JPH0241345B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention provides that when a plurality of rotating drums stop,
The present invention relates to a slot machine that detects the symbols on each rotating drum lined up on a stop line and determines the outcome of the game based on whether or not the symbols match. The present invention relates to a slot machine equipped with a means for correcting pattern detection errors caused by a phenomenon in which a rotating drum slightly moves forward and backward and then stops (hereinafter referred to as "chattering").

In a conventional slot machine, each rotating drum is connected to a metal detection plate for detecting a pattern located on the drum stop position, that is, the stop line. As shown in FIG. 8, this detection plate has detection holes 71 at equal intervals, the number of which corresponds to the number of frames in the picture, and the detection holes 71 that pass through an optical reading device installed at a fixed position are countered. The pattern of the piece stopped on the stop line is specified according to the count value when the rotating drum stops.

By the way, in this type of slot machine, a number of grooves 73 corresponding to the number of symbols in the pattern are provided on the outer periphery of the detection plate 72, and when the engaging piece 74 of the stop mechanism engages with any of the grooves 73, When the rotating drum is forcibly stopped, the concave groove 73 is located on the stop line.
A predetermined picture corresponding to is located. However, after this engagement piece 74 collides with the slope of the mountain portion 75 between the concave grooves 73 and 73 and stops the rotation of the detection plate 72,
The detection plate 72 may fit into the groove 73 while being reversely rotated by a small angle. Due to this chattering when the drum is stopped, the detection hole 71 immediately after passing through the optical reading device crosses the reading device in the opposite direction again, resulting in an extra 1 being added to the count value of the counter. The pattern on the stop line identified based on the count value does not match the pattern currently located on the stop line, and this pattern detection error can cause problems such as erroneously determining the outcome of the game. This is causing malfunction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a slot machine that can reliably detect the occurrence of a symbol detection error and correct the symbol detection result even if a symbol detection error occurs due to chattering.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pattern confirmation means for distinguishing a pattern located on the stop line when the drum is stopped from at least the previous and subsequent patterns on the detection plate, and also provides a confirmation result. When the pattern is inconsistent with the pattern specified from the counted value, the counted value is corrected to an appropriate value by, for example, subtracting 1 from the counted value.

The present invention will be specifically explained below based on the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a slot machine with three rotating drums 1a, 1b, 1c, a guide display section 3 on the front upper part of the machine body 2, a picture display section 4 in the center, three stop push buttons 5 and A medal input port 6 and a medal discharge port 7 are provided at the bottom, respectively, and an operating handle 8 is attached to the side of the container body 2 so as to be tiltable toward the front.

The guide display section 3 has a number display section 9 and a blinking display section 10.
The numerical display section 9 digitally displays the number of medals to be paid out, while the blinking display section 10 displays various information related to the game content, such as the number of medals inserted and the payout rate, by blinking lamps. .

The pattern display section 4 displays each rotating drum 1a, 1b, 1
This is the part that displays the pictures c by stopping them in line along one or more stop lines l (one line in the illustrated example), and includes three rotating drums 1a and 1b arranged in parallel in the container body 2. , 1c stop rotating, only three frames of the pattern on the circumferential surface of each drum can be seen from outside the device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first to third drums 1a, 1b, and 1c are rotatably disposed on independent rotating shafts 11, and metal detection plates are fixed to the sides of each drum. 12 with a starting lever (not shown) to start the rotating drum, and the rotating shaft 11 is rotated by the motor drive.
The rotation of the drum is maintained by dynamic friction between the rotating shaft 11 and the rotating drum. The detection plate 12
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of grooves 13 are provided on the periphery of the drum, the number of which corresponds to the number of symbols (21 in total in this example). A stopping mechanism 16 includes an engaging piece 14 that stops rotation and a solenoid 15 that engages and disengages the engaging piece 14 with respect to the detection plate 12. The stop mechanism 16 for each rotating drum is activated when the customer presses the stop push button switch 5 to stop the rotating drum, but is not limited to this, and is automatically activated sequentially after a set time has elapsed to stop each rotating drum. The rotating drum may be configured to be stopped.

Three types of holes, a reference hole 17, a pattern detection hole 18, and a pattern confirmation hole 19, are formed on the surface of the detection plate 12 along different concentric circles, and a light emitter and a light receiver are installed at positions corresponding to each hole row. An optical reading device 20, 21, 22 consisting of a device is provided. There is one reference hole 17, and there is one picture detection hole 18.
are opened at equal intervals corresponding to the number of picture frames on each rotating drum, and each hole is connected to the reading device 2.
Every time the light passes across the optical path of 0 and 21, the reading device 20 outputs a reference pulse, and the reading device 21 outputs a count pulse, respectively. This count pulse is counted by a counter (not shown) of the control section 29, which will be described later, and the contents of the counter are cleared by the reference pulse. In this way, the control unit 29 specifies the drum stop position, in other words, the pattern located on the stop line l based on the count value of the counter when the drum is stopped. Further, the pattern confirmation hole 19 is provided to distinguish the pattern of the piece located on the stop line l from the pattern of the previous and subsequent pieces when the drum is stopped. They are located in the center at every other interval. Therefore, in this embodiment, a total of 10 confirmation holes 19 are provided for the 21 peaks 23, and no confirmation holes are provided for either the first or second peaks 23, 23. The reference hole 17 serves as a confirmation hole.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the circuit configuration of a slot machine, and in the figure, a sensor 24 detects whether or not medals are inserted. The pattern detection section 25 includes the detection plate 12 and reading devices 20, 21, and 22, and detects the pattern of each drum located on the stop line l of the pattern display section 4. The push button switch 5 allows the user to stop the rotation of the first to third drums 1a, 1b, and 1c. The outputs of these input units are once stored in buffers 26, 27, and 28, and then sent to the control unit 2.
Sent to 9. Further, the numerical display section 9 in the illustrated example digitally displays the number of medals to be paid out, and the mechanism control section 3
0 controls the operation of the drum rotation motor, the solenoid 15 of the stop mechanism 16, and the like. Furthermore, blinking display section 1
0 displays various information by blinking the lamp,
A medal counting section 31 counts the number of inserted medals and paid out medals, and a sound generating section 32 generates game sound effects, alarm sounds, etc. Each of these output sections is operated by drive circuits 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37, respectively, and each drive circuit is drive-controlled by a control section 29.

The control unit 29 includes a microcomputer, and includes an arithmetic processing unit 38 (hereinafter simply referred to as CPU) and a static memory interface 39.
ROM 40 connected to CPU 38 via
(Read Only Memory) and RAM41
Memory 4 consisting of (Random Access Memory)
2, and I/O ports 43 and 44 interposed between the CPU 38 and each output section, and further includes the CPU 3
8 is connected to an oscillator 45 for clock generation. The ROM 40 contains various programs and fixed data necessary for the progress of the game, and the RAM 41
Various types of data are stored in the CPU.
Reference numeral 38 continuously executes the programs shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, reads necessary data from RAM 41, performs various calculations and processes, and controls the operation of the input/output section.

FIG. 5 1 shows the memory contents of the ROM 40. At addresses 0 to 20 of the memory area M, picture data D for each frame of one rotating drum is stored, respectively. Each picture data D is composed of 4 bits, and an identification code C having the same 4-bit composition is added to each picture data D. This identification code C corresponds to the pattern confirmation hole 19,
The code "1000" is given to the picture data D of the pieces stored at odd addresses, and the code "0000" is given to the picture data D of the pieces stored at other addresses.

FIG. 5 2 shows the memory contents of the RAM 41, in which the counter count value when the drum is stopped is set in area _m1 , and the corresponding address in area M corresponding to the count value is set in area _m2 . The stored picture data D is set. Furthermore, a confirmation flag _F1 is set in the flag area _m3 to indicate whether or not the reading device 22 has detected the confirmation hole 19 when the drum is stopped.
_m4 is an identification flag indicating whether the identification code C of "1000" or "0000" is added to the pattern data D set in the area _m2 .
_F2 is set.

FIG. 6 shows the operation flow of the slot machine. When a medal is inserted into the medal slot 6, the determination of "medal inserted" at step 50 becomes "YES", and the operating handle 8 is unlocked. be done. Then, by operating the operating handle 8, the determination as to whether the handle is being operated becomes ``YES'' in step 51, and in step 52, all the rotating drums 1a, 1b, and 1c rotate at the same time. Next, when the stop push button switch 5 is pressed for each rotating drum, the determination in step 53 as to whether the switch is operated becomes ``YES'', and in step 54, the stopping mechanism 16 of each rotating drum is activated, and the engagement lever 14 engages in any of the grooves 13 of the detection plate 12, and the rotating drum is forcibly stopped. Then, in the next step 55, the pattern of each rotating drum stopped on the stop line l is detected. Furthermore, in the next step 56, when the drum is stopped, it is checked by chattering whether or not there is a pattern detection error. 60
After the pattern correction process is executed in step 57, the process advances to step 57. Thus, in step 57, it is determined whether the patterns of the rotating drums located on the stop line l match or are arranged in a certain arrangement.
If the determination is "YES", the game is won, and after the number of medals to be released is calculated in step 58, a predetermined number of medals are released into the medal release port 7 in step 59. Further, when the determination at step 57 is "NO", the game becomes a loss, and the next game begins.

Details regarding the pattern detection and correction operations in steps 55, 56, and 60 are shown in the control flow of FIG.

When the rotary drum is rotating in step 52, the reading device 21 outputs a count pulse every time the detection hole 18 of the detection plate 12 passes, and this pulse is counted by a counter included in the CPU 38, for example. This counter is cleared every time a reference pulse is input from the reading device 20. When the rotating drum stops, the count value of the counter is stored in the area _m1 of the RAM 41 in step 61. Also, when the drum stops, if the confirmation hole 19 stops at the position of the reading device 22, a confirmation flag of "1" F ₁ is placed in the flag area m _3.
is set, and on the other hand, when the confirmation hole 19 is removed from the position of the reading device 22, a confirmation flag _F1 of "0" is set in the flag area _m3 . In the next step 62, the pointer is incremented by a number corresponding to the count value of the counter, and a corresponding address in area M of the ROM 40 is indicated. Then, in step 63, the picture data D and identification code C at the corresponding address are read, and in the next step 64, it is checked whether the identification code C is "1000" or "0000". When the identification code C is "1000", the determination in step 64 is "YES", and step 6
At step 5, the identification flag _F2 of "1" is set in the flag area _m4 . On the other hand, when the identification code C is "000", the determination in step 64 is "NO", and in step 66, the identification flag _F2 of "0" is set in the flag area _m4 .

Thus, if the reading device 21 outputs two count pulses for the same detection hole 18 due to the chattering and the counter counts by one, the specified address in area M of the ROM 40 becomes address 1. If the confirmation flag F ₁
If is "1", the identification flag _F2 becomes "0",
Furthermore, if the confirmation flag F ₁ is "0", the identification flag F ₂ becomes "1", and both flags F ₁ and F ₂ do not match, and the determination of "F ₁ = F ₂ " in step 67 is " “NO.” On the other hand, if the count value of the counter is appropriate, both flags F ₁ and F ₂ match, and the determination at step 67 becomes "YES". If step 67 is “YES” for each rotating drum,
Proceeding to the next step 68, it is determined whether the patterns between the pieces match or do not match. This corresponds to step 57 in FIG. On the other hand, step 67 is “NO”
For the rotating drum, the contents of the pointer are decremented by 1 in step 69, and the previous address in area M of the ROM 40 is indicated. Then, in step 70, the picture data D at the designated address is newly read out, and the picture matching determination process in step 68 is executed using this data.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, even if a pattern detection error occurs due to chattering, the occurrence of the error can be reliably detected and the pattern detection result can be corrected. Therefore, the outcome of the game is not erroneously determined, and accurate mechanical operation is always achieved, which is a remarkable effect.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an oblique view of the slot machine, Figure 2 is a partially cutaway front view of the rotating drum, Figure 3 is a side view of the detection plate, and Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the circuit configuration of the slot machine. 5. FIGS. 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams showing the memory configuration, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the operation of the slot machine.
FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged side view of the detection plate. 1a, 1b, 1c...Rotating drum, 12...Detection plate, 17...Reference hole, 18...Picture detection hole, 19...Picture confirmation hole, 20, 21, 22...
Optical reader, 29...control unit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A plurality of rotating drums on which a plurality of pieces of pictures are drawn around the periphery, and concave grooves, the number of which corresponds to the number of pieces of the picture, which are integrally connected to each rotating drum and are provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery. At the same time, the board surface has one reference hole along different concentric circles, a number of equally arranged pattern detection holes corresponding to the number of pieces of the pattern, and a pattern detection hole arranged every other hole for each row of pattern detection holes. It has a detection plate provided with pattern confirmation holes arranged at intervals, and an engaging piece that engages with any groove of each detection plate, and the pattern corresponding to the groove is placed on a predetermined stop line. a stop mechanism that stops the rotation of the detection plate; a first optical reading device that detects passage of the reference item as the rotating drum rotates; and a first optical reading device that detects passage of the pattern detection hole as the rotating drum rotates. a second optical reading device for detecting the pattern confirmation hole at the stop position of the rotating drum; and a third optical reading device for detecting the pattern confirmation hole at the stop position of the rotating drum; a pattern detection device that counts while resetting with the output pulse from the first optical reading device and detects a pattern stopped on the stop line based on the counted value when the drum is stopped; and a third optical reading device when the drum is stopped. A discriminating device that compares the presence or absence of output pulses from the count value with pre-stored data of the count value to determine whether the pattern detection result by the pattern detection device is correct or not; and a correction device that corrects the detected symbol based on a correction value obtained by subtracting 1 from the count value.