JP6047774B2 - Game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a slot machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a gaming machine (a spinning machine, slot machine) having a plurality of spinning cylinders having symbols arranged on an outer peripheral surface is known. This type of gaming machine gives a certain game value to a game medium (medal) and performs a game for acquiring such a game medium. In addition, this type of gaming machine has an internal lottery triggered by the player's rotation start operation and starts rotation of a plurality of spinning cylinders, and a mode according to the result of the internal lottery as a player's stop operation trigger. In order to stop multiple cylinders. The game result is determined by the symbol combination displayed on the winning determination line in a state where the plurality of spinning cylinders are stopped, and medals are paid out according to the game result.

JP, 2004-73700, A When a power failure occurs during the stop control of the liquid crystal design and the power supply is restored after that, the design variation is restarted from the beginning. JP, 2010-279628, A It turns into a power-off state when controlling the rotation of a rotating drum at a fixed speed, and when power is turned on after that, acceleration processing is first performed to accelerate to a fixed speed. By doing so, it is possible to reliably return to the state before the power is turned off.

  A stepping motor having a four-phase winding (coil) as a stator is used as a motor for rotating a reel (reel) of a gaming machine. A stepping motor includes a gear-shaped iron core or permanent magnet as a rotor (rotor), a plurality of windings (coils) as a stator (stator), and is rotated by switching windings through which current flows. is there.

  In conventional gaming machines, when a stop button is pressed to stop the spinning cylinder at a desired position, the state of the spinning cylinder control is changed to a stop request state that requires a spinning cylinder stop (the rotation after the stop operation is performed). Until the cylinder stops), and check whether the actual position of the rotating cylinder matches the position of the symbol determined based on the result of the internal lottery and the timing of pressing the stop button. The torso is stopped. At the time when it reaches the desired position or immediately before that, the switching of the coil through which the current flows is stopped, and the current is supplied to all four phases in order to securely maintain the stop position of the rotating cylinder (all-phase excitation). .

  In the normal case, there is no problem with the above control. However, the gaming machine is turned off after the stop request state is reached and the symbol of the stop position is determined until the actual position of the rotor becomes the position of the determined symbol and the rotor stops. If this occurs (hereinafter, the power-off of the gaming machine is referred to as “power interruption”), the spinning cylinder may stop at a position different from the determined symbol.

  When a power interruption occurs, predetermined data among the data existing in the memory is saved in a memory backed up by a battery or the like. When the power is turned on again, a state return process is performed, the backed up data is returned to the memory, the state immediately before the power interruption is restored, and the gaming machine resumes the operation from there. Since the data of the determined symbol position (stop symbol) and the data of the rotating drum position (number of steps) at the time of power interruption are backed up as described above, they are determined after return even when there is a power interruption. The spinning cylinder is supposed to stop at the design.

  However, the spinning cylinder is not locked when the power is cut off, and when the power is cut off, the front door of the gaming machine is opened to work and the spinning cylinder may be touched and rotated. At the time of power interruption, the gaming machine cannot detect unintentional movement of the spinning cylinder due to such external force. For this reason, even if the position of the power cylinder that was backed up when power was turned on again was returned to the memory, the position of the power cylinder indicated by the memory data may deviate from the actual position of the power cylinder. possible. The spinning cylinder does not stop correctly at the position of the symbol determined to have such a deviation. This means that it may seem that you have won a prize when you have not actually won, but it may appear that you have actually won but not won. May be misleading and is not preferred.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a gaming machine that can be controlled so that the spinning cylinder stops at the determined symbol position even when there is a power interruption before the spinning cylinder stops. With the goal.

The present invention provides a plurality of spinning cylinders each having a plurality of types of symbols arranged on an outer peripheral surface, a plurality of motors that respectively rotate the plurality of spinning cylinders, and a plurality of spinning cylinders for determining a reference position of the spinning cylinder. A plurality of indexes each provided, and a rotating unit including a plurality of rotating position detectors respectively provided in the plurality of rotating cylinders for detecting the index,
A start switch for starting rotation of the plurality of cylinders;
A plurality of stop buttons for stopping the rotation of the plurality of cylinders, and
Internal lottery means for drawing at a predetermined opportunity;
The plurality of spinning cylinders are rotated based on the output of the start switch, and the stop positions of the plurality of spinning cylinders are respectively determined and stopped based on the lottery result by the internal lottery means and the operation timings of the plurality of stop buttons. In a gaming machine equipped with a spinning cylinder control means,
An index flag storage unit that stores an index flag indicating that the index is detected based on the output of the rotating drum position detector;
A state return processing unit that performs a predetermined state return process when the power is turned on and erases the index flag of the index flag storage unit,
When the spinning cylinder is stopped, the rotating cylinder controller checks the index flag storage unit, stops the rotating cylinder when storing the index flag, and does not store the index flag. Does not stop the rotating drum.

The rotational position of the rotating drum is determined based on the number of steps determined corresponding to the rotational angle of the motor, and the position of the symbol is further subdivided in the symbol by the number of steps,
A stop step number setting unit for setting a stop step number indicating a subdivided position in the symbol,
The spinning cylinder control means includes:
While determining the number of steps based on the drive signal of the motor,
The index flag storage unit stores an index flag, and stops the rotating drum when the calculated number of steps matches the number of stop steps, and stores the index flag when they do not match. Even when it is in operation, the rotating drum may not be stopped.

  According to the present invention, when there is a power interruption before the stop of the rotating cylinder, the rotating cylinder is not stopped before the index is detected, but is stopped after being detected. The spinning cylinder can be correctly stopped at the position of the pattern.

It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which closed the front door. It is a front view of the slot machine which shows the state which opened the front door 180 degree | times. It is a block diagram of a slot machine. It is a perspective view which shows the reel unit of a slot machine. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the rotating drum which comprises the reel unit of a slot machine. It is a block diagram of the drive circuit of the stepping motor of the slot machine. It is an explanatory view of a driving method of the stepping motor of the slot machine. It is a flowchart of the gaming process of the slot machine. It is a block diagram of the apparatus which performs the rotating cylinder stop process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the correspondence of the motor phase before and behind a power failure. It is a flowchart of the state return process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the restart process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart of the motor control process which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a block diagram of the apparatus which performs the rotating cylinder stop process which concerns on the modification of embodiment of invention. It is explanatory drawing of the stop state of a rotating cylinder. It is explanatory drawing of the other stop state of a rotating drum. It is a flowchart of the motor control process which concerns on the modification of embodiment of invention.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door closed, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the slot machine with the front door opened 180 degrees.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a slot machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the slot machine 100 can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like on the slot machine main body 120 and one side of the front surface of the slot machine main body 120. And a front door 130 attached thereto. As shown in FIG. 1, a game display unit 131 is provided substantially in the center of the front door 130, and a medal insertion slot 132 for a player to insert medals is provided at the lower right corner of the game display unit 131. Provided below the medal insertion slot 132 is a reject button 133 for forcibly discharging a clogged medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132 to the outside of the slot machine 100.

  A start switch 134 for starting a game is provided at the lower left of the game display unit 131, and three stop buttons 140 are provided corresponding to the three spinning cylinders. A medal payout port 135 is provided at the center of the lower end of the front door. A liquid crystal display device LCD is provided above the game display unit 131.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot machine main body 120 is fixed to the inner bottom surface, stores a plurality of medals therein, and stores the stored medals at a payout port 135 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. A hopper device 121 for paying out the sheets one by one is installed. An upper portion of the hopper device 121 is provided with a hopper tank 122 that opens upward and stores a plurality of medals therein. Inside the slot machine main body 120, a reel (rotating cylinder) unit 203 including three rotating cylinders is installed at a position where the game display unit 131 comes when the front door 130 is closed. The reel unit 203 includes three spinning cylinders (first to third drums) in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged on the outer peripheral surface. The game display unit 131 is provided with an opening through which the player can see the symbols of the rotating drums of the reel unit 203. A power supply unit 205 is provided on the left side of the hopper device 121.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the medal (coin) selector 1 is attached to the back side of the front door 130 on the back side of the medal slot 132 provided on the front surface of the front door 130. This medal selector 1 rolls the medal toward the hopper device 121 while detecting the passage of the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 132, and has a different diameter medal or iron or iron whose outer diameter is different from the predetermined dimension. This is an apparatus for selecting and removing illegal medals made of an alloy and selecting and eliminating a predetermined number or more of medals that can be inserted per game.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a lead-out path 136 that covers the lower side and communicates with the payout port 135 of the front door 130 is provided below the medal selector 1. The medals distributed by the medal selector 1 are returned to the player from the payout port 135 via the derivation path 136.

  FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the slot machine 100 according to the embodiment of the invention.

  In this figure, the display about the power supply system is omitted. Although not shown, the slot machine includes a power supply unit for generating a DC power supply (+5 V or the like) from a commercial power supply (AC 100 V).

  The slot machine 100 includes a main substrate (processing unit) 10 and a sub substrate 20 that operates in response to a command from the main substrate (processing unit) 10 as main processing devices. At least the main substrate 10 is accommodated inside the case so that it cannot be contacted from the outside, and is sealed so that traces remain when these substrates are removed.

  The main board 10 is used for performing an internal lottery in response to the player's operation, and for performing processing (game processing) such as rotation / stop of the spinning cylinder and payout of medals. The main board 10 includes a CPU that performs a control operation according to a preset program, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like.

  The sub board 20 is for receiving a command signal from the main board 10 and notifying the result of the internal lottery and performing various effects. The sub-board 20 includes a CPU that performs a control operation in accordance with a preset program corresponding to the command signal, a ROM that is a storage unit that stores the program, and a RAM that temporarily stores processing results and the like. Only one command flows from the main board 10 to the sub board 20, and conversely, no command is issued from the sub board 20 to the main board 10.

  The main board 10 has a bet switch BET, a start switch 134, a stop button 140, a reel (rotating cylinder) unit 203, a hopper driving unit 80, a hopper 81, and a medal detection for counting the number of medals paid out from the hopper 81. The part 82 (these constitute the hopper device 121 described above) is connected. A peripheral substrate (local substrate) such as a liquid crystal control substrate 200 for controlling the liquid crystal display device, a speaker substrate 201, and an LED substrate 202 is connected to the sub substrate 20.

  Further, medal sensors S1 and S2 of the medal selector 1 are connected to the main board 10.

  The medal selector 1 is provided with medal sensors S1 and S2 for counting medals. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are provided on the downstream side (near the exit) of a medal passage (not shown) provided in the medal selector 1 (the upstream side of the medal passage communicates with the medal slot 132). The two medal sensors S1 and S2 are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval along the medal traveling direction. The medal sensors S1 and S2 are, for example, photointerrupters that have a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that face each other, are formed in a U-shaped cross section, and are positioned so that the detection optical axis faces the medal passage from above. . Each photo interrupter detects the passage of a medal sent without being blocked on the way. The reason why two photo interrupters are adjacent is not only to detect the number of medals but also to monitor whether or not the passage of medals is normal. That is, by providing two photo interrupters adjacent to each other, it is possible to detect the passing speed and passing direction of medals, thereby detecting not only the number of medals but also an illegal act moving in the reverse direction.

  The reel unit 203 includes three spinning cylinders 40a to 40c (see FIG. 4), stepping motors 155a to 155c for rotating them respectively, and spinning cylinder position detectors (index sensors) 159a to 159c for detecting their positions, respectively. (Note that the stepping motors 155a to 155c may be simply referred to as a motor 155 or a motor).

  In the gaming machine, as will be described later (see FIG. 5 and the description thereof), the reel unit 203 includes an index 160 and an index sensor (photo interrupter) 159 for detecting the index 160. Based on the reference position signal detected by the index sensor 159 every time each of the rotating cylinders 40a to 40c makes one rotation, the rotation angle from the reference position (the frame specified by the index 160) of the rotating cylinder 40 is obtained (step motor). The rotation state of the rotating drum 40 can be monitored by counting the number of rotation steps of the rotary shaft. That is, the main substrate 10 can obtain the position of the rotating drum 40 when the stop button 140 is operated by obtaining the rotation angle from the reference position of the rotating drum 40.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the reel unit 203.
Each of the spinning cylinders 40 a to 40 c is a main part of the reel unit 203. Each of the spinning cylinders 40 a to 40 c is attached to the frame 151 via a bracket 152. Each of the spinning cylinders 40a to 40c has a belt 154 attached to the outer periphery of the drum 153. On the outer peripheral surface of the belt 154, 21 symbols (not shown) are drawn. Each bracket 152 is provided with a stepping motor 155, and each of the spinning cylinders 40a to 40c is driven and rotated by these stepping motors 155a to 155c.

Fig.5 (a) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the rotating drums 40a-40c.
A lamp case 156 is provided inside the drum 153 behind the belt 154, and back lamps 157a, 157b, and 157c are attached to the three rooms of the lamp case 156, respectively. These back lamps 157 a to 157 c are mounted on a substrate 158 as shown in FIG. 5B, and this substrate 158 is attached to the back side of the lamp case 156. Further, a photo interrupter (rotating cylinder position detector, index sensor) 159 is attached to the bracket 152. A photointerrupter is a case in which a light emitting element (such as a light emitting diode) and a light receiving element (such as a phototransistor or a photodiode) are arranged to face each other, and a detection groove is provided between them. The passage is detected without contact. The photo interrupter 159 detects that an index (shielding plate) 160 provided on the drum 153 passes through the photo interrupter 159 as the drum 153 rotates.

  The back lamps 157a to 157c are individually controlled to be turned on by a lamp driving circuit (not shown). By turning on each of the back lamps 157a to 157c, among the symbols drawn on the belt 154, three symbols located at the front of each back lamp 157 are individually illuminated from behind, and 3 symbols are respectively displayed on the symbol display window 131. Individual designs are projected.

  In the following description, reference numeral 40 is used to indicate any one or a plurality of spinning cylinders, and reference numerals 40a to 40c are used to separately indicate three spinning cylinders.

  The hopper driving unit 80 rotates an unillustrated rotating disk of the hopper 81 and performs an operation of paying out medals of the payout number instructed by the main board 10. The gaming machine includes a medal detection unit 82 that operates every time a medal is paid out, and the main board 10 receives a medal actually paid out from the hopper 81 based on an input signal from the medal detection unit 82. You can manage the number.

  The insertion accepting unit (insertion accepting means) 1050 receives the outputs of the medal sensors S1 and S2 of the medal selector 1, accepts the insertion of medals for each game, and based on the insertion of medals corresponding to the prescribed number of insertions. Then, a process of permitting the start operation of the first to third cylinders for the start switch 134 is performed. Note that the pressing operation of the start switch 134 is an opportunity to start the rotation of the first cylinder to the third cylinder, and is an opportunity to execute the internal lottery. Also, a prescribed number of throws is set according to the gaming state, the prescribed number of throws is set to 3 in the normal state and the bonus established state, and the prescribed number of throws is set to 1 in the bonus state.

  When medals are inserted, the inserted medals are set to the inserted state up to a specified number of insertions according to the gaming state. Alternatively, when the bet switch BET is pressed in a state where medals have been credited to the gaming machine, the credited medals are set to the inserted state by limiting the prescribed number of insertions according to the gaming state. The main board 10 controls whether or not to accept a medal. From the time when the start switch 134 is pressed and the rotation of each cylinder starts (game start time), when the three stop buttons 140 are pressed and the rotation of each cylinder stops (when the medal payout is completed when winning) (game) When the medal is not accepted (when it is not permitted), the medal sensor S1, S2 does not count the medal and is returned as it is. . Similarly, the main board 10 controls the validity / invalidity of the bet switch BET according to whether or not the medal insertion is accepted. In addition, the bet switch BET is valid from the end of the game to the start of the game, but during other periods (when pressing of the BET switch is not permitted), the bet switch BET is pressed. Even it is ignored.

  The main board 10 incorporates random number generating means 1100. The random number generation means 1100 is a means for generating a random number for lottery. The random value can be generated based on, for example, a count value of an increment counter (a counter that counts numerical values so as to circulate a predetermined count range). In this embodiment, the “random number value” is not only a value that is randomly generated in a mathematical sense, but even if the generation itself is regular, the acquisition timing and the like are irregular. Includes a value that can function as a random number.

  The internal lottery means 1200 performs an internal lottery in which the player determines whether or not the winning combination is based on a start signal from the start switch 134. That is, a lottery table selection process for selecting a lottery table (not shown) stored in a memory (not shown) of the main board 10, a random number determination process for determining the winning of a random number obtained from the random number generating means 1100, The lottery flag setting process for setting a flag to that effect when a big win or the like is won by the determination result is performed.

  In the lottery table selection process, a lottery table (not shown) stored in a storage unit (ROM) (not shown) is used to determine which lottery table is used for internal lottery. In the lottery table, for each of a plurality of random values (for example, 65536 random values from 0 to 65535), replay, small role (bell, cherry), regular bonus (RB: bonus), and big bonus (BB :), etc., are associated with each other. In addition, a normal state, a bonus establishment state, and a bonus state can be set as the gaming state, and a replay lottery state, a replay low probability state, and a replay high probability state can be set as replay lottery states.

  In the random number determination process, a random value (lottery random number) is acquired from the random number generation means (not shown) for each game based on a start signal from the start switch 134, and the lottery table is referred to for the acquired random value. Then, it is determined whether or not the winning combination is won.

  In the lottery flag setting process, the lottery flag of the winning combination determined to be won based on the result of the random number determination process is changed from the non-winning state (first flag state, off state) to the winning state (second flag state, on Status). When two or more types of winning combinations are won, a lottery flag corresponding to each of the two or more types of winning winning combinations is set to the winning state. The lottery flag setting information is stored in storage means (RAM).

  A lottery flag (possible carryover flag) that can carry over the winning state for the next game until winning, and a lottery flag that is reset to the non-winning state without bringing the winning state to the next game regardless of winning Carry-over impossible flag) may be provided. In this case, there are a regular bonus (RB) and a big bonus (BB) as a combination to which the former carry-over possible flag is associated, and other combinations (for example, small role, replay) correspond to the latter carry-over impossible flag. It is attached. In other words, in the lottery flag setting process, when a regular bonus is won by internal lottery, the winning state of the regular bonus lottery flag is carried over until the regular bonus is won, and when a big bonus is won by internal lottery, A process of carrying over the winning state of the flag until the big bonus is won is performed. At this time, the main board 10 determines whether or not a role other than the regular bonus and the big bonus (small role and replay) is used even in a game in which the winning state of the regular bonus or big bonus lottery flag is carried over by the internal lottery function. An internal lottery is performed. In other words, in the lottery flag setting process, in a game in which the winning state of the regular bonus lottery flag is carried over, if a small role or replay is won in the internal lottery, the regular bonus lottery flag and the internal lottery already won In a game in which the lottery flags corresponding to two or more types of winning combinations or replay lottery flags won in the win state are set to the winning state and the winning state of the big bonus lottery flag is carried over, it is small in the internal lottery When a winning combination or replay is won, a lottery flag corresponding to two or more kinds of winning combinations including a big bonus lottery flag that has already been won and a small bonus or replay lottery flag that has been won in an internal lottery is set to a winning state. Set.

  The replay processing unit 1600 may perform control to change the winning probability of replay in the internal lottery under a predetermined condition. For example, when a predetermined turn is displayed when the spinning cylinder is stopped by operating the stop button 140, the winning probability of replay varies. The replay processing unit 1600 will be described later again. The replay lottery states include a replay no lottery state in which replay is excluded from the internal lottery, a replay low probability state in which the replay winning probability is set to about 1 / 7.3, and a replay winning probability of about 1 / A plurality of lottery states such as a high replay probability state set to 6 can be set. By changing the replay lottery state, the winning probability of the replay in the internal lottery is changed.

  The spinning cylinder control means 1300 rotates the first to third cylinders by a stepping motor based on a start signal generated by the player pressing the start switch 134 (rotation start operation), and the first cylinder -Depressing (stopping) the three stop buttons 140 corresponding to the rotating cylinders in a state where the rotation speed of the third cylinder reaches a predetermined speed (about 80 rpm: a rotational speed of about 80 rotations per minute). In addition to performing control to permit the operation), control is performed to stop the first to third cylinders driven to rotate by the stepping motor in accordance with the lottery flag setting state (internal lottery result).

  In addition, when the player presses the three stop buttons 140 in a state where the pressing operation (stop operation) with respect to the three stop buttons 140 is permitted (validated), Based on the signal, the supply of the drive pulse (motor drive signal) to the stepping motor of the reel unit 203 is stopped, thereby controlling each of the first to third drums.

  That is, each time the three stop buttons 140 are pressed, the spinning cylinder control means 1300 determines the stopping position of the spinning cylinder corresponding to the pressed button among the first to third cylinders. Thus, control is performed to stop the spinning cylinder at the determined stop position. Specifically, referring to a stop control table (not shown) stored in the storage means (ROM), the first time corresponding to the pressing timing, pressing order, etc. of the three stop buttons (mode of stop operation) A stop position of the cylinder to the third cylinder is determined, and control is performed to stop the first cylinder to the third cylinder at the determined stop position.

  Here, in the stop control table, the positions of the first cylinder to the third cylinder (pressing detection position) at the time when the stop button 140 is operated, and the actual stop positions (or pressing detection of the first cylinder to the third cylinder). Correspondence with the number of sliding frames from the position) is set. The number of sliding symbols is a symbol that passes through the reference position between the operation of the stop button 140 and the rotation stop of the corresponding rotating cylinder when a specific symbol that can be visually recognized from the game display unit at the time of stopping the rotating drum is used as the reference position. The number of Since the turning cylinder control means 1300 stops each turning cylinder within 190 ms from the operation of each stop button 140, the number of sliding frames is in the range of 0 to 4 (however, 80 revolutions / minute, (In the condition of the number of symbols = 21). Depending on the setting state of the lottery flag, a stop control table for determining the stop positions of the first cylinder to the third cylinder may be prepared.

  As described above, the spinning cylinder control unit 1300 is based on the reference position signal detected by the index sensor 159 every time the rotating cylinder makes one rotation, from the reference position of the spinning cylinder (the frame detected by the reel index). By obtaining the rotation angle (the number of rotation steps of the rotation shaft of the step motor), the current rotation state of the rotating drum can be monitored. That is, the main board 10 can obtain the position of the rotating cylinder when the stop button 140 is operated by obtaining the rotation angle from the reference position of the rotating cylinder.

  The spinning cylinder control unit 1300 performs so-called pull-in processing and kicking processing as control for stopping the spinning cylinder. The pull-in process is a control for stopping the spinning cylinder so that the symbol corresponding to the combination whose lottery flag is set to the winning state is stopped on a valid winning determination line (so that the winning combination can be won). It is processing. On the other hand, the kicking process means that the symbol corresponding to the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the non-winning state does not stop on a valid winning determination line (so that a non-winning combination cannot be won) Is a control process for stopping the process. That is, in the gaming machine of the present embodiment, the lottery flag setting state, the stop button 140 pressing timing, the pressing order, and the stop position of the spinning cylinder that has already stopped (in the display pattern) in order to realize the pull-in processing and kicking processing. The stop control table is set so that the stop position of each cylinder changes according to the type). In this way, the main board 10 can stop the symbol of the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the winning state in a winning form, while the symbol of the combination for which the lottery flag is set to the non-winning state is in the winning form. Control is performed to stop the first to third cylinders so as not to stop.

  In the gaming machine of the present embodiment, the first to third drums are controlled to stop the rotating drum corresponding to the pressed stop button within 190 ms from the time when the stop button 140 is pressed. Is set to That is, in the stop control table for determining the stop position of each rotating cylinder, the number of frames required from when the stop button 140 is pressed until each cylinder stops is in the range of 0 to 4 frames (predetermined pull-in range). Is set in

  The winning determination means 1400 performs a process of determining whether or not a winning combination has been won based on the stopping modes of the first to third cylinders. Specifically, referring to the winning determination table stored in the storage means (ROM), the symbol combination displayed on the winning determination line when all of the first to third cylinders are stopped. It is determined whether or not this is a predetermined winning combination form.

  The winning determination means 1400 executes a winning process based on the determination result. As a process at the time of winning a prize, for example, when a small role wins, the hopper 81 is driven to perform a medal payout control process, or a credit is increased (a predetermined maximum number is increased to 50, for example, When the replay is won, a replay process is performed. When a big bonus or a regular bonus is won, a game state transition control process for shifting the game state is performed.

  The payout control means 1500 performs payout control processing relating to the payout of medals according to the game result. Specifically, when a small combination wins, the number of medals to be paid out in the game is determined based on a payout predetermined for each combination, and the medals corresponding to the determined number of payouts are determined by the hopper driving unit 80. Then, the hopper 81 is driven to pay out. At this time, a current flows through a motor (not shown) built in the hopper 81.

  When medal credits (internal storage) are permitted, instead of actually paying out medals by the hopper 81, the number of credits stored in a credit storage area (not shown) of the storage means (RAM) (not shown) A credit addition process for adding the number of payouts to the number of credited medals is performed to virtually pay out medals.

  When the replay is won, the replay processing means 1600 performs a replay process (regame process) for setting the same preparatory state as the previous game without requiring insertion of medals owned by the player for the next game. When a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed in which the same number of medals as the previous game is automatically set to the insertion state without using the player's own medals (including credit medals). The game machine is set in a state of waiting for a rotation start operation (pressing operation of the start switch 134 by the player) in the next game in a state where the same winning determination line as the previous game is validated.

  Further, the main board 10 may perform control to shift the gaming state between the normal state, the bonus establishment state, and the bonus state (gaming state transition control function). As the game condition transition condition, one condition may be defined, or a plurality of conditions may be defined. When a plurality of conditions are established, transitioning the gaming state to another gaming state based on the fact that one of the plurality of conditions is satisfied or all of the plurality of conditions are satisfied Can do.

  The normal state is a game state corresponding to the initial state among a plurality of types of game states, and a transition from the normal state to the bonus establishment state is possible. The bonus establishment state is a gaming state that shifts when a big bonus or a regular bonus is won in the internal lottery. In the bonus establishment state, when the big bonus is won in the internal lottery in the normal state, the lottery flag corresponding to the big bonus is maintained in the winning state until the big bonus is won, and the regular bonus is won in the internal lottery in the normal state Until the regular bonus is won, the lottery flag corresponding to the regular bonus is maintained in the winning state. In the bonus state, it is determined whether or not the end condition is satisfied based on the total number of medals paid out by the bonus game, and medals exceeding a predetermined payout limit number are paid out according to the type of bonus won. The bonus state is terminated and the gaming state is returned to the normal state.

  The reel unit 203 includes three spinning cylinders 40a to 40c, and one stepping motor 155a to 155c is attached to each of the three spinning cylinders 40a to 40c. The stepping motor 155 includes a gear-shaped iron core or permanent magnet as a rotor (rotor), a plurality of windings (coils) as a stator (stator), and is rotated by switching windings through which current flows. It is. That is, a current is passed through the windings of the stator to generate a magnetic force, and the rotor is rotated by attracting the rotor. Since the rotation axis can be stopped at a specified angle, it is used to drive the rotation of the slot machine. A plurality of windings constitute one phase. As the number of phases, for example, there are two (two phases), four (four phases), and five (five phases).

  The stepping motor can change its characteristics (excitation mode changes) by changing the way of applying current to the windings of each phase. The two-phase type is as follows.

• Single-phase excitation Always allow current to flow through only one phase of the winding. Positioning accuracy is good.

・ Two-phase excitation
Current flows in two phases. An output torque approximately twice that of single-phase excitation can be obtained. The positioning accuracy is good and the stationary torque is large when stopped, so that the stop position can be held reliably.

・ One-two-phase excitation
A current is passed by alternately switching between one phase and two phases. Since the step angle can be halved in the case of one-phase excitation and two-phase excitation, smooth rotation can be obtained.

  Note that “driving” a stepping motor includes rotating the motor by the above-described excitation and exciting each phase in order to stop at a desired position and hold the position.

  In the slot machine, for example, a four-phase stepping motor having a basic step angle of 1.43 degrees is used, and one-two-phase excitation is adopted as a pulse output method.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a drive circuit for the stepping motor of the slot machine. In FIG. 6, elements such as an index for detecting the position of each drum are omitted.

  In FIG. 13, reference numerals 1310-1 to 1310 denote ON / OFF (current flow) of coils 203 (A phase coil) A-1 to A and coils (B phase coil) 203B-1 to 203 B of stepping motors 203M-1 to 203M-1. This is a drive circuit for switching whether or not. Reference numerals 1320-1 to 1320 are excitation circuits that cause current to flow to the coils 203 </ b> A- 1 to 203 </ b> A- 1 and 203 </ b> B- 1 to 3 according to the output of the drive circuits 1310-1 to 1310-1. The coils 203A-2 and 3 and 203B-2 and 3 are not shown.

  Coils 203A-1 to 203A-3 are A-phase coils and are of a unipolar type including two types of coils A and / A. Each phase includes a common terminal COM in addition to the A terminal and the / A terminal, but the illustration thereof is omitted. A bipolar type can also be used. In the case of the bipolar type, current is supplied in the direction opposite to A at / A. The same applies to / B.

  Coils 203B-1 to 203B-3 are B-phase coils, and include two types of coils, B and / B. The A-phase coil and the B-phase coil are alternately arranged, for example, A, B, / A, / B,. When excited in the order of A → B →..., The motor rotates forward, and when excited in the order of B → A →. If the interval for switching the excitation of each phase is shortened, the motor rotates faster, and if the interval is increased, the motor rotates slower. If the current continues to flow through the same stator without switching the phase to be excited here, the rotor is fixed at the same stator position, and the motor continues to hold the current position.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a driving method of the stepping motor of the slot machine. The figure shows an example of one-two-phase excitation. A circle in the table indicates that a current is flowing through the coil. If current is passed through the coil in the order of steps 1, 2,..., 8 in the table of FIG.

  Next, game processing in the gaming machine will be described with reference to FIG.

  Generally, in a gaming machine, one game is started from the insertion of medals (insertion of credits) until the end of payout (or until the increase in the number of credits is completed). There is a rule that it is not possible to proceed to the next game until one game is finished.

  First, when a prescribed number of medals are inserted, the start switch 134 is activated, and the processing of FIG. 4 is started.

  In step S1, the start switch 134 is turned on by operating the start switch 134. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S2.

  In step S2, a lottery process is performed by the main board 10. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S3.

  In step S3, rotation of the first cylinder to the third cylinder starts. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S4.

  In step S4, when the stop button 140 is operated, the stop button 140 is turned ON. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S5.

  In step S5, rotation stop processing is performed for the rotating cylinder corresponding to the pressed stop button 140 among the first to third cylinders. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S6.

  In step S6, it is determined whether or not the operation of the stop button 140 corresponding to the three spinning cylinders has been performed. If it is determined that all the three stop buttons 140 corresponding to the three spinning cylinders have been operated, the process proceeds to the next step S7.

  In step S7, it is determined whether or not the winning symbols corresponding to the lottery flag are aligned on the effective winning line while the lottery flag is established, that is, whether or not the winning is confirmed. If it is determined that the winning is confirmed, the process proceeds to the next step S8. If the winning is not confirmed, no medals are paid out even if the lottery flag is established.

  In step S8, medals corresponding to winning symbols are paid out.

  The process from the insertion of the medal to the completion of the execution of step S8 is one game. When the standby process in step S8 ends, the process returns to the beginning of the flowchart. In other words, the next game is possible (transition to the next game).

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an apparatus that performs the rotating cylinder stop control process according to the embodiment of the invention. The figure shows only the elements that perform the processing. In the figure, reference numerals 1300A to 1300E denote elements provided inside the rotating cylinder control means 1300. Reference numerals 1900 and 1910 are elements provided in the main board 10, but may be provided independently outside the main board 10.

  FIG. 9 shows only a portion that performs stop control for an arbitrary one of the spinning cylinders, but the display is omitted because the configuration is the same for the other spinning cylinders.

  Reference numeral 1300A denotes a stop operation permission unit that permits the pressing operation (stop operation) of the three stop buttons 140 in a state where the rotational speeds of the three cylinders reach a predetermined speed (about 80 rpm).

  1300B refers to the stop control table 1300C, determines the stop position of the rotating drum 40 according to the lottery result by the internal lottery means 1200 and the pressing timing of the stop button 140, and outputs the symbol number to be stopped It is a decision part. Twenty-one symbols are displayed on the outer periphery of one spinning cylinder 40, and a unique number (symbol number) is assigned to each symbol in advance.

  1300C indicates the position of the rotating drum 40 at the time of operation of the stop button 140 (pressing detection position) and the actual stop position of the rotating drum 40 (or the number of sliding frames from the pressing detection position) according to the result of the internal lottery. It is a stop control table in which the correspondence is set in advance.

  Reference numeral 1300D denotes a rotation position determination unit that determines the position of the rotation cylinder 40 based on the index signal (reference position signal) from the rotation position detector 159 and the motor drive signal. The rotating position determination unit 1300D outputs a symbol number as position information.

  The rotation amount (relative angle) of the rotating drum 40 can be grasped by counting up based on the motor drive signal. Then, the count value (number of steps) is calibrated with the index signal (the error is corrected using the reference amount, specifically, the count value is set to zero by the index detection, calibration: calibration). The amount of rotation can be obtained as an absolute value.

  For example, if two steps of the motor 155 (for example, moving from step 1 to step 3 in FIG. 7) is about 1.43 degrees (assuming that it rotates about 0.715 degrees in one step), the motor 155 rotates in 504 steps. The barrel will rotate once. Since 21 symbols are drawn on the rotating drum 40, the number of steps per symbol is 24. The range of the count value is, for example, 0 to 503. By associating 21 symbols with this range in advance, the rotating position determination unit 1300D can obtain the symbol number from the count value. For example, when the count value is 0 to 23, the symbol 1, 24 to 45 is the symbol 2,.

  1300E determines whether or not the symbol number of the rotating drum position determination unit 1300D matches the symbol number of the stop position determination unit 1300B, and checks the index flag storage unit 1910 when they match, and when this stores the index flag Is a comparator for outputting a stop signal. When they match, the above-described all-phase excitation is performed by the stop signal output from the comparison unit 1300E, and the rotating drum 40 stops at that position. As a result, the rotating drum 40 stops at the symbol determined by the stop position determination unit 1300B. In the example of FIG. 9, the comparison unit 1300E performs the comparison in units of symbols.

  Note that the comparison unit 1300E does not output a stop signal and does not stop the rotating drum 40 when the index flag storage unit 1910 does not store the index flag. As described above, when the work machine is opened and the front door of the gaming machine is opened at the time of power interruption, the rotary drum 40 may be touched and rotated to deviate the count value from the actual position of the rotary drum 40. Even in such a case, according to the comparison unit 1300E, the rotating drum 40 can be stopped at the correct position. That is, when returning from the power interruption, the count value and the actual position of the rotating drum 40 may be misaligned, waiting for calibration by the index signal, so that the count value matches the actual position of the rotating drum 40. The stop signal has been output since

  A state return processing unit 1900 performs a predetermined return process when the power is turned on again (at the time of power recovery). The return process is a process of returning (copying) the data backed up (saved) when the power is turned on again to the memory. This process is well known and will not be described in detail.

  The status return processing unit 1900 also performs a process of deleting (resetting) the index flag in the index flag storage unit 1910 together with the recovery process.

  An index flag storage unit 1910 stores (sets) an index flag when receiving an index signal. When the index flag storage unit 1910 receives an index signal even once, the index flag storage unit 1910 stores the index flag and holds the index flag until it is erased by the state return processing unit 1900. As a result, the stop signal is not output only immediately after the return from the power interruption (refer to FIG. 13, NO is obtained in S23 only immediately after the return from the power interruption).

  FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the motor phases before and after power interruption. The motor phase means a control state of the motor 155. If it is stopped before the power interruption, the rotating drum 40 remains stopped, so it is also stopped when returning. When power is not accelerating or steady rotation, it is accelerating when returning. Even during steady rotation before power interruption, it is stopped during power interruption, so acceleration is required at the time of return. If it is stopped before power interruption, it is also stopped when returning. Stopping means that all-phase excitation is performed and the rotating drum 40 is held in a stopped state (locked). On the other hand, the stop means that the motor is not controlled.

The operation of the apparatus of FIG. 9 will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the state return process, FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the restart process of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the motor control process. The process of FIGS. 11 and 12 is one of the initialization processes executed when the power is turned on. This processing is not performed while the gaming machine is in normal game processing. On the other hand, the process of FIG. 13 is included in the main routine of the program, and is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals during the game process of the gaming machine.

  In FIG. 13, if NO is determined in any of S21, S22, and S23, the process of FIG. 13 is exited, the process returns to the main routine, and other processes are executed. If at the next opportunity (when the main routine process is performed sequentially and the process returns to the beginning and the process of FIG. 13 is started again), if all of S21, S22, and S23 are YES, the motor is stopped there. (S24). Whether or not NO in S23 of FIG. 13 depends on the presence or absence of the processing of FIGS. 11 and 12 (particularly whether or not the processing of S12A is executed), and whether or not YES in S23 is executed in S20 of FIG. It depends on the content of the process (for example, if the motor phase is acceleration or steady rotation in S20, the process in FIG. 13 will be repeated and eventually YES in S23). Speaking in relation to the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 to 13, NO in S13 is after the execution of S12A of FIG. 12 until the index is detected by the process of S20 of FIG. 13.

  Hereinafter, the flowcharts of FIGS. 11 to 13 will be sequentially described.

S10: The state return processing unit 1900 performs various types of predetermined return processing.
The return process is a process of returning (copying) the data backed up (saved) when the power is turned on again to the memory. In this process, the motor phase before power interruption is set.

S11: The state return processing unit 1900 determines whether the motor phase is in acceleration or steady rotation.
If acceleration or steady rotation is in progress (YES), the process proceeds to S12. If it is not in acceleration or steady rotation (NO), it is set to stop if it is stopped, and to stop if it is stopped. In this case (NO), the process of S12 is not performed.

S12: The state return processing unit 1900 performs a restart process.
In the restart process, the index flag storage unit 1910 is deleted (S12A in FIG. 12), and the motor phase is set to acceleration in accordance with the correspondence in FIG. 10, and the acceleration process is performed (S12B in FIG. 12). Since the acceleration process is known, a detailed description is omitted.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the motor control process. This process is included in the main routine of the program and is repeatedly executed.

S20: The rotating cylinder control means 1300 performs various motor processes. Since this process is known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

S21: The spinning cylinder control means 1300 determines whether or not there is a stop request.
This corresponds to the case where the stop button 140 is pressed or the power is turned on after the power is cut off and the state return processing unit 1900 makes a stop request state (YES), and the process proceeds to S22. If there is no stop request (NO), the process of FIG. 13 is exited and another process of the main routine is executed.

S22: The comparison unit 1300E determines whether or not the current symbol and the stop symbol match.
The current symbol is information (symbol number) of the position of the rotating drum 40 determined by the rotating drum position determining unit 1300D, and the stop symbol is a symbol number determined by the stop position determining unit 1300B.
If the current symbol matches the stop symbol (YES), the process proceeds to S23. If the current symbol and the stop symbol do not match (NO), the processing of FIG. 13 is exited and other processing of the main routine is executed.

S23: The comparison unit 1300E determines whether the index flag is set.
If the index flag is set (YES), the motor is stopped when the symbol numbers match (S24). That is, the motor phase is set while stopped. If the index flag is not set (NO), the motor control process of FIG. 13 is terminated, and other processes of the main routine are executed.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, when the index flag is not set immediately after returning from the power interruption, the rotating cylinder is not stopped. Since the rotator is stopped only after the position of the rotator is calibrated by index detection, the rotator must be correctly stopped at the determined symbol position even if the rotator moved during power interruption. Can do.

  After S12A in FIG. 12 is executed and until the index is detected by the process in S20 in FIG. 13 (while the rotation position is not calibrated after the power is turned on), NO is obtained in S23 and S24 is stopped. Since the process is not executed and the stop process is executed when the process of FIG. 13 is subsequently executed, the rotating drum can be stopped correctly.

  Next, a description will be given of the modified example.

  Previously, it was stated that the number of steps per symbol of the cylinder 40 is 24. Since there is a range in the number of steps for designating the symbol, it is predetermined where in the width to stop the rotating drum 40 so that the stop position does not vary. Specifically, it is stopped at the top position (number of steps) of each symbol.

  For example, when the count value is from 0 to 23, the symbol is from 1, 2 to 47 are from symbol 2,... It is stopped at 24. FIG. 15A shows a state in which the rotating drum is moving (an arrow with a symbol M indicates a moving direction), and FIG. The figure schematically shows a stop state, and LINE indicates a stop position. 0 and 23 indicate the number of steps indicated by arrows in the symbol. In the above example, the number of steps of symbol 2 is 24 to 47, but for convenience of explanation, 0 (← 24) to 23 (← 47), which is the remainder when the numerical value is divided by 24, is shown. In this way, the following description can be applied to any design. FIGS. 15A and 15B show only symbols 1 to 3 among the 21 symbols. For convenience of explanation, it should be understood that in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the stop position LINE is moved instead of the symbol for convenience of explanation.

  Stopping at the head position (number of steps) of each symbol means that when the symbol numbers match (symbol number = symbol 2), the symbol is stopped immediately. That is, as shown in FIG. 15B, it means that the process is stopped when the number of steps of the symbol = 0. This is the same in the stop processing after the power interruption recovery according to the embodiment of the invention.

  For most symbols, it can be stopped with the number of steps of each symbol = 0, but the symbol corresponding to the index (when an index signal is generated somewhere between 0 and 23 of the number of steps of the symbol), It cannot be stopped when the number of symbol steps = 0.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is similar to FIG. A symbol IND indicates an index detection position. For example, it is assumed that the index is detected with the number of steps of design 2 = 10. In an actual machine, it is difficult to accurately set the position of index detection, so the number of index detection steps is distributed in the range of 0 to 23, and it is difficult to match a specific number of steps (for example, 0).

  Assume that power is cut off when the stop symbol is determined as symbol 2 and a stop request state is entered. It is assumed that immediately after the return, the rotating drum 40 rotates as shown in FIG. 16A and the index is detected as shown in FIG. Then, the index flag is set in the index flag storage unit 1910, and the symbol numbers coincide with each other, so YES is obtained in S23 of FIG. 13 and the motor is stopped. If an index is detected with the number of steps of design 2 = 10, the process stops at the number of steps = 10. As described above, in other symbols, the process stops when the number of steps = 0. However, in symbol 2 of FIG. 16, this cannot be done, and a shift indicated by the symbol ERR occurs (for example, ERR = 10-0 = 10 number of steps). ). This misalignment does not occur for all the spinning cylinders, but happens for the spinning cylinders that happen to have a symbol corresponding to the index as a stop symbol. This deviation ERR may occur even if the rotating drum 40 does not move during power interruption. When such a misalignment occurs, there will be a misalignment with respect to the stop symbol sequence in the rotator where the symbol corresponding to the index happens to be a stop symbol and the other two rotator (in other words, three symbols). Is not preferable), which may give the player a breakdown and misunderstanding.

  FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of an apparatus in which this deviation is eliminated. 9 that are the same as or equivalent to those in FIG.

  Reference numeral 1300F denotes a stop step number setting unit that sets the number of stop steps indicating subdivided positions in the symbol. For example, by setting the number of stop steps = 0, it is possible to stop at the position shown in FIG. The number of stop steps can be arbitrarily set as long as it is within the range of the number of steps in the symbol (0 to 23). The number of stop steps set here applies to all symbols.

  The spinning cylinder position determination unit 1300D in FIG. 14 outputs the number of rotation steps together with the symbol number. The number of rotation steps is a remainder obtained by dividing the above-described count value itself or the number of steps included in the symbol (for example, 24).

  The comparison unit 1300E of FIG. 14 determines whether or not the symbol number of the spinning position determination unit 1300D matches the symbol number of the stop position determination unit 1300B, and when the symbol number matches, the index flag storage unit 1910 is checked. When it is stored, it is further checked whether or not the number of rotation steps output from the spinning cylinder position determination unit 1300D matches the number of stop steps output from the stop step number setting unit 1300F.

  The comparison unit 1300E outputs a stop signal when the index flag storage unit 1910 stores the index flag and the number of rotation steps matches the number of stop steps, but does not output a stop signal otherwise.

  Other operations are the same as those in FIG.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart of motor control processing according to a modification. 13 that are the same as or equivalent to those in FIG.

  S26: The comparison unit 1300E checks whether or not the number of rotation steps output from the rotation position determination unit 1300D matches the number of stop steps output from the stop step number setting unit 1300F. When they are coincident (YES), the process proceeds to S24 and the rotating cylinder 40 is stopped. If they do not match (NO), the processing in FIG. 17 is terminated.

  According to the apparatus of FIG. 14 and the process of FIG. 17, the symbol corresponding to the index is stopped at the specified number of steps (= 0) of the symbol as in the apparatus of FIG. 9 and the process of FIG. There is no problem that misalignment ERR occurs. Even if the index is detected as shown in FIG. 16B, the number of steps (number of rotation steps) at this time is 10, whereas the number of stop steps is 0. Therefore, NO is obtained in S26 of FIG. Is not executed, it does not stop at symbol 2 immediately after index detection. When the rotating drum 40 continues to rotate and reaches the position of the symbol 2 which is the stop symbol as shown in FIG. 15B, the number of rotation steps and the number of stop steps coincide with each other when the number of steps = 0. Therefore, according to the apparatus of FIG. 14 and the process of FIG. 17, it does not stop in the middle of the symbol. The design of the three spinning cylinders is neat, and there is no misalignment of the symbols between the spinning cylinders.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

40 Cylinder 134 Start switch 140 Stop switch 155 Stepping motor (motor)
159 Revolving position detector (index sensor)
160 Index 203 Reel unit
1200 Internal lottery means 1300 Spinning control means 1300A Stop operation permission section 1300B Stop position determination section 1300C Stop control table 1300D Spinning position determination section 1300E Comparison section 1300F Stop step number setting section 1900 State return processing section 1910 Index flag storage section

Claims (1)

A rotating cylinder having a plurality of types of symbols arranged on an outer peripheral surface, a motor for rotating the rotating cylinder, an index provided on the rotating cylinder for determining a reference position of the rotating cylinder, and a rotating cylinder for detecting the index A rotary unit including a position detector;
A start switch for starting rotation of the rotating drum;
A stop button for stopping the rotation of the rotating drum;
Internal lottery means for drawing at a predetermined opportunity;
A rotating cylinder control means for rotating the rotating cylinder based on the output of the start switch, and determining and stopping the stopping position of the rotating cylinder based on the lottery result by the internal lottery means and the operation timing of the stop button. ,
The spinning cylinder control unit is configured to stop the spinning cylinder when the spinning cylinder position detector has already detected the index after the rotation of the spinning cylinder is started. A gaming machine that makes the spinning cylinder impossible to stop when the spinning cylinder position detector has not yet detected the index,
A processing unit that performs processing in response to power interruption and return during rotation of the rotating drum,
The processing unit is configured to make the index not detected by the rotation position detector even if the rotation position detector has already detected the index. Machine.

Images