JP2018192048A - Game machine and rotary reel performance control program of game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of exhibiting variety to reel control.SOLUTION: A game machine comprises: a main control board comprising at least a CPU and a memory; and a rotary reel unit comprising at least a rotary reel, a rotary reel drive part and a rotary reel position sensor. The main control board comprises further a rotary reel control part. Commands for controlling the rotary reel drive part from the CPU are stack transmitted in a FIFO method to the rotary reel control part, and the rotary reel control part sequentially processes the commands which were stack transmitted according to a status of the rotary reel drive part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates generally to gaming machine control technology, and more particularly to rotary reel control technology in gaming machines such as slot machines and pachinko machines.

  Many gaming machines such as slot machines and pachinko machines (hereinafter collectively referred to as “gaming machines”) perform lottery and effects in a gaming state using a rotating reel unit installed in a housing.

  The gaming machine is composed of a main control board (hereinafter referred to as “main control board”) and a peripheral control board (hereinafter referred to as “sub control board”) as its broad control structure. Based on the lottery result determined on the main control board after the game starts, the sub-control board, whose main role is to control the effects of the gaming machine, performs various effects processing via the liquid crystal screen, lighting section, etc. Has been done.

  On the other hand, the control of the rotating reel unit has been regarded as the role of the main control board, and so far, various devices have been devised in order to perform good operation within a limited range of hardware and / or software resources. I came.

  For example, an invention has been proposed in which a large amount of current is not consumed in reel control of a gaming machine and a load is not imposed on the power supply (Patent Document 1).

  That is, Patent Document 1 discloses a plurality of reels in which a plurality of types of symbols are arranged on an outer peripheral surface, a plurality of motors for rotating the plurality of reels, and a plurality of phases including windings. Correspondence relationship between a stepping motor as a stator, a random value acquired for each game, and a role to be selected by lottery and a random value from a plurality of types including bonus, small role and replay The internal lottery means for performing an internal lottery to determine whether or not the winning combination is set based on the lottery table in which the game is set, and the stop operation corresponding to each of the plurality of reels by rotating the plurality of reels for each game. Reel control means for controlling to stop the plurality of reels according to the result of the internal lottery, and a symbol combination showing a winning pattern predetermined for each combination in a state where the plurality of reels are stopped And a winning determination means for determining that the winning combination has been won based on the fact that is displayed on the winning determination line, wherein the reel control means is for any one of the plurality of reels. When a stop operation is performed, a first step in which the stop operation for other reels is impossible during a period until a predetermined first time elapses from the timing of the stop operation, and among the plurality of reels Although the stop operation has already been performed, the excitation state of the stator of the stepping motor is checked, and when the stator is excited, the stop operation for the other reels is impossible until the excitation is completed. A gaming machine is disclosed that executes a second step that enables a stop operation to the other reels when excitation is stopped.

  In addition, an invention related to a gaming machine control chip in which a reel control circuit of a rotating type gaming machine is configured by a hardware circuit has been proposed (Patent Document 2).

  That is, Patent Document 2 discloses a stepping motor configured by a hardware circuit as a peripheral circuit of a main chip for gaming machine control including a CPU for controlling a control board of a spinning gaming machine and rotating a reel of the spinning gaming machine. A reel control circuit that outputs a control signal for controlling the stepping motor, and has excitation circuits as many as the control signals necessary for controlling the stepping motor, and each of the excitation circuits includes the stepping motor. Set the frequency setting register that sets the basic frequency to be excited, the data register that inputs the excitation pattern for manual operation, and the start / auto start, excitation pattern, and frequency division of the excitation basic frequency. The start register that is the register to be stopped and the stop register that is the register for setting the number of stops at the time of automatic / manual stop and automatic stop An offset setting register that is a register for adjusting a deviation between the star and a position sensor that detects one turn of the stepping motor, a phase count register that is a register for setting the number of frames of one symbol of the reel, A symbol count register which is a register for setting the number of symbols for one revolution of the reel, each register being connected to a data bus of an external bus of the main chip, a source input and a frequency setting register A clock frequency dividing circuit that is a circuit that generates a basic frequency based on a set value, and a chip select signal from the main chip, a strobe signal, and an address of each register of the register group based on a signal from an address bus A decoder circuit which is a circuit for determining the data register, the data register, the start register, and the stop register. An excitation pattern generation circuit, which is a circuit that generates an excitation output pattern based on the value set by the star and the output of the clock frequency dividing circuit and outputs the excitation output pattern to the drive circuit of the stepping motor, and 1 of the stepping motor A phase counter circuit that is a counter circuit that counts down each time excitation is updated from a signal from a position sensor that detects the circumference, and a value set in the offset setting register and the phase count register, and an output of the phase counter circuit A signal counter and a symbol counter circuit that is a counter circuit that counts down each time the phase counter makes a round from the value set in the symbol count register, and counts down every time the excitation is updated. The count value of the phase counter circuit and the symbol counter circuit that counts down each time the phase counter makes one round A reel control circuit is disclosed in which the CPU can read the count value through the external bus.

JP 2011-10960 A JP 2012-115565 A

  However, in the conventional gaming machines disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, when the rotating reel (stepping motor that drives the motor) is controlled by software (Patent Document 1), the excitation state of the stepping motor is changed. There is a problem that the load on the CPU is heavy even though the reel control is required while monitoring and the load on the power supply is reduced. On the other hand, if stepping motor control is to be performed by a hardware circuit, there is a limit to the expandability with respect to reel control.

  Therefore, it is expected to develop a gaming machine, a rotary reel effect control program, and the like that can exhibit a variety of reel control without increasing the burden on the CPU as much as possible.

  Therefore, a gaming machine according to the present invention is a gaming machine including a main control board having at least a CPU and a memory, a rotating reel, and a rotating reel unit having at least a rotating reel driving unit and a rotating reel position sensor, The main control board further includes a rotary reel control unit, and a command for controlling the rotary reel drive unit from the CPU is sent to the rotary reel control unit in a FIFO manner, and the rotary reel control unit The commands sent from the stack are sequentially processed in accordance with the status of the rotary reel driving unit.

  The rotating reel control unit may further include at least one of a command FIFO function, an automatic excitation output update function, a current position simulation function, and an automatic reacceleration function.

  According to the gaming machine and the like according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming machine and a rotating reel effect control program that can exhibit the variety of reel control without increasing the burden on the CPU as much as possible.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the external appearance of the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the functional block of the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the example of a circuit structure in the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the circuit structural example in the game machine concerning other embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the control concept in the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the flow of the reel control in the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the flow of the reel control in the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the flow of the reel control in the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state transition concept in the game machine concerning one Embodiment of this invention.

  An embodiment for implementing a gaming machine or the like according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the embodiment, a slot machine will be described as an example of a gaming machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable to pachinko machines and other gaming machines having a display unit. Applicable. The “rotating drum” is also referred to as a “rotating reel”.

  FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a front view of a gaming machine, and FIG. 1B is a right side view of the gaming machine.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B), the gaming machine 100 is roughly divided in terms of the mechanism, and is attached to the housing 101 whose front surface is open and the opening surface of the housing 101 so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge or the like. The front door 102 is provided. As will be described later, buttons, a display unit, and the like for the player to play a game are arranged on the front portion of the front door 102.

  A display unit 1021, an illumination unit (not shown in FIG. 1), and a speaker unit (not shown in FIG. 1) are arranged on the upper part of the front door 102 located on the front surface of the gaming machine 100. A display window 103 is provided in the middle upper part of the front door 102. The player can view the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of rotating reels housed in the housing 101 through the display window 103.

  More specifically, the rotary reel includes a first rotary reel 1041, a second rotary reel 1042, and a third rotary reel 1043 that are rotatably provided, and a predetermined plurality of reels are provided on the outer peripheral surface of each reel. The design of is attached. The player can view the three vertical symbols attached to the outer peripheral surfaces of the first rotating reel 1041, the second rotating reel 1042, and the third rotating reel 1043 from the display window 103, and from the first rotating reel. A total of nine symbols can be visually recognized in the vertical direction up to the third rotating reel. The display window 103 can be configured to show four or more symbols in the vertical direction.

A game medium (medal) slot 105, a MAXBET button 106, and a status display unit (not shown in FIG. 1) are arranged on the upper surface of the table which is located in the middle of the front door 102 and protrudes from the front. Has been.
Also, on the front of the table provided in a protruding manner, there are a start lever 107, a 1BET button 108, a settlement button 109, a first rotation reel stop button 110, a second rotation reel stop button 101, and a third rotation reel stop button 102. Has been placed. A game medium (medal) tray 198 having a game medium (medal) payout port is attached to the lowermost part of the front door 102.

The display unit 1021 disposed at the upper part of the front door 102 is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD), and displays an effect such as an image to the player and presents information.
Moreover, a speaker part and an illumination part can also be provided in arbitrary positions on the left and right of the display part 1021 (not shown in FIG. 1). In addition, part or all of the display portion 1021 can be replaced with an illumination portion. The display effect of the game can be enhanced by the display portion 1021, the speaker portion, and the illumination portion.

  The rotating reel provided in the housing 101 is typically composed of three pieces (first rotating reel 1041, second rotating reel 1042, and third rotating reel 1043) as described above, and has a reel-like shape. And are arranged so as to be rotatable by a rotary reel driving unit composed of a stepping (pulse) motor. The rotating reels that are rotating can be stopped independently by pressing the first rotation reel stop button 110, the second rotation reel stop button 111, and the third rotation reel stop button 112, respectively. Each rotary reel stop button has a built-in lamp, and the built-in lamp lights up in a state in which the rotation stop button can be operated. Further, when the rotary reel stop button is pressed, the lamp is turned off (or changed to another color), and the operation of the rotary reel stop button is not accepted.

  Note that the number of rotating reels may be more than three (for example, four).

  In the display window where the symbols of the first rotating reel 1041, the second rotating reel 1042, and the third rotating reel 1043 can be confirmed, the symbols of the rotating reel are effective according to the number of medals (the number of bets) inserted by the player. An effective line that is a sequence is set. Note that the number of medals (the number of bets) may be fixed at MAX (for example, 3), and an effective line may be fixedly set for the MAX value.

  The combination of the winning combination determined by the lottery process described below and the corresponding symbol of the rotating reel is defined in advance, and it is determined whether the predetermined symbol combination is aligned on the active line. It is determined that a winning is achieved when the items are aligned on the active line.

  A medal slot 105 provided on the upper surface of the projecting table located in the middle of the front door 102 is for inserting a predetermined number of medals before the game starts. When a medal is inserted or the start lever 107 is operated after the BET button is pressed, the first rotating reel 1041, the second rotating reel 1042, and the third rotating reel 1043 rotate, and the game is started and a lottery is performed. Is called.

  The 1BET button 108 is for automatically inserting one medal stored in the gaming machine 100 and betting one medal on one game. By pressing the 1BET button 108, it is not necessary to insert one medal from the medal slot 105. When betting two medals, the 1BET button 108 is pressed twice. When betting three medals at once, it is convenient to press the following MAXBET button 106.

  The MAXBET button 106 is for automatically inserting three medals stored in the gaming machine 100 and betting three medals on one game. This MAXBET button 106 eliminates the need to insert three medals from the medal insertion slot 105 or press the 1BET button 108 three times.

  The checkout button 109 is used for paying out the internally stored (credited) medal from the medal payout opening to the medal tray 198.

  FIG. 2 illustrates functional blocks of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. A series of characteristic operations of the gaming machine 100 to be described later is realized by individual operations of hardware described below and cooperative operations of these hardware and software.

The gaming machine includes a main control board 21 and a sub-control board 22 connected via wiring (harness) as a control configuration in one embodiment, and is housed in the housing 101.
The main control board 21 is a kind of board computer, a CPU 211 that performs arithmetic processing, device control of the gaming machine 100, a rewritable RAM 212 that temporarily stores data as a program work area, and a gaming machine ROM 213 storing 100 control programs and lottery tables for game lottery processing, etc., control unit 214 for controlling the data communication bus, etc., inputs from buttons and switches, outputs to various LEDs, etc., and rotating reels An input / output unit 215 for driving the unit and the like, and a rotation reel control unit 216 that is an IC for controlling the rotation reel based on a command from the CPU 211 are shown (detailed operation of the rotation reel control unit 216 is illustrated in FIG. Reference later).

  The main function of the main control board 21 is to perform winning lottery processing, control of rotating reels, and the like, and is designed to perform processing operations based on rules and standards relating to gaming machines.

  The sub-control board 22 is a kind of board computer, and includes a CPU 221 that performs arithmetic processing, control of the display unit 281, a rewritable RAM 222 that temporarily stores data as a program work area, and a display unit 281. A ROM 223 storing a program for controlling the illumination unit 282 and the speaker unit 283 and various data, a control unit 224 for controlling a data communication bus, an input / output unit 225 for driving illumination, and a display unit 281. And a sound source IC 227 storing a sound source for generating sound, sound effects and the like from the speaker 282.

  Further, another important function of the sub control board 22 is an effect based on the lottery result determined by the main control board. Specifically, the ROM 223 of the sub control board 22 also stores effect data including image data for performing various effects by the display 281, the illumination unit 282, and the speaker unit 283, and the main control board 21. The content of the effect is determined from the effect data stored in the ROM according to the signal output from, and the display unit 281, the illumination unit 282, and the speaker unit 283 are driven based on the effect content.

  The effects produced by the display unit 281, the illumination unit 282, and the speaker unit 283 as described above are stored as a computer program in the ROM 223 or the like, and realized by the CPU 221 being called and executed by the CPU 221 as appropriate. Is done.

  Next, the input / output system of the main control board 21 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, first, the main control board 21 has a BET button 251 (including a 1BET button and a MAXBET button), a settlement button 252, a start lever 253, and a first rotary reel stop button via the input / output unit 215. 254, the second rotation reel stop button 255, and the third rotation reel stop button 256 can be read out.

  In addition, the main control board 21 has a weight LED 261 in the status display unit 26, a throw-in LED 262, a replay LED 263, a start LED 264, a throw-in number LED 265, a payout number 7-segment LED 266, and a stored medal number 7 through the input / output unit 215. A segment LED 267 is connected, and is configured to perform lighting control of various LEDs and display control of numbers to be output to each display.

The selector unit 257 includes an insertion sensor and a solenoid (not shown), reads a signal from the insertion sensor provided in the medal insertion port 105 via the input / output unit 215, and counts the number of inserted medals. Check the authenticity of the inserted medals.
Further, the solenoid of the selector unit 257 operates so that a medal is returned even when a medal is inserted when a prescribed number of medals are inserted or when the start lever 107 is operated. Functions so that is not thrown.

  The setting key 271 of the power supply box 27 has a function of changing the payout rate for each setting by providing a stage in the winning rate of each combination in the lottery table in the lottery during the game. As an example, the winning probability can be set in six stages. The main control board 21 can manage the setting value set by the setting key 271 via the input / output unit 215. More specifically, when the setting key is turned ON, the main control board enters the setting changeable mode, and when the select switch 272 is pressed, a signal pressed to the main control board is performed and managed in the main control board. The set value is incremented (or decremented). The select switch 272 of the power supply box 27 is a switch for changing the setting value to forward (or reverse) when the setting key 271 is settable (setting ON), and in the setting impossible (OFF) state, When an error or the like occurs in the gaming machine, the CPU 211 and the like of the main control board 21 can be initialized. The power switch 273 is for supplying power to the gaming machine.

  The rotary reel unit 23 includes a first rotary reel drive unit 231 and a second rotary reel drive unit 232 that include stepping motors for rotating the first rotary reel 1041, the second rotary reel 1042, and the third rotary reel 1043, respectively. And a third rotating reel drive unit 233, which can be controlled to rotate and / or stop each rotating reel independently. Further, a first rotating reel position sensor 234, a second rotating reel position sensor 235, a third rotating reel position sensor 236 for detecting the position of each rotating reel during rotation, and indexes corresponding to the respective sensors (FIG. 2 is not shown).

For example, a predetermined position of the rotating first rotating reel is detected by the first rotating reel position sensor 234, and stepping is performed from the predetermined position (index position) of the first rotating reel detected by the first rotating reel position sensor 234. The position information of the first reel can be acquired by counting the number of pulses that have driven the motor. Similarly, regarding the second and third rotating reels, the position information of the respective rotating reels can be obtained by the second rotating reel position sensor 235 and the third rotating reel position sensor 236.
In this way, the display of symbols based on the lottery processing result can be controlled.

  The hopper unit 24 is for paying out medals at the time of winning a prize. Although not shown, a predetermined number of medals are paid out by a hopper driving unit and a payout sensor.

  In addition, an external relay terminal (not shown in FIG. 2) is provided to connect the main control board 21 and a data lamp (not shown in FIG. 2) for displaying game data provided outside, It functions as a terminal for transmitting a signal from the control board 21 to the data lamp.

  The programs or software necessary for implementing the present invention are usually installed or stored in the memories such as the ROMs 213 and 223, and all or one of them is stored in the memories such as the RAMs 212 and 222 when necessary. Are read out as software modules and are executed by the CPUs 211 and 221.

It should be noted that the execution of the calculation is not necessarily performed by a central processing unit such as a CPU, and an auxiliary arithmetic unit such as a digital signal processor (DSP) (not shown) may be employed.
In particular, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the rotating reel control unit 216 takes at least a part of rotating reel control instead of the CPU (described later).

[Lottery processing]
For example, the lottery process in the gaming machine 100 is executed based on a program and a table stored in the ROM 213 of the main control board 21 when the start lever is operated. In addition to the lottery processing program, the ROM 213 stores a winning probability table, a symbol table, a winning symbol combination table, and the like. In the winning probability table, random numbers generated by a random number generation unit (not shown) are classified and stored in association with various winnings and “no winning (miss)”. By referring to the generated random number data and a winning probability table or the like, various winnings or misses for the game are determined.

  At this time, if the result of the lottery process is out, the control is performed so that the predetermined symbols are not aligned, or conversely, if the result of the lottery process is not successful, the stop button is pressed at a predetermined timing, etc. In some cases, control may be performed so that predetermined symbols are aligned. These controls are called “slip control” or “pull-in control”. As an example, if there is a rule such as “stop reel within 0.19 seconds after pressing the stop button”, the number of frames (number of symbols) that can be played back by calculating backward from the rotation speed of the reel Is determined. After various winnings, medals corresponding to winning symbols are paid out when predetermined symbols are prepared.

[Basic concept of the present invention]
Next, the basic concept of the gaming machine according to the present invention will be described. A gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a dedicated IC for rotating reel control (the rotating reel control unit 216 in FIG. 2 corresponds to this), and the CPU (CPU 211 in FIG. 2 corresponds to this). Based on the command, the reel control is flexibly performed while judging the state of the rotating reel and the rotating reel driving unit.
A more specific circuit configuration example will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3B.

  FIG. 3A is a circuit configuration example in the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3A, the CPU 301 corresponds to the CPU 211 in FIG. 2, the rotating reel control IC 302 corresponds to the rotating reel control unit 216 in FIG. 2, and the reel 1 (303a) is the first rotating reel drive unit 231 in FIG. The reel 2 (303b) corresponds to the second rotating reel drive unit 232 (and the second rotating reel position sensor 235) in FIG. 2, and the reel 3 (303c) corresponds to the first rotating reel position sensor 234. Corresponds to the third rotary reel drive unit 233 (and third rotary reel position sensor 236) in FIG.

  3A, from the CPU 301 to the rotating reel control IC 302, a C-state signal CS, an address code A (4-bit configuration up to bit positions 0-3), and a data code D (8-bit configuration up to bit positions 0-7) (The data code is transmitted and received bi-directionally as is apparent from the figure). Further, an interrupt signal (INT) is transmitted from the rotating reel control IC 302 to the CPU 301. Further, a clock signal (EX) is input from the clock 304 to the rotary reel control IC.

  A control code R1 (4-bit configuration up to bit positions 0-3) is transmitted from the rotating reel control IC 302 to the reel 1 (303a), and a sensing code RSEN1 is transmitted from the reel 1 (303a) to the IC 302. Similarly, a control code R2 (4-bit configuration from bit positions 0 to 3) is transmitted from the rotating reel control IC 302 to the reel 2 (303b), and a sensing code RSEN2 is transmitted from the reel 2 (303b) to the IC 302. The Further, a control code R3 (4-bit configuration from bit positions 0 to 3) is transmitted from the rotating reel control IC 302 to the reel 3 (303c), and a sensing code RSEN3 is transmitted from the reel 3 (303c) to the IC 302. .

FIG. 3B is a circuit configuration example in the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3B, the CPU 351 corresponds to the CPU 211 in FIG. 2, the rotating reel control IC 352 corresponds to the rotating reel control unit 216 in FIG. 2, and the reel 1 (353a) is the first rotating reel drive unit 231 in FIG. (And the first rotation reel position sensor 234), the reel 2 (353b) corresponds to the second rotation reel driving unit 232 (and the second rotation reel position sensor 235) in FIG. 2, and the reel 3 (353c). Corresponds to the third rotary reel drive unit 233 (and third rotary reel position sensor 236) in FIG.
In the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 3B, preliminary reel control is also possible, and the spare reel 353d and spare reel 353e are also controlled by the rotary reel control IC 352.

  FIG. 4 shows a control concept in the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, in one embodiment of the present invention, a command is transmitted from the CPU 401 (corresponding to the CPU 211) to each motor control unit 411 to 413 (corresponding to each unit in the rotating reel unit 23) in a FIFO manner. Then, the rotating reel control unit controls these transmission commands (in the same figure, the rotating reel control unit controls commands from the CPU represented by 420 schematically to each control unit).

  In FIG. 4, by way of example, each motor control unit is in a particular status. That is, the motor A control unit 411 is “stopping”, the motor B control unit B is “exercising”, and the motor C control unit is “accelerating”. In such a situation, the CPU 401 sends the motor A control unit 411 in the order of an acceleration command 421a, a movement command 421b, a stop command 421c, and an acceleration command 421d in a FIFO manner (this is referred to as “stack transmission”). The same applies hereinafter. Further, the CPU 401 sends the movement command 423a, the speed change command 423b, and the movement command 423c in the order of FIFO to the motor c control unit 413. How these control commands 421a to 421d, 423a to 423c are controlled by the rotating reel control unit will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 and the like. Hereinafter, the rotating reel control unit itself will be described. Will be described in detail.

(Example of functions mounted on the rotating reel controller)
In the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, examples of functions implemented in the rotary reel control unit (IC) are shown in the following table.

Next, an implementation example will be described for each function illustrated in the above table.
(1) Command FIFO Function A command FIFO is provided independently for each motor (drive unit), and control commands sent from the CPU are sequentially processed through these command FIFOs. Thereby, each motor is driven and controlled (more detailed control timing and the like will be described later).

(2) Automatic excitation output update function Each motor (drive unit) has one of the following control statuses depending on the command. The rotating reel control unit controls the motor excitation output according to these statuses. To do.
Status 1: When the idle motor (drive unit) is in this state, the excitation output is not controlled, and only the command FIFO is monitored.
Status 2: An acceleration sequence is generated from the target excitation update interval specified by the acceleration state command and the number of steps, and the sequence is reproduced (executed). If no valid command is detected when the sequence reproduction is completed, the motor is automatically controlled to shift to the constant speed movement state.
Status 3: A deceleration sequence is generated from the excitation interval at the start of the deceleration state and the number of steps specified by the command, and the sequence is reproduced (executed). If no valid command is detected when the sequence reproduction is completed, control is performed so that the motor is automatically shifted to the idle state.
Status 4: A speed change sequence is generated from the excitation interval at the start of the speed change state and the number of steps specified by the command, and the sequence is reproduced (executed). If no valid command is detected upon completion of the sequence reproduction, control is performed so that the motor is automatically shifted to the constant speed movement state.
Status 5: The excitation output update at the excitation interval at the start of the designated step movement state is repeated for the designated number of steps. If no valid command is detected at the completion of those steps, the motor is controlled to automatically shift to the constant speed movement state.
Status 6: The excitation output update process is continuously executed at the excitation interval at the start until the condition specified by the specified position movement state command is satisfied. As for the condition, it can be specified whether the comparison is based on the position information simulated in the rotary reel control unit (IC) or the detection by the sensor. If no valid command is detected at the timing when the designated position is reached, the motor is controlled to automatically shift to the constant speed movement state.
Status 7: Constant speed movement state The excitation output update process is continuously executed at the excitation interval at the start until the next command is received.
Status 8: The excitation output is held for the period specified by the specified period hold state command. If no valid command is detected when the designated period has elapsed, the motor is controlled to automatically shift to the idle state.

(3) Automatic sequence generation function An excitation update interval sequence for realizing these operations is automatically generated each time the motor (drive unit) is accelerated, decelerated, or speed is changed. The sequence automatic generation includes the “current excitation interval” that is an excitation update interval at the start point preset by the CPU, the “target excitation interval” that is the target excitation update interval specified by the command, The “total number of steps” that is the number of excitation updates in the sequence and the “number of steps” that is the number of excitation updates in the sequence are used.

First, the acceleration sequence is calculated by the following formula.

The deceleration sequence is calculated by the following formula.

Furthermore, the speed change sequence is calculated by the following equation.

(4) Current position simulation function This function is a function for simulating the current position using a two-byte counter of 1 byte length. As an example, data as shown in the following table is used for the simulation.
The current position counter is updated according to the driving direction every time the excitation of the motor is updated, and the updating procedure is as follows, for example, during forward control.

(Step 1) “Addition value data lower order” is added to “Current position counter lower order”.
(Step 2) When “current position counter low order” becomes equal to or greater than “maximum value data low order”, correction is performed, and “addition value data high order” is added to “current position counter high order”.
(Step 3) When “current position data upper” is equal to or greater than “maximum value data upper”, both “current position counter lower” and “current position counter upper” are initialized.
The sensor is also monitored according to the setting, and at the time of detection, each initialization value data is stored in each current position counter.

(5) Error detection function This function detects an error in the driving state using the current position simulation function. In one embodiment of the present invention, data shown in the following table is used for error detection.
Moreover, the following three types are mentioned as an example of the error detection type.

Detection type 1
If the sensor is not detected even if the excitation output is updated by the error detection margin from the state where the current position counter crosses 0, an error is detected.
Detection type 2
If the sensor is not detected even when the excitation is updated by the error detection margin from the state where the current position counter straddles the initialization value data, an error is detected.
Detection type 3
If the sensor is not detected even if the excitation output is updated by the sensor interval set value, an error is detected.

(6) Automatic return function When an error is detected, one of the following three operations is selected as an example, and automatic return is performed.
Operation type 1
There is no particular change in operation.
Operation type 2
While maintaining the final excitation output, control is performed to clear the entire FIFO stack and shift to the idle state.
Operation type 3
When the motor (drive unit) is in a constant speed movement state and the detection type is 3 (detection type 3), the drive is stopped for a predetermined period, and then the last set target excitation Control is made to shift to the acceleration state with the interval and the total number of steps.

[Details of processing procedure]
Next, with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the processing operation of the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention (mainly the control flow of the rotating reel control unit and processing within 1.495 ms) will be described in detail. Describe.

  When the process is started in step S501 in FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step S502, and it is determined whether the excitation output maintaining time has been consumed (elapsed). If Yes in step S502, the process proceeds to step S503 and returns to CPU control. If No, the process proceeds to step S504.

  In step S504, it is determined whether the target motor (drive unit) is in an accelerated state. If Yes in step S504, the process proceeds to step S505, and acceleration phase processing (described later with reference to FIG. 6) is executed. If No, the process proceeds to step S506.

  In step S506, it is determined whether the target motor (drive unit) is in a constant speed state. If Yes in step S506, the process proceeds to step S507 and constant speed phase processing (described later with reference to FIG. 7) is executed. If No, the process proceeds to step S508.

  In step S508, deceleration phase processing (described later with reference to FIG. 8) is performed.

  FIG. 6 shows a process flow when the acceleration phase process is performed. When the process starts in step S601, the process proceeds to step S602, and the excitation update data and the excitation output maintenance period are acquired from the generated sequence data. . In step S603, excitation output is performed. In step S604, it is determined whether the reproduction (execution) of the sequence data has been completed. If yes, the process advances to step S605 to enter constant speed phase processing (described later with reference to FIG. 7). In the case of No in step S604, the process proceeds to step S606, and the present flow ends.

  FIG. 7 shows a processing flow when the constant speed phase processing is performed. When the processing is started in step S701, the processing proceeds to step S702, and it is determined whether or not the reel index is detected. If Yes in step S702, the process advances to step S703 to determine whether the detection timing is too early. Here again, if Yes, the process proceeds to step S705, where it is initialized and the process proceeds to the acceleration phase process.

  If No in step S703, the process proceeds to step S706, the reel rotation angle information at the time of index detection is reset, and the process proceeds to step S708.

  On the other hand, in the case of No in step S702, the process proceeds to step S704, where it is determined whether the index detection timing is too late. In the case of Yes here, the process proceeds to step S705 to initialize and shift to the acceleration phase process.

  If No in step S704, the process proceeds to step S707, where the reel rotation angle information is updated, and the process proceeds to step S708.

  In step S708, the excitation output is updated based on the reel rotation angle information that has been reset or updated. And it progresses to step S709 and complete | finishes as this flow.

  FIG. 8 shows a process flow when the deceleration phase process is performed. When the process is started in step S801, the process proceeds to step S802, where it is determined whether the brake (stopping operation) for the rotating reel has been completed. In the case of Yes, the process proceeds to step S803, the all-phase off command for the motor is output, and the flow ends (step S804).

  If No in step S802, the process proceeds to step S805, where the reel rotation angle information of the rotating reel is updated, and the process proceeds to step S806. In step S806, it is determined whether or not the reel has reached the deceleration start position. If No, the process proceeds to step S808, and the flow ends (or the process may be returned to step S802).

  In the case of Yes in step S806, the process proceeds to step S807, where an all-phase on command for the motor is output (in this case, the period designation can take a longer period in specification), and a braking operation is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S808, and the flow ends (or may be returned to step S802).

With reference to FIGS. 9-11, the flow of the reel control in the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The functions of the rotating reel control unit and the individual processing operations have already been described. Based on these, how the reel control as a gaming machine is performed will be described based on the operation flowchart. FIG. 9 shows an operation example during normal acceleration, FIG. 10 shows another operation example during normal acceleration, and FIG. 11 shows an operation example during reel stop.
9 to 11, the CPU of the gaming machine (for example, corresponding to the CPUs 211, 301, etc.) corresponds to the CPU on the left side of the figure, and corresponds to the rotating reel control unit (for example, the rotating reel control units 216, 302, etc.). ) Are shown in the IC on the right side of the figure.

In FIG. 9, at time t1, an instruction is sent from the CPU to the IC in a command format (step S901). Here, as an example, the following two commands are transmitted.
(C1) Speed change command (includes instruction information of 80 rpm in the forward direction)
(C2) Movement command (including movement instructions to the sensor)
At this time, two commands (the commands (C1) and (C2) above) are stacked on the command stack of the IC FIFO format.

  Immediately thereafter, the IC performs motor acceleration (step S902). At this time, the command stack decreases from 2 to 1.

  Next, at time t2 in FIG. 9, the IC switches to a constant velocity motion up to the sensor (step S903). At this time, the command stack decreases from 1 to 0. At time t3, sensor detection is performed (step S904). After time t3, the CPU is ready to accept the operation of a stop button for the rotating reel (step S905), and the IC is controlled to move at a constant speed relative to the rotating reel. (Step S906).

In FIG. 10, at time t5, an instruction is sent from the CPU to the IC in a command format (step S1001). Here, as an example, the following five commands are transmitted.
(C3) Speed change command (includes instruction information of 40 rpm in the reverse direction)
(C4) Movement command (includes instruction information for 5 rotations)
(C5) Speed change command (includes instruction information of target speed 0)
(C6) Speed change command (includes instruction information of 80 rpm in the forward direction)
(C7) Movement command (includes movement instruction to sensor)
At this time, five commands (commands (C3) to (C7) described above) are stacked in the command stack of the IC FIFO format.

  Immediately thereafter, the IC performs motor acceleration (step S1002). At this time, the command stack is reduced from 5 to 4.

  Next, at time t6 in FIG. 10, the IC switches to constant speed exercise (for 5 weeks) (step S1003). At this time, the command stack is reduced from 4 to 3. At time t7, motor deceleration control is performed (step S1004), and the command stack is reduced from 3 to 2. Next, at time t8, motor acceleration control (80 rpm in the forward direction) is performed (step S1005), and the command stack is reduced from 2 to 1.

  Next, at time t9 in FIG. 10, the IC switches to a constant velocity motion up to the sensor (step S1006). At this time, the command stack decreases from 1 to 0. Sensor detection is performed at time t10 (step S1007), and after time t10, the CPU is in a state where it can accept a stop button operation of the rotating reel (step S1008), and the IC is controlled to move at a constant speed relative to the rotating reel. (Step S1009).

  In FIG. 11, until the time t11, the IC is moving at a constant speed with respect to the rotating reel (step S1101). Next, at time t11, an operation stop instruction is issued from the CPU to the IC (step S1102).

Thereafter, the current position inquiry (acquisition request) of the rotating reel is performed from the IC to the CPU at time t12 (step S1103), and the current position information of the rotating reel is returned from the CPU to the IC at time t13. Thereafter, an operation resumption instruction is given at time t14 (step S1104). Here, as an example, the following three commands are transmitted.
(C8) Movement command (including instruction information to the deceleration start position)
(C9) Hold command (All phase ON / 200ms instruction information is included)
(C10) Hold command (includes instruction information that all phases are off and no period)
At this time, three commands (commands (C8) to (C10) above) are stacked on the command stack in the FIFO format of the IC.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the period from time t11 to time t13 to t14 is a period on the order of microseconds.

  Immediately thereafter, the IC controls to move at a constant speed to the deceleration start position (step S1105). At this time, the command stack is reduced from 3 to 2.

Next, at time t15 in FIG. 11, the IC performs all-phase ON control on the motor (drive unit) (step S1106). This is so-called detent stop control. At this time, the command stack decreases from 2 to 1. At time t16, the IC performs all-phase off control on the motor (drive unit) (so-called idle state). At this time, the command stack decreases from 1 to 0.
The rotating reels after time t16 are controlled to be in an idle state (step S1107).

  FIG. 12 shows a state transition concept in the gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure particularly shows the transition relationship (transitionable relationship) in the absence of a command.

  In the rotating reel acceleration state St1201, a command can be accepted only when the target speed is reached, and when the command is reached and there is no command (transition condition (1)), a transition is made to the constant speed motion state St1208. In the state St1208, a command is received at every excitation update timing.

  In the idle state St1202, a command can be received for each clock.

  In the speed changing state St1203, the command cannot be received only when the target speed is reached, and when the command is not reached and there is no command (transition condition (2)), the state transits to the constant speed motion state St1208.

In the designated step moving state St1204, a command can be received only when the movement is completed, and when the movement is completed and there is no command (transition condition (3)), the state transits to the constant speed movement state St1208.
Even in the designated step moving state St1205, the command can be received only when the movement is completed, and when the movement is completed and there is no command (transition condition (4)), the state transits to the constant speed movement state St1208.

  In the period designated hold state St1206, a command can be accepted only when the designated period has elapsed, and after the designated period has elapsed, when there is no command (transition condition (5)), a transition is made to the idle state St1202.

  In the deceleration state St1207, a command can be received only when deceleration is completed, and the state transitions to the idle state St1202 after the deceleration sequence is reproduced and when there is no command (transition condition (6)).

  In addition, it supplements about the state transition by the command reception in motor non-operation and the state transition by the effective command reception during motor operation.

[Relationship between commands when the motor is not operating]
The following statuses are listed as statuses when the stepping motor is not operating.
(S1) Idle (S2) Deceleration (S3) Period specified hold

  A valid command for these (S1) to (S3) is a speed change command (however, the target speed is not zero), and the motor enters an accelerating status upon receipt of the command.

  Commands valid for the motor in the accelerating status are a hold command (where the output period is not zero) and a hold command (the output period is zero). When the former is accepted, the motor is in the period designation holding state, and when the latter is accepted, the motor is in the idle state.

  Other commands (for example, a speed change command (target speed is zero) and a movement command) for the above (S1) to (S3) are invalid.

[Relationships between valid commands received during motor operation]
The following statuses are listed as statuses when the stepping motor is not operating.
(S4) Changing speed (S5) Accelerating (S6) Constant velocity motion (S7) Moving to a specified position (S8) Moving a specified step

Effective commands for these (S4) to (S8) include a speed change command (however, the target speed is not zero), a speed change command (the target speed is zero), and a movement command (position designation). When a speed change command (however, the target speed is not zero) is received, the speed is changing, and when a hold command (however, the output period is not zero) is received, a period designation holding state is set.
Further, when a speed change command (target speed is zero) is received in response to (S4) to (S8), a deceleration state is entered, and further, a hold command (output period is zero) is entered to enter an idle state.
In addition, when a movement command (position designation) is received with respect to (S4) to (S8), a movement state to a designated position is entered, and a movement command (step designation) is accepted to enter a designated step movement state.

  Other commands for the above (S4) to (S8) can be invalidated.

  The embodiments of the gaming machine and the like according to the present invention have been described above based on the specific examples. However, the embodiment of the present invention includes a storage medium on which a program is recorded in addition to a method or a program for implementing the gaming machine. (As an example, an embodiment such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, or a memory card) may be employed.

  Further, the implementation form of the program is not limited to an application program such as an object code compiled by a compiler and a program code executed by an interpreter, but may be a form of a program module incorporated in an operating system. good.

  Furthermore, it is not always necessary for the program to be executed only by the CPU on the control board, but if necessary, an expansion board attached to the board or another processing unit (DSP or the like) mounted on the expansion unit. ) May be partly or wholly implemented.

  These features are mutually exclusive for all of the components described in this specification (including claims, abstract, and drawings) and / or for all steps of all disclosed methods or processes. Except for the combination, any combination can be used.

  Also, each feature described in the specification (including the claims, abstract, and drawings) serves the same purpose, equivalent purpose, or similar purpose, unless expressly denied. Alternative features can be substituted. Thus, unless expressly denied, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of identical or equivalent features.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to any specific configuration of the above-described embodiment. The invention includes all novel features or combinations thereof described in the specification (including claims, abstract and drawings), or all novel methods or process steps described, or Can be extended to any combination.

21 Main control board 22 Sub control board 23 Rotary reel unit 24 Hopper unit 27 Power supply unit 211 CPU
212 RAM
213 ROM
214 Control Unit 215 Input / Output Unit 216 Rotary Reel Control Unit (IC)
231 First rotation reel driving unit 232 Second rotation reel driving unit 233 Third rotation reel driving unit 234 First rotation reel position sensor 235 Second rotation reel position sensor 236 Third rotation reel position sensor 254 First rotation reel stop button 255 Second rotation reel stop button 256 Third rotation reel stop button

Claims (3)

A gaming machine comprising a main control board having at least a CPU and a memory, a rotating reel, and a rotating reel unit having at least a rotating reel driving unit and a rotating reel position sensor,
The main control board further includes a rotary reel control unit,
A command for controlling the rotary reel drive unit from the CPU is sent in a FIFO manner to the rotary reel control unit.
The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating reel control unit sequentially processes the commands transmitted from the stack according to a status of the rotating reel driving unit.   The gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating reel control unit further includes at least one of a command FIFO function, an automatic excitation output update function, a current position simulation function, and an automatic reacceleration function. A program executed in a gaming machine comprising a main control board having at least a CPU, a memory, and a rotating reel control unit, a rotating reel, and a rotating reel unit having at least a rotating reel driving unit and a rotating reel position sensor, When executed on a gaming machine,
Causing the CPU to stack-transmit a command for controlling the rotating reel drive unit to the rotating reel control unit in a FIFO manner;
And a step of causing the rotating reel control unit to sequentially process the commands transmitted in accordance with the status of the rotating reel driving unit.