JP4919313B2 - Monitoring system for gaming machines - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring system for monitoring whether or not a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine is cheating.

  In a pachinko machine that is a kind of gaming machine, there is a case where a fraudulent act is performed in which a control element such as a ROM for controlling the operation content is replaced with a forged one. In addition, a fraudulent act may be performed in which a glass frame, a middle frame, or the like attached to the front face so as to be opened and closed is forcibly opened to win a lot of game balls in a winning device on the game board surface.

  In order to prevent such an illegal act, the applicant installs the IC tag and the antenna in the split type storage case of the control board storage box, and uses the monitoring control device to connect the IC tag and the antenna. A monitoring system that monitors the presence or absence of unauthorized opening of a control board storage box by repeatedly performing wireless communication between the terminals in a short period has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

  Furthermore, the applicant shall temporarily stop the generation of an alarm when a pachinko hall clerk performs maintenance work on a pachinko machine in an automatic monitoring system for a gaming machine using an IC tag and an antenna as described above. In order to enable this, an authentication antenna that can be wirelessly communicated with an authentication tag built into the card of the store clerk is installed on the front surface of the pachinko machine, and predetermined in wireless communication between the authentication tag and the authentication antenna in the card. A technique for switching the monitoring mode by the monitoring control device to the non-notifying mode when the above condition is satisfied has also been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-276164).

JP 2004-65801 A

  According to the fraud monitoring system using the communication between the authentication tag and the authentication antenna described above, fraudulent acts on the control board storage box can be efficiently monitored, and a pachinko hall clerk generates a false alarm. It is possible to easily perform the maintenance work of the pachinko machine without causing it. However, in order to introduce a fraud monitoring system using the communication between the authentication tag and the authentication antenna as described above into a pachinko hall, the existing pachinko machine must be modified and an authentication antenna must be installed. For this reason, a great deal of labor and cost are required to modify the equipment. In addition, depending on the type of pachinko machine, such an authentication antenna may not be installed.

  The object of the present invention is not only to solve the problems of the above-mentioned conventional fraud monitoring system and to efficiently prevent fraudulent acts on gaming machines, but also to existing equipment very easily and inexpensively. It is an object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system for gaming machines that can be introduced into the system.

Among the present inventions, the configuration of the invention described in claim 1 includes a monitoring IC tag installed in a gaming machine, and a monitoring control device that performs wireless communication with the monitoring IC tag via a monitoring antenna. An authentication IC tag storing predetermined ID information, an authentication antenna that performs wireless communication with the authentication IC tag and reads the ID information from the authentication IC tag, and an ID of the authentication IC tag A management device in which information is stored in advance, a relay IC tag for storing monitoring history information transmitted from the monitoring control device, and a portable device for reading the monitoring history information from the relay IC tag via a relay antenna The monitoring and control device periodically and repeatedly performs wireless communication with the monitoring IC tag installed in the gaming machine via the monitoring antenna, When the line communication state changes, the first monitoring information is output to the outside, and the ID information read from the authentication IC tag by the authentication antenna is stored in advance in the management device Under the matched conditions, when the wireless communication state between the monitoring antenna and the monitoring IC tag changes, the monitoring control device sends second monitoring information different from the first monitoring information to the outside. A monitoring system for a gaming machine that outputs the monitoring history information to the outside by wirelessly communicating with the portable terminal while the relay IC tag outputs, the authentication antenna and the relay IC tag together they are built side by side bets in the lateral direction, provided with insertable slit player cards each player owns, for RF communicable player card between the player card The antenna, at a position where the player card is possible the RF communication to be inserted into the slit, the authentication antenna and a communication unit containing the side by side to the relay IC tag the same direction, each of said gaming machines It is installed at a position adjacent to the upper side of the gaming machine every time, and the monitoring control device outputs the second monitoring information to the position above the authentication antenna on the front surface of the communication unit. provided with a first indicator lamp for informing that you are, in front of the communication unit, the relay IC tag above a position of the relay IC tag outputs the monitoring history information to an external It lies in setting digit the second notification lamp for notifying that you are.

  According to the gaming machine monitoring system described in claim 1, not only can illegal acts against gaming machines be efficiently prevented, but also modifications are made to existing gaming machines installed in gaming halls. It is possible to introduce a fraud monitoring system very easily. In other words, since the authentication antenna and the relay IC tag are built in a single device called a communication unit, it is necessary to separately provide the wiring for the authentication antenna and the wiring for the relay IC tag on the installation base. Therefore, it is possible to introduce a fraud monitoring system very efficiently.

In addition, when the monitoring control device outputs the second monitoring information to the outside, the fact is notified by the first notification lamp , so that when the store clerk of the game hall performs maintenance work of the gaming machine, etc. Since the work can be performed after confirming that the authentication state has been established, a situation in which a false alarm is generated can be prevented with high accuracy. Further, it is possible to prevent a situation where a person other than the game hall clerk abuses the authentication IC tag and cancels the state in which the monitoring control device outputs the first monitoring information to the outside.

Further, when the relay tag outputs the monitoring history information to the outside, the fact is notified by the second notification lamp, so that a person other than the game hall clerk abuses the portable terminal and monitors the monitoring history. It is possible to prevent situations where information is obtained or falsified.
In addition, a first notification lamp for notifying that the monitoring control device is outputting the second monitoring information to the outside is provided at a position above the authentication antenna on the front surface of the communication unit. on the front, because that only set the second notification lamp for notifying that the relay IC tag position where the upper relay IC tag is outputting monitoring history information to the outside, for authentication The location of the antenna or relay IC tag can be suggested to the game hall clerk.

Hereinafter, a monitoring system for a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings in the order of the following table of contents.
(1) Overview of the monitoring system (2) Configuration of each element of the monitoring system (3) Operation contents of the monitoring system (4) Effects of the monitoring system (5) Examples of changes to the monitoring system

(1) Overview of Monitoring System FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a monitoring system for a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of a pachinko hall in which a monitoring system S is introduced. It is. The pachinko machines 1, 1,... Are arranged in two rows in a back-to-back manner on each installation base (installation island) 203, 203,. Also, on each of the installation bases 203, 203,..., The player obtains personal information relating to the game and the store clerk obtains information relating to fraud monitoring above the pachinko machines 1, 1. .. Are provided on the upper side of the communication units 33, 33... For the player to obtain information on the game contents of the individual pachinko machine 1. 201, 201... Are installed. Further, in each of the installation bases 203, 203,..., RW (reader / writer) 66, 66,..., Which is a monitoring control device for monitoring each pachinko machine 1, 1,. RW 66, 66... Are connected to the main control board 37 and the communication unit 33 of the pachinko machine 1. In addition, each RW 66, 66... Is connected to the alarm display 45 installed at the end of the installation table 203 and the management device 300, which is a hall computer that manages the entire pachinko hall, via wiring such as a LAN cable. It is connected.

  In such a monitoring system S, each RW 66, 66,... Uses a monitoring IC tag (glass frame tag 40) and a monitoring antenna (glass frame antenna 41) installed in each pachinko machine 1, 1,. Then, the presence or absence of fraudulent acts on each pachinko machine 1, 1. A pachinko hall clerk holds the clerk card, which is an IC tag, over a predetermined part of the communication unit 33 and closes it to the authentication antenna (the clerk card antenna 206) built in the communication unit 33. The monitoring state by the IC tag and the monitoring antenna is switched to a non-notification mode (“authentication mode” to be described later) to stop the generation of an alarm when the maintenance work of the pachinko machine 1 is performed, and the maintenance work In the meantime, “work history information” (described later) is managed. Further, a store clerk at the pachinko hall points a portable terminal (hereinafter referred to as a PDA) toward a predetermined part of each communication unit 33, 33,..., A relay IC tag (relay tag 76) built in the communication unit 33 By performing wireless communication, monitoring information regarding the monitoring operation by the monitoring IC tag and the monitoring antenna can be taken into the PDA. Further, the player inserts a player card, which is an IC tag, into a predetermined part of the communication unit 33 and plays a game with the pachinko machine 1 in a state where the player card is close to the player card antenna built in the communication unit 33. Thereby, the information regarding the game content of the pachinko machine 1 can be obtained via the RW 66.

(2) Configuration of each element of the monitoring system [Configuration of pachinko machine]
3 to 5 show the pachinko machine 1. The pachinko machine 1 is supported by a machine frame 2 around its periphery, and a middle frame 10 formed by bending a metal plate is hinged to the front surface of the machine frame 2 detachably with a left end edge as an axis. A substantially square game board 9 is provided on the upper front side of the middle frame 10, and a glass frame 4 fitted with a glass plate so as to cover the game board 9 has a left edge as an axis. It is a butterfly that can be freely opened.

  In addition, on the board surface of the game board 9, there is provided a symbol display device 14 capable of displaying various moving images, messages, and the like on a liquid crystal screen. In addition, a symbol starting port 16 is provided below the symbol display device 14, and a big winning device 17 for opening and closing the door member 61 is provided below the symbol starting port 16. Further, the board surface of the game board 9 is provided with a large number of obstacle nails and game members such as windmills for changing the fall of the game ball. In addition, an out port 5 is provided at the lower end of the game board 9 for collecting game balls that have not won.

  Further, a glass frame tag 40 which is a monitoring IC tag is fixed to the rear surface of the glass frame 4 on the open side, and when the glass frame 4 is closed at the upper right side of the game board 9, the glass frame tag 40. A glass frame antenna 41, which is a monitoring antenna that performs RF transmission / reception with the glass frame tag 40, is fixed to a portion facing the glass frame tag 40.

  The glass frame tag 40 is provided with a storage means such as an RF circuit and an EEPROM and a transmission / reception circuit on a glass composite substrate such as a CEM3. In the overwriting erasure prohibited area of the storage means, the glass frame tag 40 is provided. Identification information for distinguishing from other IC tags is stored.

  On the other hand, the glass frame antenna 41 has a transmitting / receiving circuit spirally formed on the surface of a thin plate-like substrate formed of a glass composite such as CEM3. The glass frame antenna 41 is connected to the RW 66 in the installation table 203 via a cable.

  The glass frame tag 40 can transmit and receive RF (Radio Frequency) using a predetermined frequency (for example, 13.56 MHz) with the glass frame antenna 41. A reflected wave including identification information stored in advance is set so as to be output (returned) within a predetermined communication range (about 3 mm).

  On the other hand, a synthetic resin mechanism plate 36 is provided on the back surface of the pachinko machine 1, and the mechanism plate 36 has a main control board box 38 containing a main control board 37 for controlling the operation content, A game ball payout device 63 for paying out prize balls and rental balls is installed.

[Configuration of RW]
FIG. 6 shows a control mechanism of the RW 66 that is a monitoring control device. The RW 66 includes a CPU 68, a RAM 69, a ROM 70, an EEPROM 71, a timer 72, an RF circuit 73, an I / O interface 74, and the like. The RF circuit 73 is connected to the cable of the glass frame antenna 41 installed in the pachinko machine 1. In the EEPROM 71, identification information registered in the glass frame tag 40 of the pachinko machine 1 is stored in advance.

[Configuration of communication unit]
FIG. 7 shows the communication unit 33 installed on the front side of the installation table 203. The communication unit 33 includes a relay tag 76 that is a relay IC tag, a player card antenna 78, and a clerk card antenna 206 that is an authentication antenna in a storage case 34 that is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape with synthetic resin. Is installed.

  The relay tag 76 includes an RF circuit and an antenna circuit for RF communication with the antenna. Moreover, unlike the glass frame tag 40 installed in the pachinko machine 1, it has a CPU for executing various calculations, and transmits and receives signals by wired communication via a cable separately from RF communication. Input / output ports for The relay tag 76 is fixed in a state where the surface on which the antenna circuit is wound is in contact with the back side of the front panel of the storage case 34, and is connected to the I / O interface 74 of the RW 66 by the I / O cable 30. It is connected.

  The player card antenna 78 is the same as the glass frame antenna 41, and has a transmitting / receiving circuit spirally formed on the surface of a thin substrate made of glass composite. The player card antenna 78 is fixed by an adhesive or the like in a state in which the surface on which the transmission / reception circuit is wound is in contact with the front plate of the card insertion slit 35 provided vertically in the approximate center of the storage case 34. It is connected to the RF circuit 73 of the RW 66 by the antenna cable 31a (see FIG. 7C).

  The clerk card antenna 206 is also the same as the player card antenna and the glass frame antenna 41, and has a transmitting / receiving circuit spirally formed on the surface of a thin substrate made of glass composite. Such an antenna for a player card is fixed in a state where the surface on which the transmission / reception circuit is wound is in contact with the back side of the front panel of the storage case 34, and is connected to the RF circuit 73 of the RW 66 by the antenna cable 31b. (See FIG. 7D).

  Further, on the front panel of the storage case 34 of the communication unit 33, notification lamps 32a, 32b, and 32c are provided at positions corresponding to above the built-in relay tag 76, player card antenna 78, and clerk card antenna 206. The relay tags 76, the player card antenna 78, and the store clerk card antenna 206 are arranged side by side. As will be described later, the notification lamp 32a functions as information output state notification means, and the notification lamp 32c functions as authentication state notification means.

[Configuration of management device]
FIG. 8 shows a control mechanism of the management apparatus 300. The management apparatus 300 includes a CPU 292, storage means 291 including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, and the like, a timer 297, a warning lamp 295, a display 296, a communication circuit 294, an I / O interface 293, and the like. The CPU 292 is connected to the warning lamp 295 and the display 296 via the I / O interface 293. The CPU 292 is connected to the communication circuit 294 via the I / O interface 293. The RWs 66, 66,... Are connected to the CPU 292 of the management apparatus 300 via the alarm indicator 45 of the installation table 203 via wiring such as a LAN cable. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, “store clerk card ID” of each store clerk card, which will be described later, is stored in the storage means 291 in a state associated with the store clerk name of the pachinko hall. In other words, the NO. “4852... 79AX” is stored as the “clerk card ID” of No. 1 clerk card, and the NO. As the “clerk card ID” of No. 2 clerk card, “6957... 31HY” is stored.

e. Configuration of Portable Terminal FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a PDA for reading information from a relay tag 76 by a store clerk in a pachinko hall. The PDA 94 is provided with an RF module 93 incorporating an antenna and an RF circuit at the top, a display screen 95 for displaying received “monitoring history information” and the like on the front, and operations for inputting various command signals. A key 96 or the like is provided. The PDA 94 also has a flash memory (not shown) for storing received “monitoring history information” and an I / O interface (not shown) for transmitting and receiving data such as “monitoring history information”. ) Etc.

f. Configuration of Player Card and Clerk Card FIG. 11 shows a clerk card. The clerk card 249 is a synthetic resin made of an IC chip 253 incorporating a transmission / reception circuit 252, an RF circuit 267, and storage means 266 such as an EEPROM. Coated and carded. In the storage unit 266, a “clerk card ID” that is an ID unique to each clerk card 249 is stored.

  The player card is the same as the store clerk card 249, and is an IC chip with a built-in memory means such as a transmission / reception circuit, an RF circuit, and an EEPROM coated with a synthetic resin to form a card. In the player card storage means, a “player card ID” which is an ID unique to each player card is stored.

(3) Monitoring system operation details [Pachinko machine operation details]
Each pachinko machine 1, 1... Executes a main game operation according to a program stored in the main control board 37. When a predetermined condition is satisfied (for example, when a game ball wins the symbol start port 16), a “lottery” is executed on the main control board 37, and a “hit” is obtained in the “lottery”. In such a case, a preset “hit symbol” is displayed on the symbol display device 14, and a “hit state” is generated, and the door member 61 of the big winning device 17 is intermittently opened a predetermined number of times. Further, when a game ball wins a big winning opening inside the door member 61 or various winning devices, a predetermined number of game balls are paid out as prize balls by the operation of the game ball paying device 63.

[Filatory monitoring]
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a control mechanism of each element such as the RW 66, the communication unit 33, and the management apparatus 300 in the monitoring system S. The RW 66 performs the monitoring operation of the glass frame 4 in the pachinko machine 1 using RF transmission / reception between the glass frame tag 40 and the glass frame antenna 41 installed in the pachinko machine 1. That is, when the RW 66 transmits a calling wave to the glass frame tag 40 via the glass frame antenna 41, the glass frame tag 40 immediately returns a reflected wave including the stored “identification information”. When the reflected wave is received by the glass frame antenna 41, the RW 66 determines whether or not the “identification information” included in the reflected wave from the glass frame tag 40 matches that stored in the EEPROM 71 in advance. When it is confirmed that it is the same as the stored one, the ringing wave is immediately transmitted again. However, when the reflected wave is not received within a predetermined time (for example, 50 ms) after the ringing wave is transmitted, the “identification information” included in the reflected wave from the glass frame tag 40 is registered in the EEPROM 71 in advance. If it does not coincide with the detected information, it is determined that the glass frame 40 is abnormal (the glass frame 40 may have been opened illegally), and the time when the reflected wave is received is stored in the EEPROM 71 as “abnormality detection information”. The “abnormal signal” is output to the outside except when the monitoring operation is executed in the “authentication mode” described later.

  The RW 66 repeatedly performs the monitoring operation as described above for 24 hours with a short period (about several tens of ms). The glass frame tag 40 and the glass frame antenna 41 are set so that RF transmission / reception can be performed only when the distance is within about 3 mm. Therefore, even if the glass frame 4 is slightly opened for a short time, it is determined that there is an abnormality.

  When receiving the “abnormal signal” output from the RW 66, the alarm indicator 45 displays a predetermined message on the indicator 46 and causes the alarm lamp 47 to emit light in a predetermined manner. The light emitted from the alarm lamp 47 prompts the pachinko hall clerk to pay attention. Further, upon receiving the “abnormal signal” output from the RW 66, the alarm indicator 45 transmits an “abnormal signal” to the management apparatus 300. When the management apparatus 300 receives the “abnormal signal” transmitted from the alarm indicator 45, the management apparatus 300 displays the reception time and the “identification symbol” (the machine number of the pachinko machine 1) of the transmission source as “abnormality detection information”. Display on the device 296.

[Authentication and work history management operations during clerk work]
When the clerk card 249 is brought close to the clerk card antenna 206 of the communication unit 33, RF transmission / reception between the clerk card antenna 206 and the clerk card 249 can be performed. Then, when a call wave is transmitted from the clerk card antenna 206 in accordance with a command from the CPU 68 of the RW 66, the clerk card 249 that has received the call wave transmits a wave wave including the “clerk card ID” unique to the clerk card 240. The information is transmitted to the clerk card antenna 206 (note that the clerk card antenna 206 always transmits a ringing wave). The transmitted reflected wave is transmitted from the store clerk card antenna 206 to the RW 66.

  The RW 66 stores the “clerk card ID” stored in each clerk card 249, 249,... In the RAM 69 according to the types (numbers) of all valid clerk cards 249, 249,. (See FIG. 9). The RW 66 that has received the reflected wave from the clerk card 249 determines whether or not the “clerk card ID” included in the reflected wave is stored in the RAM 69.

  When the RW 66 determines that the “clerk card ID” included in the reflected wave received from the clerk card 249 is stored in the EEPROM 71, the glass frame tag 40 of the pachinko machine 1 is used thereafter. And the glass frame antenna 41 are controlled so as not to transmit an “abnormal signal” to the alarm indicator 45 and the management apparatus 300 even if transmission / reception is disabled. By such control, when the store clerk of the pachinko hall opens the glass frame 4 of the pachinko machine 1 for maintenance work or the like, a situation where an “abnormal signal” is transmitted to the alarm indicator 45 and the management device 300 It is possible to avoid unnecessary alarms.

  When the RW 66 determines that the “clerk card ID” included in the reflected wave transmitted from the clerk card 249 is stored in the EEPROM 71, the RW 66 receives the reflected wave and the “clerk” “Card ID” is stored in the EEPROM 71 as “access history information”. With this operation, it becomes possible to grasp at what time the store clerk card 249 has collated the “store clerk card ID”. Note that the monitoring mode of the pachinko machine 1 by the RW 66, the alarm indicator 45, and the management device 300 in the case where such “clerk card ID” is collated is referred to as “authentication mode”, and the monitoring mode in other cases Is called “normal mode”. Further, while the monitoring mode is “authentication mode”, the notification lamp 32 c that is an authentication state notification unit provided in the communication unit 33 is lit.

  Furthermore, after the monitoring mode is switched to the “authentication mode”, the transmission / reception between the glass frame tag 40 and the glass frame antenna 41 of the pachinko machine 1 is disconnected. In addition, the “work history information” is stored in the EEPROM 71 as “work history information” in association with the “clerk card ID” and transmitted to the management apparatus 300. The management apparatus 300 that has received the “work history information” from the RW 66 stores the “work history information” in the storage unit 291 for each machine of the pachinko machine 1.

  In addition, after switching the monitoring mode to the “authentication mode”, when transmission / reception between the glass frame tag 40 and the glass frame antenna 41 of the pachinko machine 1 is restored (that is, after the glass frame 4 is closed after maintenance work or the like). When normal transmission / reception continues for a predetermined time), the monitoring mode is switched to “normal mode” again, and thereafter, the glass frame tag 40 and the glass frame antenna 41 of the pachinko machine 1 transmit / receive. Control is performed such that an “abnormal signal” is transmitted to the alarm indicator 45 and the management device 300 when it becomes impossible.

[Operation for providing monitoring history information]
On the other hand, in the monitoring system S, using the PDA 94, the “monitoring history information” stored in the EEPROM 71 of the RW 66 can be taken out via the relay tag 76 and managed externally. That is, when the RF module 93 of the PDA 94 is directed toward the relay tag 76 of the communication unit 33, the PDA 94 and the relay tag 76 are in a state where RF transmission / reception is possible. Then, by operating the operation key 96 in this state, a call wave including a “monitoring history transmission request signal” is transmitted to obtain new “monitoring history information”, or “monitoring history information” that is no longer necessary. For example, a call wave including a “monitoring history clear signal” can be transmitted in order to delete the data.

  When the ringing wave transmitted from the PDA 94 includes the “monitoring history transmission request signal”, the relay tag 76 reads out the “monitoring history information” stored in the EEPROM 71 of the RW 66 and uses the “monitoring history information”. It returns to the PDA 94 on the reflected wave. When a reflected wave including “monitoring history information” is returned from the relay tag 76, the “monitoring history information” is displayed on the display screen 95 of the PDA 94.

  On the other hand, when the ringing wave transmitted from the PDA 94 includes the “monitoring history clear signal”, when the ringing wave is transmitted from the relay tag 76 to the RW 66, “monitoring history information” stored in the EEPROM 71 of the RW 66. Is cleared. When the “monitoring history information” in the EEPROM 71 of the RW 66 is cleared, the fact is transmitted to the PDA 94 via the relay tag 76, and the fact that the “monitoring history information” is cleared is displayed on the display screen 95 of the PDA 94. Is done. As described above, while the PDA 94 is transmitting and receiving signals to and from the relay tag 76, the notification lamp 32a that is information output state notification means provided in the communication unit 33 is turned on. By using the PDA in such a manner, monitoring information on each pachinko machine 1 can be obtained in the vicinity of each pachinko machine 1, 1,... Can be dealt with quickly.

[Game information provision operation]
On the other hand, in the monitoring system S, the player of the pachinko machine 1 can take out information related to the game content of the pachinko machine 1 using the player card 80. That is, when the player card 80 is inserted into the card insertion slit 35 of the communication unit 33, the player card 80 and the player card antenna 78 are in a state where RF transmission / reception is possible.

  Then, when a call wave is transmitted from the player card antenna 78 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 68 of the RW 66, the player card that has received the call wave has a wave including a “player card ID” unique to the player card. A wave is transmitted to the player card antenna 78 (note that the player card antenna 78 always transmits a ringing wave). The transmitted reflected wave is transmitted from the player card antenna 78 to the RW 66.

  The RW 66 that has received the reflected wave from the player card 80 thereafter stores it in the storage means (EEP-ROM, etc.) of the player card 80 based on the game information received from the main control board 37 of the pachinko machine 1. Game information (for example, “number of jackpots”, “number of starts”, “number of consumed game balls”) is written. The game information is updated at a predetermined timing (for example, every 5 seconds). The latest game information stored in the storage means of the player card 80 can be confirmed at an arbitrary timing by a data providing device (not shown) provided in the pachinko hall. Further, the change of the game information with time can be confirmed at an arbitrary timing by the data providing apparatus.

(4) Effect of Monitoring System As described above, the monitoring system S includes the communication unit 33 including the clerk card antenna 206 as an authentication antenna and the relay tag 76 as a relay IC tag. It is installed in another position. Therefore, according to the monitoring system S, not only can illegal acts against the pachinko machines 1, 1... Be efficiently prevented, but also the existing pachinko machines installed in the pachinko halls are not modified, It becomes possible to introduce a fraud monitoring system very easily. That is, since the clerk card antenna 206 and the relay tag 76 are built in a single device called the communication unit 33, the wiring for the clerk card antenna 206 and the wiring for the relay tag 76 are installed on the installation base. Since it is not necessary to separately provide in 203, the fraud monitoring system S can be introduced very efficiently.

  Moreover, since the notification lamp 32c which is an authentication state notification means is installed in the communication unit 33, the monitoring system S notifies the fact by the notification lamp 32c when the monitoring state is “authentication mode”. Therefore, when a pachinko hall clerk performs maintenance work for pachinko machines 1, 1, etc., it is possible to work after confirming that it is in the “authentication mode”, so a false alarm is issued. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of the situation with high accuracy. Further, it is possible to prevent a person other than the pachinko hall clerk from misusing the clerk card 249 and switching the monitoring state to the “authentication mode”.

  Furthermore, in the monitoring system S, since the notification lamp 32a that is an information output state notification means is installed in the communication unit 33, the relay tag 76 that is a relay IC tag outputs “monitoring history information” to the outside. In this case, the notification lamp 32a notifies that fact, so that it is possible to prevent a person other than the pachinko hall clerk from misusing the PDA 94 to obtain or tamper with the “monitoring history information”.

(5) Example of Modification of Monitoring System of Example The configuration of the monitoring system of the present invention is not limited to the aspect of the above embodiment, and includes a gaming machine, a monitoring control device (RW), an authentication antenna, The configuration of the shape and structure of the authentication IC tag, the monitoring IC tag, the monitoring antenna, the relay IC tag, the portable terminal, the communication unit, the alarm indicator, the management device, etc., does not depart from the spirit of the present invention Thus, it can be changed as necessary.

  For example, the monitoring system is not limited to a glass frame that is attached to the front surface of a pachinko machine so that it can be freely opened and closed, and is not limited to a machine frame that covers the periphery of a pachinko machine, or a main control board for a pachinko machine. It is also possible to provide a monitoring IC tag and a monitoring antenna in a part such as a box storage case or a door member of a prize winning device.

  In addition, the communication unit is not limited to a relay IC tag, a player card antenna, and an authentication antenna as in the above-described embodiment, and may include only a relay IC tag and an authentication antenna. . When the communication unit includes a relay IC tag, a player card antenna, and an authentication antenna, there is an advantage that the convenience of the communication unit is further improved.

  On the other hand, the monitoring system is not limited to one in which the main control board of the pachinko machine, the monitoring control device, the alarm indicator, and the management device are connected by wire, and it is possible to change these devices to those connected wirelessly. It is. The monitoring system may be a system that transmits monitoring history information to the outside of the pachinko hall through a line such as the Internet. Further, the monitoring system is not limited to the one in which the main control board of the pachinko machine and the alarm display or the management apparatus are connected via the monitoring control apparatus, but the alarm control apparatus or the management apparatus is directly connected to the main control board of the pachinko machine. It is also possible to change it to the one connected to. In addition, the monitoring system is not necessarily limited to the one having an alarm indicator, and may be one in which the main control board of the pachinko machine or the monitoring control device is directly connected to the management device.

  Note that the monitoring system of the present invention is not limited to the one that monitors the pachinko machine as in the above embodiment, and can be changed to one that monitors other gaming machines such as a slot machine and a slot machine type pachinko machine. is there.

  The gaming machine monitoring system of the present invention can be suitably used as a monitoring system for various gaming machines.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of a monitoring system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the external appearance of the pachinko hall which introduced the monitoring system. It is a front view of a pachinko machine. It is a front perspective view of the pachinko machine which opened the glass frame and the middle frame. It is a rear view of a pachinko machine. It is a block diagram which shows the control mechanism of RW. (A) is the front perspective view of a communication unit, (b) is a front view of a communication unit, (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the AA line cross section in (b), (d) is ( It is explanatory drawing which shows the BB line cross section in b). It is a block diagram which shows the control mechanism of a management apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the "clerk card ID" is memorize | stored in the management apparatus. It is a front perspective view of PDA. It is a block diagram which shows the control mechanism of a salesclerk card. It is a block diagram which shows the control mechanism of each element of a monitoring system.

Explanation of symbols

  1. Pachinko machine, 32a, notification lamp (information output status notification means), 32c, notification lamp (authentication status notification means), 33, communication unit, 40, glass frame tag (monitoring IC tag), 41..Glass frame antenna (monitoring antenna), 66..RW (monitoring control device), 76..Relay tag (relay IC tag), 94..PDA (portable terminal), 206..For clerk card Antenna (authentication antenna), 300 ... management device, S ... monitoring system.

Claims (1)

A monitoring IC tag installed in the gaming machine;
A monitoring control device that performs wireless communication with the monitoring IC tag via a monitoring antenna;
An authentication IC tag storing predetermined ID information;
An authentication antenna that performs wireless communication with the authentication IC tag and reads the ID information from the authentication IC tag;
A management device in which ID information of the authentication IC tag is stored in advance;
A relay IC tag for storing monitoring history information transmitted from the monitoring control device;
A portable terminal that reads the monitoring history information from the relay IC tag via a relay antenna;
When the monitoring control device periodically and repeatedly executes wireless communication with the monitoring IC tag installed in the gaming machine via the monitoring antenna, and the wireless communication state changes, While outputting the first monitoring information to the outside,
Under the condition that the ID information read from the authentication IC tag by the authentication antenna matches the ID information stored in the management device in advance, the monitoring antenna and the monitoring IC tag When the wireless communication state changes, the monitoring control device outputs second monitoring information different from the first monitoring information to the outside,
The relay IC tag is a gaming machine monitoring system that outputs the monitoring history information to the outside by wireless communication with the portable terminal,
The authentication antenna and the relay IC tag are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and equipped with a slit into which a player card owned by each player can be inserted, and can communicate with the player card through RF communication. A communication unit including a player card antenna arranged side by side in the same direction as the authentication antenna and the relay IC tag at a position where the RF communication is possible when the player card is inserted into the slit. In addition, each of the gaming machines is installed at a position adjacent to the upper side of the gaming machine,
In front of the communication unit, provided with a first indicator lamp for informing that the monitoring and control device in a position to be above the authentication antenna is outputting the second monitoring information to the outside, the at the front of the communication unit, the relay IC tag the monitoring history information that the second notification lamp for notifying digits set that they are output to the outside to a position above the of the relay IC tag A gaming machine monitoring system.

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