JP3911265B2 - Signal processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is connected to a game machine such as a game machine, a game medium lending machine, a game medium counter, a card issuing machine, a money changer, a checkout machine, a prize exchange, etc. installed in the game hall. The present invention relates to a signal processing device such as a stand unit, an island unit, or a hall computer that processes output signals.

Amusement machines such as pachinko halls are equipped with amusement machines such as gaming machines, gaming medium lending machines, gaming medium counters, card issuing machines, currency exchange machines, checkout machines and prize exchanges. These game hall devices are usually provided with a signal output terminal, and are configured to output a signal corresponding to the operation state from the signal output terminal.
A signal output from the game hall device is input to a signal processing device such as a stand unit, an island unit, or a hall computer, and is used for counting / displaying game data and sales data, and monitoring fraud.

  By the way, the signal processing apparatus as described above may be misidentified as an operation state of the game hall device due to a failure (disconnection, connection failure, short circuit, etc.) of the signal path connecting with the game hall device. In recent years, signal processing apparatuses having a disconnection detection function and the like have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

This type of signal processing device targets an output signal of a game hall device in which contacts and resistors (hereinafter referred to as disconnection resistance) are connected in parallel to the signal output terminal, and between the signal output terminals of the game hall device, A voltage is constantly applied via the cable, and the contact ON state, the contact OFF state, and the disconnection state are determined based on the voltage change.
That is, even in the contact-off state, the energized state is maintained through the disconnection resistance, so that a difference occurs in the detection voltage between the contact-off and the disconnection, and the disconnection can be detected.
JP-A-7-275434 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-300815 JP 2002-122626 A

However, the signal detection circuits of the signal processing devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 selectively turn on / off a plurality of switch elements (photocouplers, transistors, etc.) according to changes in the detection voltage, and three types Since only detection signals (contact on, contact off, and disconnection) are output, it is difficult to determine whether the cable is tampered with or a sign of failure (eg, contact failure or leak).
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, after connecting a resistance equivalent to a disconnection resistance between cables, disconnecting the cable on the amusement hall equipment side, and performing fraud such as disguising the contact off state, It was difficult to detect with those of Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  In addition, the resistance value of the disconnection resistance provided on the amusement hall equipment side varies depending on the manufacturer and is arbitrarily selected within an appropriate range (for example, 1 kΩ to 10 kΩ). In the above-described device that selectively turns on and off the switch element, it is necessary to change the circuit configuration to match the resistance value of the disconnection resistance or to configure a complicated circuit that can cope with various resistance values. It was.

  The present invention has been considered in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible not only to determine whether the cable has been tampered with or a sign of failure, but also to easily cope with disconnection resistance having different resistance values. An object of the present invention is to provide a signal processing device that can perform the above processing.

In order to achieve the above object, the signal processing apparatus of the present invention targets an output signal of a game hall device in which a contact and a resistor are connected in parallel to the signal output terminal, and a cable is connected to the signal output terminal of the game hall device. A signal processing unit connected through the cable, and a signal detection unit that constantly applies a voltage between the signal output terminals of the game hall device and detects a change in the voltage, and the signal detection unit An A / D converter that converts the detected voltage detected by the digital signal into a digital signal indicating the voltage level, and at the time of initial setting, the detected voltage level is read a plurality of times from the A / D converter, and based on these read values And a state determination unit that stores a contact-off determination value including the specified current detection voltage level, the state determination unit, together with the contact-off determination value, A predetermined range of contact ON determination value and disconnection determination value are stored in advance, and based on a comparison between these determination values and the detection voltage level, contact OFF state, contact ON state and disconnection state are determined, and the detection voltage When the level does not correspond to any of the determination values, it is determined to be illegal or abnormal .

If comprised in this way, a state determination part will read the detection voltage of a signal detection part as a digital signal, and will be able to determine various state changes in a signal path | route based on a weak voltage change. Thereby, it is possible not only to increase the security of the signal path by determining the work of the cable, but also to determine the sign of the failure and prevent the occurrence of the failure in advance.
In addition, since the state determination unit is configured by a CPU and various determination conditions can be set on software, it is possible to easily cope with disconnection resistances having different resistance values without changing the circuit configuration. Can do.

Furthermore, since the state determination unit is configured to store the detection voltage level input at the time of initial setting as a contact-off determination value, when connecting the game hall device and the signal processing device, the resistance value of the disconnection resistance is examined, The trouble of changing the contact-off determination value according to the resistance value can be saved.

Further, the state determination unit stores in advance the contact ON determination value, the contact OFF determination value, and the disconnection determination value, and based on the comparison between these determination values and the detected voltage level, the contact ON state, the contact OFF state, and the disconnection state. In addition, when the detected voltage level does not correspond to any of the determination values, it is determined that the detection voltage is abnormal. Therefore, it is possible to reliably determine the abnormality in which the detection voltage changes. For example, after connecting the resistance equivalent to the disconnection resistance between the cables, if the fraudulent action such as disconnecting the cable on the amusement hall equipment side and impersonating the contact off state was made, the resistance was connected to the cable This fraud can be determined at the time.

Further, in the signal processing device of the present invention, when the state determination unit determines the contact ON state after determining the disconnection state, or determines the disconnection state after determining the contact ON state, the resistor is connected. It is configured to determine that it has not been performed.
If comprised in this way, it will become possible to discriminate | determine reliably the state in which disconnection resistance is not connected, without misidentifying it as the disconnection of a cable, or a connection failure.

Further, the signal processing device of the present invention is configured such that when the state determination unit determines the contact off state after determining the disconnection state, it is determined that the normal state has been recovered from the disconnection state.
If comprised in this way, after recovering from a disconnection state, it will become possible to restart signal processing rapidly, without resetting a contact-off determination value etc.

In the signal processing device of the present invention, the state determination unit operates the notification unit at the time of disconnection determination, abnormality determination, resistance disconnection determination, or recovery determination.
With this configuration, the administrator can easily recognize various abnormalities (including fraud) and recovery, and can therefore prompt the administrator to take appropriate measures.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the detection voltage of the signal detection unit is converted into a digital signal, it is possible to determine whether the cable has been tampered with or a sign of failure based on a weak voltage change. It becomes possible.
Further, since various determination conditions can be set on software, it is possible to easily cope with disconnection resistances having different resistance values without changing the circuit configuration.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a hole.
As shown in this figure, game hall equipment such as a gaming machine 1, a gaming medium lending machine 2, a gaming medium counter 3, a card issuing machine 4, a change machine 5, a checkout machine 6, and a prize exchange 7 are installed in the hall. Has been.
These game hall devices have a signal output terminal, and are configured to output a signal corresponding to the operation state from the signal output terminal.

In the hall, signal processing devices such as a base unit 8, an island unit 9, and a hall computer 10 are installed in order to process signals output from the game hall equipment.
The base unit 8 is a sub-management device that is connected to the game hall equipment, accumulates or totals signals output from the game hall equipment, and outputs them to the island unit 9.

The island unit 9 is a sub-management device that is connected to the base unit 8 and the game room equipment, accumulates or totals signals input from the base unit 8 and the game room equipment, and outputs the accumulated signals to the hall computer 10.
The hall computer 10 is a main management device that is connected to the island unit 9 and the game hall device, aggregates signals input from the island unit 9 and the game hall device, and displays and saves the signals.

One or both of the base unit 8 and the island unit 9 can be omitted.
When the base unit 8 is omitted, the game room equipment and the island unit 9 can be directly connected. When the island unit 9 is omitted, the base unit 8 and the hall computer 10 can be directly connected.
And when both the stand unit 8 and the island unit 9 are omitted, the game hall device and the hall computer 10 can be directly connected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a game arcade apparatus and a signal processing apparatus connected via a cable.
As shown in the figure, the game hall device includes a signal output unit 20 for outputting the above-described signals. The signal output unit 20 is connected in parallel to a contact 21 (including a semiconductor) that is turned on / off in accordance with the operating state of the game hall device, a pair of signal output terminals 22 that output a contact signal, and the contact 21. Disconnection resistance R.
The disconnection resistance R is provided for the signal processing device to identify the contact OFF state and the disconnection state. However, the resistance value of the disconnection resistance R differs depending on the manufacturer and is arbitrarily selected within an appropriate range (for example, 1 kΩ to 10 kΩ).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the signal processing apparatus includes a signal detection unit 40 that detects an output signal of the game hall device via the cable 30, and a digital signal that indicates the detected voltage detected by the signal detection unit 40. An A / D conversion unit 50 for converting to a state, a state determination unit 60 for determining the state of the contact 21 and the cable 30 based on the detected voltage level, a storage unit 70 for storing various determination values and total data, A notification unit 80 that performs various notification operations and a data output unit 90 that outputs data to a higher-level management device are provided.

In the figure, the signal detection unit 40, the A / D conversion unit 50, the state determination unit 60, the storage unit 70, the notification unit 80, and the data output unit 90 are all provided in one signal processing device. These signal detectors 40 and the like need not all be provided in one signal processing device, and a part of them may be provided in another signal processing device.
For example, a signal detection unit 40, an A / D conversion unit 50, a notification unit 80, and a data output unit 90 are provided in one signal processing device (for example, the island unit 9), and another signal processing device (for example, the hall computer 10). ) May be provided with a state determination unit 60 and a storage unit 70.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the signal detection unit.
As shown in this figure, the signal detection unit 40 is a device that constantly applies a voltage between the signal output terminal 22 of the game hall device via the signal input terminal 41 and the cable 30 and detects the voltage change. The circuit configuration is not particularly limited.
For example, the signal detection unit 40 shown in FIG. 3 includes a current supply path 42 that connects one signal output terminal 22 to the positive side of the power supply via a resistor R1, and a signal R2 that is directly or directly connected to the other signal output terminal 22. And a signal return terminal 43 that connects the negative side of the power source via the current supply path 42 and a signal detection terminal 44 that obtains the detection signal Vs from the current supply path 42 or the current return path 43.

  The detection signal Vs obtained from the signal detection terminal 44 is a voltage signal, and the detection voltage level changes according to the state of the contact 21 and the cable 30. Since the detection voltage level in the disconnection state and the contact ON state is determined by the circuit configuration of the signal detection unit 40, it is substantially fixed. However, the detection voltage level in the contact OFF state is the resistance of the disconnection resistor R provided in the game hall device. Accordingly, it varies within a predetermined range.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the A / D converter.
As shown in this figure, the A / D conversion unit 50 is configured to convert the detection voltage of the signal detection unit 40, which is an analog signal, into a digital signal indicating the voltage level and input the digital signal to the state determination unit 60. Has been.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the A / D conversion unit 50 is configured using a 4-bit output A / D conversion circuit, the detection voltage of the signal detection unit 40 has 16 voltage levels (0 to F). ) Is converted into a 4-bit digital signal.

The circuit configuration is not particularly limited as long as the state determination unit 60 determines the state of the contact 21 and the cable 30 based on the A / D converted detection voltage level. For example, the state determination unit 60 can be configured using a digital IC circuit or a CPU. In the present embodiment, the state determination unit 60 is configured using a CPU, and an operation procedure thereof will be described with reference to a flowchart.
However, the contact ON determination values (0, 1) for determining the contact ON state and the disconnection determination values (E, F) for determining the disconnection state are stored in the storage unit 70 in advance. .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a main routine of the state determination unit.
As shown in this figure, the state determination unit 60 first executes the initial setting process (S100) in response to the start or restart of the system, and then the state of the contact 21 and the cable 30 based on the detected voltage level. Input processing (S200), main processing (S300) for summing up and storing input signals, and output processing (S400) for outputting data to the upper management apparatus are repeatedly executed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the initial setting process of the state determination unit.
As shown in this figure, in the initial setting process, first, the detected voltage level is read from the A / D converter 50 a plurality of times at a predetermined cycle, and these read values are compared to identify the current detected voltage level ( S101). This is to prevent erroneous determination based on the detected voltage level that is fluctuating.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the current detection voltage level is included in the contact-off determination region (4 to B) (S102). If this determination is YES, the current detection voltage level is determined as the contact-off determination. The value is stored in the storage unit 70 (S103). That is, the contact-off determination value fluctuates according to the resistance value of the disconnection resistance R provided in the amusement hall device. Therefore, the detected voltage level at the time of starting the system in the contact-off state is used, and this is used as the contact-off determination value. Yes.

Thereby, when connecting the game room equipment and the signal processing device, it is possible to save the trouble of checking the resistance value of the disconnection resistance R or changing the contact-off determination value according to the resistance value.
If the current detection voltage level is not included in the contact-off determination region (4 to B), predetermined error processing (S104) is executed, and reading of the detection voltage level is repeated.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the input process of the state determination unit.
As shown in this figure, in the input process, first, the detection voltage level is read from the A / D conversion unit 50 a plurality of times at a predetermined cycle, and these read values are compared to identify the current detection voltage level (S201). ).
Next, it is determined whether or not the current detection voltage level is included in the disconnection determination value (E, F) (S202). If this determination is YES, whether or not the previous determination was the contact ON state. Is determined (S203). And when this judgment is NO, it determines with it being a disconnection state and alert | reports a disconnection state (S204). On the other hand, when the previous determination is the contact ON state, it is determined that the disconnection resistance R is not connected, and an abnormality is notified (S205).

  If the current detection voltage level is included in the contact ON determination value (0, 1) (S206), it is determined whether the previous determination was a disconnection state (S207). If this determination is NO, it is determined that the contact is on (S208). On the other hand, if the previous determination is a disconnection state, it is determined that the disconnection resistance R is not connected, and an abnormality is notified (S205).

  If the current detection voltage level is included in the contact-off determination value stored in the initial setting process (S209), it is determined whether or not the previous determination was a disconnection state (S210). If this determination is NO, it is determined that the contact is off (S211). On the other hand, if the previous determination is a disconnection state, it is determined that the normal state has been restored from the disconnection state, and normal recovery is notified (S212).

  If the current detection voltage level is not included in any of the disconnection determination value, the contact ON determination value, and the contact OFF determination value, it is determined that some fraud has occurred and this is notified (S213). For example, after connecting a resistance equivalent to the disconnection resistance R between the cables 30, the cable 30 is disconnected on the game room side, and if the fraud such as disguising the contact off state is performed, the resistance to the cable 30 It becomes possible to determine this injustice at the time when is connected and to notify this.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the state determination unit 60 reads the detection voltage of the signal detection unit 40 as a digital signal, and determines various state changes in the signal path based on a weak voltage change. It becomes possible to do. Thereby, it is possible to improve the signal path security by determining the work of the cable.
In addition, since the state determination unit 60 is configured by a CPU and various determination conditions can be set by software, it can easily cope with disconnection resistances R having different resistance values without changing the circuit configuration. can do.

  Further, since the state determination unit 60 stores the detected voltage level input at the time of initial setting as a contact-off determination value, when connecting the game hall device and the signal processing device, the resistance value of the disconnection resistance R may be checked, The trouble of changing the contact-off determination value according to the resistance value can be saved.

Further, the state determination unit 60 stores in advance a contact ON determination value, a contact OFF determination value, and a disconnection determination value, and based on a comparison between these determination values and the detected voltage level, the contact ON state, the contact OFF state, and the disconnection value. In addition to determining the state, when the detected voltage level does not correspond to any of the determination values, it is determined that there is an abnormality, so it is possible to reliably determine an abnormality that causes a change in the detected voltage.
For example, after connecting a resistance equivalent to the disconnection resistance R between the cables 30, the cable 30 is disconnected on the game room side, and if the fraud such as disguising the contact off state is performed, the resistance to the cable 30 This fraud can be determined when is connected.

  In addition, the state determination unit 60 determines that the disconnection resistance R is not connected when determining the contact ON state after determining the disconnection state or when determining the disconnection state after determining the contact ON state. The state in which the disconnection resistance R is not connected can be reliably determined without misidentifying the disconnection or connection failure of the cable 30.

  In addition, when the contact determination state is determined after the disconnection state is determined, the state determination unit 60 determines that the normal state has been recovered from the disconnection state. Therefore, after the recovery from the disconnection state, the contact OFF determination value and the like are reset. The signal processing can be resumed promptly without doing so.

  Further, since the state determination unit 60 operates the notification unit 80 at the time of disconnection determination, abnormality determination, resistance disconnection determination, or recovery determination, the administrator can perform various abnormalities (including fraud) and recovery. It can be easily recognized, and as a result, it is possible to prompt the manager to take an appropriate action.

  Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, a sign of a failure such as contact failure or leakage may be determined based on the detection voltage level of the signal detection unit. In this way, the occurrence of a failure can be prevented in advance.

  The present invention is connected to a game machine such as a game machine, a game medium lending machine, a game medium counter, a card issuing machine, a money changer, a checkout machine, a prize exchange, etc. installed in the game hall. The present invention is applied to signal processing devices such as a stand unit, an island unit, and a hall computer that process output signals. In particular, it is useful for a signal processing apparatus that directly inputs a signal from a game arcade device.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a hall | hole. It is a block diagram of a game hall device and a signal processing device connected via a cable. It is a circuit diagram which shows a signal detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of an A / D conversion part. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine of a state determination part. It is a flowchart which shows the initial setting process of a state determination part. It is a flowchart which shows the input processing of a state determination part. It is explanatory drawing of the fraud which crafts a cable.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Game machine 2 Game media rental machine 3 Game media counter 4 Card issuing machine 5 Currency exchange machine 6 Settlement machine 7 Gift exchange machine 8 unit 9 Island unit 10 Hall computer 21 Contact 22 Signal output terminal 30 Cable 40 Signal detection part 50 A / D conversion unit 60 State determination unit 70 Storage unit 80 Notification unit R Disconnection resistance

Claims (4)

A signal processing device for processing an output signal of a game hall device in which a contact and a resistor are connected in parallel to a signal output terminal, and connected to the signal output terminal of the game hall device via a cable,
Via the cable, a signal detector that constantly applies a voltage between the signal output terminals of the amusement hall equipment and detects a change in the voltage;
An A / D converter that converts the detected voltage detected by the signal detector into a digital signal indicating the voltage level;
At initialization, the detection voltage level is read from the A / D converter a plurality of times, the current detection voltage level is specified based on the read value, and the contact-off determination value including the specified current detection voltage level is stored. A state determination unit that
The state determination unit stores in advance a contact ON determination value and a disconnection determination value of a predetermined range together with the contact OFF determination value, and based on a comparison between the determination value and the detected voltage level, the contact OFF state, the contact The on state and the disconnection state are determined, and when the detected voltage level does not correspond to any of the determination values, it is determined to be illegal or abnormal.
A signal processing apparatus. When the state determination unit determines the contact ON state after determining the disconnection state, or determines the disconnection state after determining the contact ON state, determines that the resistor is not connected.
The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1. When the state determination unit determines the contact off state after determining the disconnection state, it is determined that the normal state is restored from the disconnection state.
The signal processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, The state determination unit operates the notification unit at the time of disconnection determination, abnormality determination, resistance disconnection determination, or recovery determination
The signal processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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