughly divided into a "hit fluctuation pattern" in the case of a hit and a "miss fluctuation pattern" in the case of a miss, depending on the result of the jackpot lottery. These fluctuation patterns include, for example, a "reach fluctuation pattern" that specifies the occurrence of a reach performance, a "normal fluctuation pattern" that does not specify the occurrence of a reach performance, a "reach fluctuation pattern with pseudo consecutive performance" that specifies the occurrence (overlapping occurrence) of a pseudo consecutive performance and a reach performance, and a "normal fluctuation pattern with pseudo consecutive performance" that specifies the occurrence of a pseudo consecutive performance but does not specify the occurrence of a reach performance, and a plurality of other types of fluctuation patterns. Note that, in order to ensure the performance time of the reach performance or pseudo consecutive performance, the fluctuation time of a fluctuation pattern that specifies a reach performance or pseudo consecutive performance is usually set to be longer than that of a normal fluctuation pattern.

Based on the information contained in the performance control commands (here, the variation pattern designation command and the decorative pattern designation command) sent from the main control board 40, the performance control board 41 determines the performance content (performance scenario such as preview performance) to be developed in a chronological order during the decorative pattern variation display game and the decorative pattern (decorative stop pattern) to be finally displayed, and executes the decorative pattern variation display game by displaying the decorative patterns in a variable manner according to a time schedule based on the variation pattern of the special patterns. As a result, the decorative patterns are displayed by the main liquid crystal display device 20M in a variable manner in time with the variable display of the special patterns by the special pattern display devices 22a and 22b, and the period of the special pattern variation display game and the period during the decorative pattern variation display game are substantially the same time width. In addition, the performance control board 41 controls the main liquid crystal display device 20M, the light display device 16a, or the sound generating device 17a in accordance with the performance scenario, and develops various performances in the decorative pattern variation display game. This allows the main LCD display device 20M to play images (image effects), play sound effects (sound effects), and turn on and off the decorative lamps 16 and LEDs (light effects).

In this way, the special symbol change display game and the decorative symbol change display game have an inseparable relationship, and the display result of the special symbol change display game is reflected in the decorative symbol change display game, so these two symbol change display games may be considered as equivalent symbol games. In this specification, unless otherwise necessary, the above two symbol change display games may be simply referred to as "symbol change display games."

(Regarding the reservation of general maps)
In the gaming machine 1, when a game ball passes through the normal pattern gate 26, that is, when a detection signal is input from the normal pattern gate detection sensor 26a, a random number related to the normal pattern variable display game (random number for determining whether a normal pattern is a hit) is obtained, and this random number is reserved and stored in the normal pattern reserved memory area of RAM 40c as reserved data up to a predetermined upper limit value, which is the maximum reserved memory number (for example, a maximum of 4).
The general map reservation memory area is provided with reservation 1 memory area to reservation n memory area (n is the maximum reservation memory number: in this embodiment, n = 4), and each can store the maximum number of reserved data. Note that there is no particular limit to the maximum number of reserved memories in the general map reservation memory area.
The game balls related to the reserved data stored in this reserved memory area are also called "reserved balls". In order to make the number of reserved balls clear to the player, a dot display corresponding to the number of reserved balls in the composite display device 22c is lit up, or a reserved display provided as an icon image on the screen of the liquid crystal display device 20 (the main liquid crystal display device 20M or the sub liquid crystal display device 20S) is lit up.

(Normal symbol variation game)
In the gaming machine 1, a "regular winning lottery" is performed by random number lottery in the main control board 40 based on the passing of the game ball through the regular symbol gate 26. Based on the lottery result, the regular symbol represented by the LED is displayed variably on the composite display device 22d to start the regular symbol variable display game, and after a predetermined variable time has elapsed, the result is displayed as a combination of the LEDs being turned on and off. For example, if the result of the regular winning lottery is a "regular winning", a specific LED on the composite display device 22d is displayed in a specific lighting state (for example, all two LEDs are turned on, or the LED on the "○" side of the LEDs representing "○" and "×" is turned on) according to the regular winning type. In this embodiment, only one type of regular winning type is provided.

When this "normal hit" occurs, the normal electric role solenoid 25a (see FIG. 4) is activated, the second start hole 24 is opened or enlarged to allow game balls to flow in easily (start hole open state), and a game state (hereinafter referred to as "normal open game") that is more advantageous to the player than when the second start hole 24 is closed is generated. In this normal open game, the winning area is opened or enlarged by the normal electric role 25 until the opening time of the second start hole 24 has elapsed for a predetermined time (e.g., 5.7 s) or until the number of game balls that have entered the second start hole 24 reaches a predetermined number (e.g., 10 balls), and when either of these conditions is met, the second start hole 24 is closed. This operation is repeated a predetermined number of times (e.g., up to once).

[3.3 About the jackpot]
Next, the "jackpot" in the gaming machine 1 will be described.
In the gaming machine 1, "4R1", "10R", and "4R2" are provided as jackpot types, and if the result of the jackpot lottery is "jackpot", a lottery for the jackpot type is held in the pattern lottery.
The above notation "R" means the prescribed number of rounds (maximum number of rounds).

The type of jackpot is the hit that triggers the activation of the conditional device. Here, a "conditional device" is a device whose operation is a necessary condition for the activation of the continuous device that operates the reels to play a round, and which is activated when a specific combination of special symbols is displayed or when the game ball passes through a specific area inside the jackpot opening.

When a jackpot game is executed, the game state after the jackpot game ends, the number of chance bonuses, and the number of time-saving bonuses are determined according to the game state at the time of winning the jackpot and the determined jackpot type.
The probability of the number of times of the special symbol variation display game is set when the game state after the big win game is a high probability state. In the gaming machine 1, the high probability state after the big win game continues until the number of times of the special symbol variation display game is the probability of the number of times of the special symbol variation display game, for example, 154 times, and when the special symbol variation display game of the probability of the number of times of the special symbol variation display game is ended without winning the big win in the big win lottery, the game state is set (transitioned) to the low probability state.
The number of time-saving times is set when the game state after the jackpot game is in the time-saving state. In the gaming machine 1, the time-saving state after the jackpot game continues until the number of times the special symbol variable display game is executed reaches the time-saving number (for example, 150 times), and when the special symbol variable display game reaches the time-saving number without winning the jackpot in the jackpot lottery, the game state is set (transitioned) to the non-time-saving state.
However, the gaming machine 1 may be a "general special probability machine" of the type in which the number of special probability periods and the number of time-saving periods continue until a jackpot is won in the jackpot lottery (until the next time).
In addition, the number of times the time is reduced may be the total number of times that the special pattern change display game 1 and the special pattern change display game 2 are played (the total number of changes in special pattern 1 and special pattern 2), or it may be the number of times that either one of them is played (for example, the number of times that the special pattern change display game 2 is played).

Here, in this embodiment, a plurality of loss types are provided for the "loss" as well as the big win types. Specifically, three loss types, "loss 1", "loss 2", and "loss 3", are provided.
As described above, if the result of the jackpot lottery is a "miss," a lottery for the type of miss is held in the symbol lottery.

[3.4 Production]
(Performance mode)
Next, the presentation mode (presentation state) will be described. The gaming machine 1 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of presentation modes for producing presentations related to the game state, and is configured to be able to switch between the presentation modes. Specifically, a presentation mode corresponding to the set game state is provided. In each presentation mode, the background display as the background of the decorative pattern variable display screen is displayed with a different background presentation, so that the player can understand what game state he or she is currently in.

The presentation control board 41 (CPU 41a) has a functional section (presentation state transition control means) that controls transitions between multiple presentation modes. The presentation control board 41 (CPU 41a) is configured to grasp the current game state and control transitions between multiple presentation modes in a manner that maintains consistency with the game state managed by the main control board 40 based on specific presentation control commands sent from the main control board 40 (CPU 40a), specifically, presentation control commands including game state information managed by the main control board 40. Examples of the specific presentation control commands include a variation pattern designation command, a decorative design designation command, and a game state designation command sent when a change occurs in the game state.

(Preview performance)
Next, the advance notice performance will be explained. The performance control board 41 is configured to be able to control the appearance of various "advance notice performances" related to the current performance mode and the big win lottery result based on the contents of the performance control command from the main control board 40, specifically, based on at least the variation pattern information included in the variation pattern designation command. Such advance notice performances suggest (advance notice) the expectation of whether or not a win type has been won (hereinafter referred to as "expectation of winning"), and act as "excitement performances" to stimulate the player's expectation of winning. Representative advance notice performances include "reach performances", "pseudo consecutive performances", and even "foreseeing advance notice performances". The performance control board 41 functions as an advance notice performance control means capable of controlling the execution (appearance) of these performances.

"Reach effect" refers to an effect mode that accompanies a reach state (variable display mode that accompanies a reach state: reach variation pattern), and more specifically, an effect mode that derives and displays the final game result via a reach state. Reach effects include multiple types of reach effects that are associated with the probability of winning. For example, there are some that have a relatively higher probability of winning compared to when a normal reach effect appears. Such reach effects are called 'super reach effects'. Many of these "super reaches" have a relatively longer performance time (variation time) than normal reaches to increase the expectation of winning. In addition, normal reaches and super reaches include multiple types of reach effects. Super reaches include multiple types of reach effects, namely Super Reach 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the winning expectation of these Super Reach 1 to 4 has the following relationship: "Super Reach 1 < Super Reach 2 < Super Reach 3 < Super Reach 4".

"Pseudo consecutive performance" refers to a performance mode that involves a pseudo continuous change display state (pseudo consecutive change) of decorative symbols, and "pseudo consecutive change" refers to a change display mode in which, during a decorative symbol change display game, some or all of the decorative symbols are temporarily put into a temporary stop state, and then the decorative symbols are changed again from that temporary stop state, and this display action is repeated once or multiple times. In this respect, it differs from the "preview notice performance (continuous notice performance)" described below, which is deployed across multiple symbol change display games. The occurrence rate (appearance rate) of such "pseudo consecutive" is basically set so that the more pseudo changes there are, the higher the chance of winning. For example, depending on the number of pseudo changes, it is easier to select a performance that stimulates anticipation, such as a super reach.

The term "pre-reading prediction effect" (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "pre-reading prediction" or "pre-reading effect") refers to a presentation that notifies the player of the possibility of being controlled to an advantageous state before the display of the pattern to be judged is changed based on the result of the pre-reading judgment. Note that the "advantageous state" refers to a state that is advantageous to the player.
Specifically, the pre-reading performance is performed for reserved balls (unconsumed reserved balls) that have not yet been used for the execution of the pattern change display game (the operation of displaying the variation of special patterns), mainly by using the reserved display mode and the background performance of the pattern change display game that is executed first, in a performance mode that can notify the winning expectation in advance before the reserved ball is used for the pattern change display game. In addition to the above-mentioned "reach performance", various performances such as the so-called "SU (step-up) notice performance", "timer notice performance", "revival performance", and "premiere notice performance" are generated in the pattern change display game to liven up the game content.

Here, with reference to Figure 5, we will explain the "hold change preview effect" as an example of the above-mentioned look-ahead preview effect.
In the case of the gaming machine 1 of this embodiment, the upper display area in the screen of the main liquid crystal display device 20M is provided with a display area (display area for displaying decorative pattern change display performance and advance notice performance) for displaying the decorative pattern change display game, and the lower display area in the screen is provided with a reserved display area 60 (reserved display section a1 to d1) for displaying the reserved ball number on the special pattern 1 side and a reserved display area 61 (reserved display section a2 to d2) for displaying the reserved ball number on the special pattern 2 side. The presence or absence of reserved balls is notified by a predetermined reserved display mode. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the presence or absence of reserved balls is indicated by a lit state (reserved balls: "○ (white circle)" in the figure) or an unlit state (no reserved balls: dashed circle in the figure), and information on the current reserved ball number is notified.

The display of the reserved balls (reserved display) is displayed in the order of occurrence (winning order), and in each reserved display area 60, 61, the reserved ball on the left side is displayed as the reserved ball that occurred first on the time axis (i.e., the oldest) among all reserved balls in the reserved display. In addition, on the left side of the reserved display areas 60, 61, a changing display area 62 is provided to show the reserved balls currently being used in the special pattern change display game. In the case of this embodiment, the changing display area 62 is configured so that an image of the game execution reserved K icon currently being used in the game is displayed on the reception seat J icon. In other words, when the special pattern 1 or special pattern 2 change display starts, the oldest reserved a1 or a2 icon (icon image) displayed in the reserved display area 60, 61 is moved to the reception seat J icon in the changing display area 62 as the game execution reserved K icon, and this state is maintained for a specified display time.

When a reserved ball is generated, the main control board 40 transmits a "reserved addition command" to the performance control board 41 (see Figure 13), which specifies the pre-reading judgment information related to the jackpot lottery result and the number of reserved balls at the time of the pre-reading judgment (the number of reserved balls currently existing, including the reserved ball generated this time).
In this embodiment, the above-mentioned reserve addition command is composed of two bytes, and the reserve addition command is composed of data on the upper byte side that enables the number of reserved balls at the time of the look-ahead judgment to be identified, and data on the lower byte side that enables the look-ahead judgment information to be identified.

As can be understood from the above description, in this embodiment, when a game ball enters the first start hole 23 or the second start hole 24 and a new reserved ball is generated, a jackpot lottery for the pattern variation display game related to the reserved ball is performed as a pre-reading judgment. As will be described later, the main control board 40 reserves and stores information representing the result of the jackpot lottery performed as such a pre-reading judgment in a corresponding storage area of the RAM 40c.
The information on the winning lottery result obtained at the time of the look-ahead judgment is used to select (draw) the pattern change pattern in the pattern change display game, and can be said to be "variation pattern selection information". Therefore, it can be said that the main control board 40 performs the look-ahead judgment and reserves and stores the "variation pattern selection information" obtained as a result in a specified area of the RAM 40c.

When the performance control board 41 receives the above-mentioned reserved addition command sent by the main control board 40, it performs performance control processing related to the "pre-reading preview performance" as part of the display control processing related to the above-mentioned reserved display, based on the look-ahead judgment information contained therein. Specifically, it performs a "pre-reading preview lottery" to draw whether or not the look-ahead preview performance can be executed, and if the draw is successful, it causes the look-ahead preview performance to appear.

Here, the pre-reading judgment information is specifically game information obtained by pre-reading and judging the jackpot lottery result (jackpot lottery result at the start of the variation) executed when the reserved ball is provided to the pattern variation display game in the main control board 40 and the variation pattern at the start of the variation. That is, this information includes at least information obtained by pre-reading and judging the jackpot lottery result at the start of the variation (pre-reading win/lose information), and can also include information obtained by pre-reading and judging the pattern lottery result (pre-reading pattern information) and information obtained by pre-reading and judging the variation pattern at the start of the variation (pre-reading variation pattern information). The information included in the reserved addition command to be sent to the performance control board 41 can be appropriately determined depending on the content to be notified in the pre-reading notice.
It is assumed that the pending addition command includes predictive win/loss information, predictive pattern information, and predictive fluctuation pattern information.

The "pre-reading fluctuation pattern" obtained by the pre-reading judgment when the reserved ball is generated does not necessarily have to be the "fluctuation pattern at the start of fluctuation" obtained when the reserved ball is actually used for the fluctuation display operation. For example, to explain a representative case where the fluctuation pattern at the start of fluctuation is a fluctuation pattern that specifies "Super Reach 1", in this case, it is possible to specify that the content specified by the pre-reading fluctuation pattern is not the type of reach performance itself, "Super Reach 1", but rather its essential "Super Reach type".

In the case of this embodiment, if the advance notice lottery is won, a "pending display change" advance notice performance (also referred to as a "pending change notice") is performed in which the pending icon that is the subject of the advance notice among the pending icons in the pending display sections a1 to d1 and a2 to d2 is changed from the normal pending display (normal pending display mode) of white to a pending display (special pending display mode) of a preview display of blue, green, red, or a danger pattern (or a special color or pattern such as rainbow).
In Fig. 5, the reserved ball in the hatched reserved display section b1 is shown as a special reserved display. Here, the reserved icon blue, green, red, and danger pattern display indicate a high probability of winning, in that order, and the danger pattern reserved icon display is a premium reserved icon that indicates a very high probability of winning a jackpot.

(Direction Means)
Various effects in the gaming machine 1 are produced by the performance means arranged in the gaming machine 1. This performance means may be a stimulus transmission means capable of exerting a performance effect by appealing to human perceptions such as vision, hearing, and touch, and representative examples include light generating means (light display device 16a: light performance means) such as the decorative lamp 16 and the LED device, sound generating devices (sound generating device 17a: sound performance means) such as the speaker 17, performance display devices (display means) such as the main liquid crystal display device 20M and the sub liquid crystal display device 20S, a pressure device that transmits contact pressure to the operator's body, a wind pressure device that applies wind pressure to the player's body, and movable role objects that exert visual performance effects by their operation. Here, the performance display device is a display device that appeals to the visual sense like the image display device, but differs from the image display device in that it also includes those that do not rely on images (for example, a 7-segment display device). When referred to as an image display device, it refers mainly to a type that produces a performance by displaying an image, and those that produce a performance by means other than an image, such as a 7-segment display device, are included in the concept of the performance display device.

<4. Processing of the main control board>
Next, a description will be given of the processing performed by the main control board 40 of this embodiment. The processing of the main control board 40 mainly includes a main processing (main control side main processing: FIG. 6) and a timer interrupt processing (main control side timer interrupt processing: FIG. 8) that is started by a regular interrupt from the CTC.

[4.1 Main processing on the main control side]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the main processing on the main control side.
The main control side main processing is started when a system reset occurs due to a system reset signal from the power supply board 200 upon recovery from a power outage or power supply abnormality, when a watchdog timer (WDT) is activated due to a control program going out of control and the CPU 40a is forcibly reset (WDT reset), etc. In either case, when the main control side main processing is started, in step S101 the CPU 40a executes an initial setting process required to start a game operation, such as initializing the values of registers of each part including the CPU 40a.

When the initial setting process in step S101 is completed, the CPU 40a determines in step S102 whether or not the backup flag is ON (backup flag=5AH is ON).
In the gaming machine 1, when the power is cut off, a process for backing up the stored information in the RAM 40c is performed by a power check/backup process (step S201, see FIG. 8) in the main control timer interrupt process, which will be described later. If the backup process is properly performed when the power is cut off, the backup flag is set to ON. Therefore, in step S102, the backup flag is checked to determine whether or not the backup can be restored.

If it is determined in step S102 that the backup flag is not ON, the CPU 40a proceeds to step S103, performs a process to be performed when the backup flag is OFF, and proceeds to step S108. In step S103, a predetermined process (e.g., a process to store necessary information in the RAM 40c) is performed as a process to be performed when the backup flag is OFF.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the backup flag is ON, the CPU 40a determines in step S104 whether a RAM clear condition (a condition for transitioning to a RAM clear process) is satisfied. Specifically, it determines whether the RAM clear switch 34 is ON.
If it is determined that the RAM clear condition is met, the CPU 40a executes a RAM clear process in step S105, and advances the process to step S108.
The RAM clear process in step S105 is a process for initializing values in a predetermined area (usage area) including a work area in the RAM 40c.

If it is determined in step S104 that the RAM clear condition is not met, the CPU 40a proceeds to step S106 and performs a command transmission process when the system is restored to the backup, in which the CPU 40a transmits a predetermined performance control command corresponding to the restoration of the backup to the performance control board 41.

In step S107 following step S106, the CPU 40a performs a backup restoration process. The backup restoration process is a process for restoring the operation before the power supply is cut off after the power supply is turned on based on the memory contents of the RAM 40c that were backed up when the power supply was cut off. Specifically, the CPU 40a performs a process for restoring the stack pointer before the power supply is cut off and starting the game operation from the processing state at the time of the power supply being cut off.
In addition, in the backup recovery process, a process is executed to store the lower byte data of the power outage recovery display command in a register so that the power outage recovery display command (OB03H) for issuing information display instructions corresponding to the case of backup recovery is transmitted to the performance control board 41 in the main loop pre-processing of step S110 described later.

In response to executing the backup restoration process in step S107, the CPU 40a advances the process to step S108. As described above, if the process in step 103 has been performed, or if the process in step S105 has been performed, the CPU 40a advances the process to step S108.

In step S108, the CPU 40a sets the CTC for periodically generating a timer interrupt at a predetermined time interval, such as every 4 ms.
By carrying out the setting process of step S108, an interrupt request signal is periodically output to the interrupt controller, and the main control side timer interrupt process is executed.

In step S109 following step S108, the CPU 40a performs processing to transmit a presentation control command for instructing the start of a game to the presentation control board 41, and then proceeds to step S110 to execute main loop pre-processing.
In the main loop pre-processing, commands to initialize (return to origin) the movable body reel motor 50 which operates the movable body as a reel, sending a command indicating the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 and special chart 2, setting the internal function register, setting the timer for lighting the performance display monitor to 5 seconds, and turning ON the launch permission signal to the payout control board 42 are executed.
Then, in step S111, the CPU 40a executes a main loop process.

(Main loop processing)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the main loop process of step S111.
In the main loop process of Fig. 7, the CPU 40a sets the interruption prohibition state in step S121, and executes random number update process in the following step S122. In this random number update process, various random numbers (random numbers related to the big win lottery (special pattern determination random numbers) that circulate within a predetermined numerical range by increment process, random numbers related to the normal win lottery (normal pattern win determination random numbers) that are used for changing the initial value (start value) (special pattern determination initial value random number, normal pattern win determination initial value random number) and random numbers for the variation pattern used for selecting the variation pattern are updated.

In the present embodiment, the RAM 40c is provided with various random number counters used for the pattern lottery, the normal lottery and the variation pattern lottery, such as a counter for generating the initial value of the random number counter for determining a special pattern, a random number counter for determining a special pattern, a counter for generating the initial value of the random number counter for determining a normal pattern, a random number counter for determining a normal pattern, and a random number counter for a variation pattern. These counters serve as a random number generating means for generating random numbers in a software manner. In the random number update process of step S122, the above-mentioned various software random numbers are generated by updating the two initial value generating counters for generating the initial values of the random number counter for determining a special pattern and the random number counter for determining a normal pattern, the random number counter for a variation pattern, etc. For example, if the numerical range that can be taken by the random number counter for the variation pattern is "0 to 9999", a value is obtained from the count value storage area for generating the value of the random number for the variation pattern in the RAM 40c, and "1" is added to the obtained value before storing it in the original count value storage area. At this time, if the result of adding "1" to the obtained value is "10000", "0" is stored in the original random number counter memory area. Other random number counters for generating initial values are updated in the same way.

After completing the random number update process in step S122, the CPU 40a saves the values of all registers in step S123, and then performs a performance display monitor tally division process in step S124.
This performance display monitor tally division process is a process for calculating the value of the above-mentioned performance information (here, for example, the value of "normal time ratio information"). The value of the normal time ratio information is calculated using the total number of paid out balls and the total number of balls out, but the CPU 40a calculates the total number of paid out balls based on the result of counting the number of game balls that have won the winning holes (the first start hole 23, the second start hole 24, the general winning hole 31, the first large winning hole 27, and the second large winning hole 28), and calculates the total number of balls out by counting the number of game balls discharged from the game area 19.
The counting of the number of winning balls and the number of out balls is performed in the input management process (see step S204 in FIG. 8) in the timer interrupt processing on the main control side, which will be described later. The CPU 40a calculates a value as normal time ratio information in step S124 based on the count values of the number of winning balls and the number of out balls, which are respectively performed on the timer interrupt processing side in this manner. As described above, the calculated value as normal time ratio information is stored in a specified area (measurement information storage area) of RAM 40c.
The value of the normal time ratio information calculated in this manner is displayed on the performance display 35 by the performance display monitor display process (see step S214 in FIG. 8) described later in the main control side timer interrupt process.

In step S125, the CPU 40a performs a full register recovery process, and then in the following step S126, it sets the interrupt enabled state and returns to step S121.

In this way, in the main loop process of step S111, the processes of steps S121 to S126 are repeated in an infinite loop. The CPU 40a repeatedly executes the processes of steps S121 to S126 except during the time when the CPU 40a is performing the timer interrupt process that is executed intermittently.

[4.2 Main control side timer interrupt processing]
The main control side timer interrupt processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 8.
The main control side timer interrupt processing is started by an interrupt from the CTC at regular intervals (approximately 4 ms) and is executed as an interrupt during execution of the main control side main processing.

As shown in FIG. 8, when a timer interrupt occurs, the CPU 40a executes a power check and backup process in step S201. This power check and backup process mainly monitors the power level supplied from the power supply board, and if an abnormality such as a power outage occurs, a backup process is performed to store predetermined game information at the time of the power outage in the RAM 40c so that game play can be resumed without any problems when the power is restored.

After completing the power supply check and backup process in step S201, the CPU 40a executes an input data creation process in step S202. Specifically, the input data is created based on the input information (ON/OFF signals and rising states (ON edge, OFF edge)) output from various sensors and switches.
The input information here is, for example, ON/OFF information (winning detection information) of detection signals output from detection sensors such as the first start gate detection sensor 23a, the second start gate detection sensor 24a, the normal symbol gate detection sensor 26a, the first large winning gate detection sensor 27a, the second large winning gate detection sensor 28a, the general winning gate detection sensor 31a, and the OUT monitoring sensor 32a, ON/OFF information (operation information) of switch signals output from various switches such as the RAM clear switch 34, status signals from the payout control board 42 (ON/OFF information of the front door open sensor 48 and the full detection sensor 47), radio wave sensors, magnetic sensors, etc. As a result, whether or not a game ball has been detected at the out gate or each winning gate is monitored for each interrupt.

After completing the input data creation process in step S202, the CPU 40a executes a timer management process in step S203 to manage timers used for game operation control. Here, the values of various timers used for game operation control of the gaming machine 1 are updated (subtracted).

Then, in step S204, the CPU 40a performs an input management process. In this input management process, the values of the winning counter and the OUT ball monitoring counter are updated based on the input data created in the input data creation process (S202). A "winning counter" is a counter provided for each winning slot, which counts the number of winning game balls (winning balls). The OUT ball monitoring counter is a counter that counts the number of game balls (out balls) discharged from the game area 19.

In step S205, the CPU 40a executes an error management process. In this error management process, the CPU 40a monitors whether an error has occurred based on input data from various sensors and status signals from the dispensing control board 42.
When an error occurs, the CPU 40a handles the error by sending an error command to the performance control board 41 if the type of error requires it. When the performance control board 41 receives this error command, it issues an error notification according to the type of error. When the currently occurring error is resolved, the CPU 40a sends an error release command to the performance control board 41. When the performance control board 41 receives this error release command, it ends the currently executing error notification.

Next, in step S206, the CPU 40a executes a random number management process within a timer interrupt that periodically updates the random numbers related to each variable display game. Here, in order to make the count value of the random number counter random, the process updates the random numbers for determining special symbols and for determining normal hits (by adding +1 at each interrupt) and changes the start value of the random number counter each time the random number counter goes around once, for example. Note that the random numbers for determining big hits are generated by the random number generation circuit, and are not updated here.

In step S207, the CPU 40a executes a prize ball management process. In this prize ball management process, the above-mentioned winning counter is checked, and if a prize is won, a payout control command specifying the number of prize balls is sent to the payout control board 42. When the payout control board 42 receives the payout control command, it controls the game ball payout device 46 based on the prize ball number information contained therein, and executes a payout operation for the specified number of prize balls.

Next, in step S300, the CPU 40a executes a normal symbol management process. In this normal symbol management process, processes necessary for executing a normal symbol variable display game are performed.
Details of the normal symbol management process in step S300 will be described later.

Furthermore, in step S208, the CPU 40a executes a normal electric device management process. In this normal electric device management process, processing related to the operation control of the normal electric device necessary to execute the normal power release game is performed.

Next, in step S400, the CPU 40a executes a special symbol management process. In this special symbol management process, a lottery is mainly performed for a big win in the special symbol variation display game, and a process required for executing the special symbol variation display game, such as determining the variation pattern of the special symbol (pre-reading variation pattern and variation pattern at the start of variation), is performed based on the lottery result.
Details of the special symbol management process in step S400 will be described later.

Next, in step S209, the CPU 40a executes a special electric device management process. In this special electric device management process, processing related to the operation control of the special electric device necessary to execute the jackpot game is performed.

When the processing for game progress up to step S209 above is completed, the CPU 40a performs external terminal management processing in step S210. In this external terminal management processing, the operation status information of the gaming machine 1 is output to external devices such as the hall computer HC and island lamps through the frame external centralized terminal board 43. The operation status information includes game information such as, for example, jackpot game occurrence information, pattern change display game execution start information, number of winnings/number of winning balls information, and error information.

Next, in step S211, the CPU 40a executes an LED management process. In this LED management process, a process is performed to output control signals (dynamic lighting data) to LED displays such as the special symbol display devices 22a, 22b and the composite display devices 22c, 22d. Control signals based on display data created in the normal symbol management process (step S300), the special symbol management process (step S400), etc. are output to the corresponding display device or display in this LED management process, and display control is performed. This realizes a series of variable display operations (variable display and stationary display) of the special symbols on the special symbol display devices 22a, 22b and the normal symbols on the composite display device 22d.

In step S212 following step S211, the CPU 40a executes a solenoid management process. Here, the CPU 40a performs a process of outputting control signals (control data) to predetermined solenoids provided in the gaming machine 1, such as the normal electric role solenoid 25a that operates the normal electric role 25 described above, the first special electric role solenoid 29a that operates the first special electric role 29 that opens and closes the first large prize opening 27, and the second special electric role solenoid 30a that operates the second special electric role 30 that opens and closes the second large prize opening 28.

In step S213 following step S212, the CPU 40a saves the values of all registers, and then performs a performance display monitor display process in step S214. That is, this is a process for displaying a value as the normal duty ratio information on the performance display unit 35.
The value of the normal-time ratio information is recalculated each time the total number of out balls reaches a predetermined value, and the performance display 35 is capable of displaying the current normal-time ratio information and the previous normal-time ratio information (the normal-time ratio information whose calculation was terminated at the most recent recalculation timing). Therefore, in this case, the display process of step S214 performs a process of causing the performance display 35 to display values as these two types of normal-time ratio information.
The value of the current normal time ratio information is a value calculated in the processing of step S124 in the main loop processing (FIG. 7) described above, and the value of the previous normal time ratio information is stored in a specified area of the RAM 40c, and the CPU 40a reads out the stored value and displays it on the performance display 35.

In step S215 following step S214, the CPU 40a restores the values of all registers, clears the WDT count value in step S216, and ends the main control side timer interrupt process.

When the above timer interrupt process is completed, the CPU 40a executes the main loop process (S111) until the next timer interrupt occurs.

(Normal design management processing)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the normal symbol management process.
As shown in FIG. 9, in step S301, the CPU 40a determines whether or not the passage of a gaming ball through the normal symbol gate 26 has been detected based on a detection signal from the normal symbol gate detection sensor 26a.

If it is determined that the passage of a gaming ball through the normal symbol gate 26 has been detected, in step S302 the CPU 40a determines whether the number of normal reserved balls is 4 or more. In other words, it determines whether the number of normal reserved balls is equal to or greater than the maximum reserved memory number (here, the upper limit is 4). However, if it is not detected that a gaming ball has passed through the normal symbol gate 26 (step S301: N) and if it is determined that the number of normal reserved balls is 4, it skips steps S302 to S304 and proceeds to step S305.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of reserved balls is not 4 or more (if it is less than 4), the CPU 40a adds 1 to the number of reserved balls in step S303, and stores the random number for determining whether or not a regular win has occurred related to the reserved ball that has been generated this time in the reserved ball memory area of the RAM 40c in step S304.

In step S305, the CPU 40a determines the state of the normal winning flag. This "normal winning flag" is a flag for specifying whether or not normal power open play is in progress. When the flag is ON (e.g., 5AH), it indicates that normal power open play is in progress, and when the flag is OFF (e.g., 00H), it indicates that normal power open play is not in progress.

If the normal symbol hit flag is OFF (≠ 5AH), i.e., if normal power open play is not in progress, in step S306, the CPU 40a executes a normal symbol operation status determination process that branches the process related to the normal symbol variable display operation according to the normal symbol operation status (00H to 02H).

In the normal symbol operation status determination process in step S306, depending on whether the normal symbol operation status is "at the start of fluctuation (00H)", "fluctuating (01H)", or "during confirmation time (02H)", the corresponding process is executed. Note that the "normal symbol operation status" is a value that indicates the behavior of the normal symbol, and this value is changed depending on the processing state and is stored in the normal symbol operation status storage area of RAM 40c.

Specifically, when the normal symbol operation status is "at the start of fluctuation (00H)", the CPU 40a determines in step S307 whether the number of reserved balls for normal symbols is zero, and if it determines that the number of reserved balls for normal symbols is zero, it skips the processing of steps S308 to S313 and proceeds to step S320.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of reserved balls for the regular game is not zero, in step S308, the CPU 40a subtracts one from the number of reserved balls for the regular game, and, referring to the regular game winning determination table shown in FIG. 10, performs a lottery for determining whether a regular game is a winning game based on the random number for determining whether a regular game is a winning game that was stored first among the random numbers for determining whether a regular game is a winning game (reserved data) stored in the regular game reserve memory area.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a normal winning determination table.
Here, a predetermined area of the ROM 40b stores a normal winning judgment table as shown in Fig. 10. The normal winning judgment table shows a judgment reference value TH for a low probability state and a high probability state.
In the present embodiment, the lottery for the normal winning lottery determines the judgment reference value TH within the range of values that the random number for judging the normal winning lottery can take (0 to 250), and judges whether the lottery is a winning lottery or not based on the result of comparing the magnitude relationship between the random number for judging the normal winning lottery and the judgment reference value TH. As an example, a method is adopted in which a judgment result of a normal winning lottery is obtained when the value of the random number for judging the normal winning lottery is within the range of "0 to the judgment reference value TH", and a judgment result of a loss is obtained otherwise.
In the example shown in Fig. 10, the judgment reference value TH is set to 250 in both the low probability state and the high probability state. Therefore, in this embodiment, in either the low probability state or the high probability state, a normal winning lottery is always won.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a winning type, a variable time, and a fixed time for a normal symbol variable display game.
In step S310, the CPU 40a performs a stop pattern creation process in which a win type is determined based on the result of the normal win lottery and the set game state, and a stop pattern corresponding to the determined win type is created, as shown in Fig. 11. Here, as described above, a normal win is always won in the normal win lottery regardless of whether the state is a low probability state or a high probability state, and when a normal win is won, as shown in Fig. 11, "win 1" is determined as the win type, and a stop pattern corresponding to "win 1" is created.

In step S311, the CPU 40a stores the variable time (see FIG. 11) based on the game state in the normal symbol feature timer. Here, 132 ms is stored in the low probability state, and 128 ms is stored in the high probability state.

In step S312, the CPU 40a shifts the reserved data stored in the general map reserved memory area of the RAM 40c. Here, the reserved data stored in the general map reserved n memory area (n = 2, 3, 4) is stored in the general map reserved memory area corresponding to 'n-1'.

In step S313, the CPU 40a performs various settings at the start of the fluctuation, and proceeds to step S320. Here, for example, the normal symbol operation status is set to "fluctuating (01H)", the reserved 4 memory area is cleared to provide free space, and the normal symbol fluctuation flag is set to ON.

If the normal symbol operation status is "changing (01H)", the CPU 40a determines in step S314 whether the normal symbol device timer is zero or not, and if it determines that the normal symbol device timer is not zero, it skips step S315 and proceeds to step S320.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the normal symbol feature timer is at zero, in step S315, the CPU 40a performs various settings when the fluctuation stops, and proceeds to step S320. Here, for example, the normal symbol operation status is set to "confirmation time (02H)", the determined time (500 ms) based on the game state as shown in FIG. 11 is stored in the normal symbol feature timer, and the normal symbol fluctuation flag is set to the OFF state.

If the normal symbol operation status is "Checking time (02H)", the CPU 40a determines in step S316 whether the normal symbol feature timer is at zero, and if it determines that the normal symbol feature timer is not at zero, it skips steps S317 to S319 and proceeds to step S320.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the normal symbol gimmick timer is zero, in step S317, the CPU 40a sets the normal symbol operation status to "at the start of fluctuation (00H)". In step S318, the CPU 40a determines whether or not a normal symbol win has been won in the normal symbol win lottery in step S309, and if it is determined that a normal symbol win has not been won, it skips step S319 and proceeds to step S320.

On the other hand, if it is determined that a normal win has been won, in step S319 the CPU 40a performs various settings for a normal win and proceeds to step S320. Here, the normal win flag is set to ON (5AH).

In step S320, the CPU 40a updates the normal symbol display data and ends the normal symbol management process. In this normal symbol display data update process, it is determined whether the normal symbol is changing or not, and if it is changing, it creates 7-segment display data for the normal symbol changing, and if it is not changing, it creates 7-segment display data for the normal symbol stopped display. The display data for the normal symbol created here is output to the composite display device 22d by the LED management process (step S211) of FIG. 8.

(Special design management processing)
12 is a flowchart showing the special symbol management process (step S400). As shown in FIG. 12, the CPU 40a performs a special symbol 1 start hole check process for the special symbol 1 (first start hole 23) in step S401, and performs a special symbol 2 start hole check process for the special symbol 2 (second start hole 24) in the following step S402.
The details of these starting port check processes will be described later.

After completing the start port check process in steps S401 and S402, the CPU 40a determines the state of the condition device operation flag in step S403. This "condition device operation flag" is a flag for specifying whether or not a jackpot game is in progress, and indicates that a jackpot game is in progress when the flag is ON (e.g., 5AH), and indicates that a jackpot game is not in progress when the flag is OFF (e.g., 00H). The condition device operation flag is set to ON in the special symbol confirmation process (step S407) when a jackpot is won in the jackpot lottery, and is set to OFF in the jackpot end process (step S650) described later.

If it is determined that the condition device operation flag is OFF (≠ 5AH), i.e., if it is determined that a jackpot game is not being played, in step S404, the CPU 40a executes special pattern operation status branching processing that branches the processing related to the variable display operation of the special pattern according to the special pattern operation status (00H to 03H).

In the special symbol operation status branching process in step S404, depending on whether the special symbol operation status is "Waiting (00H, 01H)", "Fluctuating (02H)", or "Checking (03H)", the corresponding process is executed. Note that the "special symbol operation status" is a value that indicates the behavior of the special symbol, and this value is changed depending on the processing state and is stored in the special symbol operation status storage area of RAM 40c.

Specifically, the CPU 40a executes special pattern change start processing (step S405) if the special pattern operation status is "Waiting (00H, 01H)", executes special pattern change processing (step S406) if the special pattern operation status is "Changing (02H)", and executes special pattern confirmation time processing (step S407) if the special pattern operation status is "Confirming (03H)". Here, the above "Waiting" means that the special pattern is waiting for the next change, the above "Changing" means that the special pattern is changing (changing display), and the above "Confirming" means that the special pattern change has ended and is stopped (confirmed) and displayed (during special pattern confirmation time).

By the processing of the above steps S405, S406, and S407, a variable display operation that sets the start and stop of the variation of the special symbols is realized.
The process of step S405 will be described in detail later.

When any of steps S405 to S407 has been completed, in step S408 the CPU 40a executes a special symbol display data update process and ends the special symbol management process. In this special symbol display data update process, it is determined whether or not the special symbol is changing, and if it is changing, it creates 7-segment display data for when the special symbol is changing, and if it is not changing, it creates 7-segment display data for when the special symbol is stopped and displayed. The special symbol display data created here is output to the special symbol display devices 22a, 22b by the LED management process (step S211) in Figure 8.

Also, when it is determined in step S403 that a jackpot game is being played (=5AH), the CPU 40a does not perform the processing related to the variable display operation of the special symbols in steps S405 to S407, but instead performs the special symbol display data update processing in step S408. In other words, when a jackpot game is being played, the variable display operation of the special symbols is not performed (the display state of the special symbols on the special symbol display device is maintained as it is after the jackpot).

(Special diagram 1 starting port check processing)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the special chart 1 starting hole check processing (step S401).
This special symbol 1 start port check process plays a role as a winning process executed based on the establishment of a predetermined starting condition. In the special symbol 1 start port check process, as a pre-start process (winning process of special symbol 1) for executing the special symbol 1 special symbol variable display game 1, an addition process of the reserved ball number of the special symbol 1 caused by the winning of the first start port 23, a storage process of various random numbers (reserved storage process), a transmission process of a reserved addition command, etc. are executed.
In addition, the special pattern 2 start hole check process (step S402), like the special pattern 1 start hole check process, also plays a role as a winning process executed based on the establishment of a predetermined starting condition, and as a pre-start process (winning process of special pattern 2) for executing the special pattern variation display game 2 of the special pattern 2, an addition process of the reserved ball number of the special pattern 2 caused by the winning of the second start hole 24, a storage process of various random numbers, and a transmission process of a reserved addition command are executed. Therefore, the special pattern 1 start hole check process and the special pattern 2 start hole check process have substantially the same processing contents. In the following, the special pattern 1 start hole check process will be mainly described, and details of the special pattern 2 start hole check process will be omitted to avoid duplication.

As shown in FIG. 13, in step S401-1, the CPU 40a determines whether or not it has detected the entry of a game ball into the first starting hole 23 based on the detection signal from the first starting hole detection sensor 23a. If it is determined that an entry into the first starting hole 23 has been detected, then in step S401-2, the CPU 40a determines whether or not the number of reserved balls of special symbol 1 (hereinafter referred to as "special symbol 1 reserved balls") is 4 or more. In other words, it determines whether or not the number of special symbol 1 reserved balls is equal to or greater than the maximum reserved memory number (here, the upper limit is 4). However, if it is determined that an entry into the first starting hole 23 has not been detected, the special symbol 1 starting hole check process is terminated.

If it is determined in step S401-2 that the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is 4 or more, that is, if a winning entry is detected at the first starting hole 23 but the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is determined to be 4 or more, the CPU 40a proceeds to step S401-11 described below. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is not 4 or more (if it is less than 4), the CPU 40a adds 1 to the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 in step S401-3.

In step S401-4, the CPU 40a acquires various random numbers to be used in the special symbol change display game 1 related to the currently generated special symbol 1 reserved ball. Specifically, it acquires a random number for determining a jackpot, a random number for determining a special symbol, and a random number for a change pattern from various random number counters, and stores the acquired random numbers in the special symbol reserved memory area of the RAM 40c.

In step S401-5, the CPU 40a obtains look-ahead prohibition data (EVENT: "01H") that prohibits look-ahead judgment as winning command data (data corresponding to the lower byte (EVENT) of the reserved addition command) for creating a reserved addition command.
Next, in step S401-6, the CPU 40a determines whether or not a "special chart 1 pre-reading prohibition condition" is satisfied. The special chart 1 pre-reading prohibition condition is a condition that prohibits a pre-reading judgment targeting the special chart 1 reserved ball.

If the special chart 1 pre-reading prohibition condition is met, the CPU 40a proceeds to step S401-11 without executing the pre-reading judgment process (step S401-9) for the pre-reading judgment. In this case, the reserved addition command having the pre-reading prohibition data (EVENT: "01H") specifies the prohibition of pre-reading, and the pre-reading judgment for the current special chart 1 reserved ball is prohibited, and as a result, the pre-reading preview performance is not executed either. In other words, the pre-reading prohibition data specifies that the pre-reading judgment process (step S401-9) has not been executed.

Here, the pre-reading judgment of the special chart 1 and the special chart 2 is not performed regardless of the game state, but whether or not pre-reading is prohibited is judged based on the current game state. The reason is as follows.
When the time-saving state is active, where right-hand hits are advantageous, winning entries into the second starting hole 24 occur frequently, but when the time-saving state is not active, where left-hand hits are advantageous, winning entries into the second starting hole 24 rarely occur, and winning entries into the first starting hole 23 occur frequently. Taking this into consideration, rather than making blind pre-reading judgments of special pattern 1 and special pattern 2 regardless of the game state, when the time-saving state is active, pre-reading judgments on the special pattern 1 side are prohibited and pre-reading judgments on the special pattern 2 side are allowed, and when the time-saving state is not active, pre-reading judgments on the special pattern 2 side are prohibited and pre-reading judgments on the special pattern 1 side are allowed.

If it is determined in step S401-6 that the pre-reading prohibition condition is not satisfied, then in step S401-7 the CPU 40a executes a pre-reading judgment process. In this pre-reading judgment process, the result of the jackpot lottery that is executed at the start of the fluctuation is pre-read and judged. Therefore, it includes a series of processes related to 'pre-reading win/loss judgment' that pre-reads and judges the result of the jackpot lottery, 'pre-reading pattern judgment' that pre-reads and judges the result of the pattern lottery, and 'pre-reading fluctuation pattern judgment' that pre-reads and judges the fluctuation pattern at the start of the fluctuation.

Specifically, in step S401-7, the CPU 40a obtains a random number value for determining whether or not there is a jackpot stored in the RAM 40c (special chart reserved memory area), and performs a jackpot lottery (at least a pre-reading win/loss judgment that determines whether there is a jackpot or a loss) for the currently reserved ball based on the random number value for determining whether or not there is a jackpot and a jackpot judgment table (see FIG. 16), and obtains the result (referred to as the "pre-reading win/loss result").

In this embodiment, the result of the pre-reading is not stored in RAM 40c, but is instead taken into a specified general-purpose register built into CPU 40a. This is because the result of the pre-reading is used immediately in the subsequent pre-reading pattern determination process, and this data is not needed thereafter, so there is no need to store it in RAM 40c.

In addition, in step S401-7, the CPU 40a performs the above-mentioned process of predictive pattern determination by drawing a pattern using a pattern table (see FIG. 19) that corresponds to the predictive result (at least whether it is a big hit or a miss) and the reserved type (whether it is a special pattern 1 or 2). Specifically, the CPU 40a performs a pattern drawing for the reserved ball this time based on the random number for determining the special pattern and the pattern table obtained in the previous step S401-4, and obtains the result (referred to as the "predictive pattern result").

The CPU 40a does not store the predicted pattern results in RAM 40c, but instead takes them into a specified general-purpose register built into the CPU 40a, just as in the case of the prediction result judgment described above. This is because the predicted pattern results are used immediately in the subsequent prediction result variation pattern judgment, and the data is not needed thereafter, so there is no need to store them in RAM 40c.

After completing the above-mentioned look-ahead pattern determination, the CPU 40a executes a look-ahead variation pattern determination. In this look-ahead variation pattern determination, a variation pattern is selected by lottery using the look-ahead pattern result (either "4R1", "10R", "4R2", "Miss 1", "Miss 2", or "Miss 3"), a variation pattern table for selecting a variation pattern according to the look-ahead pattern result, and the random number for the variation pattern obtained in step S401-4, to determine the look-ahead variation pattern. In other words, a look-ahead determination is made of the variation pattern to be executed when the current reserved ball is subjected to the variation display operation (the variation pattern at the start of the variation).

The above-mentioned variation pattern table is also used in the lottery for the variation pattern performed in the special pattern variation start process (Figure 12).
A specific example of the above fluctuation pattern table and the lottery process for fluctuation patterns using the table will be explained again when explaining the processing at the start of fluctuation.

The result of the look-ahead fluctuation pattern determination (winning command data (EVENT)) is immediately used in the pending addition command creation process in step S401-8, which will be described below, and this data is not required thereafter. Therefore, the CPU 40a ends the processing of step S401-7 without storing the result of the look-ahead fluctuation pattern determination in the register, without storing it in RAM 40c.

In step S401-8, the CPU 40a creates data on the lower byte side of the reserved addition command according to the look-ahead determination result. Specifically, data representing the type of look-ahead fluctuation pattern is created as winning command data (EVENT) on the lower byte side of the reserved addition command.
As for the EVENT data, the "01H" set in step S401-5 is updated in this process to a value corresponding to the look-ahead fluctuation pattern (the value obtained in the look-ahead fluctuation pattern determination process).

In step S401-9, the CPU 40a creates data on the upper byte side of the reserved addition command according to the number of reserved balls. That is, data representing the current number of reserved balls and the above-mentioned pre-read pattern result (type of special pattern) is created as winning command data (MODE) on the upper byte side of the reserved addition command.
The data for this MODE is set so that 1 reserved special drawing 1 to 4 reserved special drawing 1, and 1 reserved special drawing 2 to 4 reserved special drawing 2 can be distinguished.

In step S401-10, the CPU 40a performs processing to transmit the reserved addition command. That is, it creates a reserved addition command that includes the winning command data created in steps S401-8 and S401-9 as EVENT and MODE, respectively, and transmits it to the performance control board 41.

If the read-ahead prohibition condition is met (Yes in S401-6), the CPU 40a does not update the above-mentioned read-ahead prohibition data (lower byte=01H) but maintains it as is, and transmits a reserved addition command having the read-ahead prohibition data.
In addition, in the event of an overflow (when a new winning occurs when the maximum number of reserved memories has been reached), an overflow-specified reserved addition command is sent (Yes route of step S401-2).

In addition, after the reserved addition command is sent from the main control board 40 to the performance control board 41, it is only used when the performance control board 41 displays the "pre-reading notice performance" related to the reserved ball this time, and is not particularly used in the special pattern variation start processing shown in Fig. 12. Therefore, the CPU 40a does not store the reserved addition command in the RAM 40c, and exits the special pattern 1 start hole check processing in step S401, and then performs the special pattern 2 start hole check processing in step S402.

(Special pattern variation start processing)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the special symbol variation start process (step S405), which is the process at the start of variation.
As shown in FIG. 14, in step S405-1, the CPU 40a determines whether the number of reserved balls in special chart 2 (number of reserved balls in special chart 2) is zero or not. If the number of reserved balls in special chart 2 is not zero, the CPU 40a proceeds to step S405-6 and performs processing at the start of the change (steps S405-6 to S405-14) for the reserved balls in special chart 2 to be used for the current change display.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 is zero, in step S405-2, the CPU 40a determines whether the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 (number of reserved balls for special chart 1) is zero or not, and if it is determined that the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is not zero, it proceeds to processing of step S405-6 and performs processing related to the start of the change of the special pattern targeting the reserved balls for special chart 1 used in the current change display (steps S405-6 to S405-14).
The above steps S405-1 and S405-2 process determines the "priority change order" of which of the special reserved balls 1 and 2 is given priority for the change display operation (which reserved ball is consumed preferentially). In this embodiment, if there are reserved balls in both the special reserved balls 1 and 2, the special reserved ball is consumed preferentially. In other words, the special pattern change display game 2 is executed preferentially over the special pattern change display game 1. It should be noted that the above-mentioned priority change type is not limited, and the reserved balls may be consumed in the order in which they were won.

When the number of reserved balls for both Special Chart 2 and Special Chart 1 is zero, the state is "no reserved balls". This "no reserved balls" state occurs when a special symbol is waiting and there is no reserved memory, and the effect control board 41 is notified that this state has been entered, and the main liquid crystal display device 20M is controlled to switch to a demo screen display for waiting for customers (customer waiting demo screen). When the state becomes "no reserved balls", the process proceeds to step S405-3, and the CPU 40a determines whether the special symbol operation status is "waiting (00H)", which indicates a "no reserved balls" state.

If it is determined in step S405-3 that the special symbol operation status is not "waiting (00H)", that is, if it is determined that the special symbol operation status is "waiting (01H)", the CPU 40a switches the special symbol operation status to "waiting (00H)" in step S405-4 (stores 00H in the special symbol operation status). Then, in step S405-5, the CPU 40a transmits a "demo display command" to display a customer waiting demo screen as a performance control command to the performance control board 41, and ends the special symbol variation start process.
Thereafter, if the determination process of step S405-3 is "standby (00H)", the CPU 40a ends the special symbol variation start process without transmitting a demo display command again.

If it is determined in step S405-1 that the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2 is not zero, and if it is determined in step S405-2 that the number of reserved balls for special pattern 1 is not zero (if the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2 is zero while the number of reserved balls for special pattern 1 is not zero), the CPU 40a performs processing (steps S405-6 to S405-14) related to the start of the change in the special pattern that targets the reserved balls used in the current change display.
Here, with regard to the processing of steps S405-6 to S405-14 described below, if the judgment in step S405-1 above is 'No', the processing will be directed to the special reserved ball in chart 2, and if the judgment in step S405-2 above is 'No', the processing will be directed to the special reserved ball in chart 1. However, since the processing method is the same, in order to avoid redundant description, unless there is a special need, the explanation will be given without making a distinction between processing directed to the special reserved ball in chart 1 or processing directed to the special reserved ball in chart 2.

In step S405-6, the CPU 40a subtracts 1 from the number of reserved balls (the number of reserved balls related to the special symbol used in this variable display operation minus 1), and in the following step S405-7, sends a "reserved subtraction command" including the number of reserved balls after the subtraction to the performance control board 41. This reserved subtraction command enables the performance control board 41 to determine the number of reserved balls remaining after the current number of reserved balls has been consumed, and shifts the currently displayed reserved display.

In step S405-8, the CPU 40a sets special symbol activation confirmation data. This special symbol activation confirmation data is information that specifies the special symbol that will start the current change. For example, if special symbol 1 is the change start side, "00H (special symbol 1 change start designation)" is stored in a specified area (special symbol activation confirmation data storage area) of the RAM 40c, and if special symbol 2 is the change start side, "01H (special symbol 2 change start designation)" is stored in the specified area (special symbol activation confirmation data storage area) of the RAM 40c.

In step S405-9, the CPU 40a shifts the reserved data stored in the special symbol reserved memory area of the RAM 40c, and in the following step S405-10, clears the reserved 4 memory area. In the processing of steps S405-9 to S405-10, the reserved data (random numbers for jackpot determination, random numbers for special symbol determination, and random numbers for variable patterns) stored in the reserved memory area corresponding to the reserved memory number n=1 (reserved 1 memory area) are read out and stored in the random number determination memory area of the RAM 40c, and the reserved data stored in the reserved memory areas (reserved 2 memory area, reserved 3 memory area, reserved 4 memory area) corresponding to the reserved n memory area (n=2, 3, 4) are stored in the reserved memory areas corresponding to 'n-1' (step S405-9), and the reserved 4 memory area is cleared to provide free space (step S405-10).

In step S405-11, the CPU 40a performs a process of sending a variable number remaining designation command and a game state command. Here, the CPU 40a judges whether or not the "time-saving count counter" that counts the number of time-saving times in the time-saving state is zero, and if the number of time-saving times is not zero, it sends a "variable number remaining designation command" including the number of time-saving times to the performance control board 41. This "variable number remaining designation command" enables the performance control board 41 to execute a process of grasping and notifying the number of time-saving times.
The CPU 40a also performs processing to transmit a game state command that specifies the current game state to the performance control board 41.

In step S411, the CPU 40a executes a jackpot random number determination process for conducting a jackpot lottery.
Details of the jackpot random number determination process will be described later.

In step S412, the CPU 40a executes a symbol lottery process for carrying out a symbol lottery.
The details of the symbol lottery process will be described later.

In step S413, the CPU 40a executes a variation pattern lottery process for selecting a variation pattern.
Details of the variation pattern lottery process in this embodiment will be described later.

As mentioned above, the results of the jackpot lottery and the pattern lottery at the start of the fluctuation are stored in RAM 40c. The reason for this is that these lottery results are not only used in the special pattern management process (step S400), but are also used in subsequent special electric device management process (step S209), etc.
This is different from the process at the time of pre-reading determination in which the lottery result is not stored in the RAM 40c.

Although not illustrated, if the result of the jackpot lottery is a jackpot, the CPU 40a performs the necessary setting process to specify the game state after the jackpot game (game state transition preparation process) as a setting process for transitioning the game state following step S413.

In step S405-12, the CPU 40a stores 5AH (ON state) in the special symbol N changing flag (N=1, 2) that designates that a changing display is in progress. The "special symbol N changing flag" is a flag that indicates whether the target special symbol of special symbol 1 or 2 is changing, and when the flag is ON (=5AH), it indicates that the target special symbol is changing, and when the flag is OFF (=00H), it indicates that the target special symbol is stopped.
In addition, the special pattern 1 changing flag (N=1) corresponds to the special pattern 1, and the special pattern 2 changing flag (N=2) corresponds to the special pattern 2.

In step S405-13, the CPU 40a executes a command transmission process at the start of the fluctuation. In this command transmission process, in order to notify the performance control board 41 of the fluctuation pattern selected in the fluctuation pattern lottery in step S413, a "fluctuation pattern designation command" including fluctuation pattern information capable of identifying the fluctuation pattern is created as a performance control command, and is transmitted to the performance control board 41.
In addition, in the command transmission process, a decorative symbol designation command is created based on the symbol lottery result in step S412, and is transmitted to the performance control board 41. The decorative symbol designation command is composed of two bytes, a high-order byte (MODE) that designates the reserved type, and a low-order byte (EVENT) that designates the type of special symbol. Therefore, this decorative symbol designation command includes information on the reserved type and the type of special symbol (symbol lottery result). Since this decorative symbol designation command includes information on the type of special symbol, it is mainly used in the performance control board 41 when determining the combination of decorative symbols (symbol types that have a reach symbol as a component) when forming a reach state, the combination of decorative symbols (decorative stop symbols) that are finally stopped and displayed, and the advance notice performance corresponding to the winning type in the symbol variation display game.

In step S405-14, the CPU 40a executes a process for setting the start of fluctuation, and ends the special symbol fluctuation start process. Here, the CPU 40a switches the special symbol operation status to "fluctuating (02H)" (stores 02H in the special symbol operation status), and performs a process for clearing the random number storage area for judgment.

(Jackpot Random Number Judgment Process)
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the jackpot random number determination process (step S411), FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a jackpot determination table, and FIG. 17 is a diagram explaining the jackpot random number determination method.

As shown in FIG. 15, in step S411-1, the CPU 40a selects a jackpot determination table according to the reserved type (special chart 1, special chart 2).
Here, a jackpot determination table as shown in Fig. 15 is stored in a predetermined area (address) of the ROM 40b. The jackpot determination table is provided for each reserved type (special drawing 1, special drawing 2), but in this embodiment, the same value is set regardless of the reserved type.
The jackpot determination table shows the determination reference value TH for low probability states and high probability states.
In the present embodiment, the jackpot random number determination determines a judgment reference value TH within the range of values that the jackpot determination random number can take, and determines whether or not a jackpot has been won (a jackpot lottery) based on the results of comparing the magnitude relationship between the jackpot determination random number and the judgment reference value TH. As an example, a method is adopted in which a jackpot determination result is obtained when the value of the jackpot determination random number is within the range of "0 to judgment reference value TH," and a miss determination result is obtained otherwise.

As the judgment reference value TH, two types are set: a judgment reference value TH1 (205) used for judging a low probability state, and a judgment reference value TH2 (658) used for judging a high probability state.
As shown in Figures 16 and 17, the judgment reference value TH2 for the high probability state is set to a larger value than the judgment reference value TH1 for the low probability state, thereby increasing the probability of winning a jackpot when the high probability state is determined.

In the above, an example was given in which the lower limit for determining a jackpot in the jackpot random number determination was set to "0", i.e., if the random number for determining a jackpot is within the range of "0" to "determination reference value TH", a jackpot determination result is obtained, but the lower limit can also be a number greater than "0".

In step S411-2, the CPU 40a judges whether the random number for jackpot judgment is less than the lower limit. The lower limit is the lower limit for jackpot judgment (the lower limit of the range of values within which a jackpot judgment result is obtained), for example, "0".
If the random number for determining a jackpot is less than the lower judgment limit value, it is determined to be a miss, so the processing of steps S411-3 to S411-7 described below is skipped and the jackpot random number determination processing is terminated.
In addition, when the judgment lower limit value = 0, it is not necessary to provide the process of step S411-2 because it is usually impossible for the random number for jackpot judgment to have a value less than 0. The process of step S411-2 is effective when the judgment lower limit value is a value greater than 0.

If the random number for determining a jackpot is not less than the lower limit in step S411-2, then in step S411-3 the CPU 40a determines whether the current game state is a high probability state.

When it is determined that the state is not a high probability state, in step S411-4, the CPU 40a acquires a judgment reference value TH1 for a low probability state in the big win judgment table.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the probability is high, the CPU 40a acquires the judgment reference value TH2 for high probability in the big win judgment table in step S411-5.

In step S411-6, the CPU 40a determines whether or not the random number for determining a big win is less than the determination reference value TH, based on the determination reference value TH1 or TH2.
If it is determined that the random number for determining a jackpot is less than the judgment reference value TH, in step S411-7, the CPU 40a updates the jackpot determination flag to 5AH and terminates the jackpot random number determination process; if it is determined that the random number for determining a jackpot is not less than the judgment reference value TH, it skips step S411-6 and terminates the jackpot random number determination process.

In addition, if the random number for determining a jackpot is determined to be less than the lower judgment limit value in step S411-2, and if the random number for determining a jackpot is determined to be not less than the judgment reference value TH in step S411-6, the jackpot determination flag should be updated to a value indicating not a jackpot (=5AH), specifically, a miss (=00H). However, in the jackpot random number determination process of step S411, the process of updating the jackpot determination flag to 00H, which indicates a miss, is not performed, and this is performed in the special pattern confirmation time processing of step S407.

(Pattern lottery process)
FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the symbol lottery process (step S412), and FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a symbol table.

As shown in Fig. 19, a symbol table is provided for each jackpot lottery result. In the symbol table, the selection rate of the type of special symbol (jackpot type, loss type) is set for each jackpot lottery result.
Here, in the pattern table, the numerical values stored for each type of special pattern to be selected represent the allocation value (value representing the allocation) of the selection rate based on the assumption that the random number for determining the special pattern can take on 200 possible values from 0 to 199.
According to the pattern table for jackpots, if a jackpot is won on special chart 1, the jackpot type will be "jackpot 1" with a selection rate of 200/200, i.e., it will always be determined.
In addition, if a jackpot is won on Special Chart 2, the jackpot type will be determined as “Jackpot 1” with a selection rate of 140/200, and the jackpot type will be determined as “Jackpot 2” with a selection rate of 60/200.

In addition, according to the pattern table for losses, when a loss is determined in special chart 1, the loss type is determined to be "loss 1" with a selection rate of 180/200, the loss type is determined to be "loss 2" with a selection rate of 16/200, and the loss type is determined to be "loss 3" with a selection rate of 4/200.
In addition, if a loss is determined in Special Chart 2, the loss type is determined to be "Lose 1" with a selection rate of 180/200, the loss type is determined to be "Lose 2" with a selection rate of 10/200, and the loss type is determined to be "Lose 3" with a selection rate of 10/200.

In step S412-1, the CPU 40a selects a pattern table corresponding to the reserved type (Special pattern 1, Special pattern 2).

In step S412-2, the CPU 40a obtains a random number for determining the special symbol and a jackpot determination flag. In step S412-3, the CPU 40a refers to a symbol table corresponding to the jackpot determination flag (jackpot/miss), and determines the type of special symbol (jackpot type, miss type) by lottery based on the random number for determining the special symbol.

In step S412-4, the CPU 40a stores the special symbol determination data corresponding to the type of special symbol determined in step S412-3 in a predetermined area of the RAM 40c, and ends the special stop symbol creation process.

(Variation pattern lottery processing)
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the variation pattern lottery process (step S413).
In step S413-1, the CPU 40a judges whether or not a jackpot has occurred. That is, based on the jackpot judgment flag, the CPU 40a judges whether or not a jackpot has occurred (=5AH).

When it is determined in step S413-1 that the winning combination is not a jackpot (is a miss), the CPU 40a selects a miss fluctuation pattern table in step S413-2, and then proceeds to a fluctuation pattern selection process in step S413-4.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S413-1 that a jackpot has occurred, the CPU 40a selects a jackpot fluctuation pattern table in step S413-3, and then proceeds to a fluctuation pattern selection process in step S413-4.

In step S413-4, the CPU 40a refers to the variation pattern table selected in step S413-2 or step S413-3, determines a variation pattern based on the random number for the variation pattern, and ends the variation pattern lottery process.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a variation pattern lottery table.
The variation pattern table is stored in the ROM 40b. Although FIG. 21 illustrates the variation pattern table used in the time-saving state, in reality, a variation pattern table used in the non-time-saving state is also provided.

As shown in Figure 21, in the lottery for the fluctuation pattern in the event of a loss, the candidate fluctuation patterns (fluctuation patterns that can be selected by lottery) are seven types: "normal fluctuation 1s,""normal fluctuation 12s1,""normal fluctuation 12s2,""super reach 1,""super reach 2,""super reach 3," and "super reach 4."
In addition, in the lottery for the fluctuation pattern for the jackpot, there are four candidate fluctuation patterns: "Super Reach 1,""Super Reach 2,""Super Reach 3," and "Super Reach 4."

Here, among the above-mentioned fluctuation patterns, "normal fluctuation 1s", "normal fluctuation 12s1", and "normal fluctuation 12s2" in particular belong to the fluctuation patterns corresponding to a "miss" that is not selected at the time of a jackpot (hereinafter, they may be referred to as "miss fluctuation patterns").

In this embodiment, the selection of the variation pattern in the event of a loss is performed using a different variation pattern table for each type of loss (loss 1, 2, 3), regardless of whether it is special chart 1 or 2.
Here, as described above, the selection rate of each of the loss types "Miss 1", "Miss 2", and "Miss 3" by the symbol lottery is different, with "Miss 1" having the highest selection rate, and "Miss 2" and "Miss 3" having lower selection rates than "Miss 1". In other words, if the result of the jackpot lottery is a "Miss", in most cases "Miss 1" will be selected as the loss type.

When the loss type is "loss 1" as the variation pattern selection for special chart 2, the variation pattern selection is performed according to the number of reserved balls. For this reason, among the variation pattern tables for special chart 2, different tables are prepared for each number of reserved balls as the variation pattern table used when the loss type is "loss 1".

Here, in the variation pattern table, the numerical value stored for each variation pattern to be selected represents the distribution value (value representing the distribution) of the selection probability on the assumption that the random number for determining the variation pattern can take 1000 values from 0 to 9999. For example, in the variation pattern table for special chart 1, in the table for "miss 1" and "reserved balls = 0", the stored value for "normal variation 1s" is "10000", which means that the winning probability of "normal variation 1s" is "10000/10000".
The above allocation values are shown as the stored values in the table for the convenience of explanation only, and the actual fluctuation pattern table will store the judgment reference value used in the jackpot random number judgment above. For example, in the above table of "miss 1" and "reserved balls = 0", for example, "9999" is stored as the actual stored value (judgment reference value), and in that case, if the fluctuation pattern random number is 9999 or less, "normal fluctuation 1s" is selected.

As can be seen by referring to the allocation values shown in Figure 21, in the variation pattern lottery for special chart 2 corresponding to the case of "miss 1", only "normal variation" is selected.
In addition, in the lottery for the variation pattern of special chart 2 corresponding to the case of "miss 1", the more the number of reserved balls is, the more likely it is that a normal variation pattern with a shorter variation time will be selected.

<5. About the communication board>
[5.1 Communication function with external devices and board configuration overview]
Here, the gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a communication board for performing signal communication with an external device. Specifically, the gaming machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a payout control board 42 for performing signal communication with a ball dispensing machine 70, which is an external device of the gaming machine 1.

Figure 22 is an explanatory diagram of an example of signals communicated between the payout control board 42 and the ball dispenser 70.
The payout control board 42 sends and receives various control signals related to ball lending operations between the ball lending machine 70, such as the BRDY signal, BRQ signal, EXS signal, and PRDY signal shown in the figure.

The BRDY signal is a signal transmitted from the ball lending machine 70 to the gaming machine that a ball lending operation is in progress when the player turns on a ball lending switch (not shown) provided on the gaming machine 1. Although an illustrated explanation is omitted, a signal indicating the operation state of the ball lending switch is directly input to the ball lending machine 70, and the ball lending machine 70 outputs a BRDY signal to the payout control board 42, indicating that the ball lending switch has been turned on and a ball lending operation is in progress.
In this example, the BRDY signal is a signal that falls, for example, from H level to L level in response to the ball lending switch being turned ON.

The BRQ signal is a signal that requests the gaming machine to perform a unitary lending operation (e.g., 25 balls) from the ball lending machine 70. In this example, the BRQ signal is a signal that falls, for example, from H level to L level at the timing indicating a request for a unitary lending operation.

When the BRDY signal is at L level and the BRQ signal falls to L level, one unit of ball lending operation is initiated. If the BRDY signal is at H level when the ball lending operation is completed, or if the BRDY signal changes to H level within a specified time after the completion of the ball lending operation, the ball lending operation is no longer executed. Therefore, the BRDY signal can be considered a "ball lending permission command," and the BRQ signal can be considered a "ball lending start command." In other words, as long as the BRDY signal is at L level, the ball lending operation is permitted, and in this example, when the BRQ signal falls within this permitted period, the payout operation (lending operation) of one unit of game balls is initiated in response.

On the other hand, the PRDY signal is a signal that conveys from the payout control board 42 to the ball lending machine 70 that the gaming machine 1 is capable of ball lending operation. In this example, the PRDY signal is a signal at an L level indicating that ball lending operation is possible.

The EXS signal is a signal that transmits from the payout control board 42 to the ball lending machine 70 that a request for one unit of ball lending operation by the BRQ signal has been accepted and that the lending operation has been completed. The EXS signal in this example is a signal that becomes L level from the time when a request for one unit of ball lending operation by the BRQ signal is accepted until the lending operation is completed, and becomes H level during other periods.
In other words, the EXE signal is a signal that indicates the period from when a request for one unit of ball lending operation is received by the BRQ signal to when that ball lending operation is completed.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of various electronic components on the dispensing control board 42.
As shown in the figure, resistors (R1 to R65, etc.), capacitors (C1 to C59, etc.), various diodes (D1 to D8, ZD1, LED1 to LED4, etc.), various filters (FLT1 to FLT7, etc.), and various integrated circuits (Integrated Circuits: IC1 to IC14, etc.) are arranged on the dispensing control board 42.
In addition, various connectors (CN1 to CN12) are arranged on the payout control board 42. The payout control board 42 is electrically connected to other boards in the gaming machine 1 and external devices via these connectors.

4, in this example, the connector CN3 is a connector for connecting to the main control board 40. The connectors CN2 and CN8 are connectors for connecting to the launch control board 45, and the connector CN6 is a connector for connecting to the game ball payout device 46.
Furthermore, the connector CN7 is a connector for connecting to the ball dispensing machine 70. In this example, the above-mentioned BRDY signal, BRQ signal, PRDY signal, and EXS signal are transmitted and received via this connector CN7.

Here, the dispensing control board 42 is equipped with an insulating transmission means for electrically insulating the signal communication path between the external device. Specifically, the dispensing control board 42 in this example is equipped with a photocoupler PC for electrically insulating the signal communication path between the ball dispenser 70 (see FIG. 23).
In this example, five photocouplers PC, PC1 to PC5, are implemented, and these photocouplers PC1 to PC5 are positioned on the payout control board 42 in relatively close proximity to the connector CN7 for connecting to the ball dispensing machine 70.

The signals transmitted between the payout control board 42 and the ball dispenser 70, i.e., the BRDY signal, BRQ signal, PRDY signal, and EXS signal, are transmitted through a corresponding one of the photocouplers PC1 to PC5.

The signal paths for the BRDY signal, BRQ signal, PRDY signal, and EXS signal sent to and received from the ball dispensing machine 70 will be described below with reference to the circuit diagrams in Figures 24 to 27.

FIG. 24 is a circuit diagram showing the connection between the connector CN7 and each photocoupler PC.
In this example, the connector CN7 is a six-terminal connector.
As shown in the figure, terminal 1 of connector CN7 is a transmitting terminal for a PRDY signal (a signal transmitting terminal from the payout control board 42 to the ball lending machine 70), terminal 2 is a transmitting terminal for an EXS signal, terminal 3 is a receiving terminal for a VL signal, terminal 4 is a receiving terminal for a BRDY signal, terminal 5 is a receiving terminal for a BRQ signal, and terminal 6 is a ground terminal.

The VL signal is a signal of a power supply common to the interface, and is, for example, a DC 18V power supply signal.
As shown in the figure, the VL signal is input to the dispensing control board 42 side as a P-OUT signal via a photocoupler PC5.
In photocoupler PC5, a photodiode is inserted between terminals 3 and 6 of connector CN7, so that a current corresponding to the VL signal flows from terminal 3 to terminal 6 via the photodiode. As a result of a current corresponding to the VL signal flowing through the photodiode in this way, a current corresponding to the VL signal flows through the collector of the phototransistor of photocoupler PC5. As a result, a P-OUT signal corresponding to the VL signal is obtained on the secondary side of photocoupler PC5.

Here, the primary side of the photocoupler PC refers to the side where the photodiode (electrical to optical conversion means) is provided, and the secondary side of the photocoupler PC refers to the side where the phototransistor (optical to electrical conversion means) is provided.

Of the photocouplers PC1 to PC4, photocoupler PC1 is for transmitting (sending) a PRDY signal, photocoupler PC2 is for transmitting (sending) an EXE signal, photocoupler PC3 is for transmitting (receiving) a BRDY signal, and photocoupler PC4 is for transmitting (receiving) a BRQ signal.
For the sake of convenience, in the following description, the PRDY signal input to photocoupler PC1 will be referred to as the "P-RDY signal," and the EXS signal input to photocoupler PC2 will be referred to as the "P-EXS signal." Similarly, the BRDY signal output from photocoupler PC3 will be referred to as the "B-RDY signal," and the BRQ signal output from photocoupler PC4 will be referred to as the "B-RQ signal."

In photocoupler PC1, the anode of the photodiode is connected to a DC power supply of, for example, DC 12V via resistor R36, and the cathode is connected to a transmission line of a P-RDY signal (a signal indicating whether the PRDY signal is at H level or L level).The collector of the phototransistor in photocoupler PC1 is connected to terminal 1 of connector CN7 via resistor R20, and the emitter is connected to terminal 6 of connector CN7.
As a result, a PRDY signal based on the P-RDY signal is supplied to terminal 1 of the connector CN7 via the photocoupler PC1. The signal transmission path of the PRDY signal is electrically insulated by the photocoupler PC1.

In the photocoupler PC2, the anode of the photodiode is connected to a DC power supply of, for example, DC 12V via resistor R37, and the cathode is connected to the transmission line of the P-EXS signal (the signal that is the basis of the EXS signal).The collector of the phototransistor in the photocoupler PC2 is connected to terminal 2 of the connector CN7 via resistor R21, and the emitter is connected to terminal 6 of the connector CN7.
As a result, an EXS signal based on the P-EXS signal is supplied to the second terminal of the connector CN7 via the photocoupler PC2, and the signal transmission path of the EXS signal is electrically insulated by the photocoupler PC2.

In photocoupler PC3, the anode of the photodiode is connected to terminal 3 of connector CN7 via resistor R22, and the cathode is connected to terminal 4 of connector CN7. The collector of the phototransistor in photocoupler PC3 is connected to a DC power supply such as DC 12V via resistor R39, and a transmission line of a B-RDY signal (a signal indicating whether the BRDY signal is at H level or L level) is connected to the connection point between the collector and resistor R39. An RC circuit consisting of resistor R38 and capacitor C23 is inserted in this transmission line of the B-RDY signal. The emitter of the phototransistor in photocoupler PC3 is grounded.
As a result, a B-RDY signal based on the BRDY signal input to terminal 4 of connector CN7 is supplied to the transmission line of the B-RDY signal via photocoupler PC3, and the signal transmission path of the BRDY signal is electrically isolated by photocoupler PC3.

In photocoupler PC4, the anode of the photodiode is connected to terminal 3 of connector CN7 via resistor R23, and the cathode is connected to terminal 5 of connector CN7. The collector of the phototransistor in photocoupler PC4 is connected to a DC power supply such as DC 12V via resistor R41, and a transmission line of a B-RQ signal (a signal indicating whether the BRQ signal is at H level or L level) is connected to the connection point between the collector and resistor R41. An RC circuit consisting of resistor R40 and capacitor C24 is inserted in this transmission line of the B-RQ signal, and the emitter of the phototransistor in photocoupler PC4 is grounded.
As a result, a B-RQ signal based on the BRQ signal input to terminal 5 of connector CN7 is supplied to the transmission line of the B-RQ signal via photocoupler PC4, and the signal transmission path of the BRQ signal is electrically insulated by photocoupler PC4.

Specific examples of paths for the BRDY signal, the BRQ signal, the EXS signal, the PRDY signal, and the P-OUT signal will be described with reference to the circuit diagrams of FIGS.
As shown in <1> and <2> in Figure 25, the B-RDY signal, B-RQ signal, and P-OUT signal from photocouplers PC3, PC4, and PC5 are output as a BRDY signal, a BRQ signal, and a POUT signal, respectively, via integrated circuit IC5 in the dispensing control board 42.

The BRDY and BRQ signals output from integrated circuit IC5 are input to integrated circuit IC6 in the dispensing control board 42, as shown in <3> of Figure 26.
The integrated circuit IC6 and the integrated circuit IC13 in the figure generate the PRDY signal and the EXS signal based on the BRDY signal and the BRQ signal, and as shown in <5> in the figure, the PRDY signal and the EXS signal are output from the integrated circuit IC13.

In addition, the POUT signal output from integrated circuit IC5 (see <2> in Figure 25) is input to integrated circuit IC1 in the dispensing control board 42 via resistor R45, as shown in <4> in Figure 27.

The PRDY signal and EXS signal (see <5> in Fig. 26) output from the integrated circuit IC13 are output as the P-RDY signal and the P-EXS signal, respectively, via the integrated circuit IC11 in the dispensing control board 42, as shown in <6> and <7> in Fig. 25. Specifically, they are output to the photocouplers PC1 and PC2, respectively (see Fig. 24).

[5.2 Example of substrate configuration as an embodiment]
Next, an example of the configuration of the dispensing control board 42 as an embodiment will be described.
FIG. 28 shows an example of a wiring pattern on the front surface (component mounting surface) of the dispensing control board 42, and FIG. 29 shows an example of a wiring pattern on the back surface of the dispensing control board 42.
Here, in the various electronic boards provided in the gaming machine 1, including the payout control board 42, various electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, integrated circuits, etc. are mounted on the front side and not on the back side.

As shown in the figure, the dispensing control board 42 has a generally rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. In other words, the surface shape is generally rectangular.

First, as a common feature on both the front and back sides, the dispensing control board 42 has through electrodes Tt formed in various places that penetrate the thickness direction of the board, and printed wiring as signal lines Ls and ground Gn, which is a printed pattern as ground (GND), are formed on both the front and back sides.

The signal line Ls is wiring for transmitting various signals handled by the dispensing control board 42, such as signals output from the integrated circuit IC, signals sent and received through the connector CN, and signals input to the integrated circuit IC.
On both the front and back surfaces of the substrate, some signal lines Ls are wired so as to electrically connect different through electrodes Tt.
Furthermore, on the surface of the substrate, signal lines Ls may be formed that are wired so as to electrically connect different electronic components without passing through the through electrodes Tt.

When considering the photocoupler PC as the electrical insulation means, the circuits electrically connected to the photocoupler PC on the payout control board 42 can be broadly divided into an inner circuit Ci, which is the circuit electrically connected to other boards in the gaming machine 1 via connectors CN3, CN4, etc., and an outer circuit Co, which is the circuit electrically connected to an external device (ball dispensing machine 70) via connector CN7.

The region indicated by "Ai" in the drawing represents a region in which the through electrodes Tt connected to the terminals of the connectors CN3, CN4, and CN6 are formed (see also FIG. 23 above).
Moreover, the region indicated by "Ao" in the drawing represents a region in which a through electrode Tt connected to a terminal of the connector CN7 is formed.

Furthermore, in the figure, the region indicated by "Api" represents a region in which a through electrode Tt is formed, which is connected to a terminal of the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the inner circuit Ci. Here, the terminal of the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the inner circuit Ci corresponds to the anode terminal and cathode terminal of the photodiode in the photocouplers PC1 and PC2 on the transmitting side, and corresponds to the collector terminal and emitter terminal of the phototransistor in the photocouplers PC3 to PC5 on the receiving side.
In the following description, the terminal of the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the inner circuit Ci is referred to as the "inner terminal".
Moreover, the region indicated by "Apo" in the figure represents a region in which a through electrode Tt is formed, which is connected to a terminal in the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the outer circuit Co. The terminal in the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the outer circuit Co corresponds to the collector terminal and emitter terminal of the phototransistor in the photocouplers PC1 and PC2 on the transmitting side, and corresponds to the anode terminal and cathode terminal of the photodiode in the photocouplers PC3 to PC5 on the receiving side.
In the following description, the terminal of the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the outer circuit Co is referred to as the "outer terminal."

The inner circuit Ci has a circuit area including at least the through electrodes Tt for connectors CN3, CN4, and CN6 shown in area Ai, which are electrically connected to other boards within the gaming machine 1, and the through electrodes Tt for the inner terminals of the photocoupler PC shown in area Api.
The area of the outer circuit Co has at least a circuit area including a through electrode Tt for the connector CN7 shown in area Ao and a through electrode Tt for the outer terminal of the photocoupler PC shown in area Apo.

In this embodiment, the ground Gn of the inner circuit Ci and the outer circuit Co is a solid ground.
The solid ground refers to a ground formed by a solid pattern. The solid pattern referred to here means a printed wiring pattern having a portion wider than the linear signal line Ls and having a portion surrounding the signal line Ls.

In addition, in this embodiment, the inner circuit Ci and the outer circuit Co are each formed across the front and back surfaces of the dispensing control board 42 via the through electrode Tt.

In the dispensing control board 42 in this embodiment, a separation section Dv is formed which separates the area of the inner circuit Ci from the area of the outer circuit Co.
In this example, the separation portion Dv is formed between the inner circuit Ci and the outer circuit Co as a portion where the ground Gn (solid ground) of each circuit is not formed.

As can be understood from the previous explanation of areas Api and Apo, in this embodiment, each photocoupler PC is disposed on the separation section Dv.

Also, as can be seen by comparing Figures 28 and 29, in this embodiment, the area of the outer circuit Co and the area of the inner circuit Ci are separated by a separation section Dv on both the front and back sides of the dispensing control board 42.

In this example, the position and shape of the separation part Dv are substantially the same on the front and back sides of the dispensing control board 42. The position of the separation part Dv here naturally means the position in the surface direction of the dispensing control board 42.
In addition, "substantially the same" does not mean only "completely the same" but also includes the range of tolerance in the printing process of the print pattern. For example, it is sufficient if the position and shape of the separation portion Dv on the front and back sides are determined to be the same in design, and tolerance occurring in the actual pattern printing process should be allowed.

Furthermore, in the dispensing control board 42 of this example, the separation pattern in the board surface direction between the area of the outer circuit Co and the area of the inner circuit Ci is the same on the front and back sides. In other words, the positions and shapes in the board surface direction of the area of the outer circuit Co and the area of the inner circuit Ci are approximately the same on the front and back sides.

(5.2.1 Configuration example A)
Here, according to the explanation given with reference to Figures 28 and 29 above, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 of the embodiment has a configuration as "Configuration Example A" as follows.
In other words, the gaming machine (same as 1) as configuration example A is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) is mounted to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70), and the communication board is formed with an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and a separation section (same as Dv) which separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area is formed, an insulating transmission means is arranged on the separation section, and the outer circuit and inner circuit are each formed across the front and back surfaces of the communication board, and the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area are separated on each of the front and back surfaces of the communication board.

In the gaming machine of configuration example A as described above, the outer circuit and inner circuit areas are separated not only on one side of the communication board but also on the other side.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the insulation between the inner circuit and the outer circuit, and it is possible to improve the resistance to external noise (input noise from the external device).

The gaming machine as the above configuration example A has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example A, the position and shape of the separation portion are approximately the same on both the front and back sides.
In this way, by making the position and shape of the separation part on the front and back sides of the communication board approximately identical, the separation distance in the board surface direction between the inner circuit on the front side and the outer circuit on the back side, and the separation distance in the board surface direction between the outer circuit on the front side and the inner circuit on the back side are prevented from becoming shorter than the width of the separation part, thereby improving the insulation between the inner/outer circuits even between the front and back sides of the board, and further improving resistance to external noise.

Furthermore, the gaming machine as the above configuration example A has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example A, the separation pattern in the communication board surface direction between the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area is the same on the front and back sides.
In other words, the shapes and areas of the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area are the same on the front and back of the communication board, and the shapes and areas of the separation parts are also the same on the front and back of the communication board.
By making the shape and area of the separation portion the same on the front and back of the communication board, it is possible to improve the insulation between the inner circuit and the outer circuit, and to improve resistance to external noise.

The gaming machine as the above configuration example A has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example A, the ground of the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area are solid ground.
This separates the outer circuit from the inner circuit in terms of area, including the solid ground.
Therefore, the insulation between the inner circuit and the outer circuit can be improved, and the resistance to external noise can be improved.

(5.2.2 Configuration example B)
FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the arrangement of photocouplers PC in the embodiment.
As shown in the figure, photocouplers PC1 to PC5 are disposed on a separation section Dv.
Specifically, in this example, the separation section Dv is formed to have a straight line section Sp parallel to the board end edge of the dispensing control board 42, and the photocoupler PC is disposed on this straight line section Sp. More specifically, the straight line section Sp is formed with a straight line section Sp1 parallel to the short side (short side) of the dispensing control board 42 and a straight line section Sp2 parallel to the long side (longitudinal side) as shown in the figure, and the photocouplers PC1 and PC2 are disposed on the straight line section Sp1, and the photocouplers PC3, PC4, and PC5 are disposed on the straight line section Sp2.

At this time, each photocoupler PC is positioned so that its side extending in the direction separating the inner terminal and the outer terminal is perpendicular to the straight line portion Sp located below.

According to the explanation with reference to FIG. 30, the gaming machine 1 as an embodiment can be said to have a configuration as the following configuration example B.
In other words, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example B is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) that provides electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70) is implemented, and the communication board has an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit that is electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit that is electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and a separation section (same as Dv) that separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area, and the separation section has a straight section (same as Sp) parallel to the edge of the communication board, and the insulating transmission means is arranged on the straight section.

By arranging the insulating transmission means on a straight section parallel to the end edge of the substrate, rather than arranging the insulating transmission means on a separation section that is angled or curved relative to the end edge of the substrate, it is possible to arrange the insulating transmission means in a direction parallel to the end edge of the substrate.
Therefore, the efficiency of arranging the insulating transmission means in the communication board can be improved.

Moreover, the gaming machine as configuration example B has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine as the above-mentioned configuration example B, a plurality of insulated transmission means are arranged in the straight section.
This makes it possible to increase the number of insulating transmission means arranged in a direction parallel to the end sides of the board, thereby enabling space saving in the arrangement space for the insulating transmission means.

Furthermore, the gaming machine as configuration example B has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine as the above-mentioned configuration example B, the separation section has a plurality of straight sections, and an insulated transmission means is arranged in each of the two or more straight sections.
This increases the area where the insulating transmission means can be arranged in a direction parallel to the edge of the board, improving the degree of freedom in arranging the insulating transmission means.

(5.2.3 Configuration example C)
Figure 31 is an explanatory diagram of the positions of various connectors CN on the dispensing control board 42 in an embodiment.
As shown in the figure, in the embodiment of the payout control board 42, connectors CN3, CN4, CN6, CN8, etc., which are connectors (internal connectors) for electrically connecting to other boards, and connector CN7, which is a connector (external connector) for electrically connecting to an external device such as a ball dispensing machine 70, are arranged side by side at one end of the payout control board 42 (see also FIG. 23). Specifically, in this example, these internal connectors and external connectors are arranged side by side at one long side portion (end of one long side) of the payout control board 42.

According to the explanation with reference to FIG. 31, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 as an embodiment has a configuration as the following configuration example C.
That is, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example C is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) is mounted to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70), and the communication board is formed with an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and a separation section (same as Dv) which separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area is formed, and an insulating transmission means is arranged on the separation section, an external connector (connector CN7) for electrically connecting to the external device is provided in the outer circuit area, and internal connectors (connectors CN3, CN4, CN6, CN8, etc.) for electrically connecting to other boards are provided in the inner circuit area, and the external connector and internal connector are arranged side by side at one end of the communication board.

This improves insulation by separating the inner and outer circuits, while aligning the internal and external connectors to one end of the board, preventing variation in the connector positions and enabling the area on the board in which other components can be overlapped to avoid the connector positions to be expanded.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the insulation from the external device while increasing the freedom of component placement in the gaming machine.

Furthermore, the gaming machine as configuration example C has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of the above-mentioned configuration example C, the communication board has a substantially rectangular surface shape, and the external connector and the internal connector are arranged side by side on the long side of the communication board. Here, in the gaming machine, various boards are fixed to the gaming machine main body at the four corners of the board by screws or the like. On this premise, if the external connector and the internal connector are arranged side by side on the short side of the board, the distance to the board fixing point on the side opposite to the side on which the connector is provided becomes long when the connector cable is inserted and removed, so that the stress on the board becomes large. On the other hand, if the external connector and the internal connector are arranged side by side on the long side of the board as described above, the distance to the board fixing point on the side opposite to the side on which the connector is provided becomes relatively short, so that the stress on the board when the connector cable is inserted and removed can be alleviated.

(5.2.4 Configuration example D)
Figure 32 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the formation pattern of the separation section Dv and ground Gn in the dispensing control board 42 of the embodiment.
In the figure, the photocoupler PC has an inner terminal ti and an outer terminal to. As described above, the "inner terminal" refers to the terminal of the photocoupler PC that is electrically connected to the inner circuit Ci, and the "outer terminal" refers to the terminal that is electrically connected to the outer circuit Co.
Here, when the photocoupler PC is for transmission, the inside terminal ti corresponds to the primary terminal of the photocoupler PC (the terminal connected to the photodiode) and the secondary terminal (the terminal connected to the phototransistor), and when the photocoupler PC is for reception, the secondary terminal corresponds. Conversely, when the photocoupler PC is for transmission, the outside terminal to corresponds to the secondary terminal, and when the photocoupler PC is for reception, the primary terminal corresponds.

In the figure, the inner circuit through electrode Tti represents the through electrode Tt that is connected to the inner terminal ti of the photocoupler PC among the through electrodes Tt that penetrate the substrate portion 42a of the dispensing control substrate 42 in the thickness direction, and the outer circuit through electrode Tto represents the through electrode Tt that is connected to the outer terminal to of the photocoupler PC.

As shown in the figure, the inner end of the inner circuit through electrode Tti is referred to as the inner end IEi, and the inner end of the outer circuit through electrode Tto is referred to as the inner end IEo. Note that the inside and outside of the terminals mentioned here are based on the center of the photocoupler PC, with the side closer to the center being the inside and the side furthest from the center being the outside.

In the present example of the dispensing control board 42, the ground Gn of the inner circuit Ci (solid ground in this example) and the ground Gn of the outer circuit Co (also solid ground in this example) are each formed to extend into the region from the inner end IEi of the inner circuit through electrode Tti to the inner end IEo of the outer circuit through electrode Tto. Specifically, in this example, the ground Gn of the inner circuit Ci and the ground Gn of the outer circuit Co reach the bottom of the photocoupler PC.

Here, the region from the inner end IEi to the inner end IEo is referred to as an electrode inner end region Ait.
In addition, the portion of the ground Gn of the inner circuit Ci that exists within the electrode inner end region Ait is referred to as the extension region Agi, and the portion of the ground Gn of the outer circuit Co that exists within the electrode inner end region Ait is referred to as the extension region Ago.

In the dispensing control board 42 of this example, the extension areas Agi, Ago and separation section Dv are formed so as to satisfy the following conditions.
That is, the condition is that the electrode inner inter-end region Ait is divided into approximately three equal parts by the extension regions Agi, Ago and the separation portion Dv.

In Figure 32, only the placement portion of one photocoupler PC is shown as a representative example, but in this example, the extension areas Agi, Ago, and separation portion Dv are formed in all placement portions of photocouplers PC1 to PC5 so as to satisfy the above conditions.

Here, in the electrode inner end region Ait located below the photocoupler PC, it is generally considered desirable to increase the width of the separation section Dv in order to improve insulation. However, it has been newly discovered that if the width of the separation section Dv is increased in order to prioritize insulation, the tradeoff is that the width of the solid ground of the inner circuit Ci and the outer circuit Co becomes narrower, which makes it easier for external noise to be mixed into the transmission signal by the photocoupler PC. In other words, if the width of the solid ground is narrow in the electrode inner end region Ait, the noise suppression effect on the transmission signal by the photocoupler PC is easily reduced.

Therefore, in this example, in the electrode inner end region Ait, the solid ground of the outer circuit Co, the separation portion Dv, and the solid ground of the inner circuit Ci are arranged in approximately three equal parts.
This makes it possible to prevent the insulating effect of the separation portion Dv and the noise suppression effect of the solid ground from being overemphasized on one side, and makes it possible to achieve a balance between these insulating and noise suppression effects.

Here, as a result of simulations performed by the inventors, when the error from perfect third division exceeds 13%, a change begins to appear in the balance between the insulating effect of the separation part Dv and the noise suppression effect of the solid ground. From these results, approximately third division means that the error from perfect third division is within 13%, preferably within 12%, and more preferably within 10%.

Note that, although an example in which the above conditions are satisfied for all photocoupler PC placement parts has been described above, this is not essential, and a configuration in which some photocoupler PC placement parts do not satisfy the above conditions is also possible.

In this example, in the inside circuit Ci and the outside circuit Co, the signal line Ls from the terminal of the photocoupler PC is led out not to the side of the separation part Dv but to the side opposite the separation part Dv.
Specifically, as illustrated by the signal line Ls from the through electrode Tt in region Api and the signal line Ls from the through electrode Tt in region Apo in Figures 28 and 29, in this example, all of the signal lines Ls from the terminals of the photocoupler PC are pulled out to the side opposite the separation section Dv, rather than to the separation section Dv side.

If the signal line Ls is pulled out from the terminal of the photocoupler PC to the separation section side, a solid ground covering the signal line Ls is required on the separation section Dv side, which means that the width of the separation section Dv must be narrowed accordingly. By pulling the signal line Ls from the terminal of the photocoupler PC to the side opposite the separation section Dv as described above, the width of the separation section Dv can be increased, improving the noise suppression effect.

From the above description, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 according to this embodiment has a configuration as configuration example D below.
That is, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example D is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) that provides electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70) is implemented, and the communication board has an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit that is electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit that is electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and each of the outer circuit and inner circuit is formed across the front and back surfaces of the communication board, and at least on the front surface, the ground (same as Gn) of the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area is made into a solid ground, and a separation section (same as Dv) is formed that separates the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area, and the insulating transmission means is arranged on the separation section.
The inner circuit has an inner circuit through electrode (Tti) that is connected to either the primary terminal or the secondary terminal of the insulated transmission means and that passes through the communication board, and the outer circuit has an outer circuit through electrode (Tto) that is connected to the other of the primary terminal or the secondary terminal of the insulated transmission means and that passes through the communication board, and the electrode inner end region (Ait) on the surface, which is the region from the inner end (IEo) of the outer circuit through electrode to the inner end (IEi) of the inner circuit through electrode, is divided into approximately three equal parts by the solid ground region (extension region Ago) of the outer circuit, the separation region, and the solid ground region (extension region Agi) of the inner circuit.

This makes it possible to prevent the insulation effect of the separator and the noise suppression effect of the solid ground from being overemphasized in one direction, and to achieve a balance between these insulation and noise suppression effects.

Moreover, the gaming machine as configuration example D has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example D, in the inner circuit and the outer circuit, the signal line (Ls) from the terminal of the insulated transmission means is pulled out to the side opposite the separation section, rather than to the separation section side.

This makes it possible to increase the width of the separation portion, thereby improving the noise suppression effect.

(5.2.5 Configuration examples E and F)
FIG. 33 is an explanatory diagram regarding the width of the separation portion Dv.
As shown in the figure, the minimum width of the separation portion Dv is set to width D1. In this example, width D1 is set to the width of the straight line portions Sp1 and Sp2.
In addition, the width of the signal line Ls formed on the dispensing control board 42 is width D2.

In the dispensing control board 42 of this embodiment, the width D1 of the separation portion Dv is greater than the width D2 of the signal line Ls (D1>D2) (see also Figures 28 and 29 above).
In this example, width D1 is greater than width D2 on both the front and back sides of the dispensing control board 42.
In this example, the width D1 of the separation portion Dv is set to be larger than the maximum value of the width D2, that is, the width of the widest signal line Ls. In this example, this point is also the same on both the front and back sides of the dispensing control board 42.

As described above, by making the width D1 of the separation portion Dv larger than the width D2 of the signal line Ls, it is possible to improve the insulation between the inner circuit Ci and the outer circuit Co, and to improve resistance to external noise.

Here, on the dispensing control board 42, an insulating portion IS is formed between the ground Gn, which is a solid ground, and the signal line Ls, which electrically insulates the ground Gn from the signal line Ls.
If the width of this insulating portion IS is width D3, in the dispensing control board 42 of this embodiment, the width D1 of the separation portion Dv is wider than the width D3 of the insulating portion IS (D1 > D3) (see also Figures 28 and 29 above).
In this example, width D1 > width D3 on both the front and back sides of the dispensing control board 42.
In addition, in this example, on both the front and back sides of the dispensing control board 42, the width D1 of the separation portion Dv is wider than the maximum value of the width D3, i.e., the width of the widest insulating portion IS.

As described above, by making the width D1 of the separation portion Dv larger than the width D3 of the insulation portion IS, it is possible to improve the insulation between the inner circuit Ci and the outer circuit Co, and to improve resistance to external noise.

From the above description, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 as an embodiment has the configuration of configuration example E below.
In other words, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example E is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) is mounted to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70), and the communication board is formed with an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and is also formed with a separation section (same as Dv) which separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area, and an insulating transmission means is arranged on the separation section, and the minimum width of the separation section is wider than the width of the signal line formed on the communication board.

This improves the insulation between the inner circuit and the outer circuit, improving resistance to external noise.

Moreover, the gaming machine as configuration example E has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example E, in the inner circuit and the outer circuit, the signal line from the terminal of the insulated transmission means is pulled out to the side opposite the separation section rather than to the separation section side (see the explanation of configuration example D above).
This makes it possible to increase the width of the separation portion, thereby improving the noise suppression effect.

Furthermore, from the above description, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 as an embodiment has a configuration as configuration example F below.
In other words, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example F is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) is mounted to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70), and the communication board has an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and a separation section (same as Dv) which separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area, an insulating transmission means is arranged on the separation section, the ground (same as Gn) of the outer circuit area and the inner circuit area is a solid ground, and the minimum width of the separation section is wider than the width of the insulating section (same as IS) between the signal line (same as Ls) formed on the communication board and the solid ground.
This makes it possible to improve the insulation between the inner circuit and the outer circuit, and to improve resistance to external noise.

Moreover, the gaming machine as configuration example F has the following configuration.
In other words, in the gaming machine of configuration example F, in the inner circuit and the outer circuit, the signal line from the terminal of the insulated transmission means is pulled out to the side opposite the separation section, rather than to the separation section side (see the explanation of configuration example D above).
This makes it possible to increase the width of the separation portion, thereby improving the noise suppression effect.

[5.3 First Modification (Configuration Example G)]
Figure 35 is an explanatory diagram of a dispensing control board 42A as a first modified example.
The dispensing control board 42A as the first variant differs from the dispensing control board 42 mainly in the formation pattern of the separation section Dv.
In this case, the separation portion Dv is formed to have a first portion P1 extending in a first direction, which is a direction approximately parallel to one side of the dispensing control board 42A, a second portion P2 extending from the end of the first portion P1 in a direction different from the first direction, and a third portion P3 extending in the first direction from the end of the second portion P2 opposite the connection portion with the first portion P1 so as to be opposed to the first portion P1.
Specifically, in this example, the first direction is a direction substantially parallel to the short side of the dispensing control board 42A ("direction V" in the figure), and therefore the first portion P1 and the third portion P3 both extend in the direction V. Also, in this example, the second portion P2 is a portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the long side of the dispensing control board 42A ("direction H" in the figure).

The separation portion Dv including the first portion P1, the second portion P2, and the third portion P3 as described above has an approximately U-shaped configuration as shown. In the example of FIG. 34, the outer circuit Co is surrounded by the approximately U-shaped portion of the separation portion Dv.

As a result of the formation of the approximately U-shaped separation portion Dv as described above, a part of the area of the inner circuit Ci extends around to the back side of the area of the outer circuit Co on the substrate, as shown by "Ar" in the figure.
Hereinafter, a region in which either the inner circuit Ci or the outer circuit Co wraps around to the back side of the other, such as the region indicated by "Ar", will be referred to as a "wraparound region Ar".

Here, in this example, of the first part P1 and the third part P3, which are parts extending in the above-mentioned first direction (V direction in this example) in the separation part Dv, the part that contacts the wraparound area Ar as described above is referred to as the third part P3, and the part that does not contact the wraparound area Ar is referred to as the first part P1.

In this case, the photocouplers PC arranged on the separation portion Dv are five, namely, photocoupler PC11 to photocoupler PC15.
Although not shown in the figure, each of these photocouplers PC11 to PC15 has information indicating the product model number printed in a predetermined direction on the top surface. In particular, the same product is used for photocouplers PC14 and PC15, and the model number information is printed in the same direction. For example, the model number information is printed so that the side on which the secondary terminals are formed is below the character string. Since photocouplers PC14 and PC15 are the same product, the exterior colors are the same.

The photocoupler 14 is used as a transmitting photocoupler PC that transmits a signal from the inner circuit Ci to the outer circuit Co, and the photocoupler PC15 is used as a receiving photocoupler PC that transmits a signal from the outer circuit Co to the inner circuit Ci.
In this example, the transmitting photocoupler PC14 is used to transmit either the PRDY signal or the EXS signal, and the receiving photocoupler PC15 is used to transmit either the BRDY signal or the BRQ signal.

As shown in the figure, in this example, photocouplers PC11 to PC13 are disposed on a first portion P1 of the separation section Dv.
It should be noted that there are no particular limitations on which of the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 is used for transmission and which is used for reception, or which signal each photocoupler PC transmits.

As shown in the figure, in this example, the transmitting photocoupler PC14 is arranged alongside the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 on the first portion P1 of the separation unit Dv, and the receiving photocoupler PC15 is arranged on the third portion P3 of the separation unit Dv.

Here, the transmitting photocoupler PC14 has its primary terminal connected to the inner circuit Ci and its secondary terminal connected to the outer circuit Co, and the receiving photocoupler PC15 has its primary terminal connected to the outer circuit Co and its secondary terminal connected to the inner circuit Ci. However, with the above configuration, when connecting the primary and secondary terminals of the transmitting photocoupler PC14 and the receiving photocoupler PC15 in this manner, it is possible to align the mounting orientations of the photocouplers PC14 and PC15.
By aligning the mounting orientation, the printing orientation of these photocouplers PC14 and PC15 can also be aligned, making it easier to check the photocouplers PC14 and PC15 on the board. Also, since the photocouplers PC14 and PC15 can be mounted in the same orientation when mounting components on the board, there is no need to rotate the robot arm, and the efficiency of the mounting work can be improved.
Therefore, for the photocouplers PC14, PC15 mounted on the dispensing control board 42A, it is possible to improve the ease of component confirmation while also improving the efficiency of the mounting work.

In the above example, the transmitting photocoupler PC14 is disposed in the first portion P1, and the receiving photocoupler PC15 is disposed in the third portion P3, but the photocoupler PC14 may be disposed in the third portion P3, and the photocoupler PC may be disposed in the first portion P1. In this case, the mounting orientation of the photocouplers PC14 and PC15 is opposite to that in FIG. 34.
As can be understood from this point, the photocoupler PC14 may be disposed in either the first portion P1 or the third portion P3, and the photocoupler PC15 may be disposed in the other of the first portion P1 or the third portion P3.

Here, in the payout control board 42A, an internal connector (here designated by the symbol "CNi"), which is a connector CN electrically connected to other boards within the gaming machine 1, is arranged in the inner circuit Ci area, and an external connector (here designated by the symbol "CNo"), which is a connector CN electrically connected to the ball lending machine 70 as an external device, is arranged in the outer circuit Co area.
In this example, the internal connector CNi and the external connector CNo have a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, and are arranged so that their long sides extend in a direction generally parallel to the long sides of the dispensing control board 42A. Here, the long sides of the dispensing control board 42A can be said to be a direction (hereinafter referred to as the "third direction") generally perpendicular to the direction V1, which is the extension direction of the first part P1 and the third part P3 in the separation section Dv. In this example, the third direction is a direction generally parallel to the long sides of the dispensing control board 42A.

Of these internal connectors CNi and external connectors CNo, the connector with the smallest total distance from photocoupler PC14 and photocoupler PC15 is considered to be the nearby connector. In this example, this nearby connector corresponds to external connector CNo.

In the present example, in the dispensing control board 42A, the photocouplers PC14 and PC15 are arranged at a distance in the third direction, with the center line Lc of the nearby connector in the third direction as the boundary.

In the figure, the flow of the transmission signal transmitted from photocoupler PC14 via external connector CNo and the flow of the reception signal received from external connector CNo via photocoupler PC15 are diagrammatically represented by dashed arrows. As can be seen by referring to these dashed arrows, by arranging photocouplers PC14 and PC15 at a distance in the third direction with the center line Lc of the adjacent connector as the boundary as described above, it is possible to form the wiring for the transmission signal and the reception signal as far apart as possible.
Therefore, mutual interference caused by radiation noise in the transmission and reception wiring can be reduced.

In the above, an example was given in which the wraparound region Ar is formed as a region in which a portion of the inner circuit Ci wraps around to the back side of the outer circuit Co. However, it is also possible to form the wraparound region Ar conversely, as shown in FIG. 35, as a region in which a portion of the outer circuit Co wraps around to the back side of the inner circuit Ci.
In this case, the region surrounded by the substantially U-shaped region formed by the first portion P1, the second portion P2, and the third portion P3 in the isolation portion Dv is the region of the inner circuit Ci.

Even with the configuration of Figure 35, the same effect can be obtained by placing the photocoupler PC14 in either the first part P1 or the third part P3, and placing the photocoupler PC15 in the other of the first part P1 or the third part P3, in the same manner as in Figure 34.

In this case, the nearby connector for photocouplers PC14 and PC15 is the internal connector CNi, and in this case, the photocouplers PC14 and PC15 are positioned apart in the third direction, with the center line Lc' in the third direction (in this example, a direction approximately parallel to the long side of the dispensing control board 42A) of the internal connector CNi as the nearby connector as the boundary.
This also makes it possible in this case to form the wiring for the transmission signal and the wiring for the reception signal as far apart as possible, thereby reducing mutual interference caused by radiation noise from the respective wirings for transmission and reception.

From the above description, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 as the first modified example has a configuration as the configuration example G below.
In other words, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example G is equipped with a communication board on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) is implemented to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the external device (ball lending machine 70), and the communication board is formed with an outer circuit (same as Co) which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci) which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, as well as a separation section (same as Dv) which separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area, and is equipped with a transmitting insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC14) which transmits a signal from the inner circuit to the outer circuit, and a receiving insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC15) which transmits a signal from the outer circuit to the inner circuit, as the insulating transmission means.
The separation portion has a first portion (P1) extending in a first direction which is a direction approximately parallel to one side of the communication board, a second portion (P2) extending from an end of the first portion in a direction different from the first direction, and a third portion (P3) extending in the first direction from an end of the second portion opposite the connection portion with the first portion so as to be opposed to the first portion, and the transmitting isolated transmission means is disposed in either the first portion or the third portion, and the receiving isolated transmission means is disposed in the other of the first portion or the third portion.

This makes it possible to align the mounting orientation of the transmitting isolated transmission means and the receiving isolated transmission means.
By aligning the mounting orientation, the printing orientation of the transmitting and receiving isolated transmission means can also be aligned, making it easier to check the components of the transmitting and receiving isolated transmission means on the board. Also, since the transmitting and receiving isolated transmission means can be mounted in the same orientation when mounting components on the board, there is no need to rotate the robot arm, and the efficiency of the mounting work can be improved.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease of checking the components of the transmitting and receiving isolated transmission means mounted on the communication board, and also to improve the efficiency of the mounting work.

Moreover, the gaming machine as the configuration example G has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example G, the communication board is provided with an internal connector (CNi) that is arranged in the inner circuit area and electrically connects to other boards, and an external connector (CNo) that is arranged in the outer circuit area and electrically connects to an external device, the internal connector and the external connector have a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, and are arranged so that their long sides extend in a third direction that is substantially perpendicular to one side of the communication board, and when the connector of the internal connector and the external connector that has the smallest total distance from the transmitting isolated transmission means and the receiving isolated transmission means is defined as the nearby connector, the transmitting isolated transmission means and the receiving isolated transmission means are arranged at a distance in the third direction, with the center line of the nearby connector in the third direction as the boundary.
According to the above configuration, the transmitting isolated transmission means and the receiving isolated transmission means are arranged at a distance in the third direction on different sides of the center line of the nearby connector, so that the wiring for transmitting signals and the wiring for receiving signals can be formed as far apart as possible on the communication board.
Therefore, mutual interference caused by radiation noise in the transmission and reception wiring can be reduced.

[5.4 Second Modification (Configuration Example H)]
Here, in the above, relatively low-speed signals such as the BRDY signal, the BRQ signal, the PRDY signal, and the EXS signal are given as examples of signals to be transmitted and received between external devices via the photocoupler PC. However, it is also possible to consider a configuration in which not only low-speed signals but also high-speed signals are transmitted and received between external devices via the photocoupler PC.
Regarding the terms "low speed signal" and "high speed signal" used here, low speed and high speed are based on the average period of change in the signal value (signal level), and a "high speed signal" refers to a signal whose average period is faster than that of a "low speed signal."
Regarding the terms "low-speed signal" and "high-speed signal," a "high-speed signal" can be defined as a signal transmitted via serial communication in which the signal level changes in synchronization with a clock of a specific frequency (i.e., the rate is limited by the clock), and a "low-speed signal" can be defined as a signal that is not rate-limited by the clock.

Figure 36 is a diagram for explaining an example configuration of a dispensing control board 42B as a second modified example that can be adopted when sending and receiving both low-speed signals and high-speed signals between external devices as described above.
In the dispensing control board 42B shown in Figure 36, the formation pattern of the separation section Dv, the arrangement of the photocouplers PC11 to PC13, and the shapes and arrangement positions of the internal connector CNi and external connector CNo are the same as in Figure 34, so duplicate explanations will be avoided.

In this case, the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 are photocouplers PC that transmit low-speed signals.
On the other hand, photocouplers PC16 and PC17 shown in the figure are implemented as photocouplers PC for transmitting high-speed signals.
The photocoupler PC16 is a transmitting photocoupler PC that transmits high-speed signals from the inner circuit Ci to the outer circuit Co, and the photocoupler PC17 is a receiving photocoupler PC that transmits high-speed signals from the outer circuit Co to the inner circuit Ci.

In this example, the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 are disposed on the first portion P1 of the isolation portion Dv.
The photocoupler PC16 is disposed on the first portion P1 alongside the photocouplers PC11 to PC13, and the photocoupler PC17 is disposed on the third portion P3.
As a result, photocoupler PC16 and photocoupler PC17 are spaced apart in a direction approximately parallel to one side of the dispensing control board 42B (in this example, a direction approximately parallel to the long side of the dispensing control board 42B: hereinafter referred to as the ``side parallel direction'').

In the second modified dispensing control board 42B, the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 that transmit low-speed signals are arranged at a first interval, while the photocouplers PC16 and PC17 that transmit high-speed signals are arranged at a second interval that is wider than the first interval.

The transmission signals of the photocouplers PC16 and PC17 that transmit high-speed signals are faster than the transmission signals of the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 that transmit low-speed signals, and there is a risk of radiation noise being generated in the signal line Ls connected to the photocouplers PC16 and PC17. With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the signal line Ls connected to the photocoupler PC16 and the signal line Ls connected to the photocoupler PC17 will be mutually affected by radiation noise.
Therefore, the accuracy of high-speed signal communication can be improved.

In the above, it is assumed that the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 are arranged at equal intervals as the first interval, but the photocouplers PC11 to PC13 may be arranged at non-equidistant intervals. In that case, the arrangement interval of the photocouplers PC16 and PC17 that transmit high-speed signals should be wider than the arrangement interval of the pair of photocouplers PC11 and PC12, or the arrangement interval of the pair of photocouplers PC12 and PC13, whichever is wider.

Here, as shown in Figure 36, in the dispensing control board 42B, the internal connector CNi and the external connector CNo have an approximately rectangular shape when viewed from above, and are arranged so that their long sides extend in a direction parallel to the above-mentioned sides of the dispensing control board 42B (the direction of separation between photocouplers PC16 and PC17).
The photocouplers PC16 and PC17 are arranged apart in the direction parallel to the side, with the center line Lc of the nearby connector (the connector CN having the smallest total distance from each photocoupler PC) for these photocouplers PC16 and PC17 as the boundary in the direction parallel to the side.

This makes it possible to form the wiring for the transmission signals by the photocouplers PC16 and PC17 as far apart as possible.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce mutual interference caused by radiation noise in the wiring that transmits high-speed signals via the photocouplers PC16 and PC17.

In FIG. 36, an example is given in which the wraparound region Ar is formed as a region in which a portion of the inner circuit Ci wraps around to the back side of the outer circuit Co, but as shown in FIG. 37, the wraparound region Ar can also be formed as a region in which a portion of the outer circuit Co wraps around to the back side of the inner circuit Ci. In this case, as in the case of FIG. 35, the region surrounded by the approximately U-shaped region formed by the first portion P1, the second portion P2, and the third portion P3 in the separation portion Dv is the region of the inner circuit Ci.

Even in the case of the configuration of FIG. 37, the same effect as in the first modified example can be obtained by placing the photocoupler PC16 in either the first part P1 or the third part P3, and the photocoupler PC17 in the other of the first part P1 or the third part P3, in the same manner as in the case of FIG. 36.

In this case, the nearby connector for photocouplers PC16 and PC17 is the internal connector CNi, and in this case, the photocouplers PC16 and PC17 are positioned apart in the side-parallel direction, with the center line Lc' in the side-parallel direction of the internal connector CNi as the nearby connector (in this example, the direction approximately parallel to the long side of the dispensing control board 42B) as the boundary.
As a result, in this case too, it is possible to form the wiring for the transmission signals by the photocouplers PC16 and PC17 as far apart as possible, thereby reducing mutual interference due to radiation noise in each wiring that transmits high-speed signals via these photocouplers PC16 and PC17.

From the above description, it can be said that the gaming machine 1 as the first modified example has a configuration as configuration example H below.
In other words, the gaming machine (same as 1) of configuration example H is equipped with a communication board (payout control board 42B) on which an insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC) is implemented to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path with an external device (ball lending machine 70), and the communication board is formed with an outer circuit (same as Co), which is a circuit that is electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit (same as Ci), which is a circuit that is electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, and is also formed with a separation section (same as Dv), which separates the outer circuit area from the inner circuit area, and is configured to be capable of both low-speed signal communication and high-speed signal communication for signal communication with the external device.
The insulating transmission means for performing low-speed signal communication includes a first low-speed insulating transmission means (any of photocouplers PC11 to PC13) and a second low-speed insulating transmission means (any of photocouplers PC11 to PC13), and the insulating transmission means for performing high-speed signal communication includes a first high-speed insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC16) and a second high-speed insulating transmission means (photocoupler PC17).On the separation portion, the first low-speed insulating transmission means and the second low-speed insulating transmission means are arranged at a first interval, while the first high-speed insulating transmission means and the second high-speed insulating transmission means are arranged at a second interval wider than the first interval.

The transmission signal of the high-speed insulated transmission means is faster than the transmission signal of the low-speed insulated transmission means, and there is a risk of radiation noise being generated in the signal line connected to the high-speed insulated transmission means. With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the signal line connected to the first high-speed insulated transmission means and the signal line connected to the second high-speed insulated transmission means are mutually affected by radiation noise.
Therefore, the accuracy of high-speed signal communication can be improved.

Moreover, the gaming machine as configuration example H has the following configuration.
That is, in the gaming machine of configuration example H, the communication board is provided with an internal connector (Ci) that is arranged in the inner circuit area and electrically connects to other boards, and an external connector (Co) that is arranged in the outer circuit area and electrically connects to an external device, the first high-speed insulated transmission means and the second high-speed insulated transmission means are arranged at a distance in the side-parallel direction that is approximately parallel to one side of the communication board, the internal connector and the external connector have a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, and are arranged so that their long sides extend in the side-parallel direction of the communication board, and when the connector of the internal connector and the external connector that has the smallest total distance from the first high-speed insulated transmission means and the second high-speed insulated transmission means is defined as the nearby connector, the first high-speed insulated transmission means and the second high-speed insulated transmission means are arranged at a distance in the side-parallel direction, with the center line of the nearby connector in the side-parallel direction as the boundary.

This makes it possible to form the wiring for the transmission signals by the first and second high-speed insulated transmission means as far apart as possible.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce mutual interference caused by radiation noise from each wiring that transmits high-speed signals.

In the above description of the second modified dispensing control board 42B, the separation section Dv has a first part P1, a second part P2, and a third part P3, as in the first modified example, and a photocoupler PC16 is disposed in either the first part P1 or the third part P3, and a photocoupler PC17 is disposed in the other of the first part P1 or the third part P3. However, in the second modified example, it is not essential to adopt this configuration.

In addition, in the above example, photocoupler PC16 is a transmitting photocoupler PC and photocoupler PC17 is a receiving photocoupler PC, but a configuration in which both photocouplers PC16 and PC17 are transmitting or receiving photocouplers PC is also conceivable.

6. Other Modifications
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above, and various modified configurations can be adopted.
For example, although a photocoupler is exemplified as the isolated transmission means in the above, the present invention can be widely and suitably applied to cases where an isolated transmission means of a photoelectric conversion type is adopted as the isolated transmission means. The present invention can also be suitably applied to cases where an isolated transmission means of a type other than the photoelectric conversion type, such as an electromagnetic isolated transmission means such as a transformer, is adopted as the isolated transmission means.

In addition, in the above, an example was given of the communication board according to the present invention being configured as a payout control board having a function for controlling the payout (loan control) of game balls, but the communication board according to the present invention does not necessarily have to have the payout control function, and it is sufficient if it has at least a function for communicating with an external device.

In the above, it is assumed that the signal transmission via the insulating transmission means in the communication board is between an external device such as the ball dispenser 70, but the signal transmission via the insulating transmission means may be between the communication board and another board inside the gaming machine. In this case, the communication board may be configured as a communication relay board that relays communication between a game control board that controls the progress of the game and a performance control board that controls the performance means, and the insulating transmission means provides electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the game control board and the performance control board. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent noise generated on the performance control board from being mixed into the game control board.
Furthermore, when the insulating transmission means of the communication board is configured to provide electrical insulation on the signal communication path between the control boards within the gaming machine as described above, it is possible to adopt for the communication board the configurations described above as configuration example A to configuration example H.

1 Gaming machine 42 Payout control board 70 Ball dispenser R Resistor C Capacitor D Diode CN1 to CN12 Connector IC1 to IC14 Integrated circuit PC1 to PC5 Photocoupler Ci Inner circuit Co Outer circuit Dv Separation portion Tt Through electrode Ls Signal line Gn Ground Sp1, Sp2 Straight portion 42a Substrate portion ti Inner terminal to Outer terminal Tti Inner circuit through electrode Tto Outer circuit through electrode IEi, IEo Inner end Ait Electrode inner end area Agi, Ago Extension area IS Insulation portion PC11 to PC13 Photocoupler PC14 Photocoupler (for transmission)
PC15 Photocoupler (for receiving)
P1 First portion P2 Second portion P3 Third portion Lc, Lc' Center lines PC16, PC17 Photocoupler (high-speed communication)

Claims (1)

a communication board on which an insulating transmission means is mounted to perform electrical insulation on a signal communication path between the communication board and an external device;
The communication board includes:
An outer circuit, which is a circuit electrically connected to the external device, and an inner circuit, which is a circuit electrically connected to other boards inside the gaming machine, are formed, and a separation section is formed to separate an area of the outer circuit from an area of the inner circuit,
The insulating transmission means is disposed on the separating portion,
an external connector for electrically connecting the external device to the external circuit region is provided;
an internal connector for electrically connecting the internal circuit to the other board is provided in the internal circuit region;
The external connector and the internal connector are arranged side by side on one end of the communication board ,
a ground in the outer circuit region and the inner circuit region is a solid ground, and the solid ground in the outer circuit and the inner circuit extends to a region that is closer to the separation portion than a terminal of the insulating transmission means,
In the outer circuit and the inner circuit, a signal line from a terminal of the insulated transmission means is led out to the opposite side to the separation portion, not to the separation portion side.
Amusement machine.

Images