JP5763581B2 - Hopper device and game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hopper device that pays out medals (including tokens and the like) and coins (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as medals) and a gaming machine including the hopper device.

  As this kind of hopper device, a bucket for collecting medals, a medal disk for receiving medals accumulated in the bucket through an opening formed in a lower part of the bucket, and a medal disk by rotating the medal disk one by one There is known a hopper device including a payout unit for paying out. As a bucket of a hopper device, a bucket having a so-called mortar-shaped inclined surface that gradually converges toward an opening is known so that medals can be smoothly guided to a medal disk.

  In the hopper device including the bucket, medals accommodated in the bucket are entangled with each other to form a bridge-like lump (hereinafter referred to as a medal bridge) above the opening formed in the lower portion of the bucket. May be blocked. When the opening is closed, the medal does not reach the medal disc.

  Therefore, in order to suppress the formation of the medal bridge, the hopper device described in Patent Document 1 includes a bucket having an inclined surface inclined from the upper part toward the lower part, and corrugated irregularities are continuously formed on the inclined surface. Is formed.

JP 2006-201831 A

However, in the hopper device described in Patent Literature 1, if medals are arranged so as to be spanned between adjacent convex portions of the inclined surface, the medal bridge may still be formed.
Moreover, it is necessary to prepare a mold for molding a bucket having irregularities formed on an inclined surface in place of the existing bucket, which may increase the manufacturing cost of the hopper device.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a hopper device that can reliably suppress the formation of a medal bridge with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, a hopper device of the present invention includes a bucket and a medal delivery device.

The bucket forms a storage space for storing inserted medals. The medal delivery device has a stirring unit that is provided below the bucket and stirs the medals accommodated in the bucket, and sends out the medals stirred by the stirring unit .
The bucket has an upper opening that forms an upper opening through which a medal inserted into the bucket passes, and a tapered portion that extends downward while inclining inward from the lower end of the upper opening, and is formed with a plurality of through holes. And a spanning member having both end portions inserted into the plurality of through holes and supported by the tapered portion, and extending into the accommodation space. Further, both ends of the hanging passing member, bent downwardly, bent portion is formed that will be inserted from above into the through-hole, the lower end of the bent portion, the retaining portion is provided, over passing member The upper portion of the bent portion is supported by the bucket so as to be vertically movable between an initial position where the upper portion of the bent portion contacts the upper surface of the tapered portion and a position where the retaining portion contacts the lower surface of the tapered portion .

  Moreover, the gaming machine of the present invention includes the hopper device described above.

In the hopper device and gaming machine configured as described above, when the medal is inserted into the bucket, the medal bounces when the spanning member extending in the accommodation space comes into contact with the medal. The direction in which the medal bounces varies depending on various factors such as the contact location between the medal and the passing member and the medal dropping speed, so that the medal can be distributed and accommodated in the accommodating space.
For this reason, it is possible to prevent the medals from being concentrated and stacked in one place in the bucket and to suppress the formation of the medal bridge with a simple configuration in which the spanning member extends into the accommodation space.

  According to the present invention, formation of a medal bridge can be reliably suppressed with a simple configuration.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the functional flow in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of an external appearance structure in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a middle door closed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a middle door opened. It is explanatory drawing which shows the inside of the cabinet in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the back surface side of the front door in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the main control circuit in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the sub control circuit in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the hopper apparatus in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention from one direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the hopper apparatus in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention from the other direction. It is a top view of the hopper apparatus in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view of the hopper apparatus in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the medal auxiliary storage in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the state which closed the through-hole of the medal auxiliary storage in the gaming machine of one Embodiment of this invention with the bottom cover. It is explanatory drawing of the state which opened the bottom cover of the medal auxiliary storage in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention, and exposed the through-hole.

  A pachi-slot showing an embodiment of a hopper device and a gaming machine of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a functional flow according to the embodiment of the gaming machine will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the pachislot of this embodiment, medals are used as game media for playing games. In addition to the medals, coins, game balls, game point data, tokens, or the like can be applied as game media.

  When a player inserts a medal and operates the start lever, one value (hereinafter, random number value) is extracted from random numbers in a predetermined numerical range (for example, 0 to 65535).

  The internal lottery means performs lottery based on the extracted random number value and determines an internal winning combination. This internal lottery means is carried out by a main control circuit described later. By determining the internal winning combination, a combination of symbols that permits display along a winning determination line described later is determined. The types of symbol combinations include those related to “winning” in which benefits such as paying out medals, re-games, bonuses, etc. are given to players, and other so-called “loses”. Is provided.

  Further, when the start lever is operated, a plurality of reels are rotated. Thereafter, when the stop button is pressed by the player, the reel stop control means performs control to stop the rotation of the corresponding reel based on the internal winning combination and the timing when the stop button is pressed. The reel stop control means is responsible for a main control circuit described later.

  In the pachi-slot, basically, control for stopping the rotation of the corresponding reel is performed within a specified time (190 msec) from when the stop button is pressed. In the present embodiment, the number of symbols that move with the rotation of the reel within the specified time is referred to as “the number of sliding symbols”, and the maximum number is defined as four symbols.

  The reel stop control means displays the symbol combination as much as possible along the winning determination line using the specified time when the internal winning combination allowing the display of the symbol combination related to winning is determined. Stop the reel rotation so that Further, the reel stop control means stops the rotation of the reel using the specified time so that a combination of symbols that are not permitted to be displayed by the internal winning combination is not displayed along the winning determination line.

  Thus, when the rotation of the plurality of reels is all stopped, the winning determination means determines whether or not the combination of symbols displayed along the winning determination line is related to winning. This winning determination means is carried out by a main control circuit described later. When it is determined that the prize is related to a prize, a bonus such as a medal payout is given to the player. A series of flows as described above is performed as one game in the pachislot.

  Further, in the pachislot, in the above-described series of flows, video display performed by a display device such as a liquid crystal display device, light output performed by various lamps, sound output performed by a speaker, or a combination thereof is used. Various productions are performed.

  When the start lever is operated, an effect random number value (hereinafter referred to as effect random number value) is extracted in addition to the random number value used for determining the internal winning combination. When the effect random number value is extracted, the effect content determining means determines, by lottery, what is to be executed this time from among a plurality of types of effect contents associated with the internal winning combination. This effect content determination means is carried out by a sub-control circuit described later.

  When the content of the production is determined, the production execution means is linked to each opportunity such as when the rotation of the reel is started, when the rotation of each reel is stopped, or when the presence / absence of a prize is determined. To proceed with the production. This effect executing means is carried out by a sub-control circuit described later. In this way, in the pachislot, the player is given the opportunity to know or predict the determined internal winning combination (in other words, the combination of symbols to be aimed at) by executing the production contents associated with the internal winning combination. As a result, the player's interest is improved.

<Pachislot structure>
Next, the structure of the pachislot machine 1 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Appearance structure]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external structure of the pachi-slot 1.

The exterior body 2 of the pachi-slot 1 includes a cabinet 2a that houses a reel, a circuit board, and the like, and a front door 2b that is attached to the cabinet 2a so as to be opened and closed.
Handles 7 are provided on both side surfaces of the cabinet 2a. The handle 7 is a recess that is put on when carrying the pachi-slot 1.

  Inside the cabinet 2a, three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are provided side by side. Hereinafter, the reels 3L, 3C, and 3R are referred to as a left reel 3L, a middle reel 3C, and a right reel 3R, respectively. Each reel 3L, 3C, 3R has a reel body formed in a cylindrical shape and a translucent sheet material mounted on the peripheral surface of the reel body. A plurality of (for example, 21) symbols are drawn on the surface of the sheet material at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction.

  An upper panel unit 10 and a liquid crystal display device 11 are provided above the center of the front door 2b. The upper panel unit 10 forms the upper part of the front door 2b. The upper panel unit 10 has a light source, and performs an effect by light emitted from the light source. The liquid crystal display device 11 is arranged on the lower side of the upper panel unit 10 and executes an effect by displaying an image.

  A pedestal 12 is formed in the center of the front door 2b. The pedestal portion 12 is provided with a symbol display area 4 and various devices to be operated by the player.

  The symbol display area 4 is arranged on the front side superimposed on the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R when viewed from the front, and is provided corresponding to the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R. The symbol display area 4 functions as a display window, and has a configuration capable of transmitting through the reels 3L, 3C, 3R provided behind the display window. Hereinafter, the symbol display area 4 is referred to as a reel display window 4.

  When the reels 3L, 3C, and 3R provided behind the reel display window 4 stop rotating, the reel display window 4 has an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage within the frame among a plurality of types of symbols of the reels 3L, 3C, and 3R. One symbol (three in total) is displayed in each area. In the present embodiment, a pseudo line formed by combining any one of predetermined regions among the three regions including the upper, middle, and lower stages facing the reels 3L, 3C, and 3R of the reel display window 4, It is defined as a line (winning determination line) that is a target for determining whether or not a prize is won.

  The reel display window 4 is formed by a frame member 13 provided on the pedestal portion 12. The frame member 13 has a reel display window 4, an information display window 14, and a stop button attachment portion 15.

  The information display window 14 is provided continuously below the reel display window 4 and opens upward. That is, the reel display window 4 and the information display window 14 are formed as one continuous opening. The information display window 14 and the reel display window 4 are covered with a transparent window cover 16.

  The window cover 16 is disposed on the inner surface side of the frame member 13 and cannot be removed from the front side of the front door 2b. In addition, the frame member 13 includes a sheet placement portion 17 that faces the opening of the information display window 14 with the window cover 16 interposed therebetween. And between the sheet | seat mounting part 17 and the window cover 16, the sheet | seat member (information sheet) in which the information regarding a game was described is arrange | positioned. Therefore, the information sheet is covered with the window cover 16 having a smooth surface without unevenness or gaps.

The window cover 16 that constitutes the information sheet attachment portion cannot be removed from the front side of the front door 2b, and has a smooth surface with no irregularities or gaps. Can prevent fraudulent access to the inside.
The replacement of the information sheet will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the reel display window 4 and the information display window 14 are formed as one continuous opening. However, the information display window according to the gaming machine of the present invention may be provided below the reel display window and may not be continuous with the reel display window. That is, the reel display window and the information display window according to the gaming machine of the present invention may be formed as two openings arranged in the vertical direction.

  The stop button mounting portion 15 is provided below the information display window 14 and is formed on a plane facing the front. The stop button mounting portion 15 is provided with a through hole through which the stop buttons 19L, 19C, 19R pass. Stop buttons 19L, 19C, 19R are associated with each of the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R, and are provided to stop the rotation of the corresponding reels. Hereinafter, the stop buttons 19L, 19C, and 19R are referred to as a left stop button 19L, a middle stop button 19C, and a right stop button 19R, respectively.

  The stop buttons 19L, 19C, and 19R show examples of various devices that are targets of operations by the player. In addition, the pedestal portion 12 is provided with a medal slot 21, a BET button 22, and a start lever 23 as various devices to be operated by the player.

  The medal slot 21 is provided to accept a medal dropped from the outside by the player. The medals accepted by the medal slot 21 are inserted into one game with a predetermined number as the upper limit, and the amount exceeding the specified number can be deposited inside the pachislot 1 ( So-called credit function).

  The BET button 22 is provided to determine the number of coins to be inserted into one game from medals deposited inside the pachislot 1. The start lever 23 is provided to start rotation of all reels (3L, 3C, 3R).

  Further, a 7-segment display 24 composed of a 7-segment LED (Light Emitting Diode) is provided on the left side of the reel display window 4 when viewed from the front. The 7-segment display 24 digitally displays information such as the number of medals to be paid out to the player as a privilege (hereinafter referred to as the number of payouts), the number of medals deposited inside the pachislot (hereinafter referred to as the number of credits), and the like. .

  Side panel units 26 </ b> L and 26 </ b> R are provided on both sides of the pedestal portion 12. Each of the side panel units 26L and 26R has a light source, and performs an effect by light emitted from the light source. A settlement button 27 is provided below the side panel unit 26L. The checkout button 27 is provided to pull out the medals deposited inside the pachislot 1 to the outside.

  A lower panel unit 31 is provided below the pedestal 12. The waist panel unit 31 includes a decorative panel on which an arbitrary image is drawn and a light source that emits light for illuminating the decorative panel from the back side.

  Below the waist panel unit 31, a medal payout port 32, speaker holes 33L and 33R, and a medal tray unit 34 are provided. The medal payout port 32 guides medals discharged by driving a hopper device 51 described later to the outside. The medals discharged from the medal payout opening 32 are stored in the medal tray unit 34. The speaker holes 33L and 33R are provided for outputting sound such as sound effects and music corresponding to the contents of the performance.

[Internal structure]
3 and 4 are perspective views showing the internal structure of the pachi-slot 1. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the front door 2b is opened and the middle door 41 provided on the back side of the front door 2b is closed with respect to the front door 2b. FIG. 4 shows a state where the front door 2b is opened and the middle door 41 is opened with respect to the front door 2b.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the inside of the cabinet 2a. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the back side of the front door 2b.

  The cabinet 2a includes a top plate 20a, a bottom plate 20b, left and right side plates 20c and 20d, and a back plate 20e (see FIG. 5). A cabinet-side speaker 42 is disposed on the upper side inside the cabinet 2a. The cabinet-side speaker 42 is attached to the back plate 20e of the cabinet 2a via attachment brackets 43L and 43R. The cabinet side speaker 42 is, for example, a speaker for outputting sound effects.

  A cabinet-side relay board 44 is disposed on the left side of the cabinet-side speaker 42 when the inside of the cabinet 2a is viewed from the front. The cabinet side relay board 44 is attached to the left side plate 20c of the cabinet 2a. The cabinet-side relay board 44 includes a main control board 71 (see FIG. 7), which will be described later, attached to the middle door 41 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), a hopper device 51, a game medal auxiliary storage switch (not shown), a medal The wiring connecting the payout count switch (not shown) is relayed.

  An amplifier board 45 that controls the output of sound from the cabinet-side speaker 42 is disposed in the center of the cabinet 2a. The amplifier board 45 is attached to a mounting shelf 46 fixed to the left and right side plates 20c, 20d.

  Further, an external concentrated terminal plate 47 is disposed on the right side of the amplifier board 45 when the inside of the cabinet 2a is viewed from the front. The external concentrated terminal plate 47 is attached to the right side plate 20d of the cabinet 2a. The external concentration terminal board 47 is provided for outputting signals such as a medal insertion signal, a medal payout signal, and a security signal to the outside of the pachislot machine 1.

  A sub power supply device 48 is disposed on the left side of the amplifier board 45 when the inside of the cabinet 2a is viewed from the front. The sub power supply 48 is attached to the left side plate 20c of the cabinet 2a. The sub power supply device 48 supplies power with an AC voltage of 100 V to the power supply device 53 described later. Further, the power of the AC voltage 100V is converted into the power of the DC voltage and supplied to the amplifier board 45.

  A hopper device 51, a medal auxiliary storage 52, and a power supply device 53 are disposed below the inside of the cabinet 2a.

  The hopper device 51 is attached to the central portion of the bottom plate 20b in the cabinet 2a. The hopper device 51 can store a large amount of medals and can discharge them one by one. The hopper device 51 pays out medals when the number of stored medals exceeds 50, for example, or when the settlement button is pressed and the medals are settled. The medals paid out by the hopper device 51 are discharged from the medal payout port 32 (see FIG. 2).

  The medal auxiliary storage 52 stores medals overflowing from the hopper device 51. The medal auxiliary storage 52 is disposed on the right side of the hopper device 51 when the inside of the cabinet 2a is viewed from the front. The medal auxiliary storage 52 is engaged with the bottom plate 20b of the cabinet 2a, and is configured to be detachable from the bottom plate 20b.

  The power supply device 53 includes a power switch 53a and a power supply board 53b (see FIG. 7). The power supply device 53 is disposed on the left side of the hopper device 51 when the inside of the cabinet 2a is viewed from the front, and is attached to the left side plate 20c. The power supply device 53 converts the power of the AC voltage 100V supplied from the sub power supply device 48 into the power of the DC voltage necessary for each part, and supplies the converted power to each part.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the middle door 41 is arranged at the center of the back surface of the front door 2b, and is configured such that the reel display window 4 (see FIG. 4) can be opened and closed from the back side. Door stoppers 41a, 41b, and 41c are provided on the upper and lower portions of the middle door 41. The door stoppers 41a, 41b and 41c fix (prohibit) the opening operation of the middle door 41 in a state where the reel display window 4 is closed from the back side. That is, in order to open the middle door 41, it is necessary to rotate the door stoppers 41a, 41b, and 41c to release the middle door 41 from being fixed.

  A main control board case 55 that houses a main control board 71 (see FIG. 7) and three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are attached to the middle door 41. Stepping motors are connected to the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R through gears having a predetermined reduction ratio.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the middle door 41 is opened, the back surface of the window cover 16 and the sheet placement portion 17 are exposed. As described above, between the back surface of the window cover 16 and the sheet placement portion 17, an information sheet on which information related to the game is described is arranged. This information sheet is inserted into a gap formed between the back surface of the window cover 16 and the sheet placement portion 17 in a state where the middle door 41 is opened and the back surface of the window cover 16 and the sheet placement portion 17 are exposed. The When exchanging information sheets, the information sheet is exchanged after the middle door 41 is opened.

The main control board case 55 is provided with a setting key type switch 56. The setting key type switch 56 is used when changing the setting of the pachislot 1 or confirming the setting of the pachislot 1.
In the present embodiment, a main control board unit is configured by the main control board case 55 and the main control board 71 accommodated in the main control board case 55.

  The main control board 71 accommodated in the main control board case 55 constitutes a main control circuit 91 (see FIG. 8) described later. The main control circuit 91 is a circuit that controls the main flow of the game in the pachislot 1 such as determination of an internal winning combination, rotation and stop of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R, and determination of the presence or absence of winning. A specific configuration of the main control circuit 91 will be described later.

  A sub control board case 57 that houses the sub control board 72 (see FIG. 7) is disposed above the middle door 41. The sub control board 72 housed in the sub control board case 57 constitutes the sub control circuit 101 (see FIG. 9). The sub-control circuit 101 is a circuit that controls execution of effects by displaying images. A specific configuration of the sub control circuit 101 will be described later.

  A center speaker 58 is disposed above the sub control board case 57. A fan 59 is disposed on the left side of the center speaker 58 when the front door 2b is viewed from the back side. That is, the fan 59 is disposed at the upper part on the back side of the front door 2b. The fan 59 blows air downward to cool the interior of the pachislot machine 1.

  A sub relay board 61 is disposed on the right side of the sub control board case 57 when the front door 2b is viewed from the back side. The sub relay board 61 relays the wiring connecting the sub control board 72 and the main control board 71. Further, it is a board that relays the wiring that connects the sub-control board 72 and the board disposed around the sub-control board 72. In addition, as a board | substrate arrange | positioned around the sub control board | substrate 72, LED board 62A, 62B mentioned later is mentioned.

  The LED boards 62A and 62B are disposed above the sub control board case 57 when viewed from the back side of the front door 2b. These LED boards 62A and 62B cause an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 85 (see FIG. 7), which shows one specific example of the light source, to emit light according to the effects executed by the control of the sub-control circuit 101 (see FIG. 8). Display the blinking pattern. Note that the pachislo 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of LED substrates in addition to the LED substrates 62A and 62B.

  Below the sub-relay board 61, a 24h door opening / closing monitoring unit 63 is disposed. The 24h door opening / closing monitoring unit 63 stores the opening / closing history of the middle door 41. When the middle door 41 is opened, a signal for displaying an error on the liquid crystal display device 11 is output to the sub control board 72 (sub control circuit 101).

  Below the middle door 41, a board speaker 64 and lower speakers 65L and 65R are arranged. The board speaker 64 faces the waist panel unit 31 (see FIG. 2), and the lower speakers 65L and 65R face the speaker holes 33L and 33R (see FIG. 2), respectively.

  A selector 66 and a door open / close monitoring switch 67 are disposed above the lower speaker 65L. The selector 66 is a device for selecting whether or not the medal material and shape are appropriate, and guides an appropriate medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 21 to the hopper device 51. A medal sensor (not shown) for detecting that an appropriate medal has passed is provided on the path through which the medal passes in the selector 66.

  The door open / close monitoring switch 67 is arranged on the left side of the selector 66 when the front door 2b is viewed from the back side. The door open / close monitoring switch 67 outputs a security signal for notifying the opening / closing of the front door 2b to the outside of the pachi-slot 1.

  Further, a door relay terminal plate 68 is disposed in a region below the reel display window 4 and opened and closed by the middle door 41 (see FIG. 4). The door relay terminal board 68 includes a main control board 71 (see FIG. 7) in the main control board case 55, various buttons and switches, a sub-control board 72 (see FIG. 7), a selector 66, and a game operation display board 81. It is a board | substrate which relays wiring with (refer FIG. 7). Examples of the various buttons and switches include a BET button 22, a settlement button 27, a door open / close monitoring switch 67, a BET switch 77, a start switch 79, and the like, which will be described later.

<Control system for pachislot>
Next, a control system provided in the pachislo 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pachislot 1.

The pachi-slot 1 has a main control board 71 disposed on the middle door 41 and a sub-control board 72 disposed on the front door 2b.
The main control board 71 includes a reel relay terminal board 74, a setting key switch 56, an external concentration terminal board 47, a hopper device 51, a medal auxiliary storage switch 75, and a power supply board 53b of the power supply 53. It is connected. The setting key switch 56, the external concentration terminal board 47, the hopper device 51, and the medal auxiliary storage switch 75 are connected to the main control board 71 via the cabinet-side relay board 44. Since the external concentration terminal board 47 has been described above, the description thereof is omitted. The detailed configuration of the hopper device 51 will be described later.

  The reel relay terminal plate 74 is disposed inside the reel body of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R. The reel relay terminal plate 74 is electrically connected to stepping motors (not shown) of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R, and relays signals output from the main control board 71 to the stepping motors.

  The medal auxiliary storage switch 75 penetrates a later-described switch through hole of the medal auxiliary storage 52. The medal auxiliary storage switch 75 detects whether or not the medal auxiliary storage 52 is full of medals.

  A power switch 53 a is connected to the power supply board 53 b of the power supply device 53. The power switch 53a is turned on when supplying necessary power to the pachislot machine 1.

  The main control board 71 has a selector 66, a door open / close monitoring switch 67, a BET switch 77, a settlement switch 78, a start switch 79, a stop switch board 80, a game operation display board 81, and a door relay terminal board 68. The sub relay board 61 is connected. Since the selector 66, the door open / close monitoring switch 67, and the sub relay board 61 have been described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

  The BET switch 77 detects that the BET button 22 has been pressed by the player. The settlement switch 78 detects that the settlement button 27 has been pressed by the player. The start switch 79 detects that the start lever 23 has been operated by the player (start operation).

  The stop switch substrate 80 is a substrate constituting a circuit for stopping the rotating reel and a circuit for displaying the stopable reel by an LED or the like. The stop switch substrate 80 is provided with a stop switch. The stop switch detects that each stop button 19L, 19C, 19R has been pressed by the player (stop operation).

  The game operation display board 81 displays the number of inserted medals on the 7-segment display 24 when accepting insertion of medals, when the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are rotatable and when replaying. It is a substrate for making it. A 7-segment display 24 and an LED 82 are connected to the game operation display board 81. The LED 82 lights, for example, a mark for displaying the start of a game or a mark for performing a re-game.

  The sub control board 72 is connected to the main control board 71 via the door relay terminal board 68 and the sub relay board 61. A sound I / O board 84, LED boards 62A and 62B, and a 24h door open / close monitoring unit 63 are connected to the sub control board 72 through a sub relay board 61. Since these LED boards 62A and 62B and the 24h door opening / closing monitoring unit 63 have been described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

  The sound I / O board 84 outputs sound to a center speaker 58, a board speaker 64, lower speakers 65L and 65R, and a speaker (not shown) provided on the front door 2b.

The sub-control board 72 is connected to a ROM cartridge board 86 and a liquid crystal relay board 87. The ROM cartridge substrate 86 and the liquid crystal relay substrate 87 are housed in the sub control board case 57 together with the sub control board 72.
The ROM cartridge substrate 86 is a substrate for managing production images (video), sound, LED substrates 62A and 62B, other LED substrates (not shown), and communication data. The liquid crystal relay substrate 87 is a substrate that relays wiring that connects the sub-control board 72 and the liquid crystal display device 11.

<Main control circuit>
Next, the main control circuit 91 constituted by the main control board 71 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the main control circuit 91 of the pachi-slot 1.

  The main control circuit 91 includes a microcomputer 92 installed on the main control board 71 as a main component. The microcomputer 92 includes a main CPU 93, a main ROM 94, and a main RAM 95.

  The main ROM 94 stores a control program executed by the main CPU 93, a data table, data for transmitting various control commands (commands) to the sub control circuit 101, and the like. The main RAM 95 is provided with a storage area for storing various data such as an internal winning combination determined by execution of the control program.

  The main CPU 93 is connected to a clock pulse generation circuit 96, a frequency divider 97, a random number generator 98, and a sampling circuit 99. The clock pulse generation circuit 96 and the frequency divider 97 generate clock pulses. The main CPU 93 executes a control program based on the generated clock pulse. The random number generator 98 generates a random number in a predetermined range (for example, 0 to 65535). The sampling circuit 99 extracts one value from the generated random numbers.

The main CPU 93 counts the number of times pulses are output to the stepping motors of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R after detecting the reel index. Thereby, the main CPU 93 manages the rotation angle of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R (mainly, how many symbols the reel has rotated).
The reel index is information indicating that the reel has made one revolution. This reel index is provided at a predetermined position of each of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R, for example, with a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit by the rotation of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R. Detection is performed by a reel position detection unit (not shown) including a detection piece interposed therebetween.

  Here, the management of the rotation angle of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R will be specifically described. The number of pulses output to the stepping motor is counted by a pulse counter provided in the main RAM 95. Each time the output of a predetermined number of pulses (for example, 16 times) necessary for the rotation of one symbol is counted by the pulse counter, the symbol counter provided in the main RAM 95 is incremented by one. The symbol counter is provided for each reel 3L, 3C, 3R. The value of the symbol counter is cleared when a reel index is detected by a reel position detector (not shown).

  In other words, in the present embodiment, by managing the symbol counter, it is possible to manage how many symbols have been rotated since the reel index was detected. Therefore, the position of each symbol on each reel 3L, 3C, 3R is detected with reference to the position where the reel index is detected.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the maximum number of sliding symbols is set to four symbols. Therefore, when the left stop button 19L is pressed, the symbols of the left reel 3L in the middle of the reel display window 4 and the symbols within the range up to the four symbols ahead are displayed in the middle of the reel display window 4. It becomes a symbol that can be stopped.

<Sub control circuit>
Next, the sub control circuit 101 constituted by the sub control board 72 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the sub control circuit 101 of the pachi-slot 1.

  The sub control circuit 101 is electrically connected to the main control circuit 91 and performs processing such as determination and execution of effect contents based on a command transmitted from the main control circuit 91. The sub control circuit 101 basically includes a sub CPU 102, a sub RAM 103, a rendering processor 104, a drawing RAM 105, and a driver 106.

  The sub CPU 102 controls the output of video, sound, and light according to the control program stored in the ROM cartridge substrate 86 in accordance with the command transmitted from the main control circuit 91. The ROM cartridge substrate 86 basically includes a program storage area and a data storage area.

  A control program executed by the sub CPU 102 is stored in the program storage area. For example, the control program includes a main board communication task for controlling communication with the main control circuit 91 and an effect registration task for extracting and registering effect contents (effect data) by extracting effect random numbers. Is included. Further, a drawing control task for controlling display of an image by the liquid crystal display device 11 (see FIG. 6) based on the determined contents of the effect, a lamp control task for controlling light output by a light source such as the LED 85, and the speakers 58, 64, and 65L. , 65R, etc., and a voice control task for controlling the sound output from the speaker.

  The data storage area includes a storage area for storing various data tables, a storage area for storing effect data constituting each effect content, and a storage area for storing animation data related to creation of video. Also included are a storage area for storing sound data related to BGM and sound effects, a storage area for storing lamp data related to the light on / off pattern, and the like.

  The sub-RAM 103 is provided with a storage area for registering the determined contents and effects data, and a storage area for storing various data such as an internal winning combination transmitted from the main control circuit 91.

  The sub CPU 102, the rendering processor 104, the drawing RAM (including the frame buffer) 105, and the driver 106 create a video according to the animation data designated by the content of the presentation, and display the created video on the liquid crystal display device 11.

  Further, the sub CPU 102 causes a sound such as BGM to be output from a speaker such as speakers 58, 64, 65L, and 65R in accordance with the sound data specified by the contents of the effect. Further, the sub CPU 102 controls the turning on and off of the light source such as the LED 85 in accordance with the lamp data designated by the contents of the effect.

<Configuration of hopper device>
Next, the configuration of the hopper device 51 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the hopper device 51 viewed from one direction. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the hopper device 51 viewed from the other direction. FIG. 12 is a top view of the hopper device 51. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the hopper device 51.
In the following description, one direction parallel to the bottom plate 20b (see FIG. 5) in the cabinet 2a to which the hopper device 51 is attached is defined as an X direction, and a direction perpendicular to the X direction on the bottom plate 20b is defined as a Y direction. . A direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction is defined as a Z direction (up and down direction).

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 14, the hopper device 51 includes a bucket 200 for storing medals and two spanning members 210 a and 210 b attached to the bucket 200 (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the spanning member 210). have. The hopper device 51 is equipped with a medal payout unit (medal sending device) 220 for releasing and paying out medals in the bucket 200 one by one to the outside, and the bucket 200 and the medal payout unit 220. And a base 270 provided.

  The bucket 200 has an upper opening 201 having a substantially rectangular frame shape formed by a wall portion 202 substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and a lower side inclined at a predetermined angle from the lower end of the upper opening 201. And an inclined side wall portion (tapered portion) 203 extending in the vertical direction. Further, the bucket 200 has a lower opening 205 (see FIGS. 11 and 12) that forms a substantially circular lower opening 205a penetrating in the vertical direction at the lower portion, and is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape.

  The bucket 200 forms an accommodation space 204 in which a large number of inserted medals are accumulated by the upper opening 201 and the inclined side wall 203. In addition, a pair of attachment / detachment engagement portions 209 (see FIG. 11) configured to be attachable / detachable with respect to the base 270 is provided at the lower portion of the bucket 200. The upper opening 201, the inclined side wall 203, the lower opening 205, and the attachment / detachment engagement portion 209 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin containing fluorine.

  The upper opening 201 forms an upper opening 201a through which medals guided from the selector 66 (see FIG. 6) and inserted into the bucket 200 pass. The upper opening 201 a communicates with the accommodation space 204.

  The wall part 202 has a wall part 202a extending along the X direction and a wall part 202b facing the wall part 202a. Moreover, the wall part 202 has the wall part 202c extended in the Y direction, and the wall part 202d facing the wall part 202c. One end of the wall 202c in the Y direction is continuous with one end of the wall 202a, and the other end in the Y direction is continuous with one end of the wall 202b. One end of the wall 202d in the Y direction is continuous with the other end of the wall 202a, and the other end in the Y direction is continuous with the other end of the wall 202b.

  One end of the wall 202a is provided with a bent portion that bends in a direction approaching the wall 202b at a predetermined angle. Further, at the other end of the wall 202a, a medal collision unit 207 where a medal guided from the selector 66 collides and a discharge guide 208 continuous to the medal collision unit 207 are provided.

  The discharge guide 208 guides medals overflowing from the bucket 200 to the outside of the bucket 200. The discharge guide 208 has an inclined surface 208a that is inclined so as to become lower from the medal collision portion 207 side toward the front end side. The medals guided by the discharge guide 208 are stored in the medal auxiliary storage 52 (see FIG. 5).

  The medal collision unit 207 is an inclined surface that is continuous with the inclined surface 208 a of the discharge guide 208. The inclination angle of the medal collision unit 207 is set to be equal to the inclination angle of the inclined surface 208 a of the discharge guide 208. The medal that has been guided to the selector 66 and collided with the medal collision unit 207 bounces toward the accommodation space 204 of the bucket 200. At this time, if the amount of medals stored in the bucket 200 does not reach a certain amount, the medals abut against the inclined side wall portion 203 and move in the bucket 200 along the inclined side wall portion 203.

  On the other hand, when the amount of medals stored in the bucket 200 has reached a certain amount, the medals collide with the inclined surface of the medal collision unit 207 and bounce, collide with the medals stored in the bucket 200 and collide with the medals. Return to the inclined surface of the part 207. Then, the medal moves on the inclined surface of the medal collision unit 207 and the inclined surface 208a of the discharge guide 208 by its own weight and moves toward the medal auxiliary storage 52 side.

  In the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the inclined surface in the medal collision unit 207 is made equal to the inclination angle of the inclined surface 208 a in the discharge guide 208. Thereby, when a predetermined amount of medals are stored in the bucket 200, the medal that is guided to the medal guide path 66b of the selector 66 and collides with the medal collision unit 207 is easily guided to the medal auxiliary storage 52 by the discharge guide 208. can do. That is, the medal is not maintained in a state where it is placed on the medal collision unit 207. As a result, it is possible to prevent a predetermined amount or more of medals from being stored in the bucket 200 and overflowing to the outside of the bucket 200.

  In the present embodiment, the upper opening 201 of the bucket 200 and the medal collision unit 207 are formed integrally. However, the medal collision unit according to the gaming machine of the present invention may be configured to be detachable from the upper opening 201 of the bucket 200.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the inclined side wall 203 has an inclined side wall 203a whose upper end is continuous with the lower end of the wall 202a, and an upper end that is continuous with the lower end of the wall 202b and faces the inclined side wall 203a. And an inclined side wall portion 203b. In addition, the inclined side wall 203 includes an inclined side wall 203c and an inclined side wall 203d that faces the inclined side wall 203c. The inclined side wall 203c has an upper end continuous to the lower end of the wall 202c, one end in the Y direction continuous to one end of the inclined side wall 203a, and the other end in the Y direction is one end of the inclined side wall 203b. It is continuous. The inclined side wall 203d has an upper end continuous to the lower end of the wall 202d, one end in the Y direction continuous to the other end of the inclined side wall 203a, and the other end in the Y direction other than the inclined side wall 203b. It is continuous at the end.

A plurality of through holes 206 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the inclined side wall portions 203c and 203d. Specifically, four through-holes 206 are formed in the upper portion and the substantially central portion of the inclined side wall portion 203c, respectively, arranged at predetermined intervals along the Y direction. That is, a total of eight through holes 206 are formed in the inclined side wall 203c.
The height (the height from the bottom plate 20b) of the through hole 206 in the upper part and the substantially central part of the inclined side wall part 203c is set so as to decrease toward the inclined side wall part 203b.

Further, four through holes 206 are formed in the upper portion and the substantially central portion of the inclined side wall portion 203d, respectively, and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the Y direction. Three through-holes 206 are formed so as to be spaced apart from each other. That is, a total of 11 through holes 206 are formed in the inclined side wall portion 203c.
The height (the height from the bottom plate 20b) of the through hole 206 at the upper part, the substantially central part, and the lower part of the inclined side wall part 203d is set so as to decrease toward the inclined side wall part 203b.

  Each through-hole 206 in the upper part of the inclined side wall part 203c and each through-hole 206 in the upper part of the inclined side wall part 203d are formed so as to face each other in the X direction.

  The height of the formation portion of the through hole 206 in the upper portion of the inclined side wall portion 203c is set to be substantially equal to the height of the formation portion of the through hole 206 in the upper portion of the inclined side wall portion 203d facing in the X direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the height H1 of the portion where the through hole 206 on the most inclined side wall 203b side is formed in the upper part of the inclined side wall part 203c, and the penetration on the most inclined side wall part 203b side in the upper part of the inclined side wall part 203d The heights H2 of the locations where the holes 206 are formed are set to be approximately equal.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the center position of the lower opening 205a formed by the lower opening 205 is located on the inclined side wall 203a side in the lower portion of the bucket 200, and the lower opening 205a is formed biased toward the inclined side wall 203a side. Has been. The medal is supplied to the medal disk 240 installed in the medal payout unit 220 through the lower opening 205a.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the spanning member 210 is made of a bar-shaped metal member formed in a U-shape, and is folded downward from both the main body portion 211 extending along the X direction and both end portions of the main body portion 211. And a bent portion 212 that bends and extends in a substantially vertical direction (including the vertical direction). The spanning member 210 has a retaining portion 213 that is coupled to the lower end portion of the bent portion 212.

  A lower end portion of the bent portion 212 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an insertion hole portion 215 having an insertion hole (not shown) therein is provided. A female screw portion (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole portion 215. The bent portion 212 is inserted through the through hole 206 from above.

  The retaining portion 213 has a disc portion 214 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the through hole 206 and a columnar projection (not shown) projecting upward from a substantially central portion of the disc portion 214. A male screw portion (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion.

  The protruding portion of the retaining portion 213 is inserted into the insertion hole in the insertion hole portion 215 of the bent portion 212 inserted through the through hole 206 from above, and the male screw portion of the protruding portion and the female screw portion of the insertion hole portion 215 are screwed together. Accordingly, the retaining portion 213 is coupled to the bent portion 212. In addition, the connection method of the securing part 213 and the bending part 212 can be selected suitably. For example, the male screw portion of the protruding portion of the retaining portion 213 and the female screw portion of the insertion hole portion 215 are omitted, and the lower end portion of the bent portion 212 and the retaining portion 213 are welded or bonded with an adhesive. And may be combined. Further, the protruding portion of the retaining portion 213 may be coupled by being inserted into the insertion hole of the insertion hole portion 215 and fitted.

  The disc portion 214 of the retaining portion 213 coupled to the bent portion 212 is substantially horizontal with respect to the bottom plate 20b (see FIG. 5), and the lower surface of the disc portion 214 faces the bottom plate 20b.

  The spanning member 210 is supported by the bucket 200 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. That is, when the medal is not accommodated in the accommodation space 204 or when there are a relatively small amount of medals, the spanning member 210 surrounds the through hole 206 on the upper portion of the bent portion 212 and the upper surfaces of the inclined side wall portions 203c and 203d. Are supported by the inclined side wall portions 203c and 203d at an initial position where they contact each other. In addition, when a relatively large amount of medals are stored in the storage space 204, the transfer member 210 pushes up the main body 211 by the stored medals, and the transfer member 210 moves upward.

  The retaining portion 213 restricts the bent portion 212 of the spanning member 210 from coming out of the through hole 206. Specifically, when the spanning member 210 moves upward from the initial position by a predetermined distance, the retaining portion 213 comes into contact with the periphery of the through hole 206 on the lower surfaces of the inclined side wall portions 203c and 203d. Accordingly, the retaining portion 213 prevents the transfer member 210 from moving further upward, and restricts the bent portion 212 from coming out of the through hole 206.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the bent portion 212 on one end side of the spanning member 210a is inserted through the through hole 206 on the most inclined side wall portion 203a side in the upper portion of the inclined side wall portion 203c. Further, the bent portion 212 on the other end side is inserted through the through-hole 206 on the most inclined side wall portion 203a side above the inclined side wall portion 203d.

  The bent portion 212 on one end side of the spanning member 210b is inserted through the through hole 206 on the most inclined side wall portion 203b side above the inclined side wall portion 203c. The bent portion 212 on the other end side is inserted through the through hole 206 on the most inclined side wall portion 203b side above the inclined side wall portion 203d.

  As described above, the height of the portion where the through hole 206 is formed in the upper part of the inclined side wall portions 203c and 203d is set so as to become lower toward the inclined side wall portion 203b side. Therefore, the height from the bottom plate 20b of the main body portion 211 of the spanning member 210a at the initial position is higher than the height from the bottom plate 20b of the main body portion 211 of the spanning member 210b at the initial position.

  The spanning members 210 a and 210 b extend in the X direction above the lower opening 205. Further, the spanning members 210a and 210b and the bottom plate 20b face each other in the vertical direction, and the spanning members 210a and 210b are disposed substantially parallel (including parallel) to the bottom plate 20b.

  Further, the spanning member 210a and the spanning member 210b are opposed to each other in the Y direction, and are disposed substantially parallel (including parallel). A distance D (see FIG. 12) between the spanning members 210a and 210b in the Y direction is set longer than the diameter of the medal. For example, in the case of using a medal having a diameter of 25 mm as the game medium in the pachi-slot 1 of the present embodiment, it is set longer than 25 mm. When a medal with a diameter of 30 mm is used, it is set longer than 30 mm. The spanning members 210a and 210b are not substantially parallel, and are arranged so that the distance between the spanning members 210a and 210b in the Y direction is different between the one end side and the other end side of the spanning members 210a and 210b. May be. In this case, for example, the bent portion 212 on one end portion side of the spanning member 210a is inserted into the through hole 206 that is second closest to the inclined side wall portion 203a on the upper side of the inclined side wall portion 203c. Further, the bent portion 212 on the other end side of the spanning member 210a is inserted into the through hole 206 on the most tilted side wall 203a side above the tilted side wall 203d, and the spanning member 210a is tilted with respect to the X direction. Arrange.

  The medal payout unit 220 has a function of paying medals one by one in a fixed posture, and has a base member 230 installed in an inclined state with respect to a horizontal plane as shown in FIG. The medal payout unit 220 includes a substantially disc-shaped medal disk 240 that is rotatably attached to the base member 230, and a medal disk presser 250 that covers the periphery of the medal disk 240. The medal payout unit 220 includes a stirring unit 260 that stirs the medals stored in the storage space 204 of the bucket 200.

  The medal disc 240 has a disc portion 241, a side wall 242 provided at the periphery of the disc portion 241, and a protrusion 243 provided at a substantially central portion on the upper surface of the disc portion 241.

  A plurality of (three in this embodiment) medal holes 244 having an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the medal are formed in the disc portion 241.

  In addition, a fitting hole (not shown) that penetrates the upper and lower surfaces of the disk portion 241 and is fitted to a rotation drive shaft 231 (to be described later) of the base member 230 is formed in a substantially central portion of the disk portion 241. Yes. The protruding portion 243 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and protrudes from the periphery of the fitting hole on the upper surface of the disc portion 241 in a substantially vertical direction. The cylindrical hole of the protrusion 243 communicates with the fitting hole.

The stirring unit 260 includes a substantially cylindrical stirring main body 261 and a bolt 262 that is inserted into a cylindrical hole of the stirring main body 261 and couples the stirring unit 260 to a rotation drive shaft 231 described later.
A male screw portion (not shown) is formed in the lower portion of the bolt 262.

  The stirring main body 261 includes a main upper portion 263 having a substantially elliptical cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, and a main lower portion 264 having a substantially perfect circular cross section in the axial direction. The diameter of at least a part of the main body upper portion 263 is set larger than the diameter of the main body lower portion 264.

  The diameter of the cylindrical hole in the main body lower portion 264 is set to be substantially equal to the outer diameter of the protruding portion 243 of the medal disk 240. By inserting the protruding portion 243 into the cylindrical hole in the main body lower portion 264, the stirring section 260 and the medal disk 240 Are engaged so as to be relatively rotatable. The lower part of the bolt 262 of the agitating unit 260 is inserted into a cylindrical hole of the rotation drive shaft 231 described later through the cylindrical hole of the projecting part 243.

  The height of the upper end of the main body 263 from the bottom plate 20b (see FIG. 5) is higher than the height from the bottom plate 20b of the main body 211 of the spanning members 210a and 210b at the initial position (see FIG. 10). Therefore, the main body upper portion 263 projects upward from the main body portion 211 of the spanning members 210a and 210b at the initial position.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the base member 230 has a placement surface 232 on which the medal disc 240 is placed, and a connector 233 for receiving power and drive signals from the outside is provided on the side surface. ing.

  A drive motor 234 for rotating the medal disk 240 and the stirring unit 260 is mounted on the lower surface side of the base member 230 via a gear case 235. The rotational driving force of the drive motor 234 is a substantially cylindrical rotation projecting from the center of the mounting surface 232 in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface 232 via a reduction gear (not shown) installed in the gear case 235. It is decelerated and transmitted to the drive shaft 231. The rotation drive shaft 231 is rotated by the rotation drive force transmitted from the drive motor 234. The rotational drive shaft 231 is inserted into the fitting hole of the medal disc 240. Thereby, the medal disc 240 and the rotation drive shaft 231 are fitted. For this reason, the medal disc 240 rotates as the rotation drive shaft 231 rotates.

  An internal thread portion (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical hole of the rotation drive shaft 231. The stirrer 260 is coupled to the rotary drive shaft 231 by screwing the female thread portion with the male screw portion of the bolt 262 of the stirrer 260 inserted into the cylindrical hole of the rotary drive shaft 231. For this reason, the stirring unit 260 rotates with the rotation of the rotation drive shaft 231.

  In addition, the base member 230 is provided with a medal pushing mechanism 236 that engages with the medal inserted into the medal hole 244 of the medal disc 240 and is guided to rotate and pays out the medal one by one to the outside of the apparatus.

  The base 270 includes a concave portion 271 to which the medal payout unit 220 is detachably attached, holds the medal payout unit 220 in an inclined manner, and a pair of engagement claws 272 to which the pair of attachment / detachment engagement portions 209 of the bucket 200 are attached. These are integrally formed of resin or the like. The medal payout unit 220 may be positioned and held in a state where it is simply placed on the base 270, or may be separately positioned and held via a fixing screw or an attaching / detaching mechanism. There may be.

  The operation of the hopper device 51 configured as described above will be described. The storage space 204 of the bucket 200 stores medals that are guided by the selector 66 and collide with the medal collision unit 207 of the hopper device 51. The medal accommodated in the accommodating space 204 of the bucket 200 enters the medal hole 244 of the medal disc 240 through the lower opening 205a of the bucket 200. Then, the medal that has entered the medal hole 244 by the rotation of the medal disk 240 is passed through the medal pushing mechanism 236 one by one from the gap between the base member 230 and the medal disk 240, and the medal payout port 32 of the base 270. It is pushed out and discharged.

  Further, the stirring unit 260 rotates with the rotation of the rotation drive shaft 231 and stirs the medals stored in the storage space 204 of the bucket 200.

In the present embodiment, when the medal is put into the bucket 200 of the hopper device 51 and the spanning members 210a and 210b extending in the accommodation space 204 come into contact with the medal, the medal is bounced. The direction in which the medals bounce varies depending on various factors such as the contact location between the medals and the transfer members 210a and 210b and the drop speed of the medals, so that the medals can be dispersed and accommodated in the accommodation space 204.
For this reason, it is possible to prevent the medals from concentrating and stacking at one place in the bucket 200 and to suppress the formation of the medal bridge with a simple configuration in which the spanning members 210a and 210b extend into the accommodation space 204. it can.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the spanning member 210 is supported by the bucket 200 so that a movement to an up-down direction is possible. For this reason, the transfer member 210 moves upward from the initial position when the main body 211 is pushed up by the medal accommodated in the accommodation space 204. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a jam phenomenon in which the medal disk 240 is pressed and the rotation of the medal disk 240 is stopped by the medal interposed between the main body 211 and the medal disk 240 of the medal payout unit 220.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the retaining portion 213 is coupled to the lower end portion of the bent portion 212, and penetrates through the lower surfaces of the inclined side wall portions 203c and 203d when the spanning member 210 moves upward by a predetermined distance from the initial position. Abuts around the hole 206. For this reason, the retaining portion 213 prevents the spanning member 210 from moving further upward, and can prevent the bent portion 212 of the spanning member 210 from coming out of the through hole 206.

  In the present embodiment, the distance D between the spanning members 210a and 210b in the Y direction is set longer than the diameter of the medal. For this reason, the medal is not placed so as to be hung on the main body 211 of the hanger members 210a and 210b. Therefore, the supply of medals to the medal disc 240 is not hindered.

  In the present embodiment, the main body upper portion 263 of the stirring main body 261 protrudes upward from the main body portion 211 of the spanning members 210a and 210b at the initial position. For this reason, since many medals accommodated in the accommodation space 204 can be agitated by the rotation of the agitating unit 260, the occurrence of medal bridges can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the upper opening 201, the inclined side wall 203, the lower opening 205, and the attachment / detachment engagement portion 209 of the bucket 200 are integrally formed of synthetic resin mixed with fluorine. For this reason, the sliding characteristic with respect to the medal of the bucket 200 can be improved, and generation | occurrence | production of a medal bridge can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the bent portion 212 of the spanning member 210 is bent downward from both end portions of the main body portion 211 and extends in a substantially vertical direction has been described. However, the inclination angle of the bent portion 212 with respect to the main body portion 211 can be set as appropriate. For example, the inclination angle may be set so that the bent portion 212 is inclined outward from both end portions of the main body portion 211.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the two spanning members 210, that is, the spanning members 210a and 210b extend in the accommodation space 204 has been described. However, the number of the spanning members 210 can be set as appropriate. is there. For example, one spanning member 210 may be installed, or three or more spanning members 210 may be installed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the heights of the positions where the through holes 206 are formed in the upper part and the substantially central part of the inclined side wall part 203c and the upper, substantially central part, and lower part of the inclined side wall part 203d are set to the inclined side wall part 203b side. The aspect set so that it became low as heading to was demonstrated. However, these heights can be set as appropriate. For example, you may set so that it may become high as it goes to the inclination side wall part 203b side. Further, these heights may be set to be constant.

  In the present embodiment, the bent portions 212 of the spanning member 210 are inserted into the through holes 206 provided in the tilted side wall portions 203c and 203d, and the spanning member 210 is supported by the tilted side wall portions 203c and 203d. The aspect to do was demonstrated. However, the spanning member 210 may be supported by only one of the inclined side wall portion 203c and the inclined side wall portion 203d. For example, the spanning member 210 may be supported only by the inclined side wall portion 203d. In this case, one bent portion 212 of the spanning member 210 is inserted into the through hole 206 on the most inclined side wall portion 203a side above the inclined side wall portion 203d, and the other bent portion 212 is inserted most into the inclined side wall portion 203b. The through-hole 206 on the side is inserted. In addition, you may provide together the spanning member 210 supported only by the inclination side wall part 203c, and the spanning member 210 supported only by the inclination side wall part 203d.

In the present embodiment, the extending member 210 made of a bar-shaped metal member formed in a U-shape has been described as an example. However, the shape and material of the extending member can be changed as appropriate. For example, the spanning member may be formed linearly. Moreover, you may use various resin as a material of a spanning member.
<Composition of medal auxiliary storage>
Next, the configuration of the medal auxiliary storage 52 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the medal auxiliary storage 52. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the through hole of the medal auxiliary storage 52 is closed with a bottom cover. FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing a state where the bottom lid of the medal auxiliary storage 52 is opened and the through hole is exposed. 16 and 17 show the medal auxiliary storage 52 with the medal guide removed.

As shown in FIG. 15, the medal auxiliary storage 52 includes a storage body 391 and a medal guide 392.
The storage body 391 is formed in a rectangular box shape with an upper surface opened. The storage body 391 includes a first wall plate 391a, a second wall plate 391b facing the first wall plate 391a, a third wall plate 391c perpendicular to the first wall plate 391a and the second wall plate 391b, and a first wall plate 391c. It has a four-wall plate 391d and a bottom plate 391e.
That is, the first wall plate 391a, the second wall plate 391b, the third wall plate 391c, and the fourth wall plate 391d form a peripheral wall portion rising from the bottom plate 391e.

  When the medal auxiliary storage 52 is disposed in the cabinet 2 a (see FIG. 5), the first wall plate 391 a faces the hopper device 51. The third wall plate 391c has a grounding hole 394 and sensor insertion holes 395A and 395B. The medals stored in the storage body 391 are grounded by using a ground wire inserted into the storage body 391 from the grounding hole 394.

  The sensor insertion holes 395A and 395B are provided at positions having a predetermined height from the bottom plate 391e. The sensors inserted into the storage body 391 from the sensor insertion holes 395A and 395B are electrically connected via the medals stored in the storage body 391, thereby storing a predetermined amount of medals. Is detected.

  The medal guide 392 is configured to be detachable from the storage body 391. The medal guide 392 includes an attachment engagement portion 397 that engages with the upper end of the second wall plate 391b, and a guide piece 398 that protrudes from the attachment engagement portion 397 and is disposed in the storage body 391. Yes.

  The attachment engagement portion 397 has an engagement groove (not shown) into which the upper end of the second wall plate 391b is inserted. Further, the attachment engagement portion 397 is provided with a barrier piece 397a. The barrier piece 397a is formed along the upper end of the second wall plate 391b, and prevents the medals supplied and supplied to the discharge guide 208 of the hopper device 51 from jumping out of the storage body 391.

  The guide piece 398 guides the medals guided and supplied to the discharge guide 208 of the hopper device 51 toward the first wall plate 391a. The guide piece 398 includes at least two inclined surfaces 398a and 398b that are inclined toward the first wall plate 391a and the bottom plate 391e of the storage body 391. The inclined surface 398a is continuous with the attachment engaging portion 397, and the inclined surface 398b is continuous with the inclined surface 398a. These inclined surfaces 398a and 398b are set to different inclination angles.

  Thereby, the medal guided to the medal auxiliary storage 52 is stored in the storage body 391 after colliding with the first wall plate 391a or the bottom lid 401 described later. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the medals stored in the storage body 391 from being biased toward the second wall plate 391b.

  The medals supplied from the hopper device 51 collide with the medal guide 392 and the first wall plate 391a or the bottom lid 401 described later, and are stored in the storage body 391. At this time, the medal falls to the storage body 391 in a stable posture (a posture in which the plane intersects in the vertical direction) after two collisions. As a result, the medal can be prevented from standing in the storage body 391.

  In the present embodiment, the medal guide 392 is configured to be detachable from the storage body 391. However, the medal guide according to the gaming machine of the present invention may be configured integrally with the storage body.

  In the present embodiment, the third wall plate 391c is provided with the grounding hole 394 and the sensor insertion holes 395A and 395B. However, the grounding hole 394 and the sensor insertion holes 395A and 395B according to the gaming machine of the present invention may be formed in the fourth wall plate 391d, or in both the third wall plate 391c and the fourth wall plate 391d. It may be formed.

  When the grounding hole 394 and the sensor insertion holes 395A and 395B are formed in the third wall plate 391c and the fourth wall plate 391d, the third wall plate 391c or the fourth wall plate 391c or the fourth wall plate 4 Any one of the wall plates 391d may be disposed on the ground line and the sensor side. Thereby, the storage main body 391 can be easily arranged inside the pachislot 1.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a bottom cover 401 is disposed in the storage body 391. Further, a discharge hole 399 is formed in the bottom plate 391e of the storage body 391. The discharge hole 399 is used when the medals guided to the medal auxiliary storage 52 are automatically discharged to the outside of the pachislot 1. Therefore, a discharge port (not shown) is provided in a portion of the cabinet 2a facing the discharge hole 399. The medals discharged from the discharge port are transported to a desired place by a transport device such as a belt conveyor disposed to face the discharge port.

  The bottom cover 401 is formed of a substantially rectangular plate, and the length in the longitudinal direction is set to be slightly shorter than the distance from the inner surface of the third wall plate 391c to the inner surface of the fourth wall plate 391d. One end of the bottom lid 401 in the width direction is pivotally supported by the third wall plate 391c and the fourth wall plate 391d so as to be rotatable.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the bottom lid 401 is rotated and disposed at the closed position, the discharge hole 399 of the bottom plate 391 e is closed by the bottom lid 401. At this time, the bottom cover 401 is in a state where there is no step with the inner surface of the bottom plate 391e. That is, a lid recess 391f (see FIG. 17) in which the bottom lid 401 is disposed is formed on the inner surface of the bottom plate 391e.

  As shown in FIG. 17, when the bottom lid 401 is rotated and placed in the open position, the discharge hole 399 of the bottom plate 391e is exposed. At this time, the other end portion of the bottom cover 401 in the width direction contacts the inner surface of the first wall plate 391a, and the bottom cover 401 is inclined with respect to the first wall plate 391a. Then, the bottom cover 401 guides the medal that is guided by the medal guide 392 and proceeds toward the first wall plate 391a to the discharge hole 399 side.

  The storage body 391 is provided with a biasing member (not shown) that biases the bottom lid 401. This urging member urges the bottom cover 401 in a direction to close the bottom cover 401 when the bottom cover 401 is positioned closer to the closed position than the intermediate point between the closed position and the open position. When it is located on the open position side of the intermediate point, the bottom lid 401 is biased in the opening direction.

  In the present embodiment, since the bottom cover 401 that opens and closes the discharge hole 399 of the bottom plate 391e is pivotally supported by the storage body 391, the bottom cover 401 is stored and managed separately from the storage body 391. There is no need to do. Moreover, since the bottom cover 401 is always urged to either the open position or the closed position, the position of the bottom cover 401 should not be shifted due to the impact of medals when stored in the storage body 391. Can do. Even if the position of the bottom cover 401 is temporarily displaced due to the impact of the medal, the bottom cover 401 can be returned to the normal position by the urging of the urging member.

  In the present embodiment, the bottom lid 401 arranged in the open position is configured to rise to the first wall plate 391a side. However, the bottom cover according to the gaming machine of the present invention may be pivotally supported by the storage body 391 so as to rise to the second wall plate 391b side. In this case, even if the above-described medal guide 392 is not provided, the medal guided and supplied to the discharge guide 208 of the hopper device 51 can be guided to the discharge hole 399 side by the bottom cover.

  The gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above including the effects thereof. However, the game medium payout device and the game machine of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims. is there.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, a gaming machine to which a medal is applied as a gaming medium has been described. However, as a game medium applied to the hopper device and the gaming machine of the present invention, coins, tokens, and the like can be applied in addition to medals. Moreover, you may apply the hopper apparatus of this invention to the change machine of various coins.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pachislot (game machine), 20b ... Bottom plate, 32 ... Medal payout opening, 51 ... Hopper device, 52 ... Medal auxiliary storage, 200 ... Bucket, 201 ... Upper opening, 201a ... Upper opening, 202, 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d ... wall part, 203, 203a, 203b, 203c, 203d ... inclined side wall part (tapered part), 204 ... accommodating space, 205 ... lower opening part, 205a ... lower opening part, 206 ... through hole, 210, 210a, 210b ... spanning member, 211 ... main body, 212 ... bent part, 213 ... retaining part, 220 ... medal payout unit (medal sending device), 230 ... base member, 240 ... medal disk, 260 ... stirring part, 270 ... Base

Claims (6)

A bucket forming a storage space for storing inserted medals;
A medal delivery device that is provided below the bucket and has a stirring unit that stirs the medals accommodated in the bucket, and sends out the medals stirred by the stirring unit ;
The bucket has an upper opening that forms an upper opening through which a medal inserted into the bucket passes;
A taper portion extending downward while inclining inward from the lower end portion of the upper opening, and having a plurality of through holes formed therein;
A spanning member having both end portions inserted into the plurality of through holes and supported by the tapered portion and extending into the accommodating space;
Both end portions of the hooking passing member is bent downwardly to form a bent portion that will be inserted from above into the through hole,
The lower end portion of the bent portion is provided with a retaining portion,
The hooking passing member has an initial position in which the upper portion of the bent portion is in contact with the upper surface of the tapered portion, movably said bucket in a vertical direction between a position where the retaining portion is brought into contact with the lower surface of the tapered portion hopper apparatus characterized by being supported. The spanning member in the initial position is located below the upper end of the stirring unit,
2. The hopper device according to claim 1, wherein the spanning member in a position where the retaining portion is in contact with a lower surface of the tapered portion is located above an upper end portion of the stirring portion . The stirring section includes a stirring upper portion having a substantially elliptical cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, and a stirring lower portion having a substantially circular cross section in the axial direction,
The diameter of at least a portion of the upper stirring portion is larger than that of the lower stirring portion
Hopper device according to any one of claims 1 or claim 2, characterized in that. A gaming machine equipped with a hopper device,
The hopper device includes a bucket that forms a storage space for storing inserted medals,
A medal delivery device that is provided below the bucket and has a stirring unit that stirs medals accommodated in the bucket, and that feeds out medals stirred by the stirring unit ; and the bucket is thrown into the bucket An upper opening forming an upper opening through which a medal passes,
A taper portion extending downward while inclining inward from the lower end portion of the upper opening, and having a plurality of through holes formed therein;
A spanning member having both end portions inserted into the plurality of through holes and supported by the tapered portion and extending into the accommodating space;
Both end portions of the hooking passing member is bent downwardly to form a bent portion that will be inserted from above into the through hole,
The lower end portion of the bent portion is provided with a retaining portion,
The hooking passing member has an initial position in which the upper portion of the bent portion is in contact with the upper surface of the tapered portion, movably said bucket in a vertical direction between a position where the retaining portion is brought into contact with the lower surface of the tapered portion It is supported by the
A gaming machine characterized by that . The spanning member in the initial position is located below the upper end of the stirring unit,
The spanning member in a position where the retaining portion contacts the lower surface of the tapered portion is located above the upper end portion of the stirring portion.
The gaming machine according to claim 4, wherein: The stirring section includes a stirring upper portion having a substantially elliptical cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, and a stirring lower portion having a substantially circular cross section in the axial direction,
The diameter of at least a portion of the upper stirring portion is larger than that of the lower stirring portion
The gaming machine according to any one of claims 4 and 5, wherein the gaming machine is characterized by that.

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