JP6678944B2 - Amusement machine and game machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a game machine and a game device.

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot.
Here, by inserting the cheating device from the medal insertion slot and operating the counting function of the medal selector illegally in a typical goto act of the misconduct to the gaming machine (so-called goto act), the medal is inserted. There are things that look like they are doing and get a lot of credits. In a gaming machine, measures against such a go-to act are taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a geometric transformation is applied to a template image to generate a first image group including a plurality of geometrically transformed template images having different geometric transformation amounts, and eigenvalue decomposition is performed to uniquely generate the first image group. A second image group is generated by calculating a function and performing an inner product operation of these functions, and by calculating the image similarity between the input image and the second image group, whether the object is correct in the image processing. A technique for determining whether or not it is disclosed.

JP, 2002-342814, A Japanese Patent No. 5317250

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, in a hall where a slot machine is installed, a low-bet gaming machine called a so-called 5 slot that can be played with a medal of 5 yen per coin, and a normal gaming machine that can be played with a medal of 20 yen per coin (so-called 20 slot). ), And may have been installed. In such a hall, using a medal acquired at 5th slot for 20th slot will result in damage by a person who commits fraudulently acquiring the difference ((20 yen-5 yen) x number of owned cards). Is occurring. However, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, if the lent-out rented out token is 20 yen per coin and the medal of 5 yen per coin has the same diameter and is different only in color and marking (pattern), these are distinguished. It was impossible to prevent such fraud.

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

  Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 can determine whether or not the target object is correct by capturing an appropriate input image, but the captured image is distorted or the determination target is reflected. Without it, proper judgment cannot be made. Therefore, in order to detect fraudulent activity using the game medium, it is necessary to detect the game medium to be determined with high accuracy.

  Further, in the slot machine, by operating a return lever or the like for clearing the clogging of medals, the inserted medals are returned to the saucer, and the medals cannot be played. That is, medals inserted while the return lever or the like is operated are not accepted and cannot be played. However, there is also a fraudulent act in which a counterfeit medal is accepted by the slot machine and the game machine is in a playable state while the return lever or the like is operated. Even if the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 uses the technique described in Patent Document 2, such fraudulent activity cannot be detected.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine or a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a misunderstanding that a legitimate game medium is used by determining whether or not a game medium can be accepted. To provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine or a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 301) for detecting the insertion of the game medium is provided,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion (for example, a base plate portion 304 or the like) in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member (for example, a sub plate 305 or the like) attached to the game medium passage portion and rotatable so as to cover the game medium passage portion;
A protection member (for example, a protection member 304d or the like) attached to the game medium passage portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member,
Rotation means for rotating the auxiliary member (for example, the sub-plate pressure 213c),
An image pickup means (for example, a camera unit 209 or the like) for picking up an image of a predetermined area including the path formed in the game medium passing portion,
Irradiation means (for example, the second light guide 262 or the like) that irradiates light for the imaging means to capture an image,
The auxiliary member is
A through-hole (for example, a through-hole 321a or the like) formed so that the image-capturing means can image the path provided in the game-medium passing portion,
A plurality of holes (for example, a sub-plate state detection hole 321c) formed in the predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole,
In the state of being rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path,
A plurality of said holes,
When the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected,
When the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected differently from the case where the auxiliary member is not rotated,
The image pickup means is a game machine characterized by judging whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of light from the irradiation means in the hole.

  According to the first mode, the game machine includes a game medium detection means. The game medium detecting means detects the insertion of the game medium and includes a game medium passing portion, an auxiliary member, a protecting member, a rotating means, an image pickup means, and an irradiating means. The game medium passing portion is formed with a path through which the game medium passes. The auxiliary member is attached to the game medium passing portion and is rotatable so as to cover the through hole, which is formed so that the image pickup means can image the path provided in the game medium passing portion, and is in the vicinity of the through hole. Then, the game medium has a hole formed in a predetermined area, and is rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path. The protection member is attached to the game medium passing portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member. The rotating means rotates the auxiliary member. The image capturing means captures an image of a predetermined area including the route formed in the game medium passing portion. The irradiation unit irradiates light for the image pickup unit to pick up an image. The plurality of holes reflect the light from the irradiation means when the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, and the irradiation means when the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means. Is reflected differently than when the auxiliary member is not rotated. Then, the imaging unit determines whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of light from the irradiation unit at the hole.

  In this way, the game medium detecting means drops the game medium from the path of the game medium passing portion when the auxiliary member is rotated. Then, when the auxiliary member is not rotated, the light from the irradiation means is reflected by the plurality of holes of the auxiliary member, and when the auxiliary member is rotated, the light from the irradiation means is rotated by the auxiliary member. The reflection is different from that in the non-executed state. By such reflection of light from the irradiation means, the imaging means determines whether the auxiliary member is rotating.

  As a result, it is possible to determine whether or not the auxiliary member rotates and the game medium falls from the path (whether or not the game medium can be received). For example, if the auxiliary member is continuously rotated, or if the auxiliary member is rotated and the game medium is dropped from the path but the game medium is received, it is illegal. There is a high possibility that an act is being performed. Therefore, by determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that can accurately detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by mistakenly recognizing that the regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. it can.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The imaging unit includes an image processing unit (for example, a control LSI 234 or the like) that performs image processing on the captured image of the predetermined area,
The image processing means is a game machine characterized by determining whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated based on an image of the predetermined area that has been subjected to image processing.

  Accordingly, the image pickup unit performs image processing on the imaged image of the predetermined region, thereby obtaining an image in a state in which the auxiliary member is not rotated (a state in which light is reflected in the hole) and a state in which the auxiliary member is rotated. The difference from the image (the state in which the light is not reflected in the hole) becomes clearer, and the accuracy of determining whether or not the auxiliary member is rotating is improved. Therefore, by more accurately determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to accurately detect a fraudulent activity in which the game machine is erroneously recognized as a regular game medium being used and the game is played. Machine can be provided.

A fourth mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member that is attached to the game medium passage portion and is rotatable so as to cover it;
A protection member attached to the game medium passing portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member;
Rotating means for rotating the auxiliary member,
An image pickup means for picking up an image of a predetermined area including the path formed in the game medium passage portion;
Irradiation means for irradiating light for the imaging means to image,
The auxiliary member is
A through hole formed so that the image pickup means can image the path provided in the game medium passage portion;
A plurality of holes formed in the predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole,
In the state of being rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path,
A plurality of said holes,
When the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected,
When the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected differently from the case where the auxiliary member is not rotated,
The image pickup means judges whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of the light from the irradiation means in the hole (a game device 500, 600, for example, 700 etc.).

  According to the fourth mode, the same operational effects as the gaming machine of the first mode are achieved. Therefore, by determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to provide a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate game medium is used.

  According to the present invention, by determining whether or not a game medium can be accepted, a gaming machine or a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate game medium is being used. Can be provided.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the function flow in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing an example of appearance composition in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention and showing a state in which a middle door is closed. It is a perspective view showing an internal structure in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention, and showing a state in which a middle door is opened. It is an explanatory view showing the inside of the cabinet in the game machine of one embodiment of the present 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 perspective view showing a state where a medal selector is assembled in the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded perspective view of a medal selector in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention from the slanting front of the game machine. It is an exploded perspective view of the cancel shooter of the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a sectional view of a portion where an opening of an intermediate member of a medal selector in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention is formed. It is a figure explaining the composition for fixing the harness in the cancellation shooter of the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the select plate of the medal selector in the gaming machine of the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the path | route of the medal when the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of this invention guides a medal to a hopper apparatus. It is a figure showing a course of a medal when a medal selector in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention guides a medal to a medal shoot. It is an exploded view explaining the positional relationship between the medal rail and the camera unit in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded view of the camera unit attached to the medal selector in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing a section structure of a camera unit of a medal selector in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention, and a section of a lens holder used for a unit. It is a figure which shows the environmental test result which mixed and molded the glass filler with the compounding ratio in the raw material of the lens holder shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the image data area showing the barrel-shaped distortion obtained through the lens used with the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of this invention. It is a flow chart which shows the assembly procedure which assembles the lens holder of the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention on the substrate. It is an external appearance perspective view of the first light guide and the second light guide used in the medal selector in the gaming machine of the embodiment of the present invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of a third light guide body 263 used in the medal selector in the gaming machine of the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the attachment member used for each 1st-3rd light guide of the medal selector in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of each 1st-3rd light guide of the medal selector in the game machine of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a light emission wavelength characteristic graph of LED used by the medal selector in the game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing a control system in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of a main control circuit in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of a sub control circuit in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing an example of circuit composition of a medal selector in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing an example of circuit composition of control LSI in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing an example of a regular medal used for a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention, A shows one side of a regular medal, B shows image data of a regular medal, and C is a gradient average of a regular medal. It is a figure which shows image data. It is a figure for explaining a regular medal discrimination processing of a control LSI in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing an example of an illegal medal, A shows one side of this illegal medal, and B is a figure showing the image data of this illegal medal. It is a figure which shows the other example of an illegal medal, A shows one side of this illegal medal, B shows the image data of this illegal medal, and C is a figure which shows the gradient average image data of this illegal medal. . 6 is a flowchart showing offset correction processing for performing offset correction of image data, which is executed by the medal selector according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the offset value and temperature which are performed by the offset correction process shown in FIG. It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of an LED drive section used with a medal selector in a game machine of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a specific circuit block diagram of the LED drive part shown in FIG. It is a timing chart showing changes in operating voltage and current in driving LEDs of a medal selector in the gaming machine of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a base plate portion and a sub plate of a medal selector according to a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the base plate part of the medal selector concerning the modification of one embodiment of the present invention from the slanting front of a pachi-slot. It is the perspective view which looked at the sub plate of the medal selector concerning the modification of one embodiment of the present invention from the slanting front of a pachi-slot. It is a figure explaining operation of a subplate concerning a modification of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining operation of a subplate concerning a modification of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the connector concerning the modification of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure seen from the direction which mutually engages the 1st member and the 2nd member of the connector concerning the modification of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 48 is a view showing a first member and a second member different from the first member and the second member of the connector shown in FIG. 47. FIG. 48 is a view showing a first member and a second member different from the first member and the second member of the connector shown in FIG. 47. It is a block diagram showing an example of circuit composition of a medal selector concerning a modification of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the top view which looked at the game device which concerns on the example 1 of application of the embodiment of this invention from the upper surface. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the game device which concerns on the example 1 of application of embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the counting hopper which concerns on the example 2 of application of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing an example of internal structure of a game device concerning application example 3 of one embodiment of the present invention.

[One Embodiment of the Present Invention]
Hereinafter, a pachi-slot which is a gaming machine showing an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 40.

<Function flow>
First, the functional flow of the pachi-slot will be described with reference to FIG.
In the pachi-slot of the present embodiment, medals are used as a game medium for playing a game. As a game medium, coins, game balls, game point data, tokens, etc. can be applied in addition to medals.

  When a player inserts a medal and operates the start lever, one value (hereinafter, a random number value) is extracted from random numbers in a predetermined numerical value 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. The internal lottery means is handled by the main control circuit described later. By the determination of the internal winning combination, the combination of symbols that is allowed to be displayed along the winning determination line described later is determined. The types of symbol combinations include those related to "winning", in which benefits such as payout of medals, operation of re-play, operation of bonus, etc. are given to the player, and those related to other so-called "miss". Is provided.

  Further, when the start lever is operated, the plurality of reels are rotated. After that, when the player presses the stop button corresponding to the predetermined reel, the reel stop control means controls the rotation of the corresponding reel based on the internal winning combination and the timing when the stop button is pressed. To do. This reel stop control means is carried out by a main control circuit described later.

  In the pachi-slot, basically, control is performed to stop the rotation of the corresponding reel within a specified time (190 msec or 75 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 this specified time is referred to as the “number of sliding pieces”. When the prescribed period is 190 msec, the maximum number of sliding pieces is set to 4 symbols, and when the prescribed period is 75 msec, the maximum number of sliding pieces is set to 1 symbol.

  The reel stop control means, when the internal winning combination permitting the combination display of the symbols relating to the winning is determined, normally, the combination of the symbols is the winning determination line within the prescribed time of 190 msec (for four symbols of the symbol). Stop the rotation of the reel so that it is displayed along with. Further, the reel stop control means defines, for example, one or more reels at the time of the operation of the challenge bonus (CB) and the middle bonus (MB) of continuously operating the second type special accessory. Within a time of 75 msec (one frame of the symbol), the rotation of the reel is stopped so that the symbol combination is displayed along the winning determination line as much as possible. Further, the reel stop control means uses various prescribed times corresponding to the gaming state to rotate the reels so that a combination of symbols not allowed to be displayed by the internal winning combination is not displayed along the winning determination line. Stop.

  In this way, when the rotations of the plurality of reels are all stopped, the winning determination means determines whether or not the symbol combination displayed along the winning determination line is related to winning. This winning determination means is carried out by the main control circuit described later. When it is determined by the prize determination means that the prize is related to the prize, a bonus such as payout of medals is given to the player. In the pachi-slot, a series of flows as described above is performed as one game.

  Further, in the pachi-slot, in the above-mentioned series of flow, the image display performed by the display device such as a liquid crystal display device, the light output performed by various lamps, the sound output performed by the speaker, or a combination thereof is used. Various performances are performed.

  When the start lever is operated, a random number value for production (hereinafter, a random number value for production) is extracted in addition to the random number value used for determining the internal winning combination described above. When the random number value for effect is extracted, the effect content determination means randomly determines, from among a plurality of types of effect content associated with the internal winning combination, the effect content to be executed this time. The sub-control circuit described later plays a role of this effect content determination means.

  When the content of the effect is determined, the effect executing means executes the corresponding effect in association with each trigger such as the start of the rotation of the reel, the stop of the rotation of each reel, the determination of the presence or absence of the winning. In this way, in the pachi-slot, the player has an opportunity to know or anticipate the determined internal winning combination (in other words, the combination of symbols to be aimed) by executing the effect contents associated with the internal winning combination. It is provided, and the interest of the player can be improved.

<Structure of pachi-slot>
Next, the structure of the pachi-slot 1 according to the 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.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pachi-slot 1 includes an exterior body 2. The exterior body 2 has a cabinet 2a that accommodates a hopper device 51, a medal auxiliary storage 52, and the like (see FIG. 5) described later, and a front door 2b that is openably and closably attached to the cabinet 2a.
Handles 7 are provided on both sides of the cabinet 2a (only one handle 7 is shown in FIG. 2). The handle 7 is a recess for holding the pachi-slot 1 when carrying it.

  Inside the exterior body 2, three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are provided side by side. Hereinafter, the reels 3L, 3C, 3R are referred to as the left reel 3L, the middle reel 3C, and the right reel 3R, respectively. Each of the reels 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. On the surface of the sheet material, a plurality of (for example, 20) patterns are drawn at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction.

  The front door 2b includes a door body 9, a front panel 10, and a liquid crystal display device 11 showing a specific example of a display device.

  The door body 9 is attached to the cabinet 2a using a hinge (not shown), and opens and closes the opening of the cabinet 2a. The hinge is provided at the left end of the door body 9 when the door body 9 is viewed from the front of the pachi-slot 1. The liquid crystal display device 11 is attached to the upper part of the door body 9. The liquid crystal display device 11 includes a display unit (display screen) 11 a, and the liquid crystal display device 11 is used to perform an effect by displaying an image.

  The front panel 10 is arranged so as to overlap the display portion 11a side of the liquid crystal display device 11 and is formed in a frame shape having a panel opening 10a exposing the display portion 11a of the liquid crystal display device 11. A lamp group 18 is provided on the front panel 10. The lamp group 18 includes LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and the like, and turns on and off the light in a pattern corresponding to the effect contents.

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

  The symbol display area 4 is arranged on the front side overlapping with 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 is configured to allow the reels 3L, 3C, 3R provided behind it to pass through. Hereinafter, the symbol display area 4 is referred to as a reel display window 4.

  When the reels 3L, 3C, 3R provided behind the reel display window 4 are stopped from rotating, the reel display window 4 has a plurality of types of symbols on the reels 3L, 3C, 3R in the upper, middle and lower stages of the frame. One symbol is displayed in each area (3 in total). In the present embodiment, a pseudo line formed by combining any one of the three predetermined areas, the upper area, the middle area, and the lower area of the reel display window 4, is a target for determining whether or not to win. Is defined as a line (winning determination line).

  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 mounting portion 15.

  The information display window 14 is continuously provided 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 arranged on the inner surface side of the frame member 13 and cannot be removed from the front surface side of the front door 2b. Further, the frame member 13 has a sheet placing portion 17 which faces the opening of the information display window 14 with the window cover 16 interposed therebetween. Then, a sheet member (information sheet) in which information regarding a game is described is arranged between the sheet placing portion 17 and the window cover 16. Therefore, the information sheet is covered with the window cover 16 having a smooth surface without irregularities or gaps.

  Since the window cover 16 constituting the mounting portion of the information sheet is not removable from the front side of the front door 2b and has a smooth surface without unevenness or gap, the pachi-slot 1 can be used by using the mounting portion of the information sheet. You can prevent fraudulent activities that access the inside of the.

  The stop button attachment portion 15 is provided below the information display window 14 and is formed in 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 penetrate. The 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 the left stop button 19L, the middle stop button 19C, and the right stop button 19R, respectively.

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

  The medal insertion slot 21 is provided for receiving medals dropped from the outside by the player. The number of medals received in the medal insertion slot 21 can be increased up to a prescribed number (for example, three) set in advance for one game, and the pachi-slot 1 is pachi-slot 1 for the amount exceeding the prescribed number. It has a so-called credit function that allows you to deposit it inside the. Further, near the medal insertion slot 21, there is provided a return button 21 a for ejecting the medal dropped in the medal insertion slot 21 from the medal payout opening 32 described later and returning it to the medal tray unit 34. The return button 21a is operated, for example, when a medal thrown into the medal insertion slot 21 is jammed inside a medal selector 201 of the pachi-slot 1 which will be described later, and the pachi-slot 1 detects a medal clogging error.

  The BET button 22 is provided to determine the number of medals deposited in the pachi-slot 1 for one game. The start lever 23 is provided to start rotation of all reels (3L, 3C, 3R).

  A 7-segment display 24 including 7-segment LEDs is provided on the left side of the reel display window 4 when the front door 2b is 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, the number of payouts) and the number of medals stored in the pachi-slot (hereinafter, the number of credits). .

  A settlement button 27 is provided on the left side of the pedestal portion 12 when the front door 2b is viewed from the front. The settlement button 27 is provided for pulling out (discharging) to the outside stored in the pachi-slot 1. A waist panel unit 31 is provided below the pedestal portion 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 opening 32, speaker holes 33L and 33R, and a medal tray unit 34 are provided. The medal payout port 32 guides the medals discharged from the medal selector 201 described later and the medals discharged by driving the hopper device 51 described later to the outside. The medals discharged from the medal payout opening 325 are stored in the medal tray unit 34. The speaker holes 33L and 33R are provided to output sound effects and music such as music according to the contents of the effect.

[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. Further, FIG. 4 shows a state in which 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 surface side of the front door 2b.

  The cabinet 2a has 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 provided 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 mounting brackets 43L and 43R. The cabinet side speaker 42 is, for example, a speaker for outputting a sound effect.

  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. 27), which will be described later, attached to the middle door 41 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), a hopper device 51, a medal auxiliary storage switch (not shown), and a medal payout. The wiring for connecting with a count switch (not shown) is relayed.

  An amplifier board 45 for controlling the output of sound from the cabinet-side speaker 42 is arranged 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 and 20d.

  Further, when the inside of the cabinet 2a is viewed from the front, an external concentrated terminal board 47 is arranged on the right side of the amplifier board 45 (see FIG. 5). The external centralized terminal board 47 is attached to the right side surface board 20d of the cabinet 2a. The external centralized terminal board 47 is provided to output signals such as a medal insertion signal, a medal payout signal, and a security signal to the outside of the pachi-slot 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 device 48 is attached to the left side plate 20c of the cabinet 2a. The sub power supply device 48 supplies power of AC voltage 100V to the power supply device 53 described later, converts power of AC voltage 100V into DC power, and supplies the power to the amplifier substrate 45.

  A medal payout device (hereinafter referred to as a hopper device) 51, a medal auxiliary storage 52, and a power supply device 53 are arranged below the inside of the cabinet 2a.

  The hopper device 51 is attached to the central portion of the bottom plate 20b of the cabinet 2a. The hopper device 51 has a structure capable of accommodating a large amount of medals and discharging them one by one. For example, when the settlement button 27 (see FIG. 2) is pressed and the medals stored in the pachi-slot are settled, the hopper device 51 discharges the stored medals by the number of credits. The medals paid out by the hopper device 51 are discharged from the medal payout opening 32 (see FIG. 2). Such a hopper device 51 functions as an example of a storage unit that stores the game medium and discharges the stored game medium.

  The medal auxiliary storage 52 stores the medals overflowing from the hopper device 51. The medal auxiliary storage 52 is arranged 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 attachable to and detachable from the bottom plate 20b.

  The power supply device 53 is arranged 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 face plate 20c. The power supply device 53 has a power switch 53a and a power board 53b (see FIG. 27). 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 required by each unit, and supplies the converted power to each unit.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the middle door 41 is arranged in the center of the back surface of the front door 2b, and is configured to open and close the reel display window 4 (see FIG. 4) from the back side. Door stoppers 41a, 41b, 41c are provided on the upper and lower portions of the middle door 41. The door stoppers 41a, 41b, 41c fix (prohibit) the opening operation of the middle door 41 with the reel display window 4 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, 41c to release the fixation of the middle door 41. A main control board case 55 accommodating a main control board 71 (see FIG. 27) and three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are attached to the middle door 41. A stepping motor is connected to the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R via a gear having a predetermined reduction ratio.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the main control board case 55 is provided with a setting key type switch 56. The setting key type switch 56 is used when the setting of the pachi-slot 1 is changed or the setting of the pachi-slot 1 is confirmed. In this embodiment, the main control board case 55 and the main control board 71 (see FIG. 27) housed in the main control board case 55 constitute a main control board unit.

  The main control board 71 (see FIG. 27) housed in the main control board case 55 constitutes a main control circuit 91 (see FIG. 28) described later. The main control circuit 91 is a circuit for controlling the main flow of the game in the pachi-slot 1, such as determination of internal winning combination, rotation and stop of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R, and determination of winning or not. The specific configuration of the main control circuit 91 will be described later.

  A sub-control board case 57 that accommodates the sub-control board 72 (see FIG. 27) is provided above the middle door 41, and a center speaker 58 is provided above the sub-control board case 57. . The sub control board 72 housed in the sub control board case 57 constitutes a sub control circuit 101 (see FIG. 29). The sub-control circuit 101 is a circuit that controls execution of effects such as display of images. The specific configuration of the sub control circuit 101 will be described later.

  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 wiring that connects the sub control board 72 (see FIG. 27) and the main control board 71 (see FIG. 27), and is arranged around the sub control board 72 and the sub control board 72. It is a board which relays the wiring which connects with the formed board. It should be noted that examples of boards provided around the sub-control board 72 include LED boards 62A, 62B, and 62C (see FIG. 27) described later.

  The LED boards 62A, 62B, and 62C (see FIG. 27) are arranged on both sides of the sub control board case 57 when viewed from the back surface side of the front door 2b. These LED boards 62A, 62B, and 62C cause a plurality of LEDs 85 (see FIG. 27) showing a specific example of a light source to emit light in accordance with the effect executed by the control of the sub control circuit 101 (see FIG. 29). Display a blinking pattern. The pachi-slot 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of effect LED boards in addition to the LED boards 62A, 62B and 62C.

  Below the sub relay board 61, a 24h door opening / closing monitoring unit 63 is arranged. The 24h door opening / closing monitoring unit 63 stores a history of opening / closing 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 (see FIG. 27) (sub control circuit 101 (see FIG. 29)).

  A board speaker 64 and lower speakers 65L and 65R are arranged below the middle door 41. 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 medal selector 201, a medal chute 202, and a door opening / closing monitoring switch 67 are arranged above the lower speaker 65L. The medal selector 201 is a device that determines whether or not the material and shape of the medal are proper, and transfers the medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 21 to the hopper device 51 (see FIG. 5) via the slope 203. Or guide to the medal shoot 202. The specific configuration of the medal selector 201 will be described later. The medal chute 202 is a substantially Y-shaped tubular member, and guides the medals guided by the medal selector 201 and the medals discharged from the hopper device 51 to the medal payout outlet 32 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the medal selector 201 that detects medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 21 constitutes a game medium detection unit that detects a game medium.

  The door opening / closing monitoring switch 67 is arranged on the left side of the medal selector 201 when the front door 2b is viewed from the back side. The door opening / closing monitoring switch 67 outputs a security signal for informing the opening / closing of the front door 2b to the outside of the pachi-slot 1.

  Further, a door relay terminal plate 68 is arranged in a region below the reel display window 4 and opened / closed by the middle door 41 (see FIG. 4). The door relay terminal board 68 includes a main control board 71 (see FIG. 27) in the main control board case 55, various buttons and switches, a sub control board 72 (see FIG. 27), a medal selector 201, and a game operation display board. 81 is a substrate that relays the wiring with 81 (see FIG. 27). The various buttons and switches include, for example, the BET button 22, the settlement button 27, the door opening / closing monitoring switch 67, the BET switch 77, the start switch 79, and the like described later.

<Medal selector configuration>
Next, a specific configuration of the medal selector 201 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where the medal selector 201 is assembled.
As shown in FIG. 7, the medal selector 201 includes a base plate portion 204, a sub plate 205, a cancel shooter 206, a select plate 207, a medal solenoid 208 (see FIG. 9), and a camera unit 209. There is. Further, ABS resin or PC resin can be used for the material of each plate or cover member.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the medal selector 201.
As shown in FIG. 8, the base plate portion 204 is a substantially plate-shaped member that constitutes the outer frame housing of the medal selector 201, and both ends of the pachi-slot 1 in the left-right direction are bent rearward of the pachi-slot 1. It is molded into. The base plate portion 204 has a rear surface 204b, which is one plane orthogonal to the front-back direction of the pachi-slot 1, and a front surface 204a (see FIG. 9), which is the other plane. On the rear surface 204b, a medal rail 210 is formed in a substantially L shape so as to be recessed in the front of the pachi-slot 1 and extend downward from above. A plurality of ridges are formed on the surface of the medal rail 210 along the direction in which the medal rail 210 extends. This reduces friction with the medals passing through the medal rail 210, and prevents the medals from clogging the medal rail 210.

  At the upper end of the base plate part 204, a medal entrance part 211 is provided which is connected to the upper end of the medal rail 210 and receives medals inserted from the medal insertion port 21 (see FIG. 2). The medals inserted into the medal selector 201 from the medal entrance portion 211 move from the upper side to the lower side along the medal rails 210. Below the base plate portion 204, a medal outlet portion 204c connected to the lower end of the medal rail 210 is provided. The medals that have moved inside the medal selector 201 are discharged from the medal exit portion 204c and are stored in the hopper device 51 via the slope 203 (see FIG. 6). Such a slope 203 functions as an example of a guide unit for guiding the game medium from the game medium detection unit to the storage unit.

  A central hole 212 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed at a substantially intermediate position of the medal rail 210, and an end portion of the medal pressure 213 is exposed from the central hole 212 into the medal rail 210.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the medal selector 201 as seen obliquely from the front of the pachi-slot 1. 9 to 15, the arrow X indicates the left-right direction of the pachi-slot 1, the arrow Y indicates the front-back direction of the pachi-slot 1, and the arrow Z indicates the up-down direction.
As shown in FIG. 9, the medal pressure 213 is rotatably supported by a shaft portion 214 provided on the front surface 204 a of the base plate portion 204. A coil spring 215 is attached to the shaft portion 214, and an end portion of the medal pressure 213 protrudes from the central hole 212 into the medal rail 210 (on the rear surface 204b side) by the coil spring 215. Is urged to do so.

  On the front surface 204a of the base plate portion 204, a magnet (not shown) for attracting (magnetizing) an illegal medal, which is not a proper material, among medals moving on the medal rail 210 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an upper exposure hole 219 that penetrates in the front-rear direction and exposes a rear end portion of an after medal pressure 218 to be described later is formed in a substantially central portion of a downstream region of the medal rail 210. In addition, a protrusion 227a of a medal stopper portion 227 (see FIG. 13) of the select plate 207, which will be described later, penetrates through the lower portion of the downstream area of the medal rail 210 in the medal rail 210 (on the rear surface 204b side). A lower exposed hole 220 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the after medal pressure 218 is rotatably supported at its front end by a shaft portion 218a provided on the front surface 204a of the base plate portion 204. The after medal pressure 218 is biased by a coil spring provided on the shaft portion 218a so that the rear end portion does not project from the upper exposed hole 219 (see FIG. 8) into the medal rail 210 (on the rear surface 204b side). There is. When the front end of the after-medal pressure 218 is pressed to the rear of the pachi-slot 1 (on the rear surface 204b side) by the medal solenoid 208, the after-medal pressure 218 rotates about the shaft 218a, and the rear end of the after-medal pressure 218 moves from the upper exposure hole 219. It is exposed inside the rail 210 (on the rear surface 204b side).

  As shown in FIG. 8, the sub plate 205 is a plate-shaped member provided at a position overlapping the medal rail 210. The sub-plate 205 includes a flat plate-shaped main body 221, a shaft portion 222 provided on the upper portion of the main body 221, and a mounting member 272 for mounting a first light guide 261 described later. . A through hole 221a is provided at a substantially central portion of the main body portion 221 at the rear of a position including the central hole 212, the upper exposed hole 219 and the lower exposed hole 220 of the medal rail 210, and penetrates in the front-rear direction. A downstream region is exposed from the through hole 221a from a substantially central portion of the medal rail 210 to form a maximum imageable region of the camera unit 209, which will be described later.

  The shaft part 222 is supported by the base plate part 204, and the sub-plate 205 is attached to the base plate part 204 so as to be rotatable around the shaft part 222. A coil spring 223 is attached to the shaft portion 222. Normally, the sub-plate 205 is pressed against the base plate portion 204 side by the biasing force of the coil spring 223. At this time, a space through which medals can pass is formed between the sub plate 205 and the upper portion of the medal rail 210 covered by the sub plate 205. That is, the sub plate 205 functions as a guide plate that allows medals to pass through.

The cancel shooter 206 is arranged behind the sub plate 205 so as to face the medal rail 210, and has a plate-shaped intermediate member 293 that holds the camera unit 209, the wiring board 288, and the like, and a cover member 294 that covers the intermediate member 293. And. In the cancel shooter 206, a screw 206b is rotatably arranged on a screw mounting portion 206a formed on the intermediate member 293.
As shown in FIG. 7, the cancel shooter 206 is fixed to the base plate portion 204 by screwing a screw 206b into a screwing portion of a screw receiving portion 204d of the base plate portion 204. That is, the cancel shooter 206 is detachably fixed to the base plate portion 204 by screws, and covers the lower portion of the base plate portion 204 from behind with the sub-plate 205 (see FIG. 8) interposed therebetween. Even if the retaining ring is fitted into the screw 206b and the screw 206b is removed from the screw receiving portion 204d, the screw 206b does not drop from the screw attaching portion 206a.

  Here, for example, when a medal jam occurs in the medal selector 201, the screw 206b is removed from the screw receiving portion 204d, the cancel shooter 206 is removed from the base plate portion 204, and the sub plate 205 (see FIG. 8) is exposed. Then, the sub-plate 205 is rotated around the shaft portion 222 (see FIG. 8) against the biasing force of the coil spring 223 to expose the medal rail 210 and remove the jammed medals. The clogging can be cleared.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the cancel shooter 206 as seen obliquely from the front of the pachi-slot 1.
The intermediate member 293 of the cancel shooter 206 is formed with an opening 293a which serves as an opening region of the camera unit 209. The opening area of the opening 293a is an area that does not interfere with the angle of view in the vicinity of the lens 283 of the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 18, which will be described later) in order to allow the camera unit 209 to photograph the photographing area RLa (see FIG. 25 that will be described later). Is formed by.

  FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a portion of the intermediate member 293 where the opening 293a is formed. In FIG. 11, for easy understanding, the camera unit 209 (acrylic resin mounting unit 296, lens protection cover 295, lens holder 275, lens unit 287, and wiring board) arranged near the opening 293a of the intermediate member 293 is shown. 288) is indicated by a dotted line. The camera unit 209 (acrylic resin mounting unit 296, lens protection cover 295, lens holder 275, lens unit 287, and wiring board 288) will be described later.

  The intermediate member 293 has an offset portion as a protruding portion that protrudes from the surface on the side opposite to the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 8) (direction B in FIG. 11) at the peripheral edge of the opening 293a and in which the camera unit 209 is arranged. 293b is formed. An acrylic resin mounting unit 296, which will be described later, is fixed to the offset portion 293b while sandwiching an acrylic resin plate 296a made of a translucent material, and closes the opening 293a. A lens unit 287 and a lens protection cover 295 are arranged on the surface of the acrylic resin plate 296a opposite to the opening 293a (direction B in FIG. 11). That is, the acrylic resin plate 296a serving as a translucent plate is arranged between the intermediate member 293 serving as a holding unit and the camera unit 209 serving as an imaging unit, and closes the opening 293a. Further, in the present embodiment, the camera unit 209 constitutes a detection unit that detects a medal that has been inserted into the pachi-slot 1 by capturing an image of the medal.

  Further, the intermediate member 293 inclines outward from the center of the opening 293a toward the direction in which the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 8) is arranged (F direction in FIG. 11) at the peripheral edge of the opening 293a. The taper processing is performed. Thus, in the intermediate member 293, the inner dimension 293 a ′ of the opening 293 a gradually expands toward the medal rail 210.

  In this manner, the offset portion 293b is formed on the surface of the opening 293a, which is the opening area of the camera unit 209, on the side opposite to the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 8) through which the medals pass, and the camera is attached to the offset portion 293b. By arranging the unit 209, the camera unit 209 and the medal rail 210 can be separated from each other, and the image capture range that can be captured by the camera unit 209 is widened. Therefore, it is possible to image the medals passing through the passage in a wider range. Therefore, a game machine capable of ensuring an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the game machine is provided. Can be provided. Further, by forming the offset portion 293b on the periphery of the opening 293a, the strength of the intermediate member 293 is improved, the intermediate member 293 is bent, and the optical axis of the camera unit 209 held by the intermediate member 293 is displaced, It is possible to prevent the medal from being picked up at an appropriate position and the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity from being lowered.

  Further, since the inner dimension 293a ′ is tapered toward the periphery of the opening 293a toward the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 8), the edge of the opening 293a on the medal rail 210 side is imaged by the camera unit 209. It is possible to prevent the range in which the images of the medals passing through the medal rail 210 are captured from being narrowed. Further, by tapering the peripheral edge medal rail 210 side of the opening 293a, when a medal passing through the medal rail 210 falls to the intermediate member 293 side and comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the opening 293a, this medal is smoothly operated. You can parry. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the medal from being jammed in a state of being in contact with the peripheral edge of the opening 293a, the medal cannot be imaged at an appropriate position, and the accuracy of detecting fraud is reduced. Further, by tapering at least the lower peripheral edge of the opening 293a in the vertical direction on the peripheral edge medal rail 210 side, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust from accumulating on the lower peripheral edge of the opening 293a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matters from accumulating on the peripheral edge of the opening 293a and being captured by the image capturing means together with the passing object, and the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to secure an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the gaming machine, and It is possible to provide a gaming machine that can prevent an appropriate image from being captured.

  Further, since the acrylic resin plate 296a that closes the opening 293a is arranged between the intermediate member 293 and the camera unit 209, foreign matter such as dust enters the camera unit 209 from the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 8) side. You can prevent intrusion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a foreign object from entering the inside of the camera unit 209, preventing the camera unit 209 from properly capturing an image of a medal, and lowering the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity. Even if such foreign matter adheres to the acrylic resin plate 296a, by focusing the camera unit 209 on the medal rail 210, the position of the acrylic resin plate 296a on which the foreign matter adheres is determined by the camera unit 209. Since it is shorter than the image forming distance of, the influence on the image of the medal by the camera unit 209 is small. Therefore, it is possible to secure an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the gaming machine, and It is possible to provide a gaming machine that can prevent an appropriate image from being captured.

  Returning to FIG. 8, one end of a harness (not shown) is connected to the wiring board 288 provided inside the cancel shooter 206, the harness extends from the inside of the cancel shooter 206 to the outside, and the other end is a door described later. It is connected to the relay terminal board 68 (see FIG. 30) and the like. Therefore, a harness receiving portion 293c is formed in the intermediate member 293 in the vicinity of the end portion of the cancel shooter 206 as a structure for fixing such a harness, and the cover member 294 corresponds to the harness receiving portion 293c. A through hole 294b for inserting a banding band (not shown), which is a band-shaped banding member for bundling the harness, and a tip-side pressing portion 294c for pressing the harness are formed at the positions.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration for fixing the harness in the cancel shooter 206. In FIG. 12, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the harness H, and the broken line indicates the path B through which the binding band, which is a band-shaped binding member that bundles the harnesses, is inserted. The intermediate member 293 has a harness receiving portion 293c in which the harness H extending in a predetermined direction is arranged. The harness receiving portion 293c has an arrangement surface 293d on which the harness H is arranged, a side surface 293e that is continuous with a side edge of the arrangement surface 293d, protrudes farther from the arrangement surface 293d, and moves the harness H toward the arrangement surface 293d. . Further, the harness receiving portion 293c is formed with a groove 293f which extends in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined direction in which the harness H extends and in which a binding band (not shown) for bundling the harness H is arranged. The groove 293f is formed by notching the surfaces of the placement surface 293d and the approaching surface 293e, and in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction in which the harness H extends, from the center side of the harness receiving portion 293c to the end side (from the placement surface 293d side). It has an inclined portion 293g that is inclined upward on the approaching surface 293e side. The side surface of the groove 293f forms a wall for preventing the binding band from falling off the groove 293f, and both ends of the groove 293f are formed at positions facing a pair of through holes 294b of the cover member 294 described later. . Further, the inclination angle of the inclined portion 293g is such that the binding band inserted into one of the through holes 294b of the cover member 294 is bent and the other through hole 294b is provided with an angle that facilitates insertion into the outside of the cover member 294. There is. Since the binding band in this embodiment is made of a general nylon material, it has flexibility and flexibility in the binding direction.

  Further, the intermediate member 293 has a base end side pressing portion 293h formed on the base end side (the wiring board 288 direction) of the harness H from the harness receiving portion 293c. The proximal-side pressing portion 293h extends in a direction orthogonal to a predetermined direction in which the harness H extends at a position that is apart from the arrangement surface 293d by a predetermined dimension in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement surface 293d of the harness receiving portion 293c. Further, the base-end-side pressing portion 293h has a hook portion 293i provided on the end portion thereof and protruding toward the arrangement surface 293d side in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement surface 293d.

  Accordingly, the proximal end side of the harness H disposed in the harness receiving portion 293c can be pressed by the proximal end pressing portion 293h. Therefore, for example, when the harness H is pulled, the harness H is pressed toward the proximal end pressing portion. It is possible to prevent the connecting portion of the harness H (connector of the wiring board 288) from being pressed by the portion 293h and pulling force to damage the connecting portion. In addition, for example, at the time of assembly, by inserting the harness H between the harness receiving portion 293c and the proximal-side pressing portion 293h and hooking it on the hook portion 293i, the harness H is disengaged from the proximal-side pressing portion 293h. It is possible to prevent the harness H from being broken due to being sandwiched between the cover member 294 and the intermediate member 293, and it is possible to prevent unintentional force from being applied to the connecting portion, so that the work efficiency can be improved.

  The cover member 294 is formed in the vicinity of both ends of the groove 293f in a state of being attached to the intermediate member 293, and has a pair of through holes 294b which penetrate the cover member 294 and through which a binding band (not shown) is inserted. . Further, the cover member 294 is formed between the pair of through holes 294b, and a part of the surface on the harness receiving portion 293c side has a front end side pressing portion 294c protruding toward the harness receiving portion 293c side.

  As described above, when the harness receiving portion 293c is formed in the intermediate member 293 and the groove 293f having the inclined portion 293g is formed in the harness receiving portion 293c, when assembling the medal selector 201, the worker receives the harness receiving portion 293c. A harness H extending in a predetermined direction is arranged in the. Then, as shown in the route B, the binding band is arranged on the back side of the harness H by inserting the binding band into the groove 293f from the front surface side of the harness H. After that, by further pushing the binding band into the groove 293f, the tip of the binding band comes into contact with the inclined portion 293g of the groove 293f and projects toward the front surface side of the harness H. In this state, the worker can bundle or fix the harness H by passing the back side of the harness H and binding both ends of the binding band with the tip protruding to the front side of the harness. This facilitates the work of turning the binding band to the back side of the harness and then projecting it to the front side. Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of improving the work efficiency of the assembling work of the device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.

  Further, in this way, when the medal selector 201 is assembled by forming the pair of through holes 294b in the cover member 294 that covers the harness receiving portion 293c and forming the tip side pressing portion 294c therebetween, the operator Arranges the harness H extending in a predetermined direction in the harness receiving portion 293c and covers the harness receiving portion 293c with the cover member 294. Then, the tip of the binding band is inserted from the outside of the cover member 294 into the inside of the cover member 294 through the one through hole 294b. Then, the binding band is inserted into the groove 293f and arranged on the back side of the harness H. After that, by further pushing the binding band into the groove 293f, the tip of the binding band comes into contact with the inclined portion 293g of the groove 293f, protrudes toward the front surface side of the harness H, and passes through the other through hole 294b to the outside of the cover member 294. Project to. In this state, the worker binds the both ends of the binding band to fix the harness H to the cover member 294 in a state of being pressed against the tip-side pressing portion 294c. Accordingly, even after the harness H is covered with the cover member 294, the binding band can be easily rotated to the back side of the harness H and fixed to the cover member 294. Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of improving the work efficiency of the assembling work of the device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.

  Returning to FIG. 8, the cover member 294 is disposed behind the intermediate member 293, and with the camera unit 209 and the wiring board 288 disposed on the intermediate member 293 being covered, the cover member 294 can be detached by the screw 294a. It is fixed to the member 293.

  The select plate 207 is attached to the base plate portion 204, and is a member that guides a medal moving on the medal rail 210 at a position overlapping the through hole 221a of the sub plate 205.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the select plate 207 of the medal selector 201.
As shown in FIG. 13, the select plate 207 is disposed on the rear surface 204b (see FIG. 8) side of the base plate portion 204, and has a plate main body 224 formed in a substantially trapezoidal plate shape, and the plate main body 224 to the pachi-slot 1. A pair of bearing portions 225 each having a bearing hole 225a extending to the front side (front surface 204a (see FIG. 9) side of the base plate portion 204) and through which a shaft portion 228 (see FIG. 9) described later passes. are doing. In addition, a flange portion 226 is formed at an upper portion of the plate body 224, the flange portion 226 extending toward the front side of the pachi-slot 1 (the front surface 204a side of the base plate portion 204) and having the end portion bent upward. . In addition, one of the bearing portions 225 extends downward on the front surface 204a side of the base plate portion 204 in a direction different from that of the plate body 224 with the bearing hole 225a sandwiched therebetween, and a medal having a protruding portion 227a formed at an end portion. A stopper portion 227 is formed. The projecting portion 227a can project from the lower exposed hole 220 (see FIG. 8) of the medal rail 210 to the rear surface 204b side of the base plate portion 204.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the plate body 224 extends along the medal rail 210 in the portion of the sub-plate 205 where the through hole 221a is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the select plate 207 rotates with respect to the base plate portion 204 by inserting the shaft portion 228 provided on the front surface 204 a of the base plate portion 204 into the bearing holes 225 a of the pair of bearing portions 225. Supported as possible. The select plate 207 is a direction in which the flange portion 226 rotates forward of the pachi-slot 1 around the bearing hole 225a by the coil spring 229 provided on the shaft portion 228, and the protruding portion 227a (see FIG. 8) is provided. The medal rail 210 is urged in a direction projecting from the lower exposed hole 220 (see FIG. 8) to the rear surface 204b side of the base plate portion 204. The flange portion 226 is in contact with one end of the medal solenoid 208. When the medal solenoid 208 is in the ON state, the flange portion 226 is pushed by one end of the medal solenoid 208 and moves to the rear of the pachi-slot 1 against the biasing force of the coil spring 229. The rotation position of the select plate 207 at this time is referred to as a “guide position”. Further, when the medal solenoid 208 is in the OFF state, the flange portion 226 is released from the pressure of the medal solenoid 208 and moves to the front of the pachi-slot 1 by the biasing force of the coil spring 229. The rotation position of the select plate 207 at this time is referred to as a “discharge position”.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a route of medals when the medal selector 201 guides the medals to the hopper device.
In the state shown in FIG. 14, the select plate 207 is arranged at the guide position, and the shortest distance from the lower side 224a of the plate body 224 to the lower side 210a of the medal rail 210 is the minimum dimension. This minimum size is a size slightly smaller than the allowable minimum diameter of the standard size of the medal. Therefore, if the medal passing between the medal rail 210 and the plate body 224 has the standard size, the end of the medal is caught by the plate body 224 and guided by the plate body 224, and the hopper device 51 (FIG. The coins are ejected from the medal exit portion 204c up to (see). At this time, the protruding portion 227a (see FIG. 8) of the medal stopper portion 227 does not protrude from the lower exposure hole 220.

On the other hand, when the medal passing between the medal rail 210 and the plate main body 224 is smaller than the standard size, the end of the medal does not get caught on the plate main body 224, and is pressed by the medal pressure 213 (see FIG. 8). , Falls in a direction away from the medal rail 210 (Y direction in FIG. 14), falls downward before reaching the medal exit portion 204c, and the medal payout outlet 32 (see FIG. 2) via the medal chute 202 (see FIG. 4). Emitted from.
In the present embodiment, the select plate 207 is normally positioned at the guide position, but under predetermined conditions (for example, when the maximum (50) number of medals that can be credited, when an error occurs, at the start of a game, etc.). Can be positioned at the discharge position.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a route of medals when the medal selector 201 guides the medals to the medal shoot.
In the state shown in FIG. 15, the select plate 207 is arranged at the ejection position, the protruding portion 227a of the medal stopper portion 227 protrudes from the lower exposure hole 220, and extends from the lower side 224a of the plate body 224 to the lower side 210a of the medal rail 210. The shortest distance is larger than the minimum dimension shown in FIG. This size at the ejection position is larger than the maximum allowable diameter of the standard size of the medal. For this reason, the medal passing between the medal rail 210 and the plate body 224 does not have its end caught on the plate body 224, and therefore is pressed by the medal pressure 213 or protrudes from the lower exposed hole 220. 15 is pushed out by the projecting portion 227a, falls in the direction away from the medal rail 210 (Y direction in FIG. 15), falls downward before reaching the medal exit portion 204c, and pays medals through the medal chute 202 (see FIG. 4). It is discharged from the outlet 32 (see FIG. 2).

<Structure of main part of camera unit>
FIG. 16 is an exploded view for explaining the positional relationship between the medal rail 210 and the camera unit 209. Note that, in FIG. 16, the cancel shooter 206 (see FIG. 8) and a wiring board 288 (see FIG. 18) described later are omitted for easy understanding.
The camera unit 209 is a unit that determines whether or not the object moving on the medal rail 210 is a regular medal.
The camera unit 209 is arranged at a position facing the medal rail 210 in a portion where the through hole 221a of the sub plate 205 is arranged, and is fixed by being screwed to the cancel shooter 206.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the camera unit 209.
The camera unit 209 includes an acrylic resin mounting unit 296, a lens protection cover 295 as a lens protection unit, a lens unit 287 (imaging lens), a lens holder 275 as a lens holding unit, and an acrylic resin protection cover sheet 297. , A CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) attached to the wiring board 288.

  The acrylic resin mounting unit 296 has an acrylic resin plate 296a as a translucent plate formed of a translucent material sandwiched and fixed, and the offset portion 293b of the intermediate member 293 of the cancel shooter 206 (see FIG. 11). It is fixed to. The acrylic resin plate 296a is disposed between the intermediate member 293 (see FIG. 11) and the lens unit 287 and closes the opening 293a (see FIG. 11) of the intermediate member 293.

  The lens protection cover 295 is fixed to the acrylic resin mounting unit 296 and is formed in a shape surrounding the lens unit 287. The lens holder 275 holding the lens unit 287 includes a medal rail 210 (see FIG. 16) and a CMOS image sensor 232. (See FIG. 30) and the wiring board 288 to which it is attached. The lens protection cover 295 is incorporated with its end on the medal rail 210 side in close contact with the acrylic resin plate 296a and its end on the CMOS image sensor 232 side in close contact with the wiring board 288.

  Specifically, the lens protection cover 295 has a lens engaging portion 295a that engages with the outer periphery of the lens holder 275 at the end portion on the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) side. In the example shown in the present embodiment, the lens protection cover 295 has a hollow, substantially rectangular prism-shaped portion that surrounds the lens unit 287, and the lens engagement portion 295a is formed at the end of this portion on the wiring board 288 side. Has been done. The lens engaging portion 295a has an inner wall formed in substantially the same shape as the outer periphery of the lens holder 275 formed in a substantially square pole shape. In addition, the lens engaging portion 295a is formed with a pair of recesses 295b in which a part of the outer circumference of the lens holder 275 can project from the lens engaging portion 295a. Part of the outer circumference of the lens holder 275 and the pair of recesses 295b of the lens engaging portion 295a are fitted to each other.

  Further, in the present embodiment, on the wiring board 288, a GPIO connector 288a capable of connecting a harness is arranged adjacent to the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30). When the lens protection cover 295 is in close contact with the wiring board 288, at least a part of the GPIO connector 288a (for example, four surfaces of the exposed GPIO connector 288a other than the surface to which the harness is connected). ) Is formed to surround the connector protection portion 295c. Further, since the connector protection portion 295c is in close contact with the wiring board 288, the surface of the GPIO connector 288a other than the surface to which the harness is connected is enclosed. As a result, the connector protection portion 295c and the wiring board 288 protect the surface of the GPIO connector 288a other than the surface to which the harness is connected.

  The lens unit 287 is equipped with lenses 283 to 285 (see FIG. 18), which will be described later and are arranged such that the optical axis thereof faces the medal rail 210. The lens holder 275 is fixed to the lens protection cover 295 and holds the lens unit 287 so that an image can be formed on the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30). The acrylic resin protective cover sheet 297 is arranged in a direction opposite to the direction in which the lens unit 287 of the lens holder 275 is supported.

  In addition, a CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) described later and a control LSI 234 (see FIG. 30) communicatively and controllably connected to the CMOS image sensor 232 are provided on the wiring board 288 of the camera unit 209. It is provided. The CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) images a medal moving on the medal rail 210 and outputs image data of the imaged medal to the control LSI 234. The specific configuration of the circuit of the camera unit 209 will be described later.

  In the present embodiment, the camera unit is configured by one substrate on which the CMOS image sensor 232 and the control LSI 234 are provided, but the CMOS image sensor 232 and the control LSI 234 are configured by separate substrates to configure the camera unit 209. Good. Further, as the solid-state image sensor of the image sensor, a CCD can be used instead of the CMOS image sensor 232.

  In this way, the lens holder 275 holding the lens unit 287 is surrounded by the lens protection cover 295, and the end of the lens protection cover 295 on the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 16) side is brought into close contact with the acrylic resin plate 296a. By assembling the end portion on the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) side in close contact with the wiring board 288, foreign matter such as fat or dust of cigarette is put inside the lens protection cover 295 in which the lens unit 287 is accommodated. Can be prevented from entering. Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing foreign matter from adhering to a lens for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.

  Further, at the end of the lens protection cover 295 on the side of the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30), a part of the outer circumference of the lens holder 275 is engaged with a lens engaging portion 295a that engages with the outer circumference of the lens holder 275. A recess 295b that can project from the portion 295a is formed. Thus, when the camera unit 209 is assembled, a part of the outer circumference of the lens holder 275 holding the lens unit 287 is fitted into the recess 295b, and the outer circumference of the lens holder 275 is engaged with the lens engaging portion 295a. The lens unit 287 can be arranged and fixed at an appropriate position with respect to the CMOS image sensor 232. Therefore, the assembly work of the camera unit 209 becomes easy.

  Further, since the connector protection portion 295c surrounds at least a part of the GPIO connector 288a arranged on the wiring board 288, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter from entering the GPIO connector 288a. Therefore, the foreign matter is inserted into the GPIO connector 288a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent so-called goto, which is a fraudulent act. Since the connector protection portion 295c that surrounds at least a part of the GPIO connector 288a is formed in the lens protection cover 295 that surrounds the lens unit 287, the member that protects the lens unit 287 and the member that protects the GPIO connector 288a are integrated. Since it is possible to create a member (lens protection cover 295) having a plurality of functions with a single mold, it is possible to suppress design and manufacturing costs.

The camera unit 209 will be described in detail.
FIG. 18 shows a sectional structure (14A) of a main part of the camera unit 209 and a lens holder 275 (14B) used for the main part of the unit. In the following description using FIG. 18, the top is the direction in which the medal rails 210 (see FIG. 8) are arranged.
On a wiring board 288 of the camera unit 209, electronic components such as a CMOS image sensor 232, a control LSI 234, an LED driving unit 252, and the like, which will be described later, and a cover glass 289 are mounted. A lens holder 275 is attached to the upper side of the wiring board 288. The wiring board 288 is composed of a glass epoxy board, a ceramic board, or the like, and a wiring pattern (not shown) is formed on the surface of the wiring board 288.

  As shown in (14B), the lens holder 275 has a lower portion 277 having a rectangular opening 279 that opens downward, and an upper portion 276 that is narrower than the lower portion 277. A cylindrical through hole 278 into which the lens unit 287 shown in (14A) is mounted is formed in the upper portion 276. A female screw portion 281 is formed on the inner surface of the through hole 278. The through hole 278 is formed with a taper portion (slope portion) 282 outwardly above the upper edge 280 of the female screw portion 281. As shown in (14A), the lens holder 275 is fixed on the wiring board 288 with an adhesive 291 so as to cover the cover glass 289. As shown in FIG. 16, the lens holder 275 is supported on an acrylic resin mounting unit 296 and is fixed to the cancel shooter 206 (see FIG. 8) via an acrylic resin protective cover sheet 297 and a lens protective cover 295. . As shown in (14A), the lens holder 275 has a lens holding structure having a lens holding structure for holding a plurality of condenser lenses (lenses 283 to 285) in a multilayer form in front of the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30). Constitutes a means. The lens holding means is not limited to the case of using the lens holder 275, and for example, a structure having a structure in which lenses are arranged and held in multiple layers via a spacer can be used. The condensing lens is not limited to a convex lens, but a deformed lens having a semi-cylindrical section can be used. In addition, the lens unit 287 of the present embodiment has a characteristic of a single-focus, substantially wide-angle lens by adopting a lens holding structure that holds a plurality of condenser lenses (lenses 283 to 285) in a multilayer shape. .

  As the main material of the lens holder 275, various resins such as thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin or thermoplastic resin such as PC resin can be used. In the case of this embodiment, a liquid crystal polymer composite (LCPC) is used for the lens holder 275. LCPC is a synthetic resin (liquid crystal polymer material) belonging to a thermoplastic resin that exhibits liquid crystal-like properties. Compared with resin materials other than liquid crystal polymer materials, LCPC has less dust and has excellent heat resistance and rigidity. The lens unit 287 is also made of the same material as the lens holder 275.

  When the condenser lens (lenses 283 to 285) and the lens holder 275 are slightly distorted and deformed due to temperature changes, the distorted deformation causes a focus (focus) shift of the captured image, which affects the accuracy of marking determination and color determination. Will end up. In this embodiment, the lens holder 275 and the lens unit 287 are made of LCPC as a main material, so that the lens thickness, curvature, and refractive index, or the height dimension of the lens holder 275 and the space between the lenses are interposed via a spacer. Even if the thickness or the like of the spacers in the case of stacking is thermally deformed, the prototype is maintained by the characteristics of the LCPC so as to cancel these deformations, so that a lens holder 275 suitable for stable imaging operation can be realized. You can

<Composition structure of lens holder and lens unit>
The constituent materials of the lens holder 275 and the lens unit 287 have a composition structure in which LCPC and glass filler (Glass Filler: GF) mixed in 30% (weight ratio) to LCPC are mixed. The compounding ratio of GF is not limited to 30% and may be any of 10 to 40%. As composition materials other than LCPC and GF, carbon black, an antioxidant, a heat stabilizer, an ultraviolet absorber, an antistatic agent, a flame retardant, etc. for enhancing the light shielding property are slightly mixed in the lens holder 275 and the lens unit 287. ing.

  FIG. 19 is a test result of performing an environmental test at a temperature higher than room temperature (50 ° C., 60 ° C., 70 ° C.) on the lens holder 275 molded with various GF compounding ratios (6 stages of 0 to 50). Indicates. The environmental test results show that the degree of change in lens thickness, curvature and refractive index caused by temperature rise is ○ (small change), Δ (changes are more remarkable than those that do not affect the imaging operation "○") , × (changes that affect the imaging operation are generated).

  As can be seen from the results of the environmental test in FIG. 19, it is preferable to add GF to LCPC in an amount of 10 to 40% (weight ratio). Distortion occurs in each lens of the compound lens due to the temperature rise, but also structural distortion other than lens distortion (for example, distortion due to pressure action when the lens interferes with the lens holder 275 and the lens unit 287). In the case of the composition structure with the compounding ratio of 10 to 40%, the structural strain can be deformed so as to be canceled by the holder material side and canceled and suppressed or suppressed, so that the focus shift due to the structural strain occurs. It is possible to perform high-quality image pickup without any need. In particular, some lens distortion due to temperature rise occurs, but since the structural distortion is eliminated, it is only necessary to take measures for imaging processing in advance to analyze lens distortion that can be analyzed, without adding structural distortion countermeasure parts. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the lens holding mechanism (camera unit 209 and lens unit 287) can be reduced without causing unnecessary cost increase, which contributes to the cost reduction of the gaming machine.

  As shown in (14A), the lens unit 287 has a tubular shape having a two-stage structure of a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion as a whole, and three condenser lenses (lenses 283 to 285) are mounted inside the barrel. It is a lens housing part of the housed compound lens system unit. The large-diameter lens 283 is mounted on the intermediate lens 284 in the large-diameter portion via an antireflection diaphragm component 283a. The upper periphery of the lens 283 is pressed and fixed by the stopper member 283b. A cover sheet 283c is attached to the upper side of the lens 283. A lens 284 and a lens 285 are incorporated in the small-diameter cylindrical portion of the lens unit 287. The lens 284 and the lens 285 are stacked via the spacer 284a. The lens 285 is separated into two lenses 285a and 285b via an antireflection diaphragm component 285c. The antireflection diaphragm components 283a and 285c are diaphragm components for determining the F value (index indicating the brightness of the lens) of the lens. On the outer periphery of the small diameter portion of the lens unit 287, a female screw portion 281 and a male screw portion 286 that can be screwed are formed. The through hole 278 faces the cover glass 289 when the lens holder 275 is fixed on the wiring board 288.

  As the condenser lenses of the lenses 283 to 285, lenses that cause barrel distortion are used. The image formation by the condensing lens is generally accompanied by a barrel-shaped or pincushion-shaped distortion aberration. When a pincushion lens is used, pincushion distortion aberration occurs, so that the central region without distortion becomes small and it is difficult to obtain a high-quality image in a wide range. In the present embodiment, by using a lens in which barrel distortion occurs, it is possible to obtain a wide range of images, and distortion correction processing of image data in consideration of lens distortion aberration in which barrel distortion occurs is performed. Is going. The distortion correction process of the image data is executed before being executed in the marking judgment process and the color judgment process which will be described later.

FIG. 20 shows an image data area obtained through a lens in which barrel distortion occurs.
The image data area shows a barrel-shaped entire area 16a including distortion as a whole, and the central area 16b is an area without distortion. The marking determination processing means (first determination means) by the image recognition DSP circuit 242 (see FIG. 31) and the color determination processing means (second determination means) by the color recognition circuit 247 (see FIG. 31) which will be described later are distorted. This can be executed based on the corrected image data obtained by correcting the distorted area of the entire area 16a excluding the central area 16b without distortion to the image data without distortion by the distortion correction processing.
Since the color determination processing means (second determination means) by the color recognition circuit 247 (see FIG. 31) described later does not require higher precision than the marking determination processing, the image data of the central area 16b is converted from the image data of the entire area 16a. It can be executed based on the excluded image data.

  By the distortion correction processing of the image data described above, it is possible to perform the medal marking determination processing and the color determination processing with high accuracy based on the corrected image data without distortion. Moreover, since it is possible to correct and execute image data of a region including distortion captured in a wide-angle range by a lens that causes barrel distortion, it is possible to perform multiple functions by a plurality of determination processes and to improve medal determination accuracy as a whole. It is possible to improve.

  In the lens unit 287, as shown in (14A), the male screw portion 286 is screwed to the female screw portion 281 at a position where the uppermost lens 283 is substantially flush with the upper end of the lens holder 275, and the lens holder 275 is attached. It is fixed. The lens unit 287 is fixed to the lens holder 275 after adjusting the lens position. This fixation is performed by injecting and solidifying the adhesive 292 into a gap formed between the outer periphery of the positioned small diameter portion of the lens unit 287 and the tapered portion 282 of the lens holder 275.

<Camera unit assembly method>
FIG. 21 shows an assembly procedure for assembling the lens holder 275 on the substrate.
This assembling method is executed as a part of the manufacturing method of the gaming machine. First, the position of the lens unit 287 is adjusted in a state in which a lens body before fixation in which three lenses 283 to 285 are mounted inside the cylinder is assembled and the lens body is screwed into the through hole 278 of the lens holder 275. (Step S1).

  Next, the adhesive 292 is applied and injected into the gap formed between the outer circumference of the small diameter portion of the lens unit 287 and the tapered portion 282 of the lens holder 275 to temporarily fix (temporarily adhere) the lens body (step). S2).

  As the adhesive 292, a thermosetting resin adhesive or an ultraviolet (UV) curable resin adhesive can be used. Preferably, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin adhesive such as an ultraviolet curable epoxy resin adhesive is used. The ultraviolet curable resin adhesive has the advantages that the curing speed is fast, a relatively short working time is required, and that it does not cure unless it is irradiated with UV, so there are few restrictions on the coating process and it can be cured at a low temperature.

  In the present embodiment, with the position of the lens unit 287 adjusted, temporary bonding is performed using an ultraviolet curing epoxy resin adhesive (step S2). After that, the adhesive is baked by irradiating with ultraviolet rays of 280 to 450 nm for several minutes (step S3). The atmosphere temperature during firing is preferably 80 to 100 ° C. so that the lens holder 275 and the lens unit 287 are not deformed, and the UV irradiation time is preferably 20 to 40 seconds so that the materials of the lens holder 275 and the lens unit 287 are not deteriorated. .

  According to the present embodiment, since the taper portion 282 is formed outward from above the upper end edge 280 of the female screw portion 281, between the outer circumference of the small diameter portion of the lens unit 287 and the taper portion 282 of the lens holder 275. It is possible to sufficiently infiltrate the gap into the gap and to sufficiently fill and apply even below the gap, and to firmly fix by UV irradiation and reduce the assembly and manufacturing cost by a simple work process.

  After fixing the lens unit 287 to the lens holder 275, the lens holder 275 is placed on the wiring board 288, and the lens holder 275 and the wiring board 288 are bonded by the adhesive 291 (step S4). After that, other parts are attached and the camera unit 209 is completed.

  When assembling the lens system of the lens unit 287, by simply adhering the holder part of the lens holder 275 and the lens accommodating part of the lens unit 287 to each other, misalignment at the time of assembly or protrusion of adhesive to the lens may occur. May occur. Such misalignment and the like cause variations in captured images, but in the present embodiment, the lens unit 287, which is the lens accommodating portion mounted in the through hole 278, and the taper, which is the inclined portion that is open outward on the outer peripheral portion. The lens unit 287 and the lens holder 275 are bonded to each other by injecting an adhesive 292 that is a bonding means between the area formed by the portion 282 and the area. As a result, the lens attachment structure of the camera unit 209 is strengthened, so that the CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) and the condenser lens are not misaligned during assembly, or the adhesive does not protrude into the lens. It is possible to perform highly accurate marking and color determination processing based on a high quality captured image.

  Moreover, the UV-curable resin adhesive used for the adhesive has a faster curing speed than adhesives such as thermosetting resin adhesives, and it is polymerized and cured in a short time by UV irradiation to control the adhesive process. Since it has easy characteristics, it can be temporarily bonded immediately by application after positioning and can be quickly solidified by UV irradiation in the manufacturing stage before fixing the holder part and the lens housing part. The assembly work time can be shortened, the assembly process can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The camera unit 209 according to the above-described assembly is mounted so that the uppermost lens 283 of the compound lens system faces the passage of the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 16 and the like). The camera unit 209 has a CMOS image sensor 232 (see FIG. 30) that captures an image using LED light as a light source, and a compound lens (condensing lens of lenses 283 to 285) provided in front of the CMOS image sensor 232. As shown in (14A) of FIG. 18, in the camera unit 209, the condensing lens of the lenses 283 to 285 can directly guide the LED light by the light irradiation mechanism described later to the CMOS image sensor 232. That is, it has an LED light attracting mechanism in which a space having no inclusions is provided between the condenser lens and the image sensor.

  A solid-state image sensor in an image sensor mounted on a mobile phone, a digital camera, or the like uses a silicon photodiode having sensitivity to near infrared rays in its light receiving portion. Therefore, when the room illumination light or natural light is used as a light source, it is necessary to correct the luminosity, and a glass IR having a thickness of about 1 mm is provided between the condenser lens (the lowest lens of the compound lens) and the image sensor. A cut filter is installed. However, if the IR cut filter is used, the distance (optical length) from the lower end surface of the lens 285 in the lowermost layer to the image sensor surface becomes long, and the mounting cost of extra mounting parts for mounting the IR cut filter or the IR cut filter is increased. It causes a problem. In particular, thermal deformation strain is generated in the bonding portion of the IR cut filter and a noise component is generated at the interface, and it is necessary to remove it, and this work is one of the factors that increase the manufacturing cost.

  In this embodiment, focusing on the point that LED light (see FIG. 24) containing no IR component is used as the light source, the camera unit 209 has a space without an inclusion between the condenser lens and the image sensor. Since the condensing lens is provided so as to be capable of forming an image on the image sensor by providing the LED light attracting mechanism, it becomes possible to directly attract the LED light generated in the passage to the image sensor, and the optical length required for the image formation. Can be shortened to the shortest distance by at least the thickness of the IR cut filter. In the case of the present embodiment, the height H from the cover sheet 283c to the surface of the wiring board 288 is a minute height of about 11 to 12 mm. By such shortening, the unit structure can be made smaller and compact, and the IR The number of filter parts can be reduced, the mounting cost is unnecessary, and the cost can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, noise components do not occur at the interface when an IR filter is used, and effective use of imaging data in the visible light region. It is possible to improve the accuracy of the color of the medal and the marking determination.

<Structure of light irradiation mechanism of medal rail included in pachi-slot>
Next, the structure of the light irradiation mechanism of the medal rail 210 will be described.
The light irradiation mechanism is a mechanism that irradiates the medal rail 210 with light, and as shown in FIG. 16, the first light guide 261 attached to the sub-plate 205 via the attachment member 272 and the camera unit 209. And is attached to the intermediate member 293 (see FIG. 8) of the cancel shooter 206 via the second light guide 262 and the attachment member 274, which are attached via the attachment member 273. Third light guide 263, LED 233La provided near first light guide 261, LED 233Lb provided near second light guide 262, and third light guide 263 The LED 233Lc provided in the. The LEDs 233La, 233Lb, and 233Lc supply LED light to the first light guide 261, the second light guide 262, and the third light guide 263, respectively.

In FIG. 14, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the position of the lens unit 287 of the camera unit 209, and the alternate long and two short dashes line indicates the first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body 263. The position of LED233La, LED233Lb, and LED233Lc is shown.
As shown in FIG. 14, the first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body 263 are arranged so as to surround the imageable range of the camera unit 209.

  FIG. 22 (18A) shows the external shape of the first light guide 261 and (18B) shows the external shape of the second light guide 262. In FIG. 22, the centers of the locations where the reflection grooves 267 and 270 are formed are indicated by broken lines. FIG. 23 shows the external shape of the third light guide body 263.

  As shown in (18A), the first light guide 261 is composed of a linear portion 264 and a curved portion 265, has a substantially L shape as a whole, and has a rectangular cross section. On the bottom surface of the first light guide body 261, the introduced light of the LED 233La (see FIG. 14) from the end portion 265a on the curved portion 265 side is guided to the end portion 266 on the linear portion 264 side so as to uniformly emit surface light over the entire length. Reflection grooves 267 for efficiently propagating the light are formed in a plurality of positions in a transverse shape with respect to the longitudinal direction of the light guide. The formation interval of the reflection groove 267 is gradually shortened toward the end portion 266. When the first light guide 261 is attached to the medal selector 201 (see FIG. 16), the substantially L-shaped outer surface 261 a that is the inner side surface of the first light guide 261 faces the medal rail 210. It is used as a surface emitting light source for irradiation.

  As shown in (18B), the second light guide 262 has a linear shape with a rectangular cross section. On the bottom surface of the second light guide 262, the introduced light of the LED 233Lb (see FIG. 14) from one end 268 is efficiently propagated to the other end 269 so that the surface light is uniformly emitted over the entire length. Reflecting grooves 270 are formed at a plurality of positions so as to cross the light guide longitudinal direction. The formation interval of the reflection groove 270 is gradually shortened toward the end portion 269. When the second light guide 262 is attached to the intermediate member 293 (see FIG. 8) of the cancel shooter 206, a rectangular outer surface that is an inner side surface of the second light guide 262 that is directed obliquely downward. 262a is used as a surface emitting light source that irradiates the medal rail 210.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the third light guide body 263 includes a flat portion 263a having a substantially right triangle shape and a light guide portion 263b having a substantially triangular pyramid shape. The end surface 263h of the light guide portion 263b shown by the diagonal line has an isosceles triangular shape. The three-dimensional side surface of the light guide portion 263b includes a triangular side surface 263c on the long side of the isosceles triangle of the end surface 263h, a triangular side surface 263d on the short side, a distal triangular surface 263e with a tip portion obliquely cut, and a flat portion 263a. Along the edge 263i between the triangular side surface 263c and the distal triangular surface 263e, and along the edge 263j of the flat portion 263a between the triangular side surface 263d and the distal triangular surface 263e. It is configured by the hem side surface 263g. When the third light guide 263 is attached to the intermediate member 293 (see FIG. 8) of the cancel shooter 206, the triangular side surface 263c of the third light guide 263 serves as the first light guide surface as the medal rail 210. It is used as a surface-emitting light source that irradiates the light. The triangular side surface 263d is used as a second light guide surface for a halation light source that emits surface light emission in a direction opposite to the triangular side surface 263c.

On the bottom surface of the flat portion 263a, there are a plurality of reflection grooves 271 for efficiently propagating the light introduced from the end face 263h in the light guide portion 263b so that the surface light is uniformly emitted on all side surfaces of the light guide portion 263b. Is engraved in parallel with the bottom surface. The reflection grooves 270 are formed at substantially equal intervals.
The first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body 263 are formed of an acrylic resin capable of emitting the introduced light from the side surface. As the modeling material, in addition to the acrylic resin, a light transmissive material capable of emitting side light, for example, Teflon (registered trademark) or an optical fiber material can be used.

24 (20B), (20A), and (20C) are for attaching the first light guide 261, the second light guide 262, and the third light guide 263 to the medal selector 201, respectively. It is a figure explaining the attachment members 272, 273, and 274 of FIG.
As shown in (20B), the first light guide body 261 is housed in a substantially L-shaped interior groove provided in the mounting member 272 so that the outer surface 261a is exposed. By fixing the mounting member 272 to the sub-plate 205 (see FIG. 16) with screws, the first light guide 261 is exposed to the outside surface 261a from the mounting member 272 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. Are arranged in the direction of the medal rail 210, and surface emitting light emitted from the outer surface 261a can be obliquely and upwardly applied to the medals passing through the medal rail 210.

  As shown in (20A), the second light guide body 262 is inserted and held in the mounting member 273 so that the outer side surface 262a is exposed to the front. As shown in FIG. 16, the second light guide 262 is fixed by fixing the mounting member 273 to the inside of the intermediate member 293 (see FIG. 8) of the cancel shooter 206 via the acrylic resin mounting plate 298 with screws. As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 14, the outer surface 262a exposed from the mounting member 273 is arranged obliquely along the medal passing direction so as to descend from the outer surface 262a. It is possible to irradiate the surface emission light of the above onto the medals passing through the medal rail 210 from below.

  The step portion on the back side of the flat portion 263a of the third light guide 263 shown in FIG. 23 is engaged in the longitudinal direction of the mounting member 274 shown in (20C) to expose the light guide portion 263b. The back surface of 263a is brought into contact with the mounting member 274, and the mounting member 274 is fixed to the inside of the intermediate member 293 (see FIG. 8) of the cancel shooter 206 by means of screws, so that the two-dot chain line in FIG. The light emitted from the light guide portion 263b of the third light guide body 263 can be emitted to the front of the medal passing through the medal rail 210.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the medal rail 210 is composed of an upstream region extending vertically from the medal entrance portion 211 and a downstream region gently inclined from the end of the upstream region toward the medal exit portion 204c. An imaging area RLa (see FIG. 25) by the camera unit 209 is provided in the inclined passage in the downstream area. The three 1st-3rd light guides of the said structure are arrange | positioned so that the imaging region RLa may be enclosed by a substantially elliptical ring shape.

FIG. 25 shows a positional relationship between the first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body 263.
The first light guide 261 is arranged on the front side (medal entry side) of the inclined passage of the medal rail 210 and above the upper edge of the passage. An image pickup region RLa capable of receiving light in the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 16) is provided above the curved portion 265 of the first light guide 261 to below the straight portion 264 and above the lower end of the passage. The second light guide body 262 is arranged at a position where the inclined passage can be irradiated from below the passage lower end edge of the medal rail 210. The third light guide 263 is arranged on the passage end side of the medal rail 210 so that the edge 263i extends along the transverse direction of the passage on the inner side of the end 266 of the first light guide 261.

  Since the first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body 263 are arranged so as to surround the inclined passage of the medal rail 210 in a substantially elliptical shape, the first guide body By the surface emission from the outer surface 261a of the light body 261, the outer surface 262a of the second light guide 262, and the triangular side surface 263c of the third light guide 263, at least the central area RLb of the imaging area RLa has a uniform illuminance. It has become an area. A medal marking determination unit RLc is provided near the end of the passage from the end of the imaging region RLa. The third light guide 263 is disposed on the back side of the cancel shooter 206, and can perform light irradiation for halation in the imaging region. That is, a region from the end of the imaging region RLa to the end of the passage with the marking determination unit RLc at the center is a halation region RLd capable of receiving surface light emission from the triangular side surface 263d of the third light guide 263. The marking determination based on the image data is performed at the timing when the passing medal reaches the marking determination unit RLc. In the halation region RLd, the medal passage determination process can be performed with high accuracy by utilizing the halation caused by the light emitted on the passage surface.

  In the LED light irradiation mechanism of the light guide body, the LED light can be uniformly irradiated so as to surround the image pickup area in a ring shape such as a substantially elliptical shape, so that the edges, contours, markings, etc. of the game medium, colors, etc. It is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of reliably capturing images and performing high-precision determination processing based on accurate captured image data. Since uniform LED light can be emitted like a ring, accurate imaging data can be obtained from the subject (passing game medium) without causing reflection of the light source due to reflection of the passing game medium, that is, halation of primary reflection. Therefore, it is possible to perform highly accurate determination processing, particularly, determination processing of marking or contour of the game medium.

  Since the LED light from the second light guide surface (triangular side surface 263d) is radiated to the passage surface other than the imaging area to cause halation, the density of reflection at the irradiation position becomes clear, and the passage determination of the game medium is judged. Can be used for In other words, since halation occurs on the discharge passage surface toward the hopper side, the difference in the amount of reflected light when there is a medal passage and when there is no medal passage becomes clear. Can be judged with high accuracy. In addition, since halation does not occur even when the medal is paid out or the medal cannot be inserted, it is possible to determine whether or not the medal is returned to the lower plate by confirming that the halation does not occur.

  Since the LED light for the imaging area and the LED light for the passage surface other than the imaging area can be emitted from the two side surfaces (the triangular side surfaces 263c and 263d) of the triangular pyramid of the second light guide body, a single light guide is provided. The two types of LED light irradiation mechanisms can be made compact and inexpensive by the body. Since the irradiation mechanism capable of uniformly radiating the LED light in a ring shape such as a substantially rectangular shape can be configured by dividing the first to third light guides 261 to 263 into three parts, each light guide is provided around the passage. It is possible to disperse and arrange in a narrow space, and to make it compact and inexpensive. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the LEDs 233La to 233Lc are arranged in the first to third light guides 261 to 263 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the values are not uniform, a plurality of (for example, two) LEDs may be arranged in each of the first to third light guides 261 to 263.

  FIG. 26 shows an emission wavelength characteristic graph of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc used in this embodiment. In the figure, the vertical axis represents relative emission intensity, and the horizontal axis represents wavelength. As can be seen from this graph, the LEDs 233La to 233Lc emit light in the wavelength region of 440 nm to 460 nm based on blue, which is a peak of steep emission intensity near the wavelength of 450 nm, and thus IR (infrared radiation) is emitted. It has an emission wavelength characteristic that does not include the emission component (IR component) in the Infrared Radiation) region and the emission component (UR component) in the UR (Ultraviolet Radiation) region that is ultraviolet radiation.

<Circuit configuration of pachi-slot>
Next, the configuration of the circuit included in the pachi-slot 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 to 31.
First, with reference to FIG. 27, an outline of the entire circuit included in the pachi-slot 1 will be described. FIG. 27 is a block configuration diagram of the entire circuit included in the pachi-slot 1.

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

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

  The medal auxiliary storage case switch 75 penetrates a switch through hole (not shown) of the medal auxiliary storage case 52. The medal auxiliary storage switch 75 detects whether or not the medal auxiliary storage 52 is full of medals.

  A power switch 53a is connected to the power board 53b of the power supply device 53. The power switch 53a is turned on when the pachi-slot 1 is supplied with necessary power.

  Further, on the main control board 71, via the door relay terminal board 68, a medal selector 201, a door opening / closing monitor 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 the sub relay board 61 is connected. The door open / close monitor switch 67 and the sub relay board 61 have been described above, and thus their description is omitted. The circuit configuration of the medal selector 201 will be described later.

  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 board 80 is a board that constitutes a circuit for stopping the reel that is rotating and a circuit for displaying the reel that can be stopped by an LED or the like. The stop switch board 80 is provided with a stop switch. The stop switch detects that the stop buttons 19L, 19C, 19R have 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 the insertion of medals, when the three reels 3L, 3C, 3R are rotatable and when replaying. It is a substrate for making. The 7-segment display 24 and the LED 82 are connected to the game operation display board 81. The LED 82 lights, for example, a mark indicating the start of a game, a mark for performing a re-game, and the like.

  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, 62B, 62C, and a 24h door opening / closing monitoring unit 63 are connected to the sub control board 72 via a sub relay board 61. Since the LED boards 62A, 62B, 62C 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 speakers (not shown) provided on the front door 2b.

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

<Main control circuit>
Next, the main control circuit 91 configured by the main control board 71 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the main control circuit 91 of the pachi-slot 1.

  The main control circuit 91 has 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 CPU 93 and the hopper device 51 described above constitute the game medium payout device of the present invention. The main control circuit 91 functions as an example of a control unit that controls a game.

  In the main ROM 94, a control program executed by the main CPU 93 (for example, a program for executing the above-mentioned internal lottery process), a data table, and various control commands (commands) to the sub-control circuit 101 are transmitted. Data and the like are stored. The main RAM 95 is provided with a storage area for storing various data such as an internal winning combination determined by executing the control program.

  A clock pulse generation circuit 96, a frequency divider 97, a random number generator 98, and a sampling circuit 99 are connected to the main CPU 93. The clock pulse generation circuit 96 and the frequency divider 97 generate clock pulses. The main CPU 93 executes the 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 the pulse is output to the stepping motor of each reel 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 rotated once. This reel index is provided, for example, with an optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, and is provided at a predetermined position of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R. It is detected by a reel position detection unit (not shown) having a detection piece interposed therebetween.

  Here, the management of the rotation angles of the reels 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. Then, each time the pulse counter counts the output of a predetermined number of times (for example, 16 times) required for rotating one symbol, 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 the reel index is detected by the reel position detector (not shown).

  In other words, in the present embodiment, by managing the symbol counter, the number of symbols rotated after the reel index is detected is managed. 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, when the maximum number of sliding pieces is set to 4 symbols, the symbol of the left reel 3L in the middle of the reel display window 4 when the left stop button 19L is pressed, and its 4 symbols Each symbol within the range up to the previous symbol is a symbol that can be stopped in the middle of the reel display window 4.

<Sub control circuit>
Next, the sub control circuit 101 configured by the sub control board 72 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 29 is a block diagram showing 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 board 86 in response to the command transmitted from the main control circuit 91. The ROM cartridge board 86 is basically composed of 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, in the control program, a main board communication task for controlling the communication with the main control circuit 91, and a performance registration task for extracting a random number value for performance and determining and registering the performance content (performance data). Is included. Further, a drawing control task for controlling the display of an image by the liquid crystal display device 11 based on the decided effect contents, a lamp control task for controlling the output of light by a light source such as the LED 85, and speakers such as speakers 58, 64, 65L, 65R. A voice control task and the like for controlling the output of the sound by is included.

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

  The sub RAM 103 is provided with a storage area for registering the decided effect contents and effect 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 a frame buffer) 105, and the driver 106 create a video according to the animation data specified by the effect contents, and display the created video on the liquid crystal display device 11.

  Further, the sub CPU 102 causes the speakers such as the speakers 58, 64, 65L, 65R to output sounds such as BGM according to the sound data specified by the effect contents. Further, the sub CPU 102 controls turning on and off of the light source such as the LED 85 according to the lamp data specified by the effect contents.

<Circuit configuration of medal selector>
Next, the circuit configuration of the medal selector 201 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 30 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration example of the medal selector 201. The medal selector 201 includes a camera unit 209 and a medal solenoid 208. Further, the medal selector 201 is connected to the main control board 71 via the door relay terminal plate 68. That is, the medal selector 201 is electrically connected to the main control circuit 91 so that they can communicate with each other. Therefore, the main control circuit 91 can set the medal solenoid 208 of the medal selector 201 to the ON state or the OFF state.

  The camera unit 209 includes a control LSI 234, a CMOS image sensor 232, and an LED drive unit 252. The control LSI 234 of the camera unit 209 is configured by an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and is electrically connected to the CMOS image sensor 232 and the LED group 233. The LED group 233 is composed of three LEDs 233La to 233Lc (see FIG. 16). The control LSI 234 controls the light emission of the LED group 233 via the LED drive unit 252. Further, the control LSI 234 determines whether or not the insertion is a regular medal based on the image data output from the CMOS image sensor 232, and outputs the determination result to the main control board 71 via the door relay terminal board 68. . The CMOS image sensor 232 used in the present embodiment is a CMOS image sensor having a resolution of 648 × 488 pixels and a frame rate of 240 fps (Frames Per Second).

<Circuit configuration of control LSI>
Next, the circuit configuration of the control LSI 234 will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32.
FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration example of the control LSI 234. FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining a regular medal, where A is one side of the regular medal, B is image data of the regular medal, and C is gradient average image data to be described later regarding the regular medal. is there.

  The control LSI 234 includes a host controller 241, which has a built-in CPU, an image recognition DSP (digital signal processor) circuit 242, an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) 243, a flash memory 244, an ISP (Image Signal Processing) circuit 245, and a medal counting circuit 246. The control LSI 234 includes a color recognition circuit 247, a fisheye correction scaler circuit 248, an image recognition accelerator circuit 249, and a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) 250. The devices constituting the control LSI 234 are connected to each other via a bus, and the control LSI 234 of the present embodiment adopts AXI (Advanced eXtensible Interface) as a bus protocol.

  The control LSI 234 also includes an ISI (Image Sensor Interface) circuit 251. The ISI circuit 251 is electrically connected to the CMOS image sensor 232 and the ISP circuit. The ISI circuit 251 converts the image data output from the CMOS image sensor 232 by the LVDS (Low voltage differential signaling) method into an RGB Bayer image, and outputs the RGB Bayer image to the ISP circuit 245.

Upon receiving the RGB Bayer image from the ISI circuit 251, the ISP circuit 245 outputs a VSYNC (Vertical Synchronization) interrupt signal to the host controller 241.
The ISP circuit 245 also performs conversion processing for converting the RGB Bayer image output from the ISI circuit 251 into various formats. In the conversion processing, the ISP circuit 245 converts the RGB Bayer image into Y (luminance of each pixel) and stores the converted image data in the SRAM 243. Further, the ISP circuit 245 converts the RGB Bayer image into image data (YUV image data) corresponding to the YUV color space, and outputs the data relating to the brightness (Y) in this YUV image data to the medal count circuit 246. Further, the ISP circuit 245 converts the RGB Bayer image into image data (HSV image data) corresponding to the HSV color space, and color-recognizes the data relating to the hue (H) and the saturation (S) in this HSV image data. Output to the circuit 247.

  The medal counting circuit 246 performs a counting process based on the brightness-related data output from the ISP circuit 245. In the counting process, the medal counting circuit 246 compares the data related to the luminance of the count area, which is a predetermined area in the image, with the count threshold value, and determines whether or not the medal has passed by the background difference method. The count threshold is a threshold that is predetermined based on the data relating to the brightness of the count area in the image of the regular medal. The medal counting circuit 246 determines that the medal has passed if the difference is small, and determines that the medal has not passed (if something other than the medal has passed) if the difference is large. Then, the medal counting circuit 246 stores the determination result in the SRAM 243.

  The count area can be arbitrarily set according to the medal used by the pachi-slot 1 as a regular medal, but it is preferable to set it in an area in which the rotation angle of the medal does not significantly affect the difference in brightness. For example, when a regular medal having the same marking (pattern) on both sides shown in FIG. 32A is used, in the image data of this regular medal (see FIG. 32B), one side of the regular medal in the area is provided. The engraving (pattern) does not change depending on the rotation angle of the medal, that is, the place (the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 32B) is set as the count area so that the rotation angle of the medal does not significantly affect the brightness difference. Is preferred. Further, the narrower the range of the count area, the faster the counting process.

  The color recognition circuit 247 performs a color determination process based on the hue and saturation data output from the ISP circuit 245. In the color determination process, the color recognition circuit 247 first expresses the integrated value of the data relating to the hue and saturation near the center of the image data as a vector (converts the vector) and calculates the angle of the vector in the three-dimensional space. To do. Next, the color recognition circuit 247 compares the calculated angle of the vector with a predetermined color threshold to determine whether or not the color matches the color of the regular medal. The predetermined threshold value is a predetermined threshold value based on the angle of the vector calculated by the same method as the above-described process for the image data of the regular medals (for example, in the three-dimensional space of the regular medals to be compared). Within ± 10 degrees of the angle on each coordinate (XYZ) of the vector). Then, the color recognition circuit 247 stores the determination result in the SRAM 243.

  The fisheye correction scaler circuit 248 acquires image data obtained by Y (luminance of each pixel) conversion of the RGB Bayer image from the SRAM 243 and performs fisheye correction processing. In the fisheye correction process, the fisheye correction scaler circuit 248 performs fisheye correction on the acquired image data and creates reduced image data reduced to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8. Then, the fish-eye correction scaler circuit 248 stores the created reduced image data in the SRAM 243.

  The image recognition DSP circuit 242 acquires reduced image data (in the present embodiment, reduced image data reduced to 1/4) from the SRAM 243 and performs preprocessing. In the pre-processing, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 converts the acquired reduced image data into edge image data through a non-linear diffusion filter and stores the edge image data in the SRAM 243.

  The image recognition accelerator circuit 249 performs rotation integration processing for creating gradient average image data. In the rotation integration processing, the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 acquires the edge image data from the SRAM 243, integrates the image data for 360 degrees created by rotating the acquired edge image data in units of 1 degree (by superimposing them). ) Create gradient average image data. As an example of the gradient average image data, FIG. 32C shows the gradient average image data of the regular medal shown in FIG. 32A.

  Further, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 performs marking determination processing for determining whether the marking (pattern) of the medal matches the marking of the regular medal. In the marking determination process, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 acquires, from the SRAM 243, the gradient average image data created by the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 in the rotation integration process. Next, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 calculates the difference between the acquired gradient average image data and the template data for marking determination processing (preliminarily prepared regular medal gradient average image data). Then, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 determines whether the marking of the medal matches the marking of the regular medal based on the calculated difference value and the threshold value for marking determination, and stores the determination result in the SRAM 243. For example, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 compares the brightness of each pixel of the acquired gradient average image data and the template data and determines whether they match (in the case of multi-tone, the difference is within a predetermined range). , If the number of matching pixels (the difference is within a predetermined range) is a certain number or more, it is determined that the marking (pattern) of the medal matches the marking of the regular medal, and if the number of matching pixels is less than a certain number, the medal marking It is determined that the (pattern) does not match the marking of the regular medal.

The host controller 241 controls each device, that is, the medal count circuit 246, the color recognition circuit 247, the fisheye correction scaler circuit 248, the image recognition DSP circuit 242, the image recognition accelerator circuit 249, and the GPIO 250.
Further, the host controller 241 outputs a signal related to a lighting instruction or a light extinguishing instruction to the LED group 233 via the GPIO 250. Further, the host controller 241 outputs the determination result regarding the count process, the determination result regarding the color determination process, and the determination result regarding the marking determination process stored in the SRAM 243 via the GPIO 250.

  The flash memory 244 stores parameters and data (including the template data described above) used by the host controller 241, the image recognition DSP circuit 242, the fisheye correction scaler circuit 248, and the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 for various processes.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 33, a process performed by the control LSI 234 for determining whether or not the object moving on the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 14) is a regular medal (hereinafter referred to as “regular medal discrimination process”). May be referred to)).

  FIG. 33 is a diagram for explaining the regular medal determination process of the control LSI 234. FIG. 33 shows a time-series relationship of processing in each device that constitutes the control LSI 234. A relatively thick line portion of a line extending below each device name indicates various processing described above by the device. It indicates that it is in a state of being performed. Further, a broken line arrow extending from a line corresponding to each device toward a line extending below "IN" in the host controller indicates an interrupt signal output from each device to the host controller 241. Further, a dashed arrow extending from a line extending below “OUT” in the host controller toward a line corresponding to each device indicates a signal output from the host controller 241 to each device. A solid arrow between a line extending below “IN” and a line extending below “OUT” in the host controller is output from the interrupt signal detected by the host controller 241 and the host controller 241. The corresponding relationship with the signal is shown. Note that FIG. 33 shows the regular medal determination process when six medals are continuously inserted into the medal insertion slot 21. Further, in order to clarify what number of medals the signal is related to, a number representing the number of medals is added to the head of the code attached to each signal. For example, a VSYNC interrupt signal output from the ISP circuit 245 to be described later for the first medal to the host controller 241 is attached with a symbol "1IH", and a similar VSYNC interrupt for the second medal is added. The signal is labeled with "2IH".

  First, when the CMOS image sensor 232 images an object (the first medal in this example) moving on the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 14) and outputs the image data to the control LSI 234, the ISP circuit 245 causes the ISI circuit to operate. Image data is acquired (received) via 251 and a VSYNC (Vertical Synchronization) interrupt signal is output to the host controller 241 (1IH). The ISP circuit 245 also performs conversion processing for converting the RGB Bayer image into various formats. Then, the converted image data and the hue, saturation, and luminance data related to the image data are output to the SRAM 243, the medal count circuit 246, and the color recognition circuit 247. The detailed description of the conversion process is omitted because it has been described above.

  Upon receiving data from the ISP circuit 245, the color recognition circuit 247 performs color determination processing, stores the determination result in the SRAM 243, and outputs a color determination interrupt signal to the host controller 241 (1CH). The detailed description of the color determination process has been described above, and will be omitted.

  Upon receiving data from the ISP circuit 245, the medal count circuit 246 performs a count process, stores the determination result in the SRAM 243, and outputs a medal count interrupt signal to the host controller 241 (1 MH). The detailed description of the counting process is omitted because it has been described above.

  When detecting the color determination interrupt signal, the host controller 241 acquires the determination result of the color determination processing from the SRAM 243 and outputs it to the allocation PORT of the GPIO 250 (1HG1). That is, the host controller 241 outputs the determination result of the color determination process to the main control board 71 (main control circuit 91) via the GPIO 250.

  When detecting the count interrupt signal, the host controller 241 acquires the determination result of the count processing from the SRAM 243 and outputs it to the allocation PORT of the GPIO 250 (1HG2). That is, the host controller 241 outputs the determination result of the count process to the main control board 71 (main control circuit 91) via the GPIO 250. When the determination result of the counting process is “a medal has passed”, the main control circuit 91 sets the value of the inserted number counter, which is a counter provided for the main CPU 93 to count the number of inserted medals. Add one. When the value of the inserted number counter is the maximum value (for example, 3), 1 is added to the value of the credit counter which is a counter provided for the main CPU 93 to count the number of credited medals. When the credit counter has the maximum value (for example, 50), the main control circuit 91 sets the medal solenoid 208 of the medal selector 201 to the OFF state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, the select plate 207 is positioned at the “ejection position” and the medals inserted after the credit counter reaches the maximum value are guided to the medal chute 202 (see FIG. 4). The coins are discharged from the payout opening 32 (see FIG. 2) to the medal tray unit 34 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, when the start lever is operated when the value of the thrown-in number counter is a specified value (for example, 2 or 3), the main CPU 93 performs the above-mentioned internal lottery process.

  Returning to FIG. 33, the fish-eye correction scaler circuit 248 performs fish-eye correction processing when the image data converted by the ISP circuit 245 is stored in the SRAM 243, stores the created reduced image data in the SRAM 243, and stores it in the host 243. A reduction end interrupt signal is transmitted to the controller 241 (1SH). The detailed description of the fisheye correction process is omitted because it has been described above.

  Between the output of the determination result of the count processing by the host controller 241 to the GPIO 250 (1HG2) and the transmission of the reduction end interrupt signal by the fisheye correction scaler circuit 248 (1SH), the second image by the ISP circuit 245 is sent. The VSYNC interrupt signal output (2IH) related to the medal is generated. However, since the storage area of the SRAM 243 is set individually to store the determination results of various processes (count process, color determination process, marking determination process, etc.) related to each medal, data overwriting does not occur.

  Upon detecting the reduction end signal, the host controller 241 refers to the SRAM 243, the determination result of the count processing is “a medal has passed”, and the determination result of the color determination processing is “matches with the color of the regular medal”. The image recognition DSP circuit 242 preprocesses the image recognition DSP circuit 242 according to an instruction from the host controller 241, stores the edge image data in the SRAM 243, and causes the host controller 241 to perform the preprocessing. The end interrupt signal is output (1DH1). The detailed description of the preprocessing is omitted because it has been described above.

  Upon detecting the preprocessing completion interrupt signal, the host controller 241 instructs the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 to start the rotation integration processing (1HA).

  The image recognition accelerator circuit 249 performs rotation integration processing according to an instruction from the host controller 241, stores the gradient average image data in the SRAM 243, and outputs an integration end interrupt signal to the image recognition DSP circuit 242 (1AD). The detailed description of the rotation integration process is omitted because it has been described above.

  When the image recognition DSP circuit 242 detects the integration end interrupt signal, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 acquires the gradient average image data stored in the SRAM 243, performs marking determination processing, and stores the determination result in the SRAM 243. Then, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 outputs a marking determination end interrupt signal to the host controller 241 (1DH2).

  When the host controller 241 detects the marking determination end interrupt signal, the host controller 241 acquires the determination result of the marking determination processing stored in the SRAM 243 and outputs it to the GPIO allocation PORT (1HG3). That is, the host controller 241 outputs the determination result of the marking determination process to the main control board 71 (main control circuit 91) via the GPIO 250.

As shown in FIG. 33, in the present embodiment, the preprocessing and marking determination processing by the image recognition DSP circuit 242 and the rotation integration processing by the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 take a relatively long time. Therefore, when the medals are continuously inserted, the host controller 241 checks whether the image recognition DSP circuit 242 or the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 is processing (busy state) when detecting the reduction end signal, If neither is being processed, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 gives an instruction to start preprocessing and marking determination processing, and the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 to start rotation integration processing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the host controller 241 detects the reduction end signals (2SH and 3SH) for the second and third medals, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 or the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 is processing ( Since it is in the busy state), the host controller 241 does not give the start instruction. Therefore, for the second and third medals, the count process and the color determination process are performed, but the marking determination process is not performed. On the other hand, when the host controller 241 detects the reduction signal (4SH) for the fourth medal, the image recognition DSP circuit 242 and the image recognition accelerator circuit 249 are not in process (busy state). Therefore, the count process, the color determination process, and the marking determination process are performed on the fourth medal.
It should be noted that by speeding up the preprocessing and the marking determination processing by the image recognition DSP circuit 242 and the rotation integration processing by the image recognition accelerator circuit 249, the count processing, the color determination processing, and the marking determination processing can be performed for all the inserted medals. It may be performed.

  Various signals relating to the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth medals shown in FIG. 33 (the reference numerals are "2", "3", "4", "5", The respective signals "6") are the same as the above-described various signals (the reference numeral is "1") related to the first medal, which differ only in the number at the beginning, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<Action>
In the pachi-slot 1 of the present embodiment, the control LSI 234 of the medal selector 201 performs the regular medal determination process including the color determination process, the count process, and the marking determination process. When an unauthorized device that is not a medal moves on the medal rail 210, it is determined that the color does not match the color of the regular medal in the color determination process, and that the medal has not passed in the counting process. Therefore, it is possible to misidentify that a regular medal is used for the pachi-slot 1 and detect an illegal act of playing a game.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of an illegal medal, A is one side of the illegal medal, and B is a diagram showing image data of the illegal medal. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing another example of an illegal medal. A shows one side of the illegal medal, B shows image data of the illegal medal, and C shows gradient average image data of the illegal medal. FIG.
When an illegal medal having the same diameter and the same color as the regular medal (see FIG. 32A) but different only in the marking (pattern) on the surface of the medal moves on the medal rail 210, in the color determination process, the Matches color ”. However, in the counting process, the stamp (pattern) in the count area (the area surrounded by the dotted line) of the image data of the illegal medal shown in FIG. 34B and the count area of the image data of the regular medal (the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 32B). It is determined that "the medal has not passed" because the markings (patterns) in the area where the medals have passed are significantly different. Therefore, it is possible to misidentify that a regular medal is used for the pachi-slot 1 and detect an illegal act of playing a game.

  Further, when another illegal medal having the same diameter and the same color as the regular medal (see FIG. 32A) but different in the marking (pattern) on the surface of the medal moves on the medal rail 210, in the color determination process, It is determined that the color matches the color of the regular medal. Further, in the counting process, the stamp (pattern) in the count area (the area surrounded by the dotted line) of the image data of the illegal medal shown in FIG. 35B and the count area of the image data of the regular medal (the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 32B). It is determined that the medal has passed, because the difference with the mark (pattern) in the area where the medals have passed is small. However, in the marking determination process, the gradient average image data of the illegal medals shown in FIG. 34C and the gradient average image data of the regular medals (see FIG. 32C) are significantly different from each other. It does not match with. Therefore, it is possible to misidentify that a regular medal is used for the pachi-slot 1 and detect an illegal act of playing a game.

  In addition, when a regular medal (see FIG. 32A), a different diameter (a diameter slightly smaller or larger than the regular medal diameter, and a diameter that can be guided by the select plate 207) and a medal of the same color move on the medal rail 210. In the color determination process, it is determined that the color matches the color of the regular medal. However, in the image data of this medal, if this medal is slightly smaller than the diameter of the regular medal and there is a boundary between the outer edge of the medal and the background in the count area, "the medal has not passed" in the counting process. Is determined. Even if it is determined in the counting process that the medal has passed, the gradient average image data of this medal and the gradient average image data of the regular medal are obtained from the difference in diameter between this medal and the regular medal (see FIG. 32C). Will be very different. Therefore, in the marking determination process, it is determined that the marking (pattern) of the medal does not match the marking of the regular medal. Therefore, it is possible to misidentify that a regular medal is used for the pachi-slot 1 and detect an illegal act of playing a game.

  Further, when a medal having the same diameter as the regular medal (see FIG. 32A) moves on the medal rail 210, but has a different color, it is determined in the color determination process that the color does not match the color of the regular medal. Therefore, it is possible to misidentify that a regular medal is used for the pachi-slot 1 and detect an illegal act of playing a game.

  Further, the control LSI 234 outputs the determination results of the color determination processing, the count processing, and the marking determination processing to the main control circuit 91 composed of the main control board 71 via GPIO. Therefore, it is possible to cause the main control circuit 91 to perform various kinds of processing when there is an illegal act. Here, the various processes in the case of an illegal act include, for example, the main control circuit 91 forcibly interrupting the game, and the sub-control circuit 101 notifies that there is an illegal act (for example, , The liquid crystal display device 11 displays a message indicating that an illegal act has occurred).

  Further, when the fraudulent activity is detected by the determination results of the color determination processing and the count processing, the main control circuit 91 may set the medal solenoid 208 of the medal selector 201 to the OFF state. As a result, the select plate 207 is positioned at the “discharging position”, so that the illegal medal can be guided to the medal chute 202 and ejected from the medal payout opening 32. Note that the main control circuit 91 sets the medal solenoid 208, which has been set to the OFF state by detecting the fraudulent activity by the color determination processing and the count processing, to the ON state after guiding the fraudulent medal related to this fraudulent activity to the medal chute 202. May be.

Further, even when the fraudulent act is detected by the marking determination process, the main control circuit 91 may set the medal solenoid 208 of the medal selector 201 to the OFF state. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, after the VSYNC interrupt signal (4IH) for the fourth medal is output from the ISP circuit 245 to the main control circuit 91, the VSYNC interrupt for the fifth medal is output. The determination result of the marking determination process for the first medal is output to the main control circuit until the signal (5IH) is output (1HG3). Therefore, when illegal medals are continuously inserted, the illegal medals inserted after the fifth coin can be guided to the medal chute 202 and ejected from the medal payout opening 32. As a result, it is possible to suppress the spread of damage due to fraud. By increasing the speed of the marking determination process, it is possible to detect fraud by the marking determination process before the medal imaged by the camera unit 209 passes over the after-medal pressure 218 or the medal stopper 227. Since the main control circuit 91 immediately sets the medal solenoid 208 to the OFF state, it is possible to prevent damage caused by fraudulent activity.
Further, the main control circuit 91 sets the medal solenoid 208, which has been set to the OFF state by detecting the fraudulent activity by the marking determination processing, to the determination result of the next marking determination processing that "the marking of the medal (pattern) matches the marking of the regular medal. If “Yes”, it may be set to the ON state. As a result, since the illegal medals were accidentally mixed in, when the player unintentionally inserts the illegal medals and the medal solenoid 208 is set to the OFF state and becomes unplayable, the player is authorized If you insert a medal, you can restart the game.

<Offset correction processing>
A temperature sensor 232a is provided inside the CMOS image sensor 232. The temperature sensor 232a is composed of a PN junction (diode) formed on the silicon substrate of the image sensor. The PN junction has a temperature coefficient of about 2 mV / ° C., and when a predetermined constant current flows, a terminal voltage change of the PN junction follows the substrate temperature. The temperature change of the image sensor can be monitored from the detection output of the terminal voltage change by the temperature sensor 232a.

The detection output of the temperature sensor 232a is given to the control LSI 234. The control LSI 234 determines whether or not the temperature inside the CMOS image sensor 232 exceeds the threshold temperature based on the detection output of the temperature sensor 232a, and when the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature, executes the offset processing of the reference black level.
The dark current of the CMOS image sensor rapidly rises as the temperature rises, and the black level fluctuates. When the reference black level is deviated, there arises a problem that the color reproducibility is deteriorated and the image quality is deteriorated. In the present embodiment, in order to eliminate such a problem, the following offset processing can be performed to properly maintain the reference black level.

FIG. 36 shows an offset process executed by the control LSI 234. FIG. 37 is a temperature change diagram of the offset value showing the details of the offset processing.
The offset process can be executed by the host controller 241 of the control LSI 234 at a predetermined interrupt timing. When the detection output of the temperature sensor 232a is received, it is determined based on the temperature data of the detection output whether the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature (steps S10 and S11). The threshold temperature data is stored and set in advance in a flash memory 244 of the control LSI 234, which will be described later. The threshold temperature can be set in a temperature range equal to or higher than room temperature, and is set to 45 ° C. in this embodiment.

  If the temperature data indicates that the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature, the image data received from the CMOS image sensor 232 is corrected for the offset value based on the reference black level (step S12). The initial value of the offset value is set in the flash memory 244 at a low temperature (for example, room temperature of 25 ° C.) measured at the manufacturing stage of the image sensor. The offset correction is performed by correcting the linear interpolation value to the reference black level with respect to the offset value of the received image data. The offset value of the CMOS image sensor 232 is set to a value at room temperature in advance at the manufacturing stage for each of the odd pixel columns 33a and the even pixel columns 33b. If the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 232a exceeds the threshold temperature, the offset of the linear interpolation value is corrected based on the temperature gradient 33c which is experimentally obtained in advance. The coefficient value of the temperature gradient 33c used in this embodiment is 1.11. For example, as can be seen from the correction line 33d after 45 ° C. of the odd-numbered pixel column 33a, the offset value gradually rises when it exceeds 45 ° C. For example, when the temperature is about 54 ° C., the difference 33e from the initial value is 1.55. The corrected offset value is updated and stored in the flash memory 244. The image data based on the updated offset value is used for various signal processing in the control LSI 234. As described above, by using the game machine equipped with the image sensor, the offset correction process is executed and updated at any time according to the operating status.

  When an image pickup means (for example, a camera using a CMOS sensor) is mounted on a game machine, the camera is always placed in an environment where it is exposed to high temperature for a long time. Further, if the door of the gaming machine is opened / closed during maintenance such as medal supply, a situation in which the ambient temperature of the camera fluctuates greatly occurs. On the other hand, the dark current of the CMOS sensor rapidly rises as the temperature rises, so that the reference black level of the picked-up image is deviated, causing a problem such as deterioration of color reproducibility and deterioration of image quality. In the present embodiment, in view of such a problem, the temperature sensor 232a detects and monitors the threshold temperature of the image sensor, and the offset correction unit (step S12) performs the offset correction of the image sensor when the threshold temperature is exceeded. Therefore, even if the ambient temperature suddenly changes, the reference black level can be properly held and high-quality image data can be acquired, and the determination process can be performed with high accuracy regardless of the variation in ambient temperature. . In particular, by performing offset correction on the reference black level with a linear interpolation value, stable passing object image data can be acquired at all times without being affected by temperature changes, and therefore, marking and color determination processing can be performed with high accuracy. Can be done with precision.

  The LED group 233 is composed of three LEDs of LEDs 233La to 233Lc (see FIG. 39), emits surface light around the CMOS image sensor 232, and irradiates a medal moving on the medal rail 210 with light.

<Circuit configuration of LED drive unit>
The circuit configuration of the LED drive unit 252 will be described with reference to FIGS. 38 and 39.
FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the LED drive unit 252, and FIG. 39 shows a specific circuit configuration of the LED drive unit 252.

  The LED drive unit 252 includes an LED power supply unit 253 with an overcurrent prevention function, a power supply setting unit ON / OFF control unit 254, and an LED constant current drive circuit 255.

  The LED power supply unit 253 with an overcurrent prevention function (hereinafter referred to as a power supply unit 253) can be supplied with current from a power supply 256 having a power supply voltage of DC 12V. The power supply unit 253 includes a capacitor C1, transistors T1 and T2, and a transistor T3. A bias mirror is connected between the base and collector of the transistor T6, and the bases are commonly connected to form a current mirror circuit. The transistor T3 is provided on the output stage side of the current mirror circuit. The current mirror circuit constitutes a constant current circuit capable of outputting a constant current (40 mA) through the transistor T3 on the output stage side. One end of the capacitor C1 is connected to the power supply 256 via the resistor R1 and the other end is grounded. The capacitor C1 and the resistor R1 form a low pass filter for removing unnecessary high frequency components. The emitters of the transistors T1 and T2 are connected to one end of a capacitor C1 via resistors R1 and R2. The collectors of the transistors T1 and T2 are grounded via resistors R4 and R5. The base of the transistor T3 is commonly connected to the bases of the transistors T1 and T2. The collector side of the transistor T3 is branched and connected to the ground side, which is grounded via the resistor R5, and the current supply system on the anode side of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc. The power supply 256 can be supplied from the power supply board 53b shown in FIG. When a current is output through the output stage transistor T3, the power supply unit 253 outputs a current that does not flow beyond a constant current of 40 mA based on the charging voltage of the capacitor C1 and the current mirror circuit (transistors T1 and T2). It constitutes a limiting circuit. The capacitor C1 is set to have a storage capacity that is charged when a predetermined constant current (for example, 180 mA) flows for a predetermined time (for example, 250 μs), so that the predetermined constant current flows over the predetermined time. In this case, the current mirror circuit (transistors T1 and T2) reduces the output current to the rated current to protect the transistors T7 to T9.

  The power setting section ON / OFF control section 254 includes an ON / OFF control section 254a and a power setting section 254b. The ON / OFF control unit 254a and the power setting unit 254b are provided on the anode side of the LEDs 233La to Lc.

  The ON / OFF control unit 254a has a transistor T4 whose base is connected to the constant current source 260 via a resistor R9, and a transistor T5 whose base is connected to the collector side of the transistor T4 and resistors R7 and R8. . The constant current source 260 is a current switch capable of switching between supplying and stopping a current by an LED_EN 258 which is an on / off signal corresponding to an exposure timing (that is, a VSYNC interrupt signal which is an imaging timing) from the CMOS image sensor 232. The emitter and base of the transistor T5 are short-circuited via the resistor R8. The emitter side of the transistor T5 is connected to the anode sides of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc. A 5V power supply 257 is added between the emitter of the transistor T5 and the anodes of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc. The power supply 257 can be supplied from the power supply board 53b shown in FIG.

  The power setting section 254b has a transistor T6 whose collector is connected to the anode side of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc via the transistor T5. The collector of the transistor T5 and the collector of the transistor T6 are connected via a parallel circuit of resistors R10 and R11. The parallel circuit is branched to the collector side of the transistor T6 and the ground side via the resistor R12. The emitter side of the transistor T6 is branched via the resistors R13 and R14 and is grounded.

  The LED constant current drive circuit 255 has transistors T7 to T9 provided in the LEDs 233La to 233Lc. The collector of the transistor T7 is connected to the cathode of the LED 233La via the resistor R18. The collector of the transistor T8 is connected to the cathode of the LED 233Lb via the resistor R19. The collector of the transistor T9 is connected to the cathode of the LED 233Lc via the resistor R20. The emitters of the transistors T7 to T9 are connected to the ground line of the resistor R13 via the resistors R18 to 20. The bases of the transistors T7 to T9 are commonly connected to the transistor T6 and are connected in parallel with each other. A bias connection is made between the base and collector of the transistor T6, and a current mirror circuit is formed with each of the transistors T7 to T9. The thermal coupling 259 according to the present invention is composed of a bias connection element in each current mirror circuit and a base common connection element. The anodes of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc are grounded via a capacitor C2. The capacitor C2 is discharged (for example, 180 mA) when the LED drive current is supplied (LED_EN268 is in the ON state), and can be charged when the supply of the LED drive current is stopped (LED_EN268 is in the OFF state). As the capacitor C2, a capacitor having a storage capacity that cannot discharge the surge current for a time of 250 μs or more is arranged. Therefore, even if the ON state of the LED_EN 268 continues for 250 μs or more, the predetermined constant current of 180 mA or more does not flow to the anode side of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc due to the storage capacity of the capacitor C2.

In the LED driving unit 252 having the above configuration, the following LED on / off operation can be performed.
First, in the power supply unit 253, a constant current of 40 mA is generated by the current mirror circuit composed of the transistors T1 and T2, and can be supplied to the anode side of the LEDs 233La to 233Lc via the transistor T3. When an ON signal is input by the LED_EN 258 according to the image pickup timing from the CMOS image sensor 232 and the current is supplied by the constant current source 260, the transistor T4 provided in the front side of the ON / OFF control unit 254a becomes conductive. (Hereinafter, the conductive state is simply referred to as "on state".). When the transistor T4 is turned on, a current flows through the base of the transistor T5 and the transistor T5 is turned on. When the transistor T5 is turned on, a current flows through the collector side of the transistor T6 and the transistor T6 is turned on. Since the transistors T7 to T9 are connected to the current mirror circuit with respect to the transistor T6, when the transistor T6 is turned on, the transistors T7 to 9 are simultaneously turned on. When the transistors T7 to T9 are turned on, each LED can be energized with the constant current supply path from the power supply unit 253, and the LED drive current charged in the capacitor C2 is discharged to emit the LED.

FIG. 40 is a timing chart showing changes in various operations in the respective parts of the LED driving section 252. The horizontal axis of the figure is the time change, the vertical axis of (36A) shows the change of the exposure time, the vertical axis of (36B) to (36E) shows the change of the voltage value, and the vertical axis of (36E) is the vertical axis. The change in current value is shown.
(36A) and (36B) of FIG. 40 show the exposure time of the CMOS image sensor 232 and the imaging timing of the exposure time, respectively. The pulse of (36B) shows the on-time (250 μs). This pulse has a wave height of 3.3 V and is output from the CMOS image sensor 232 at a period of 4 ms (VSYNC interrupt signal). The on-time may be 1 m or less, preferably 80 to 250 μs.

  (36C) shows the drive voltage VDD potential of the LED drive section, and (36D) and (36E) show the collector potential and the emitter potential of the LED drive transistors (transistors T7 to T9), respectively. (36F) shows the pulse waveform of the LED drive current. The LED drive current has a rated current value of 40 mA and a maximum rated current value of 180 mA during constant lighting (normal).

When the pulse is on, as shown in (36C), the DVV potential of the LED causes a voltage drop 36a due to the current limiting circuit of the power supply unit 253. Therefore, the current limiting function of the power supply unit 253 causes an excessive current supply to the LED. Can be prevented. The collector potential of the LED driving transistor drops with a difference of the Vf potential of the LED with respect to the DVV potential, and when the voltage drop 36a disappears, it returns to a potential determined by the leak current of the LED and the LED driving transistor. Since the emitter potential slightly rises during pulse-on, even if the ground potential (GND potential) varies due to fluctuations and variations in Vf of the LED parts, there is a margin in the potential difference between the collector potential and the emitter potential. By providing, it is possible to absorb the fluctuation of the GND potential.
In the present embodiment, since the imageable time of the image pickup cycle (the above-mentioned on-time: 250 μs) is at least 1 msec or less, a current is momentarily applied to the LED group 233 and the rated current value of 40 mA during constant lighting (normal) is set. Since the LED group 233 is driven by being able to supply a current value of 180 mA, which is a higher surge current level, the LEDs are made to have a high brightness by making a drive current larger than that at the time of constant lighting (the brightness of the LED is approximately equal to the current value). It is possible to realize a gaming machine that can obtain high-quality image data by high-luminance LED light irradiation, and can perform various determination processes relating to medals with high accuracy. The capacitor C2 provided on the anode side of the LED is charged when the LED drive current is supplied and can be discharged when the supply is stopped.

  Since the transistors T7 to T9 of the LED constant current drive circuit 255 are current-mirror connected to the transistor T6 of the power supply setting unit 254b, it is possible to supply a mirror current (LED drive current) to each LED to drive light emission. it can. By thermally coupling the transistor T6 on the reference current source side and the transistors T7 to T9 on the LED drive current supply side to each other by mirror connection, a difference in temperature coefficient between the transistor T6 and each of the transistors T7 to T9 is generated, The output current (mirror current) from the transistors T7 to T9 can be supplied to each LED unbalanced with the reference current source side, and the temperature characteristic of the output current from the LED constant current drive circuit 255 is positive. .

As a general characteristic of the LED element, the forward voltage Vf changes depending on the applied current and the temperature, and particularly has a negative temperature characteristic with respect to the temperature rise. In addition, at present, there are variations in individual characteristics among LED components. In particular, due to the negative temperature characteristic, the LED emission intensity decreases as the temperature increases, that is, the LED emission brightness decreases at high temperatures. In the present embodiment, since the temperature characteristic of the output current is positive, it is possible to cancel the decrease in emission intensity due to the negative temperature characteristic of the LED element. In the case of the present embodiment, the variation range of the light emission intensity in the temperature range of 0 to 100 ° C. is within 1% by configuring the brightness stabilizing means by the current mirror connection of the transistor T6 and each of the transistors T7 to T9. . Since the brightness stabilizing means by the current mirror connection can be configured easily and inexpensively, for example, the temperature sensor for each circuit for program control and the circuit for current control are not necessary, and the cost reduction by reducing the number of parts is unnecessary. It is possible to eliminate the occurrence of unnecessary bugs caused by not installing such a program, which can contribute to higher functionality and lower prices of the gaming machine.
Although a bipolar transistor is used as an active element in the above specific circuit configuration, a MOS transistor which is a small signal active element may be used.

  The gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, including its function and effect. However, the game machine of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

  For example, in the above description, an example in which medals having the same markings (patterns) on both sides are used as the game medium has been described, but instead of this, different markings are provided on one side and the other side of the medal. You may use the medal given. In this case, data relating to each side of the medal may be prepared in advance as data relating to the thresholds in the counting process, the color determining process, and the marking determining process.

  Further, as a method of setting the data related to the threshold, a fixed unit game period (for example, 100 games) is set as a collection period of the data related to the threshold, and the image of the medal imaged by the camera unit 209 during this unit game period. A method of setting based on data may be adopted.

[Modification of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
<Configuration of medal selector according to modified example>
Next, a medal selector 301 according to a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The pachi-slot 1 according to the present embodiment may include a medal selector 301 according to a modified example instead of the medal selector 201 (see FIG. 8). Hereinafter, the medal selector 301 according to the modified example will be described. The same components as those of the medal selector 201 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

The medal selector 301 mainly differs from the medal selector 201 shown in FIG. 8 in the configurations of the base plate portion and the sub-plate.
FIG. 41 is an exploded perspective view of the base plate portion 304 and the sub plate 305 of the medal selector 301.
FIG. 42 is a perspective view of the base plate portion 304 of the medal selector 301 as seen obliquely from the front of the pachi-slot 1.
The medal selector 301 is an example of game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of a game medium, and includes a base plate portion 304, a sub plate 305 and a select plate 207 arranged so as to overlap the base plate portion 304 shown in FIG. The cancel shooter 206 and the camera unit 209 shown in FIG. 8 and the medal selection solenoid 308a and the medal acceptance solenoid 308b shown in FIG.

  Further, the medal selector 301, like the medal selector 201, has a first light guide body 261, a second light guide body 262, and a third light guide body 263 shown in FIG. 14, an LED 233La, as a light irradiation mechanism. The LED 233Lb and the LED 233Lc are provided. These light irradiation mechanisms function as an example of an irradiation unit that irradiates light for image pickup by the image pickup unit.

  As shown in FIG. 41, the base plate portion 304 is a substantially plate-shaped member that constitutes a part of the outer frame housing of the medal selector 301, and the left and right ends of the pachi-slot 1 are folded to the rear of the pachi-slot 1. It is shaped to bend. The base plate portion 304 has a rear surface 304b, which is one plane orthogonal to the front-back direction of the pachi-slot 1, and a front surface 304a (see FIG. 42), which is the other plane. On the rear surface 304b, a medal rail 210, which is an example of a path through which medals pass, is formed in a substantially L shape so as to be recessed in front of the pachi-slot 1 and extend downward from above. A plurality of ridges are formed on the surface of the medal rail 210 along the direction in which the medal rail 210 extends. Such a base plate portion 304 functions as an example of a game medium passing portion through which a game medium passes. Further, the base plate portion 304 on which the medal rails 210 are formed functions as an example of a game medium passage portion on which a path for the game medium to pass is formed.

  At the upper end of the base plate portion 304, a medal entrance portion 211 that is connected to the upper end of the medal rail 210 and receives medals inserted from the medal insertion slot 21 (see FIG. 2) is provided. The medals inserted into the medal selector 301 from the medal entrance portion 211 move from the upper side to the lower side along the medal rails 210. A medal exit portion 304c that is continuous with the lower end of the medal rail 210 is provided below the base plate portion 304. The medals that have moved inside the medal selector 301 are discharged from the medal exit portion 304c and are stored in the hopper device 51 (see FIG. 5) via the slope 203 (see FIG. 6).

  A medal selecting central hole 212a and a medal receiving central hole 212b are formed on the downstream side of the medal rail 210 at a substantially intermediate position so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. The center hole 212a for medal selection can expose the tip of the medal pressure 213a for medal selection from the front surface 304a (see FIG. 42) side into the medal rail 210 formed on the rear surface 304b. The front end of the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b of the medal acceptance central hole 212b can be exposed from the front surface 304a side into the medal rail 210 formed on the rear surface 304b. Further, a sub-plate moving hole 212c penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the base plate portion 304 at a position overlapping the sub-plate 305. In the sub-plate moving hole 212c, the tip of the sub-plate pressure 213c can project from the front surface 304a (see FIG. 42) side to the rear surface 304b side.

  As shown in FIG. 42, the medal pressure medal pressure 213a is formed in a substantially V shape, and is rotatably supported by a shaft portion 214a provided on the front surface 304a of the base plate portion 304 at an intermediate portion thereof. The base end is rotatably connected to the medal selecting solenoid 308a. As a result, when the medal selecting solenoid 308a is in the OFF state, the medal selecting medal pressure 213a has the base end pushed into the shaft 214a side and the tip retracted from the medal rail 210 toward the front side 304a. Becomes When the medal selecting solenoid 308a is turned on, the medal selecting medal pressure 213a is pulled in the direction in which the base end is separated from the shaft 214a, so that the medal selecting solenoid 308a rotates about the shaft 214a as a fulcrum, and the front end moves. The medals that have protruded into the rails 210 and pass through the medal rails 210 are excluded from the medal rails 210, thereby selecting medals. The electrical configuration of the medal selection solenoid 308a will be described later. The medal pressure 213a for selecting medals functions as an example of a movable means for selection that is moved by driving a medal selecting solenoid 308a that is an example of a game medium selecting means. Further, the medal pressure medal pressure 213a is rotatably supported on the back surface of the game medium passing portion in the middle part, and the base end portion of the medal selection means is rotatably connected to the game medium selecting means. It serves as an example.

  Further, the medal pressure medal pressure 213b is formed of a plate-like member, is rotatably supported by a shaft portion 214b provided on the front surface 304a of the base plate portion 304, and has a base end portion connected to the medal acceptance solenoid 308b. ing. A coil spring 215b is attached to the shaft portion 214b, and the tip end portion of the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b is biased by the coil spring 215b so as to project into the medal rail 210 (on the rear surface 204b side). ing. As a result, when the medal acceptance solenoid 308b is in the OFF state, the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b is urged by the coil spring 215b, and the tip portion thereof protrudes into the medal rail 210 and passes through the medal rail 210. The medal is removed from the medal rail 210. When the medal acceptance solenoid 308b is in the ON state, the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b resists the biasing force of the coil spring 215b by pushing the base end toward the rear surface 204b side where the medal rail 210 is formed. The shaft portion 214b is rotated about a fulcrum, and the tip portion is retracted from the medal rail 210 toward the front surface 304a. The electrical configuration of the medal acceptance solenoid 308b will be described later. Further, the front end of the medal receiving medal pressure 213b is arranged on the medal rail 210 upstream of the front end of the medal selecting medal pressure 213a with respect to the passing direction of the medal. The medal acceptance solenoid 308b for driving the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b is located upstream of the position where the game medium selection means selects the game medium in the passage direction of the game medium passing portion in which the game medium passes. It functions as an example of a game medium accepting means for removing the game medium. Also, the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b functions as an example of the reception movable means that is movable by driving the medal acceptance solenoid 308b that is an example of the game medium reception means.

  In addition, a sub-plate pressure 213c that rotates when the return button 21a (see FIG. 2) is operated by the player and that rotates the sub-plate 305 to the rear surface 204b side is rotatable on the base plate portion 304. It is provided. The sub-plate pressure 213c is rotatably supported at a middle portion thereof by a shaft portion 214c provided on the front surface 304a of the base plate portion 304, and its base end portion is directly or indirectly connected to the return button 21a (see FIG. 2). Connected to each other. Accordingly, when the return button 21a is operated by the player, the sub-plate pressure 213c has its base end portion moved downward, pivoted about the shaft portion 214c, and its tip end portion moved upwards. Projects from the sub-plate moving hole 212c (see FIG. 41) and rotates the sub-plate 305 toward the rear surface 204b.

  Returning to FIG. 41, the medal rail 210 has a plurality of determination holes 312 (five in this embodiment) penetrating in the front-rear direction in the imaging region RLa (see FIG. 25) by the camera unit 209. There is. Since the determination hole 312 is imaged by the camera unit 209 together with the medal passing through the medal rail 210, the distinction between the medal and the medal rail 210 becomes clear in the image used for the medal determination process. The medals can be easily discriminated, and the accuracy of the medal determination process is improved.

  Further, the plurality of determination holes 312 are arranged along the direction in which the medal rail 210 extends, and the closer to the upstream side (the medal entrance portion 211 side) of the medal rail 210, the width in the extending direction of the medal rail 210. Is long (for example, the width of the upstream determination hole 312 is about 20 mm, the width of the downstream determination hole 312 is about 5 mm, and the width of the intermediate determination hole 312 is about 10 mm). Such a plurality of determination holes 312 are a plurality of holes provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the game medium passing portion, and the traveling direction in which the game medium passes through the hole on the downstream side of the hole on the upstream side. To serve as an example of a plurality of short holes. As a result, the medal can be reliably imaged together with the determination hole 312 even on the upstream side of the medal rail 210 where the medal passage speed is relatively high, and the accuracy of the medal determination process is improved. Further, since the determination hole 312 on the downstream side of the medal rail 210 in which the passing speed of the medal is relatively slow is formed to have a relatively small width in the extending direction of the medal rail 210, space saving can be achieved. The central hole 212a for medal selection and the central hole 212b for medal acceptance can be provided together.

  Note that the plurality of determination holes 312 are not limited to such an aspect, and may have the same width and the same shape. Further, the determination hole 312 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape along the direction in which the medal rail 210 extends (the medal flow direction), but is not limited to this, and may be formed in any shape such as a circular shape or a triangular shape. You may.

  A shielding member 312a (hatched portion in FIG. 41) is attached to the front surface 304a side of the determination hole 312 (non-imaging surface side of the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 8), which is an example of an imaging unit).

  The shielding member 312a shields the front surface 304a side and the rear surface 304b side in the determination hole 312 formed in the medal rail 210, and the front surface is displayed on the image captured by the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 8) from the rear surface 304b side. Make sure that the device arranged on the 304a side is not reflected. The shielding member 312a is provided corresponding to the plurality of determination holes 312. The shielding member 312a reflects the light from the first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body 263 shown in FIG. The shielding member 312a is formed of, for example, a reflection sheet, but may be formed of a mirror-finished metal plate or the like as long as it is a material that reflects light. The reason why the shielding member 312a is made of a material that reflects light, such as a reflection sheet, is that the medal rail 210 is processed to have a low light reflectance so as not to interfere with the shooting of the camera unit 209. If a non-reflective material is used for the shielding member 312a, the determination hole 312 becomes the same as the medal rail 210 and cannot be recognized.

  The camera unit 209 (see FIG. 8) determines the plurality of determination holes 312 based on the image of the light reflected by the shielding member 312a provided corresponding to the plurality of determination holes 312.

  The determination hole 312 may be a concave shape instead of the through hole as long as it is recessed from the surface (rear surface 304b) of the medal rail 210 on which the medals are slidably contacted. In this case, at the bottom of the concave shape. A shield member 312a may be provided.

  On the rear surface 304b of the base plate portion 304, it is slightly thicker (about 1.8 mm to 2.0 mm) than the medal thickness (about 1.5 mm) so as to overlap a part of the sub plate 305 which is an example of an auxiliary member. A protection member 304d is provided.

  The upper side edge of the protection member 304d is arranged along the lower side edge of the medal rail 210 on the rear surface 304b of the base plate portion 304. As a result, the medals passing through the medal rails 210 roll on the upper side edges of the protection member 304d. The vicinity of the upper side edge of the protection member 304d overlaps with the vicinity of the lower side edge of the sub plate 305. Further, although the protection member 304d is made of a glossy metal plate, the invention is not limited to this, and the first light guide body 261, the second light guide body 262, and the third light guide body shown in FIG. A reflection sheet or the like may be used as long as it is a material that reflects the light from 263.

Next, the configuration of the sub plate 305 will be described.
The sub-plate 305 is a plate-shaped member provided at a position overlapping the medal rail 210 of the base plate portion 304, the upper end side is rotatably attached to the base plate portion 304, and the lower end side protects the base plate portion 304. By contacting the member 304d, a space (about 1.8 mm to 2.0 mm) through which the medals rolling on the protection member 304d pass is formed between the member 304d and the medal rail 210. The sub-plate 305 has a flat plate-shaped main body 321, a shaft portion 222 provided on the upper portion of the main body 321, and a mounting member 272 (see FIG. 8) for mounting the first light guide 261. are doing. A through hole penetrating in the front-rear direction is arranged at a substantially central portion of the main body portion 221 behind a position including a medal selecting central hole 212a, a medal receiving central hole 212b, and a plurality of judging holes 312 of the medal rail 210. 221a is provided, and a downstream region is exposed from the through hole 221a from a substantially central portion of the medal rail 210. The through hole 221a is included in a predetermined area including the medal rail 210, which is imaged by the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 16).

  Further, in the main body 321, the medals that are formed to be continuous with the lower side edge of the through hole 221a and are formed at the rear end of the main body 321 (downstream side end of the medal rail 210) and have passed the medal rail 210 are , A first guiding part 321a for guiding the medal exit part 304c to the outside of the medal selector 301, and a second guiding part for guiding the medals repelled from the medal rail 210 by the medal selecting medal pressure 213a or the medal receiving medal pressure 213b downward. 321b and a plurality of sub-plate state detection holes 321c formed in a predetermined area near the through hole 221a and imaged by the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 16) are formed.

  The first guide portion 321a has a downstream side edge (a side edge provided with the medal exit portion 304c) of the medal rail 210 of the base plate portion 304 when the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304. ) Is formed on the side frame 305c.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the sub-plate 305 of the medal selector 301 as seen obliquely from the front of the pachi-slot 1.
The first guide portion 321a extends along the medal outlet portion 304c (see FIG. 44 described later) in a state where the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304 (see FIG. 41). The first guide portion 321a faces the base plate portion 304 of the sub plate 305 from the upstream side (medal inlet portion 211) side to the downstream side (medal outlet portion 304c) side of the medal rail 210 (see FIG. 41). (Refer to FIG. 41), it has an inclined surface which inclines toward the front surface 305a facing the base plate portion 304 of the sub plate 305. Thereby, for example, the medals shot by the medal selecting medal pressure 213a and the medal receiving medal pressure 213b immediately before being ejected from the medal exit portion 304c are not caught by the side frame 305c of the sub plate 305, and the medal shoot is performed. By guiding to the 202, it is possible to suppress erroneous passage of medals to the medal exit portion 304c side. Further, in the space through which the medals pass, an upstream surface is connected to the medal exit portion 304c or the medal exit portion 204c from which the medals are discharged, and an inclined surface is provided which is inclined toward the slope 203 connected to the hopper device 51 on the downstream side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the medals from being accumulated in the vicinity of the medal exit portion 304c and the entrance of the slope 203 and clogging the medals exit portion 304c and the slope 203.

  Returning to FIG. 41, the second guide portion 321b is located below the lower edge (the imaginary line L shown in FIG. 41) of the medal rail 210 in the state where the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protective member 304d of the base plate portion 304. The medal rail 210 extends in the extending direction. The second guiding portion 321b has an inclined surface that inclines downward from the medal rail 210 side in a direction away from the medal rail 210.

  Here, a medal payout outlet 32 (see FIG. 2) is provided below the medal selector 301, and a medal chute 202 (see FIG. 4) connected to a medal tray unit 34 (see FIG. 2), which is an example of retention means. ) Is provided. Further, the medals discharged from the medal exit portion 304c are accommodated in the hopper device 51 (see FIG. 5) which is an example of a storage means via the slope 203 (see FIG. 6).

  The medals repelled from the medal rail 210 by the medal selection medal pressure 213a or the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b fall from the medal rail 210 without reaching the medal exit portion 304c, and fall on the inclined surface of the second guiding portion 321b. It is guided, passes through the medal chute 202, and drops into the medal tray unit 34. In this way, the second guiding part 321b functions as a second guiding part for guiding the game medium toward the staying means.

  Further, even if the medals repelled by the medal selecting medal pressure 213a or the medal receiving medal pressure 213b on the verge of reaching the medal exit portion 304c are also guided to the inclined surface of the first guiding portion 321a, the medal rail 210 moves. It falls, is guided to the inclined surface of the second guiding portion 321b, passes through the medal chute 202, and falls onto the medal tray unit 34. Thus, the first guiding part 321a functions as a first guiding part for guiding the game medium in a direction different from the direction of guiding the storage medium when the game medium is not guided to the storage means.

  The sub-plate state detection holes 321c are rectangular holes that penetrate the main body 321 in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of sub-plate state detection holes 321c are arranged in the vicinity of the through holes 221a along the lower side edge of the through holes 221a. The sub-plate state detection hole 321c is arranged at a position overlapping the protection member 304d when the sub-plate 305 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304. Therefore, when the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protective member 304d of the base plate portion 304, the light from the second light guide 262 shown in FIG. 14 is inserted through the sub plate state detection hole 321c to be protected. It is reflected by the member 304d. Although the sub-plate state detection hole 321c is formed in a rectangular shape, the shape is not limited to this and may be formed in any shape such as a circular shape or a triangular shape.

Next, the operation of the sub plate 305 will be described.
44 and 45 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the sub plate 305. FIG. 44 shows a state in which the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304. Further, FIG. 45 shows a state in which the sub plate 305 is rotated and the sub plate 305 and the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304 are separated from each other. In addition, the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 44 and 45 is a line schematically showing the light from the second light guide body 262.

  As shown in FIG. 44, when the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304 (normal state), the light from the second light guide 262 is not detected by the sub plate state detection hole 321c. At, the light is reflected by the protection member 304d.

On the other hand, when the player operates the return button 21a (see FIG. 2), the tip of the sub-plate pressure 213c (see FIG. 41) projects from the sub-plate moving hole 212c (see FIG. 41), and the sub-plate 305. Rotates, and the state shown in FIG. 45 is obtained.
In the state shown in FIG. 45 (the state where the return button 21a is operated), the sub-plate state detection hole 321c is inclined with respect to the surface (reflection surface) of the protection member 304d, and the second light guide 262 is removed. Light is reflected by the protection member 304d without passing through the sub-plate state detection hole 321c. That is, the light from the second light guide 262 is reflected differently from the case where the sub plate 305 is not rotated.

  Therefore, when the sub-plate 305 shown in FIG. 44 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304 (normal state), the light from the second light guide 262 is in the sub-plate state detection hole 321c. Since the light is reflected, in the image captured by the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 16), the sub-plate state detection hole 321c has higher brightness than the surrounding main body 321.

  On the other hand, when the return button 21a shown in FIG. 45 is operated, the sub plate 305 is separated from the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304, and the light from the second light guide 262 is detected by the sub plate state detection hole 321c. In the image captured by the camera unit 209 (see FIG. 16), the sub-plate state detection hole 321c has a normal state because the reflection is different from that in the state where the sub-plate 305 is not rotated. In comparison, the brightness is lower.

  As a result, the accuracy of the camera unit 209 in determining whether or not the sub plate 305 is in contact with the protection member 304d of the base plate portion 304 is improved based on these images. For example, if it is determined that the sub-plate 305 is separated from the protective member 304d of the base plate portion 304, but it is determined that there is a medal passing through the medal rail 210, a fraudulent act is performed. It can be assumed that there is a high possibility.

  Further, in order to realize the determination by the camera unit 209 as described above, in the modified example, the lower end of the imaging region RLa (see FIG. 25) capable of receiving light in the camera unit 209 is closer to the lower end edge of the medal rail 210 shown in the embodiment. In a state where the base plate portion 304 is in contact with the protection member 304d, the base plate portion 304 is expanded to a range including a plurality of sub-plate state detection holes 321c arranged near the lower end edge of the medal rail 210. Such an image pickup area RLa is an example of a predetermined area including a path formed in the game medium passing portion, and the camera unit 209 that takes an image of the predetermined area functions as an example of an image pickup unit that takes an image of the predetermined area. In addition, the plurality of sub-plate state detection holes 321c function as an example of a plurality of holes formed in a predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole.

<Structure of Connector According to Modification>
Next, a connector 400 of a type generally referred to as a drawer connector or a floating connector that electrically connects the medal selector 301 and the door relay terminal board 68 (see FIG. 50 described later) will be described ( A drawer connector or a floating connector is a mounting mechanism (mounting hole, etc.) with a base member to which one of the male and female connectors is mounted. A connector having a function of relieving a tightening load generated by a floating mechanism, or a connector having a floating mechanism in a fitting portion between male and female connectors.
FIG. 46 is a perspective view of the connector 400.
In the pachi-slot 1, the connector 400 electrically connects a medal selector 301 (see FIG. 50 described later) that detects insertion of medals and a door relay terminal board 68 (see FIG. 50 described later) that is an example of another electric device. Connecting. The connector 400 includes a first member 410 and a second member 420 that is detachably engaged with the first member from a predetermined direction (the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 46). The first member 410 is installed and connected to the medal selector 301. The second member 420 is installed and connected to the door relay terminal board 68 or a selector relay board (not shown) connected to the door relay terminal board 68. Note that, in FIG. 46, the opposite surfaces on which the first member 410 and the second member 420 engage with each other originally have a shape capable of inserting a plurality of cables (conductors), but they are omitted in the drawing. Has been.

  FIG. 47 is a view of the first member 410 and the second member 420 of the connector 400 as viewed from the direction in which they are engaged with each other. FIG. 47 (a) is a view of the first member 410 as seen from the direction in which it engages with the second member 420. FIG. 47 (b) is a view of the second member 420 as seen from the direction in which it engages with the first member 410.

  As shown in FIG. 47 (a), the first member 410 is a flat plate portion 411 connected to the medal selector 301 (see FIG. 50 described later) and a predetermined direction from the flat plate portion 411 (engages with the second member 420). Direction), and a plurality of pin members 413 (413a, 413b, 413c, 413d) extending in a predetermined direction.

  The protrusion 412 is formed in a shape having a predetermined unevenness. The plurality of pin members 413 are arranged around the protrusion 412. In the example shown in FIG. 47A, in the plurality of pin members 413, the pin member 413a is arranged at the upper left of the protruding portion 412, the pin member 413b is arranged at the upper right of the protruding portion 412, and the pin member 413c is arranged at the protruding portion 412. Is arranged at the lower left of the pin member 413d, and the pin member 413d is arranged at the lower right of the protrusion 412.

  As shown in FIG. 47 (b), the second member 420 is a body portion 421 connected to the door relay terminal board 68 (see FIG. 50 described later) and a hole formed in the body portion 421, and has a predetermined direction. A recess 422 into which the protruding portion 412 of the first member 410 can be inserted and a hole formed in the main body portion 421 from (the direction in which the first member 410 is engaged), and a plurality of pin members 413 can be inserted respectively. And a plurality of insertion holes 423 (423a, 423b, 423c, 423d).

  The concave portion 422 is formed in a shape into which the shape having the predetermined unevenness in the protruding portion 412 can be inserted. The plurality of insertion holes 423 are arranged around the recess 422, and in the state where the protrusion 412 is inserted and positioned in the recess 422, the plurality of pin members 413 of the first member 410 are formed at positions where they can respectively be inserted. There is. In the example shown in FIG. 47 (b), the plurality of insertion holes 423 are arranged at positions symmetrical to the positions of the plurality of pin members 413 in the example shown in FIG. 47 (a).

  Contact members 414a to 414f, to which conductors connected by crimping contact pins are connected, are arranged in the six recesses of the protrusion 412, and contact pins are also crimped and connected in the six recesses of the recess 422. The contact members 424a to 424f to which the connected conducting wires are connected are arranged, and the protrusions 412 and the recesses 422 are fitted to each other, so that the contact members 414a to 414f and the contact members 424a to 424f come into contact with each other, so that electrical Connected to the medal selector 301, for example, power is supplied to the medal selector 301, a ground is provided, a medal count signal indicating that the medal has passed, and determination of a medal in the camera unit 209 of the medal selector 301 (see FIG. 40 described later). As a result, it becomes possible to communicate a medal abnormality signal indicating that the medal is abnormal.

  Further, the plurality of pin members 413 and the plurality of insertion holes 423 provided corresponding to the plurality of pin members 413 are arranged at different positions depending on the classification of the game machine. “Classification of gaming machines” includes models, types of housings, manufacturers, vendors, types of medal selectors and door relay terminal boards, and the like. Note that the number of the plurality of pin members 413 and the plurality of insertion holes 423 provided corresponding to the plurality of pin members 413 are not limited to the positions where they are arranged, and the number may be different depending on the classification of the game machine.

  Further, the flat plate portion 411 and the protruding portion 412 of the first member 410 and the main body portion 421 of the second member 420 in which the concave portion 422 is formed have different colors according to the classification of the gaming machine.

  48 and 49 are views showing another mode of the first member 410 and the second member 420 of the connector 400 shown in FIG. 47. 48 (a) and 49 (a) are views of the first member 410 as seen from the direction in which it engages with the second member 420. 48B and 49B are views of the second member 420 as seen from the direction in which the second member 420 is engaged with the first member 410.

  The example shown in FIG. 48 is to be attached to a game machine of a different classification from the pachi-slot 1 shown in FIG. 47, and the positions of the pin member 413a and the insertion hole 423a are different from those of the connector 400 shown in FIG. 47. The color of the flat plate portion 411 and the protruding portion 412 of the first member 410 is different from that of the main body portion 421 in which the concave portion 422 of the second member 420 is formed.

  The example shown in FIG. 49 is to be attached to a pachi-slot 1 shown in FIG. 47 and a gaming machine of a different classification from the gaming machine shown in FIG. 48. The connector 400 shown in FIG. 47 is different from the pin members 413c and 413d and the insertion. The positions of the holes 423c and 423d are different, and the colors of the flat plate portion 411 and the protruding portion 412 of the first member 410 and the color of the main body portion 421 in which the concave portion 422 of the second member 420 is formed are different.

  As described above, according to the classification of gaming machines, the plurality of pin members 413 and the plurality of insertion holes 423 provided corresponding to the plurality of pin members 413 are different from each other, and the connector 400 is provided not only in the medal selector but also in the gaming machine. It may also be used to connect other existing electric devices. For example, as the connection between such other electric devices, the hopper device 51 (see FIG. 27) and the cabinet-side relay board 44 (see FIG. 27) may be used. In this case, in the connector 400, for example, the first member 410 is connected to the hopper device 51, and the second member 420 is connected to the cabinet-side relay board 44.

<Circuit configuration of the medal selector according to the modified example>
Next, the circuit configuration of the medal selector 301 according to the modification will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 50 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration example of the medal selector 301. The medal selector 301 according to the modification is different from the medal selector 201 (see FIG. 30) of the present embodiment in the structure of the medal solenoid. The medal selector 301 includes a camera unit 209, a medal selection solenoid 308a, and a medal acceptance solenoid 308b. Further, the medal selector 301 is connected to the main control board 71 via the door relay terminal plate 68, similarly to the medal selector 201. That is, the medal selector 301 is electrically connected to the main control circuit 91. Therefore, the main control circuit 91 can set the medal acceptance solenoid 308b of the medal selector 301 to the ON state or the OFF state.

  The main control circuit 91 has predetermined game medium loading conditions (for example, the credit counter is smaller than the maximum value (for example, 50), the game is not being executed, the main control circuit 91 does not detect any error, etc.). When it is established, the control signal for permitting the insertion acceptance by the medal acceptance solenoid 308b is output. The medal acceptance solenoid 308b is turned on when a control signal for permitting insertion is input (the tip of the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b is retracted from the medal rail 210 to accept medals). On the other hand, the medal acceptance solenoid 308b is turned OFF when the control signal for permitting the insertion acceptance is not received (the tip of the medal acceptance medal pressure 213b projects into the medal rail 210 and repels the medal). .

  In this way, the main control circuit 91 functions as a control unit that outputs a control signal that permits the acceptance of the insertion by the game medium acceptance unit when a predetermined game medium insertion condition is satisfied. The medal acceptance solenoid 308b is controlled similarly to the medal solenoid 208 of this embodiment. Such a medal acceptance solenoid 308b is controlled by the main control circuit 91, which is an example of a control unit, and functions as an example of a game medium acceptance unit that controls acceptance of insertion of a game medium. In addition, in a state in which power is not supplied to the pachi-slot 1, a state in which power is not supplied to the medal selector 301, or a condition in which the game medium insertion condition is not satisfied, the tip of the medal receiving medal pressure 213b is the medal. The rail 210 projects from the rail 210.

  The medal selection solenoid 308a is controlled to be in an ON state or an OFF state by the control LSI 234 of the camera unit 209. Specifically, the camera unit 209 takes an image of a medal which is inserted by the player and passes through the medal rail 210 and a plurality of determination holes 312 (see FIG. 41) by the CMOS image sensor 232, and the taken image data is the control LSI 234. Output to. The control LSI 234 performs color determination processing and marking determination processing based on the image data output from the CMOS image sensor 232 under the control described in the present embodiment, and the medals of the image data match the predetermined regular medals. It is determined whether or not to do. When the control LSI 234 determines that the medal does not match the regular medal, it outputs a control signal for eliminating the medal to the medal selecting solenoid 308a. The medal selecting solenoid 308a is turned on when a control signal for removing medals is input (the tip of the medal selecting medal pressure 213a projects into the medal rail 210 and repels medals). On the other hand, when the control LSI 234 determines that the medal matches the regular medal, it outputs a control signal for accepting the medal to the medal selecting solenoid 308a. The medal selecting solenoid 308a is turned off when a control signal for accepting a medal is input (the tip of the medal selecting medal pressure 213a is retracted from the medal rail 210 to accept the medal). When the pachi-slot 1 is not supplied with power, the medal selector 301 is not supplied with power, or when the control LSI 234 determines that the inserted medals match the regular medals, the medal selecting medals are selected. The tip end portion of the pressure 213a is retracted from the medal rail 210.

  As described above, the medal selecting solenoid 308a functions as an example of a game medium selecting unit that selects the inserted game medium. The control LSI 234 also functions as an example of a determination / sorting control unit that discriminates the game medium and controls the game medium sorting unit. Further, when the input game medium does not match the predetermined game medium, the control LSI 234 outputs a control signal for excluding the game medium to the game medium selecting means, and the input game medium is predetermined. When it matches with the game medium, it outputs a control signal for accepting the game medium to the game medium selecting means, thereby functioning as an example of a determination / selection control means for selecting the game medium. Further, the medal selection solenoid 308a is driven when a control signal for removing the game medium is input from the determination selection control means, and the tip end of the selection movable means is moved from the selection hole formed in the path to the path. It functions as an example of a game medium selection means that is projected inward. In the present modification, the inserted medals are always judged and the medals selection solenoid 308a is used for selection. For example, the circuit of the medal selector 301 sets whether or not the control LSI 234 determines medals. A switch may be provided to determine the inserted medal when the setting switch is in the ON state.

  The camera unit 209 also captures an image of the sub-plate state detection hole 321c (see FIGS. 44 and 45) of the sub-plate 305 with the CMOS image sensor 232, and outputs the captured image data to the control LSI 234. The control LSI 234 performs a color determination process based on the image data output from the CMOS image sensor 232 by the control described in the present embodiment, and the second light guide 262 (FIG. 44) in the sub-plate state detection hole 321c. Also, it is determined whether or not the shape of the sub-plate state detection hole 321c is imaged by the reflection of light from (see FIG. 45). The control LSI 234 does not image the shape of the sub-plate state detection hole 321c due to the reflection of light from the second light guide 262 in the sub-plate state detection hole 321c for a predetermined period of time (for example, When it is determined that the sub-plate state detection hole 321c is not imaged, or the image is captured but the shape or position of the hole is different), a signal indicating that the sub-plate 305 has been rotated is issued. , May be output to the main control circuit 91, and the main control circuit 91 may include a signal indicating the state of the sub plate 305 in the game medium loading condition. Such a camera unit 209 functions as an example of an image capturing unit that determines whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of light from the irradiation unit at the hole.

Next, the function and effect of the modification will be described.
When capturing an image of the game medium passing through the base plate portion 304, the camera unit 209 also captures the plurality of determination holes 312 of the base plate portion 304 together with the game medium. For example, when the camera unit 209 images the game medium passing through the surface of the base plate portion 304 from the side of the passing game medium, the plurality of determination holes 312 are partially imaged. The camera unit 209 can determine the passage of the game medium by determining the imaged portions of the plurality of determination holes 312. At this time, when an antireflection sheet is provided in the plurality of determination holes 312 or when the shielding member 312a is not provided, the back side of the base plate portion 304 (the surface through which the game medium passes) in the captured image. When the member disposed on the opposite side) is reflected in the determination hole 312, the light from the first light guide body 261 and the like is irregularly reflected, and the determination hole 312 and the base plate portion 304 are not reflected. The image is difficult to distinguish from other parts. According to this modification, since the shielding member 312a that reflects the light from the first light guide body 261 and the like is provided according to the plurality of determination holes 312, in the image captured by the camera unit 209, The light from the first light guide body 261 and the like is reflected by the plurality of determination holes 312 to a certain extent as compared with the other portions of the base plate portion 304, so that the brightness becomes higher than that of the other portions, Since the shape of the determination holes 312 can be captured more clearly, the determination accuracy of the plurality of determination holes 312 is improved.
Therefore, by improving the accuracy of determining the game medium, it is possible to provide a game machine capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular game medium is used in the game machine.

  Moreover, since the shielding member 312a is attached to the non-imaging surface side of the camera unit 209, the contours of the plurality of determination holes 312 are clearer than when the shielding member 312a is attached from the imaging surface side of the camera unit 209 in the base plate portion 304. Further, the discrimination accuracy of the plurality of discrimination holes 312 is improved. Further, it is possible to prevent the game medium from passing through the image pickup surface side of the camera unit 209 in the base plate portion 304, coming into contact with the shielding member 312a and preventing the game medium from passing therethrough, thereby preventing the game medium from being jammed.

  Further, since the determination hole 312 on the downstream side of the determination hole 312 on the upstream side of the base plate portion 304 is shortened in the traveling direction in which the game medium passes, the passage speed of the game medium becomes relatively slow. By making the determination hole 312 on the downstream side of the base plate portion 304 shorter than the determination hole 312 on the upstream side in the traveling direction through which the game medium passes, the accuracy of imaging the game medium together with the determination hole 312 is improved. Space can be saved without lowering the space. In addition, by making the determination hole 312 on the upstream side of the base plate portion 304 longer than the determination hole 312 on the downstream side in the traveling direction through which the game medium passes, the passage speed of the game medium is relatively high upstream. Even on the side, the game medium can be reliably imaged together with the determination hole 312, and the accuracy of the game medium determination process is improved.

Further, for example, if the game medium is not guided to the hopper device 51 even before the game medium is heading to the hopper device 51, a direction (for example, a medal) different from the direction of guiding the game medium to the hopper device 51 by the first guiding portion 321a. The game medium can be smoothly guided to the tray unit 34) and the second guide portion 321b is formed, so that the game medium can be smoothly guided to the medal tray unit 34. Thereby, for example, it is determined whether or not it is a regular medal by the determination (for example, the marking determination and the color determination, etc.) of the image obtained by capturing the image of the game medium passing through the base plate portion 304, and the result of this determination, Since it can be smoothly guided to the hopper device 51 or the medal tray unit 34, it is possible to prevent the game medium passing through the base plate portion 304 from being clogged and the determination accuracy of the game medium from being lowered.
Therefore, by improving the accuracy of determining the game medium, it is possible to provide a game machine capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular game medium is used in the game machine.

  Further, when the game medium is not guided to the hopper device 51, the game medium falls from the medal rail 210 once, abuts against the inclined surface with the momentum in the dropping direction, and is placed below the medal tray unit. Since it is guided to 34, it is possible to drop the game medium in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the game medium passes through the medal rail 210 without tilting the game medium. Therefore, for example, when the game medium is imaged from the direction orthogonal to the direction passing through the medal rail 210 and the determination is performed by the image processing of the captured image, the game medium dropped from the medal rail 210 is not collapsed, It can be accurately determined whether or not the dropped game medium is normally moving toward the medal tray unit 34.

  Further, the first guide portion 321a of the sub-plate 305 has an inclined surface that is inclined toward the slope 203 for guiding the game medium to the hopper device 51, so that the game medium stays at the entrance of the slope 203 and the slope 203 It is possible to prevent the game medium from being clogged at the entrance of.

In addition to the main control circuit 91 for accepting or rejecting the insertion of a game medium depending on whether or not a predetermined game medium insertion condition is satisfied, whether or not the inserted game medium matches a predetermined game medium. Thus, the inserted game medium is excluded or accepted. As a result, in addition to the conventional selector function that allows or disallows the insertion of game media in the main control circuit 91 that controls the game, the medal selector 301 determines the effectiveness of the inserted game media and selects medals. Since the illegal game medium can be eliminated by the solenoid 308a, it becomes possible to eliminate the goto action.
Therefore, in addition to the acceptance of the game media, by selecting the game media due to the fraudulent activity, it is possible to accurately detect the fraudulent activity in which the game machine is mistakenly recognized as using the legitimate game media. Amusement machines can be provided.

  Further, since the structure for removing the game medium from the medal rail 210 through which the game medium passes (the structure for selecting the game medium due to fraud) is provided on the back surface of the surface on which the medal rail 210 is formed. The medal selector 301 can be downsized as compared with the case where such a structure is provided separately from the base plate portion 304 on which the medal rail 210 is formed. Further, the medal selecting solenoid 308a is driven when a control signal for removing the game medium is received, and the tip of the medal selecting medal pressure 213a is projected into the medal rail 210, so that the medal selecting solenoid 308a is always driven. The power consumption of the medal selector 301 can be reduced as compared with the case where the medal selecting medal pressure 213a is moved.

  Further, the medal acceptance solenoid 308b eliminates the game medium on the upstream side of the position where the medal selection solenoid 308a selects the game medium with respect to the passing direction of the game medium of the base plate portion 304. Therefore, the medal selection solenoid 308a can sort the game medium on the downstream side of the position where the medal acceptance solenoid 308b removes the game medium, and therefore the upstream side of the position where the medal acceptance solenoid 308b excludes the game medium. As compared with the case where the game medium is selected, the processing time for the control LSI 234 to discriminate the game medium can be extended. Therefore, the load of the determination process in the control LSI 234 can be reduced.

  Further, in the medal selector 301, the game medium drops from the medal rail 210 of the base plate portion 304 when the sub plate 305 is rotated. Then, in a state where the sub plate 305 is not rotated, the light from the second light guide 262 or the like is reflected in the plurality of sub plate state detection holes 321c of the sub plate 305, and the sub plate 305 is rotated. In this state, the light from the second light guide 262 or the like is reflected differently from the case where the sub plate 305 is not rotated. The reflection of the light from the second light guide 262 and the like causes the camera unit 209 to determine whether the sub plate 305 is rotating.

  As a result, it is possible to determine whether or not the sub plate 305 is rotated and the game medium is falling from the medal rail 210 (whether or not the game medium can be received). For example, when the sub-plate 305 is continuously rotated, or when the sub-plate 305 is rotated and the game medium is dropped from the medal rail 210, the game medium is received. Is likely to have been fraudulent. Therefore, by determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that can accurately detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by mistakenly recognizing that the regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. it can.

  Further, the camera unit 209 performs image processing on the imaged image of the predetermined area, thereby obtaining an image in a state in which the sub plate 305 is not rotated (a state in which light is reflected in the sub plate state detection hole 321c), The difference from the image of the state where the sub plate 305 is rotated (the state where the light is not reflected in the sub plate state detection hole 321c) becomes clearer, and it is determined whether or not the sub plate 305 is rotated. The accuracy of is improved. Therefore, by more accurately determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to accurately detect a fraudulent activity in which the game machine is erroneously recognized as a regular game medium being used and the game is played. Machine can be provided.

Further, in the gaming machine, a plurality of pin members 413 and a plurality of insertion holes 423 of the connector 400 for electrically connecting the medal selector 301 for detecting the insertion of the gaming medium, the door relay terminal board 68, etc. are classified as the gaming machines. They are arranged at different positions depending on (for example, model). As a result, even if the second member 420 of another class of gaming machines is mounted on the first member 410 mounted on a certain gaming machine, they do not engage with each other. Therefore, even if the first member 410 or the second member 420 different in classification from the gaming machine being assembled is attached, the first member 410 and the second member 420 do not engage with each other, and the wrong connector 400 is generated. You can immediately see that it is installed.
Therefore, a connection member that can prevent a human error that occurs when a device for accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the game machine is provided. it can.

In addition, in the gaming machine, a plurality of pin members 413 and a plurality of insertion holes 423 of the connector 400 that electrically connects the hopper device 51 that stores the game medium and discharges the stored game medium, the door relay terminal plate 68, and the like. Are arranged at different positions according to the classification (for example, model) of the gaming machine. As a result, even if the second member 420 of another class of gaming machines is mounted on the first member 410 mounted on a certain gaming machine, they do not engage with each other. Therefore, even if the first member 410 or the second member 420 different in classification from the gaming machine being assembled is attached, the first member 410 and the second member 420 do not engage with each other, and the wrong connector 400 is generated. You can immediately see that it is installed.
Therefore, a human error that occurs when the hopper device 51 is attached to a gaming machine equipped with a device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine is eliminated. A connection member that can be prevented can be provided.

Further, the colors of the protrusion 412 and the recess 422 indicate whether or not the connector 400 is suitable for the classification of the gaming machine being assembled. Further, even if the first member 410 or the second member 420 different in classification from the gaming machine being assembled is attached, it is not necessary to engage these members with each other, and it is only necessary to see that the colors are different. Then, it is immediately known that the wrong connector 400 is attached.
Therefore, a connection that can more reliably prevent a human error that occurs when a device for accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in the game machine is attached. A member can be provided.

[Application Example 1 of One Embodiment of the Present Invention]
Next, a gaming machine 500 according to Application Example 1 of an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The gaming device 500 is a medal counter installed in a hall, for example, provided at the end of an island in which a plurality of pachi-slots 1 are arranged, and the medal selector 201 (see FIG. 7) according to the above embodiment or the above. A medal selector 301 (see FIG. 41) according to a modification is provided.

  FIG. 51 is a plan view of the gaming device 500 according to the application example 1 of the embodiment of the present invention seen from above. As shown in FIG. 51, the gaming machine 500 includes a hopper 543 (game medium storing means) having a mortar-shaped recess for storing the inserted medals (game medium). Below the hopper 543, there is provided a turntable 526 with a receiving hole for dropping each inserted medal into the medal receiving hole 524 and rotating the medal receiving hole 524 eccentrically. The turntable with receiving hole 526 starts its rotation by pressing the counting start switch 541. The medals received in the medal receiving holes 524 of the turntable with receiving holes 524 are discharged from the lower part of the hopper 543 as the turntable with receiving holes 526 rotates, and the medal selector 201 or the medal selector provided below the hopper 543. Only regular ones are detected by 301, and detected and counted by the medal detection unit 544 and the counter control unit 542 of the counter 549 (game medium counting unit) based on the medal count signal from the medal selector 201 or the medal selector 301. , Stored.

  On the upper surface of the gaming apparatus 500, the inserted number display section 540a for displaying the counted number of inserted medals, and pressed when setting the number of inserted medals to be printed on a receipt (a form of recording medium). The receipt print number setting switch 534r, the receipt print number display section 540b for displaying the set receipt print number, and the number of stored medals to be recorded in the stored medal card (one form of the recording medium) among the inserted medals. A card recording number setting switch 534c that is pressed when performing the operation, and a card recording number display unit 540c that displays the set card recording number are provided.

  Further, on the upper surface of the gaming device 500, a number switch from 0 to 9 for setting the number of inserted medals to be printed on a receipt and the number of stored medals to be recorded on a stored medal card (one form of input means 534. ) And a BS switch that is pressed to correct the input number and erases the value input immediately before. Further, on the upper surface of the gaming apparatus 500, an entry switch 534e is arranged to instruct execution of a process of printing on a receipt and a process of recording on a saved medal card after setting the number of medals.

  Further, the gaming device 500 is a card reader / writer 537 that reads and writes the number of stored medals on a stored medal card having a magnetic recording type or an IC tag and reads unique identification information (card ID) for identifying a player. (One form of recording medium control unit), a receipt printing unit 539 (one form of recording medium control unit) that prints and outputs the number of medals, a bar code, or a two-dimensional bar code on a receipt sheet, and a medal. A medal tray 517 for storing medals detected as non-genuine medals by the selector 201 or the medal selector 301.

  According to the gaming device 500 including such a medal selector 201 or the medal selector 301, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment or the above-described modified example can be obtained.

[Application Example 2 of One Embodiment of the Present Invention]
Next, a gaming machine 600 according to an application example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The gaming device 600 is a medal counting machine that is installed in the hall in association with each pachi-slot 1 and is installed corresponding to the adjacent pachi-slot 1, and is communicably connected to the corresponding pachi-slot 1. The medal selector 201 according to the above embodiment (see FIG. 7) or the medal selector 301 according to the modified example (see FIG. 41) is provided.

  FIG. 52 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of a gaming device 600 according to Application Example 1 of the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 52, an LED (light emitting diode) portion 631, a card insertion slot 632, a bill insertion slot 633 into which a bill can be inserted, and a touch panel LCD (liquid crystal display) are provided on the front portion 621 of the gaming machine 600. A configured operation unit 634, a camera 635, a non-contact IC card reader / writer 636, a medal (game medium) payout tray 637, a speaker cover 638, a medal (game medium) counting slot 639, and the like are provided. The card insertion slot 632 is, for example, an insertion slot capable of accepting an information card issued by a card issuing machine (not shown) in a hall. The LED section 631 is composed of a full-color LED 631A and an infrared LED (infrared light emitting diode) 631B.

  By inserting an information card or a predetermined amount of banknotes into the card insertion slot 632 or the banknote insertion slot 633, the player can rent medals as a game medium necessary for the game. In addition, the player holds the non-contact IC card over the non-contact IC card reader / writer 636, so that the player can receive the medals for rent.

  When the gaming device 600 receives a value medium such as an information card, a bill, or an IC card, the gaming device 600 receives a number of medals corresponding to the amount of the value medium that has been inserted, and a payout hopper (first counting) provided therein. Part) 651 and the coins are paid out from the medal payout tray 637. The player can play a game in the pachi-slot 1 by inserting the medals paid out from the medal payout tray 637 into the medal insertion slot 21 (see FIG. 2) of the pachi-slot 1.

  In the pachi-slot 1, medals are paid out to the medal tray unit 34 according to the result of the game. The player scoops this medal from the medal tray unit 34 and inserts it into the medal counting slot 639 of the gaming device 600, so that the medal can be counted by the gaming device 600. The gaming machine 600 counts the medals inserted from the medal counting slot 639 by means of a counting hopper (second counting section) provided inside.

  The counted result is recorded on the card inserted from the card insertion slot 632 or stored in the storage unit provided in the hall computer.

  The medals counted in the counting hopper are discharged from the discharge port provided on the bottom surface of the gaming device 600 to the transport conveyor and collected. In addition, in a place where a conveyor is not provided, a storage box for storing medals may be installed below the gaming device 600, and medals may be discharged to this storage box.

  The gaming device 600 has an inside of a housing 622, an identification means (an information card reader, a bill identification device 661, an IC card reader / writer, etc.) for identifying a value medium such as an information card, a bill, a non-contact IC card, and a power supply. It has a first storage space AR11 for storing the unit 665. Further, below the first storage space AR11, there is provided a second storage space AR13 in which a dispensing hopper 651 and a counting hopper 671 are vertically arranged side by side and stored. In the first storage space AR11, identification means (information card reader, bill identification device 661, IC card reader / writer, etc.) is stored in the upper portion, and a power supply unit 665 is stored in the lower portion. That is, the lower part of the first storage space AR11 forms a power supply unit storage space AR12 that stores the power supply unit 665.

  The payout hopper 651 stored in the second storage space AR13 below the first storage area AR11 is removed from the hole through the replenishment opening 652 provided on the back surface of the housing 622 at the upper portion thereof. The medals are supplied through the supply path. A replenishing passage 653 is provided between the replenishing opening 652 and the payout hopper 651, and the medals replenished from the replenishing opening 652 drop into the payout hopper 651 through the replenishing passage 653. To do.

  On the other hand, an introduction passage 672 is provided between the medal counting slot 639 provided on the front face portion 621 of the housing 622 and the counting hopper 671, and the medals inserted from the medal counting slot 639 are provided. Falls on the counting hopper 671 through the introduction passage 672 (arrow a). The counting hopper 671 is provided with a selector 201 or a medal selector 301 that removes illegal medals, and a counting unit that counts medals. For the medals inserted from the medal counting insertion slot 639, only the regular medals are detected by the selector 201 or the medal selector 301, only the regular medals are counted by the counting means, and the medals ejected on the bottom surface of the housing 622 are ejected. It is discharged from the outlet 673 to the conveyor (arrow b) and collected.

  A front panel 623 is provided on the front portion 621 of the gaming device 600, and a speaker cover 638 is provided on the front panel 623. The speaker cover 638 has a plurality of transmission openings for transmitting sound from a speaker provided on the back side of the front panel 623 (speaker cover 638) forward.

  FIG. 53 is a sectional view of a counting hopper 671 according to an application example 2 of the embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 53, an opening 675 for receiving a medal is provided on the front surface of the medal passage 676 of the counting hopper 671. The opening 675 is for inserting a medal from the outside. A counting input port 639 (see FIG. 52) is attached. As a result, the medals thrown into the medal counting slot 639 are guided to the counting hopper 671 through the opening 675 and the medal passage 676. Only the medals guided to the counting hopper 671 are detected by the selector 201 or the medal selector 301, and are counted by the counting means based on the medal count signal from the medal selector 201 or the medal selector 301. The sheet is discharged from the discharge port 674 provided on the bottom surface of the casing to the transport conveyor via the discharge port 673 (see FIG. 52) of the housing 622. The discharge port 674 of the counting hopper 671 is provided with guides 674A and 674B for guiding the discharged medals, and the guides 674A and 674B can make the discharging direction of the medals oblique. Thereby, the ejection direction of the medals ejected from the ejection port of the counting hopper 671 (that is, the medals ejected from the ejection port 673 (FIG. 3) of the housing 622) is arranged near the lower portion of the gaming device 600. It can be in the direction of the conveyor.

  Incidentally, the size of the opening 675 of the counting hopper 671 and the medal counting slot 639 (see FIG. 52) is set so that it is difficult for the player to enter. A plate-shaped medal guide member 629 (see FIG. 52) is fixed to the medal counting slot 639 in parallel with the front panel 623 (see FIG. 52). This makes it difficult for the player's hand to enter through the medal counting slot 639.

  Further, a photo sensor (not shown) is provided in the opening 675 so that it can be detected when the player's hand enters. Accordingly, when the player's hand is mistakenly inserted or when the player's hand is incorrectly inserted, the photosensor detects the hand and the operation of the counting hopper 671 can be stopped. The photo sensor is mounted at a position where a medal inserted through the medal counting slot 639 (see FIG. 52) and the opening 675 is not erroneously detected. For example, by providing so as to detect only the state of the upper portion of the opening 675, it is possible to detect only the player's hand entering the upper portion of the opening 675 without detecting a medal that slides below the opening 675. it can. Incidentally, the counting hopper 671 is also provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting the insertion of medals.

  According to the gaming machine 600 including such a medal selector 201 or the medal selector 301, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment or the above-described modified example are achieved.

[Application Example 3 of One Embodiment of the Present Invention]
Next, a gaming machine 700 according to an application example 3 of an embodiment of the invention will be described.
The gaming device 700 includes the medal selector 201 according to the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 7) or the medal selector 301 according to the modified example (see FIG. 41), and only selects game media in a stand-alone manner. It may be connected to and built in a device for counting the number of game media (so-called jet counter, counter for each machine), or may be built in the game machine. Good.

FIG. 54 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal structure of the gaming device 700 according to Application Example 3 of the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 54, the gaming device 700 is provided inside a housing M2, a housing M21 provided on the upper side of the housing M2 and housing medals to be sorted, The hopper device M20 as a sending unit that sends out the inserted medals one by one, the medal selector 201 according to the above-described embodiment for selecting medals or the medal selector 301 according to the above modification, and the medals sent out from the hopper device M20. It has a guide member M40 as a first guide portion for receiving and guiding the medal selector 201 (301). As described above, in the third application example, two medal selectors 201 (301) are provided. That is, the hopper device M20 is configured to supply medals to the respective two medal selectors 201 (301) via the two guide members M40 and M40. The gaming device 700 has a power supply unit M10 on the lower rear side inside the housing M2. Although not shown, the power supply unit M10 is electrically connected so as to supply power to the hopper device M20 and the medal selector 201 (301).

  Further, below the two medal selectors 201 (301), a first ejection passage M50 for guiding the medals detected by the two medal selectors 201 (301) to be regular medals to the ejection port is arranged. . Below the two medal selectors 201 (301), there is a second ejection passage M8, which is a passage that guides the medals determined by the two medal selectors 201 (301) to be non-genuine to the lower plate. M8 is arranged in each. Second discharge ports M11 and M11 are formed on the bottom surface of the housing M2 at positions corresponding to the second discharge passages M8 and M8.

  According to the gaming machine 600 including such a medal selector 201 or the medal selector 301, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment or the above-described modified example are achieved.

  As above, the modified examples and the applied examples 1 to 3 of the present embodiment have been described, but the respective configurations of the present embodiment, the modified examples, and the applied examples 1 to 3 are arbitrarily combined as long as there is no contradiction. be able to.

[Appendix 1]
The gaming machine of Appendix 1 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-342814 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine. Providing a gaming machine.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration.

  A slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21 described later), a game medium detecting unit for detecting a game medium inserted from the slot (for example, a medal selector 201 described later), and the game medium detection It is determined in advance based on start operation detection means (for example, a start switch 79 described later) for detecting a start operation by the player based on the detection of the game medium by means, and detection of the start operation by the start operation detection means. An internal winning combination determining means (for example, a main control circuit 91 that performs an internal lottery process described later) that determines an internal winning combination with probability and a plurality of display columns, and is based on the detection of the start operation by the start operation detecting means. Then, a variable display means (for example, three reels 3L, 3C, 3R and a stepping motor, which will be described later) for variably displaying the symbols necessary for the game, and the game Based on the stop operation detection means (for example, a stop switch described later) for detecting the stop operation by the, and the determination result of the internal winning combination determination means and the detection of the stop operation by the stop operation detection means, the fluctuation of the symbol. A stop control unit that stops the display (for example, a main control circuit 91 that performs a reel stop control process described later) and a winning determination line that extends across the plurality of display columns by stopping the variable display in the plurality of display columns. And a privilege granting unit (eg, main control circuit 91 described later) for granting a predetermined privilege (for example, payout of medals described below) based on the symbol combination displayed along with the game medium detection unit. An image of a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210 described later) that forms a passage through which the game medium passes and a passing object that is an object that passes through the passage. It is determined whether or not the game medium has passed through the passage based on an image pickup means (for example, a CMOS image sensor 232 described later) and a passing object image data which is image data of the passing object imaged by the image pickup means. And a color tone determination for determining whether the color tone of the passing object is the color tone of a predetermined game medium based on the pass object image data and a pass determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234 that executes a count process described later). Pattern determination processing for determining whether or not the pattern of the passing object is the pattern of the predetermined game medium based on a means (for example, a control LSI 234 that executes color determination processing described later) and the passing object image data. A game machine comprising: a pattern determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234 that executes a later-described marking determination process).

  Further, in the gaming machine having the above structure, the game medium detecting means stores template data obtained by integrating a plurality of rotation image data created by rotating image data of the predetermined game medium captured in advance at a plurality of angles. A storage unit (for example, a flash memory 244 described later) is provided, and the pattern determination unit generates a plurality of rotation passage game medium image data created by rotating the passage object image data at a plurality of angles in the pattern determination processing. The integrated comparison target data is created, the comparison target data and the template data are compared, and if the comparison result is within a predetermined threshold value range, the pattern of the passing object is the pattern of the predetermined game medium. It may be determined that the pattern of the passing object is not the pattern of the predetermined game medium if it is outside the range of the predetermined threshold.

Further, in the gaming machine having the above structure, the game medium detecting means processes the passing object image data into image data corresponding to the determination made by each of the passage determining means, the color tone determining means, and the pattern determining means. Data processing means (for example, an ISP circuit 245 described later) may be provided.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to misidentify that a regular game medium is used in a gaming machine and detect fraudulent activity in playing a game.

[Appendix 2]
The gaming machine in Appendix 2 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, medals used in amusement machines generally have silver or gold plated surfaces and are regularly cleaned (polished). The irregular reflection causes irregular reflection, so that in image processing using an image sensor or a camera, it is difficult to capture an accurate image due to the irregular reflection.

An object of the present invention is to prevent irregular reflection by irradiating light in a surrounding shape in order to accurately detect a fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that can provide a light source for capturing a highly accurate image of a game medium.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. The light source (for example, the light guides 261 to 263), the light source for the introduced light (for example, the LED group 233), and the drive control of the light source according to the imaging timing. Drive control means (for example, an LED drive unit 252), and the light guide body has at least one open end portion (for example, an end portion 265a) and an irradiation surface (for example, an end portion surrounding an imaging region of the imaging unit). , An outer side surface 261a), and the light source is arranged at the open end.

  According to the first aspect, by controlling the driving of the light source in accordance with the image pickup timing, the passing object image data can be acquired by the image pickup unit by the irradiation light of the introduction light, and the judgment process by the medium judgment unit can be smoothly performed. You can Moreover, the light guide body has at least one open end and an irradiation surface surrounding the image pickup area by the image pickup means, and the light source is arranged at the open end, so that the image pickup area is formed into a ring-like shape such as an ellipse. It is possible to uniformly irradiate the introduced light so that it is surrounded by. Therefore, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can reliably capture the edges and contours of a game medium, patterns such as markings, colors, and the like, and can perform highly accurate determination processing based on accurate captured data. That is, since it is possible to irradiate the ring-like uniform irradiation light, accurate imaging data is obtained from the subject (passing game medium) without causing reflection of the light source due to reflection of the passing game medium, that is, halation of primary reflection. Therefore, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can perform highly accurate determination processing, particularly, determination processing of marking or contour of a game medium.

  In a second aspect according to the present invention, the light guide body is composed of a plurality of light guide bodies each having an open end portion, and the light source is arranged at each open end portion of the plurality of light guide bodies. It is a gaming machine characterized by that.

  According to the second aspect, the light guide body is composed of a plurality of light guide bodies each having an open end portion, and the light source is arranged at each open end portion. Also, it is possible to provide a gaming machine in which an imaging irradiation mechanism capable of uniformly irradiating the introduction light like a ring is mounted compactly.

  A third form of the present invention is the gaming machine, wherein each irradiation surface of the plurality of light guides is arranged in a substantially oval shape or a substantially rectangular shape so as to surround the imaging region.

According to the third aspect, by arranging the irradiation surfaces of the plurality of light guides so as to surround the imaging region in a substantially oval shape or a substantially rectangular shape, the introduced light is uniformly irradiated in a ring-like manner. It is possible to provide a gaming machine in which the obtained imaging irradiation mechanism is compactly mounted.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, in order to detect a fraudulent activity in which a game is mistakenly recognized as being used as a regular game medium with high accuracy, by irradiating light in a surrounding shape, irregular reflection is suppressed and the game medium A gaming machine that can provide a light source for capturing a highly accurate image can be provided.

[Appendix 3]
The gaming machine of Appendix 3 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, in order to photograph a medal with a CCD camera inside the gaming machine, it is necessary to illuminate the medal. However, medals used in gaming machines generally have silver or gold-plated surfaces and are regularly cleaned (polished). The irregular reflection causes irregular reflection, so that in image processing using an image sensor or a camera, it is difficult to capture an accurate image due to the irregular reflection.

An object of the present invention is to prevent irregular reflection by irradiating light in a surrounding shape in order to accurately detect a fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that can provide a light source for capturing a highly accurate image of a game medium.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. The light source (for example, the light guides 261 to 263), the light source for the introduced light (for example, the LED group 233), and the drive control of the light source according to the imaging timing. Drive control means (for example, an LED drive unit 252), and the light guide body is a first light guide body (for example, a light guide body) that irradiates light to the image pickup area of the image pickup means from the front of the passage. At least a body 261) and a second light guide body (for example, a light guide body 263) that irradiates the image pickup area with the introduced light from behind the passage. A first light guide surface (e.g., triangular side surface 263c) that irradiates the image pickup area with the introduced light, and a second light guide surface (e.g., triangular side surface 263d) that irradiates the image pickup area with the introduced light. And a gaming machine characterized by having:

According to the first aspect, by controlling the driving of the light source in accordance with the image pickup timing, it is possible to acquire the passing object image data by the image pickup unit using the introduced light as the light source, and the medium determination unit can smoothly perform the determination process. it can. Moreover, since the first light guide and the second light guide are arranged so as to surround the image pickup area, the introduction light can be uniformly irradiated toward the passing game medium, and the edge and contour of the game medium, It is possible to realize a gaming machine that can reliably capture patterns such as markings, colors, etc., and can perform highly accurate determination processing based on accurate captured data.
In particular, the irradiation light from the first light guide body and the irradiation light from the first light guide surface enable uniform irradiation surrounding the imaging region, so that the reflection of the passing game medium reflects the light source, that is, Accurate imaging data can be obtained from a subject (passing game medium) without causing halation of primary reflection. Further, since the light emitted from the second light guide surface is applied to the passage surface other than the image pickup area to cause halation, the density of the reflection at the irradiation position becomes clear, and it can be used for the determination of the passage of the game medium. You can Therefore, in the present embodiment, the halation of the primary reflection is prevented, accurate imaging data is acquired, and highly accurate determination processing of the attributes (eg, marking, contour, color, etc.) of the passing game medium can be performed. It is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of performing accurate passage passage determination processing by utilizing halation by the light guide surface.

  In a second aspect according to the present invention, the second light guide has a triangular pyramid shape, the light source is arranged on a bottom surface side of the triangular pyramid, and one side surface of the triangular pyramid is provided with the first light guide. The gaming machine is characterized in that it is a light surface, and a side surface different from the one side surface is the second light guide surface.

  According to the second mode, since the irradiation light for the imaging area and the irradiation light for the areas other than the imaging area can be irradiated from the two side surfaces of the triangular pyramid of the second light guide, the attribute determination process of the passing game medium is performed. Further, it is possible to realize a gaming machine in which the passage passage determination process can be performed with high accuracy and the two types of light irradiation mechanisms are compact and inexpensive with a single light guide.

  A third mode according to the present invention is the gaming machine, wherein the light guide includes a third light guide that irradiates the image pickup area with the introduction light.

According to the third aspect, the irradiation mechanism capable of uniformly irradiating the introduced light in a ring-like shape such as a substantially rectangular shape can be configured by dividing the first to third light guides into three parts. It is possible to realize a gaming machine in which the body can be distributedly arranged in a narrow space around a passage and can be configured compactly and inexpensively, and the passage game medium attribute determination processing and the passage passage determination processing can be performed with high accuracy.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, in order to accurately detect a fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in a gaming machine, irregular reflection is suppressed by irradiating light in a surrounding shape. It is possible to provide a gaming machine that can provide a light source for capturing a highly accurate image of a game medium.

[Appendix 4]
The gaming machine of Appendix 4 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, the main control unit that controls the game determines whether or not the medal is an illegal medal from the photographed image of the medal photographed by the CCD camera. However, the main controller of the gaming machine has a limited processing capacity. On the other hand, the process of determining whether or not the photographed image is an illegal medal is an image process, which causes a great load on the control unit. Therefore, if the main control unit with limited processing capability performs processing to determine whether a medal is an illegal medal from a captured image, the processing capability of the main control unit is exceeded, and it is appropriate to determine whether the medal is an illegal medal. Not only will it not be possible to make a determination, but there is also the danger that this will hinder game control.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of properly processing image data for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. To do.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and the insertion of the game medium through the passage. Receiving means (for example, the main control circuit 91 and the medal solenoid 208) that is received in the aircraft, and the receiving means is the medium determining hand. If the determination result by is not normal, the unacceptable means for disabling poured acceptance of game media (e.g., medal solenoid 208) is a game machine which comprises a.

  According to the first aspect, the medium determining unit determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, so that the appropriate determining process can be performed with high accuracy. Moreover, since it is possible to insert and receive the game medium based on the highly accurate determination result, and when the determination result is not normal, it is possible to disable the insertion and reception of the game medium, it is said that the regular game medium is used. It is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing fraudulently performing a game by misidentifying the game in advance and surely.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the receiving means includes a switching means (for example, a select plate 207, an after-medal pressure 218) for switching the passage to the receiving side or the returning side of the game medium, and the medium determining means. When the result of determination by is not normal, the game machine is characterized by switching to the return side by the switching means to disable the input acceptance of the game medium.

According to the second aspect, when the determination result by the passage determination means is not normal, the switching means can switch to the return side to make it impossible to accept the insertion of the game medium, so that the regular game medium is used. It is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing fraudulently performing a game by misidentifying the game in advance and surely.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine capable of properly processing image data for highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. can do.

[Appendix 5]
The gaming machine of Appendix 5 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a game machine is installed, a medal rented in another hall, and a game machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, when an image is captured using an image sensor or camera to perform image processing, a light source is required for image capture by the image sensor or camera. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to always turn on the light, and since it is necessary to turn on the light with a sufficient light amount for shooting, the life and power consumption of the LED or the like used as the light source becomes a problem.

An object of the present invention is to appropriately control an LED of a light source for photographing of an image sensor used to detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is to provide a gaming machine that can emit light.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. An optical body (for example, light guides 261 to 263), an LED (for example, an LED group 233) that is a light source of the introduced light, and the LEDs are driven in accordance with an imaging timing. And a drive control unit (for example, an LED drive unit 252) for controlling, the image capturing unit captures images at a predetermined image capturing cycle, and the drive control unit can drive control according to the image capturing cycle. A gaming machine characterized by supplying a drive current to the LED at the time of image pickup and not supplying the drive current at the time of non-image pickup.

  According to the first aspect, by using the LED light as a light source, the drive control unit drives and controls the LED in accordance with the image capturing timing, the passing object image data can be acquired by the image capturing unit, and the determination processing by the passage determining unit can be performed. The image pickup means performs image pickup at a predetermined image pickup cycle, and the drive control means can perform drive control according to the image pickup cycle. The drive current is supplied to the LED at the time of image pickup and the drive current is supplied at the time of non-image pickup. By not performing it, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can obtain image pickup data and perform the determination process with high accuracy without causing a shift in the image pickup timing, that is, the exposure timing. In particular, in the present embodiment, the program for performing the correction processing when the exposure timing shift occurs is not necessary, and the supply of the LED drive current according to the imaging cycle is turned on / off, which reduces the power consumption of the LED. It is possible to extend the life of the game machine and add a determination processing function at low cost to the game machine.

  A second embodiment according to the present invention has a light guide body capable of irradiating the introduced light linearly or in a plane shape, and the LED is arranged at an end portion of the light guide body to emit LED light from the light guide body. The gaming machine is characterized by irradiating the passing object through the game machine.

  According to the 2nd form, it has a light guide which can irradiate the introduction light linearly or planarly, LED is arrange | positioned at the edge part of this light guide, and said LED light emission passes through said light guide. Since the object is irradiated, the number of LED parts is used to the minimum, and the LED light necessary for imaging is driven to blink according to the imaging timing, and the imaging data, that is, the exposure timing is not generated, and the imaging data is acquired. It is possible to realize a gaming machine that can acquire and perform the determination processing with high accuracy.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the drive control unit includes a storage unit that stores a drive current of the LED during non-imaging, and the drive current supplied to the LED during image capturing by the drive control unit is the storage unit. It is a game machine characterized in that it is a drive current stored in.

According to the third aspect, by supplying the drive current accumulated in the accumulator during non-imaging to the LED during image capturing, a drive current larger than that during continuous lighting is supplied to the LED at a surge current level to achieve high brightness. Since it is possible to obtain high-quality image data by irradiating the LED light with the game machine, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can perform the determination process with high accuracy.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, the LED of the light source for photographing of the image sensor, which is used to detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used, is caused to emit light by appropriate control. A gaming machine capable of playing can be provided.

[Appendix 6]
The gaming machine of Appendix 6 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, when an image of an object is captured using an image sensor or camera and image processing is performed, a light source is required for image capture by the image sensor or camera, but an LED is used as the light source to secure a sufficient amount of light. As a method, a general method is to pass a large amount of current, but there is a concern that the LED may be destroyed if a large amount of current is passed.

An object of the present invention is to prevent destruction of an LED of a light source for photographing of an image sensor used for stably detecting fraud in playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is to provide a game machine capable of playing.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. An optical body (for example, light guides 261 to 263), an LED (for example, an LED group 233) that is a light source of the introduced light, and the LEDs are driven in accordance with an imaging timing. A drive control unit (for example, an LED drive unit 252) for controlling the drive control unit, and the drive control unit generates a constant current (eg, a current mirror circuit including transistors T1 and T2). And a drive current supply circuit (for example, an LED constant current drive circuit 255) that converts the constant current into an LED drive current and supplies the LED to the LED, and a rated current when the constant current is generated over a specified time. A gaming machine characterized by having a protection circuit (for example, a capacitor C1 provided in the LED power supply unit 253) to be lowered.

  According to the first aspect, by supplying the LED drive current to the LED via the constant current circuit and the drive current supply circuit in accordance with the image capturing timing, it is possible to acquire the passing object image data by the image capturing unit and the medium determining unit. It is possible to smoothly perform the determination process by. Moreover, when the constant current from the constant current circuit exceeds the specified time, the protection circuit reduces the current to the rated current. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the LED from being destroyed from the surge current exceeding the specified time. It is possible to hold the current and perform the determination process stably. Furthermore, since the protection circuit is provided in the constant current circuit, it is not necessary to enlarge the circuit components and the board space which are not required to be externally attached, and the determination process can be stabilized at low cost.

  A second mode of the present invention is the gaming machine, wherein the constant current circuit is constituted by a current mirror circuit that generates the constant current from a predetermined current source.

  According to the second aspect, the LED drive current is stably supplied to the LED by the constant current circuit configured by the current mirror circuit that generates the constant current from the predetermined current source, and the stable detection function of the illegal activity is provided. It is possible to realize the equipped gaming machine.

  A third form according to the present invention is a game machine characterized in that the specified time is at least 1 msec or less.

According to the third mode, since the specified time is at least 1 msec or less, it is possible to reliably prevent a surge current from flowing to the LED, and it is possible to realize a gaming machine having a stable fraud detection function. .
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the LED of the light source for photographing of the image sensor used for stably detecting fraudulent activity in which a game is mistakenly recognized as being used as a regular game medium from being destroyed. Machine can be provided.

[Appendix 7]
The gaming machines in Appendix 7 are as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a game machine is installed, a medal rented in another hall, and a game machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, when an object is photographed using an image sensor or a camera to perform image processing, even if the object is the same because the photographing element used in the image sensor is affected by heat, There is a concern that it will be judged as a different object when it is photographed and image-processed due to the influence of temperature.

An object of the present invention is to take a stable image even if there is a temperature change in the image sensor, in order to accurately detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is to provide a game machine that can be played.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a light guide that irradiates the introductory light planarly. A body (for example, light guides 261 to 263), an LED (for example, an LED group 233) that is a light source of the introduced light, and drives the LEDs according to imaging timing. A driving control unit (for example, an LED driving unit 252) that controls the image sensor, and the imaging unit detects an image sensor (for example, a CMOS image sensor 232) that images the passing object and a temperature of the image sensor. A temperature sensor (for example, a temperature sensor 232a), offset correction means (for example, an LED control LSI 234) that performs offset correction of the image sensor when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature, It is a game machine characterized by having.

According to the first aspect, by supplying the LED drive current to the LED in accordance with the image pickup timing, the image data of the passing object can be acquired by the image pickup unit by using the LED light as the light source, and the determination process by the medium determination unit can be smoothly performed. Can be done.
When an image pickup means (for example, a camera using a CMOS image sensor) is mounted on a gaming machine, the camera is always placed in an environment exposed to high temperature for a long time. Further, if the door of the gaming machine is opened / closed during maintenance such as medal supply, a situation in which the ambient temperature of the camera fluctuates greatly occurs. On the other hand, the dark current of the CMOS image sensor rapidly rises as the temperature rises, so that the reference black level of the picked-up image shifts, resulting in a decrease in color reproducibility and a deterioration in image quality. In the present embodiment, in view of such a problem, the temperature of the image sensor is detected and monitored by the temperature sensor, and the offset correction unit detects the temperature of the image sensor when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature. Since offset correction is performed, even if the ambient temperature changes suddenly, the reference black level can be held properly and high-quality image data can be acquired, and the determination process can be performed with high accuracy regardless of changes in the ambient temperature. It can be carried out.

  A second form of the present invention is the gaming machine, wherein the offset correction means performs the offset correction by a linear interpolation value of a reference black level.

According to the second aspect, by reliably performing the offset correction on the reference black level with the linear interpolation value, it is possible to constantly obtain stable passing object image data without being affected by temperature changes. The determination process can be performed with high accuracy.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, in order to detect a fraudulent activity in which a game is mistakenly recognized as being used as a legitimate game medium with high accuracy, a stable image can be taken even if the image sensor changes in temperature. It is possible to provide a gaming machine that can.

[Appendix 8]
The gaming machine of Appendix 8 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a game machine is installed, a medal rented in another hall, and a game machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, when a CCD camera or the like is installed in the housing of the gaming machine, there is a problem that the cost of the gaming machine increases significantly.

An object of the present invention is to provide an LED that reduces the cost of an optical system for an image sensor for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is to provide a game machine capable of playing.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. An optical body (for example, light guides 261 to 263), an LED (for example, an LED group 233) that is a light source of the introduced light, and the LEDs are driven in accordance with an imaging timing. A driving control unit (for example, an LED driving unit 252) for controlling the image pickup unit, and the image pickup unit picks up an image sensor (for example, a CMOS image sensor 232) that picks up the passing object with light from the light source; A condenser lens (for example, a lens 285) arranged in front of the sensor, and the LED emits light in a specific wavelength range (for example, a wavelength of 440 nm to 460 nm), and the condenser lens and the A space without an inclusion is provided between the image sensors, and the imaging means images the passing object illuminated by the light in the range of the specific wavelength.

  According to the first aspect, it is possible to perform the determination process by the medium determination unit by making it possible to acquire the image data of the passing object by the imaging unit using the introduced light as the light source. Moreover, paying attention to the fact that LED light containing no IR component can be used as a light source, a space without inclusions is provided between the condenser lens and the image sensor so that the condenser lens can be imaged on the image sensor. Therefore, the irradiation light can be directly attracted to the image sensor, the optical length required for the image formation can be shortened to the shortest distance, the imaging unit structure can be downsized and compacted, and the accuracy of the determination process can be improved. A game machine that can be achieved can be realized.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The LED is a game machine characterized in that it does not include a light emitting component in an infrared radiation region.

  According to the second mode, since the LED, which is a light source, does not include a light emitting component in the infrared radiation region, the number of parts of the IR filter can be reduced, the mounting cost thereof is unnecessary, and a significant cost reduction can be realized. In addition, noise components do not occur at the interface when the IR filter is used, and the image data in the visible light region can be effectively used. The highly accurate passage game medium determination process is achieved by the compact image pickup means with a compact configuration. It is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of playing.

The third mode according to the present invention is
The LED is a gaming machine characterized in that it does not include a light emitting component in the ultraviolet radiation region.

According to the third aspect, since the LED, which is the light source, does not include the light emitting component in the ultraviolet radiation region, the number of parts of the UV filter can be reduced, the mounting cost thereof can be eliminated, and a significant cost reduction can be realized. Furthermore, fading due to light emission in the ultraviolet radiation region is reduced, effective use of imaging data in the visible light region is possible, and a gaming machine capable of highly accurate passage game medium determination processing with a compact configuration and small imaging means. Can be realized.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an LED that reduces the cost of an optical system for an image sensor for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used. Machine can be provided.

[Appendix 9]
The gaming machine in Appendix 9 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a game machine is installed, a medal rented in another hall, and a game machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, in order to photograph a medal flowing through the medal passage, it is necessary to photograph a certain range, and if a high-performance system is introduced, it will cause an unnecessary increase in the cost of the gaming machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shooting lens capable of shooting at a low cost in a shooting range necessary to accurately detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in a game machine. Is to provide a game machine equipped with.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. It has a light body (for example, light guides 261 to 263) and a light source (for example, an LED group 233) for the introduced light, and the imaging means uses the introduced light as a light source. And an image sensor (for example, a CMOS image sensor 232) that captures an image of the passing object, and a condenser lens (for example, a lens 285) disposed in front of the image sensor facing the passage. The optical lens is a game machine characterized in that it is a lens that produces an image-forming action accompanied by a barrel-shaped distortion distortion.

  According to the first aspect, it is possible to obtain the image data of the passing object by the image pickup means by using the introduced light as a light source and to smoothly perform the determination processing by the medium determination means. In particular, a condenser lens with no distortion narrows the image acquisition range and lowers the determination accuracy.However, in the present embodiment, barrel distortion that causes an imaging action with distortion that distorts the passing object image data in a barrel shape occurs. It is possible to obtain a wide range of image data via the lens, and it is possible to realize a gaming machine equipped with a low-cost image sensor lens capable of performing the highly accurate determination process.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the medium determining unit includes the barrel-shaped distortion that is other than the image data of the central region in the entire data region of the passing object image data obtained through the condenser lens. It is a game machine characterized by correcting image data having an aberration.

According to the second mode, a wide range of image data is acquired through a lens in which barrel distortion is generated, and the medium determining unit corrects the barrel-distorted image data other than the image data of the central region. Therefore, it is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of performing the highly accurate determination process.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, a shooting lens is mounted that enables shooting at a low cost in a shooting range necessary to detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used. It is possible to provide a gaming machine.

[Appendix 10]
The gaming machine of Appendix 10 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, in order to mount an image sensor and a camera in a game machine, which is a limited space, it is necessary to specially design an optical system to be mounted in the game machine. Furthermore, in a high temperature environment, the lens may be distorted, and a situation in which an intended image cannot be captured may occur.

It is an object of the present invention to mount a photographing lens that is less likely to be distorted by heat to highly accurately detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine. It is to provide a possible game machine.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. It has a light body (for example, light guides 261 to 263) and a light source (for example, an LED group 233) for the introduced light, and the imaging means uses the introduced light as a light source. An image sensor (for example, a CMOS image sensor 232) that images the passing object, a condenser lens (for example, a lens 285) arranged in front of the image sensor facing the passage, and the condenser lens. A lens holding unit (for example, a lens holder 275 and a lens unit 287) that holds the image sensor in front of the image sensor, wherein the lens holding unit includes at least a resin component and a predetermined mixing ratio with respect to the resin component (for example, Glass filler mixed with GF at 30%), and the compounding ratio is a first compounding ratio or a second compounding ratio (for example, GF is 10 to 40%). It is a game machine.

  According to the first aspect, it is possible to obtain the image data of the passing object by the image pickup means by using the introduced light as a light source and to smoothly perform the determination processing by the medium determination means. In particular, since the lens holding means is formed of at least a resin component and a glass filler mixed with the resin component in a compounding ratio of 10 to 40%, structural distortion due to temperature rise, for example, a condenser lens Distortion due to the pressure effect when it interferes with the holding means can be deformed so as to be canceled on the lens holding means side, and can be canceled and suppressed or suppressed, so that high-quality imaging can be performed without causing focus shift due to structural distortion. It is possible to realize a gaming machine that can perform the determination processing with high accuracy. In particular, some lens distortion due to temperature rise occurs, but since the structural distortion is eliminated, it is only necessary to take measures for imaging processing in advance to analyze lens distortion that can be analyzed, without adding structural distortion countermeasure parts. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the lens holding mechanism can be reduced without causing unnecessary cost increase, which contributes to the cost reduction of the gaming machine.

  A second form according to the present invention is the game machine characterized in that the lens holding means has a lens holding structure for holding a plurality of condenser lenses in a multilayer form in front of the image sensor.

  According to the second aspect, even if the lens holding means has a lens holding structure for holding a plurality of condenser lenses in a multi-layered shape in front of the image sensor, the lens holder does not suffer from structural distortion with each condenser lens. The lens holding means formed by at least the resin component and the glass filler mixed at a compounding ratio of 10 to 40% with respect to the resin component is deformed so as to cancel and is offset or suppressed or suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can perform high-accuracy determination processing by performing high-quality image capturing without causing focus shift due to structural distortion.

  A third form according to the present invention is a game machine characterized in that the resin component is a liquid crystal polymer material.

According to the third aspect, since the resin component is a liquid crystal polymer material having high heat resistance and rigidity, thermal deformation due to temperature rise does not occur, high-quality image acquisition can be performed, and high-accuracy determination processing can be performed. It is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of playing.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to mount a photographing lens that is less likely to be distorted by heat for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used. A game machine can be provided.

[Appendix 11]
The gaming machine of Appendix 11 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, in the case of performing fixed-point imaging without a focus function, if the deviation from the imaging distance assumed at the time of designing is large, it becomes difficult to secure the assumed focus accuracy, and the accuracy of imaging is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of ensuring a focus accuracy of a certain level or higher with a shooting lens for highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a legal gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. And to provide a method for manufacturing the game machine.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and the passing object is arranged so as to be irradiated. A light source (for example, an LED group 233), and the image capturing unit captures an image of the passing object with light emitted from the light source (for example, an image sensor). MOS image sensor 232), a condenser lens (for example, lens 285) arranged in front of the image sensor facing the passage, and a lens holding for holding the condenser lens so that an image can be formed on the image sensor. Means (for example, a lens holder 275), and the lens holding means has a lens housing portion (for example, a lens unit 287) for housing the condenser lens and an outer peripheral portion for mounting the lens housing portion. A holder portion (for example, a lens holder 275) having a through hole (for example, a through hole 278) having an inclined portion (for example, a taper portion 282) that opens outward, and the lens mounted in the through hole. Adhesion means (for example, adhesion) for adhering the lens accommodating portion and the holder portion by being injected into a region formed by the accommodating portion and the inclined portion. And 292), a game machine, characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the first aspect, it is possible to obtain the image data of the passing object by the image pickup unit by the irradiation light from the light source, and the determination process by the medium determination unit can be smoothly performed. In particular, when assembling the lens system of the image pickup means, if the holder part and the lens housing part are simply adhered, a positional deviation at the time of assembly occurs, which causes a variation in focus accuracy. Since the lens accommodating portion and the holder portion are adhered to each other by the adhering means injected between the regions formed by the lens accommodating portion and the inclined portion mounted on the lens, the positional deviation during the assembly of the image sensor and the condenser lens is performed. Therefore, it is possible to realize a gaming machine that can secure a focus accuracy of a certain level or higher with a shooting lens and can perform the highly accurate determination processing.

  A second form according to the present invention is the game machine characterized in that the adhering means is an adhesive that fills a gap between the inclined portion and the lens accommodating portion.

  According to the second aspect, in the present aspect, the lens accommodating portion is attached to the through hole of the holder portion, and is bonded to the gap between the lens accommodating portion and the inclined portion that is open outward on the outer peripheral portion of the through hole. Since the holder part and the lens accommodating part are fixed by being filled with the agent, the lens attachment structure of the image pickup means is strengthened, and the adhesive does not stick out into the lens. It is possible to realize a gaming machine that can secure the focus accuracy and can perform the highly accurate determination process.

  A third form according to the present invention is the game machine, wherein the adhesive is an ultraviolet curable resin adhesive.

Since the lens system components are likely to have dimensional tolerances in the manufacturing stage, it is necessary to perform alignment adjustment in order to attach the condenser lens to an appropriate position. For this reason, it is preferable that the adhesive used for the lens system has a property of being easily controlled until the adhesive is solidified. Among various adhesives, UV-curable resin adhesive has a faster curing speed than adhesives such as thermosetting resin adhesive, and it is polymerized and cured in a short time by UV irradiation, and it is possible to control the adhesive process. Has easy characteristics.
According to the third aspect, since the lens attachment structure is one in which the holder portion and the lens accommodating portion are fixed to each other by using the ultraviolet curable resin adhesive, it is possible to perform the manufacturing step before fixing the holder portion and the lens accommodating portion. , After the positioning, it can be applied for temporary adhesion immediately, and can be quickly solidified by UV irradiation, which can shorten the time for assembling the lens attachment structure and simplify the assembly process, thus reducing the manufacturing cost. It is possible to realize a gaming machine which can be priced and can perform the determination processing with high accuracy.

  A fourth mode according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a gaming machine according to the second mode or the third mode, wherein the lens position of the condenser lens is adjusted in a state where the lens housing section is mounted in the through hole. A lens position adjusting step to perform, a temporary fixing step of filling the gap between the inclined portion and the lens accommodating portion with an adhesive and temporarily fixing, and a baking step of baking the adhesive in a temporarily fixed state. A method for manufacturing a gaming machine characterized by having.

According to the fourth aspect, the lens position adjustment step adjusts the lens position of the condenser lens in a state where the lens housing portion is mounted in the through hole, and the temporary fixing step adjusts the position between the inclined portion and the lens housing portion. After the adjusted lens is temporarily fixed by filling the gap with the adhesive, the adhesive is baked in the temporary fixing state in the baking process. It is possible to obtain a gaming machine capable of performing the highly accurate determination processing based on a high-quality captured image without causing a protrusion or the like.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, a gaming machine capable of ensuring a focus accuracy of a certain level or higher with a photographing lens for highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity in which a game is misidentified as being used as a regular game medium, and the game. A method of manufacturing a machine can be provided.

[Appendix 12]
The gaming machine of Appendix 12 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  In addition, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting a medal inserted at the tip of the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, when shooting a shooting target with an image sensor or a camera, it is necessary to secure stable and sufficient brightness, but since there is no light source inside the gaming machine, it is necessary to shoot a medal. It is necessary to install a dedicated light source.

An object of the present invention is to provide a light source with stable brightness to an image sensor for stably detecting fraud in playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular game medium is used in a game machine. It is to provide a game machine.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

  A first mode according to the present invention is a slot for inserting a game medium (for example, a medal slot 21), and a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting a game medium inserted through the slot. And the game medium detecting means includes a passage forming portion (for example, a medal rail 210) forming a passage through which the game medium passes, and an image pickup means (for example, for capturing a passing object that is an object passing through the passage). , A CMOS image sensor 232), a medium determining unit (for example, a control LSI 234) that determines the game medium based on the image data of the passing object captured by the image capturing unit, and a guide that can irradiate the introduced light in a planar manner. An optical body, an LED (for example, an LED group 233) that is a light source of the introduced light, and drive control means (for example, for controlling the drive of the LED according to an imaging timing. ED driving section 252), and the drive control means drives the constant current circuit (for example, a current mirror circuit composed of transistors T1 and T2) for generating a predetermined constant current, and the constant current by LED driving. Brightness stabilization that stabilizes the LED brightness by thermally coupling the drive current supply circuit (for example, the LED constant current drive circuit 255) that is converted into a current and supplies the LED to the constant current circuit and the drive current supply circuit. A gaming machine, comprising: a converting means (for example, transistors T6 and T7 connected in a current mirror).

  According to the first aspect, by supplying the LED drive current to the LED in accordance with the image pickup timing, the image data of the passing object can be acquired by the image pickup unit by using the LED light as the light source, and the determination process by the medium determination unit can be smoothly performed. Can be done. Moreover, the brightness stabilizing means thermally couples the constant current circuit and the drive current supply circuit to stabilize the LED brightness so that the temperature characteristic of the output current of the drive current supply circuit becomes positive, so that the LED has Even if the LED emission intensity decreases due to the temperature increase due to the negative temperature characteristic, the decrease in emission intensity is offset, and stable determination processing can be executed without the LED emission brightness decreasing at high temperatures. . Further, the thermal coupling of the brightness stabilizing means can be easily and inexpensively configured, so that, for example, a temperature sensor for each circuit for program control and a circuit for current control are not required, and cost reduction by reducing the number of parts is unnecessary. It is possible to eliminate the occurrence of unnecessary bugs caused by not installing such a program, which can contribute to high functionality and low price of the gaming machine.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the temperature coefficient of the transistor element provided on the output side of the constant current circuit and that of the input side transistor element provided on the drive current supply circuit are different from each other so that they are thermally coupled to each other, and the temperature coefficient is increased. The game machine is characterized in that the supply current by the drive current supply circuit can be increased.

  According to the second mode, the temperature coefficient of the transistor element provided on the constant current circuit side and the temperature coefficient of the transistor element provided on the drive current supply circuit side are thermally coupled so as to cause a difference, and driven according to the temperature rise. By making it possible to increase the supply current by the current supply circuit, it is possible to obtain stable passing object image data at all times without being affected by temperature changes, so that the determination processing can be performed with high accuracy. .

  A third form of the present invention is the gaming machine, wherein the brightness stabilizing means is constituted by a current mirror circuit that converts the constant current from the constant current circuit into the LED drive current.

According to the third aspect, by configuring the brightness stabilizing means with a current mirror circuit that converts a constant current from the constant current circuit into an LED drive current, thermal coupling can be formed with a simple and inexpensive structure. Thus, it is possible to realize a gaming machine capable of performing stable and highly accurate determination processing.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine capable of supplying a light source having a stable brightness to an image sensor for stably detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used. Can be provided.

[Appendix 13]
The gaming machine of Appendix 13 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, since the space inside the gaming machine is limited, the distance between the rail through which the medal flows and the lens of the CCD camera becomes short, and the angle of view that can be captured by the CCD camera becomes narrow, and the image capture range becomes narrow. Therefore, there is a problem that an image for determining an illegal medal becomes an improper image such as a medal being cut off and the accuracy of the determination is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to secure an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity in which a game is mistakenly recognized as being used as a legitimate game medium based on a captured image based on the captured image. To provide an amusement machine.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
An insertion slot into which a game medium can be inserted (for example, a medal insertion slot 21),
And a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting the game medium inserted from the slot,
The game medium detecting means,
A passage forming portion (for example, a base plate portion 204) in which a passage (for example, a medal rail 210) through which the game medium passes is formed,
An image pickup means (for example, a camera unit 209) for picking up an image of a passing object which is an object passing through the passage,
Holding means (for example, an intermediate member 293) arranged to face the passage and holding the image pickup means,
The holding means is
An opening portion (for example, an opening portion 293a) which is an opening region that does not interfere with the angle of view of the image pickup unit is formed,
The gaming machine is characterized in that a protrusion (for example, a protrusion 293b) is formed at a peripheral edge of the opening, the protrusion protruding from a surface opposite to the passage and on which the image pickup means is disposed.

  According to the first aspect, the gaming machine includes a slot and a game medium detecting means. The slot is provided so that a game medium can be input. The game medium detecting means detects the game medium loaded from the slot, and has a passage forming part, an imaging means, and a holding means. The passage forming portion is formed with a passage through which the game medium passes. The imaging means images a passing object which is an object passing through the passage. The holding means is arranged facing the passage and holds the imaging means. The holding means is formed with an opening that serves as an opening area that does not interfere with the angle of view of the imaging means, and the imaging means is arranged so as to project from the surface opposite to the passage at the peripheral edge of the opening. A protruding portion is formed.

In this way, a projecting portion is formed on the surface opposite to the passage through which the passing object passes, and the image pickup means is arranged on the projecting portion, at the periphery of the opening portion that does not interfere with the angle of view. Thus, it becomes possible to further separate the image pickup means from the passage, the angle of view that can be picked up by the image pickup means is widened, and the imageable range is widened. Therefore, a passing object passing through the passage can be imaged in a wider range.
Therefore, a game machine capable of ensuring an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the game machine is provided. Can be provided.
Further, by forming the protruding portion on the peripheral edge of the opening, the strength of the holding means is improved, the holding means is bent, the optical axis of the image pickup means held by the holding means is displaced, and the passing object is detected at an appropriate position. It is possible to prevent a situation where the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity is deteriorated because the image cannot be captured.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The holding means is a game machine characterized in that, at a peripheral edge of the opening, a taper process is performed in which an inner dimension of the opening is widened toward the passage.

According to the second aspect, the inner periphery of the opening is tapered so that the inner dimension of the opening extends toward the passage. Therefore, the passage-side edge of the opening enters the image pickup range of the image pickup unit and passes through the passage. It is possible to prevent the range in which the passing object can be imaged from becoming narrow. Further, by tapering the peripheral passage side of the opening, when a passing object passing through the passage falls to the holding means side and comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the opening, the passing object can be smoothly received. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the passing object from being clogged in contact with the peripheral edge of the opening, preventing the passing object from being imaged at an appropriate position, and lowering the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity. Further, by tapering the peripheral passage side of the opening, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust from accumulating on the peripheral edge of the opening. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from accumulating on the peripheral edge of the opening and being captured by the image capturing means together with the passing object, thereby lowering the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity.
Therefore, it is possible to secure an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the gaming machine, and It is possible to provide a gaming machine that can prevent an appropriate image from being captured.

The third mode according to the present invention is
A light-transmitting plate (for example, an acrylic resin plate 296a) that is disposed between the holding unit and the image-capturing unit, closes the opening, and is formed of a light-transmitting material is provided. It is a game machine.

According to the third aspect, since the translucent plate that closes the opening is arranged between the holding means and the image pickup means, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering the inside of the image pickup means from the passage side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a foreign object from entering the inside of the image pickup unit, the image pickup unit from being unable to properly image the passing object, and the accuracy of detecting fraudulent activity to be reduced. Even if such a foreign substance adheres to the light transmitting plate, the position of the light transmitting plate to which the foreign substance adheres is shorter than the image forming distance of the image capturing device by focusing the image capturing device on the passage. There is little influence on the imaging of the passing object by the imaging means.
Therefore, it is possible to secure an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the gaming machine, and It is possible to provide a gaming machine that can prevent an appropriate image from being captured.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to secure an imageable range necessary for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a legitimate game medium is used in a gaming machine, based on a captured image. Amusement machines can be provided.

[Appendix 14]
The gaming machine of Appendix 14 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. However, in the game arcade, game machines are exposed to cigarette smoke and dust. When such foreign matter such as fat or dust of cigarette adheres to the lens of the CCD camera for determining the illegal medal, the foreign matter is reflected in the captured image, which deteriorates the accuracy of the illegal medal determination. is there.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing foreign matter from adhering to a lens for highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. To do.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
An insertion slot into which a game medium can be inserted (for example, a medal insertion slot 21),
And a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting the game medium inserted from the slot,
The game medium detecting means,
A passage forming portion (for example, a base plate portion 204) in which a passage (for example, a medal rail 210) through which the game medium passes is formed,
An image pickup means (for example, a camera unit 209) for picking up an image of a passing object which is an object passing through the passage,
A light-transmitting plate (for example, an acrylic resin plate 296a) formed of a light-transmitting material, the light-transmitting plate being disposed between the passage forming portion and the imaging unit,
The imaging means is
An image sensor (for example, a CMOS image sensor 232) fixed to a substrate (for example, a wiring substrate 288) and capturing an image of the passing object;
A lens holding unit (for example, a lens holder 275) that holds an imaging lens (for example, the lens unit 287) so that an image can be formed on the image sensor;
Lens protection means (for example, a lens protection cover 295) surrounding the imaging lens and fixing the lens holding means between the passage and the image sensor,
The lens protecting means is a game machine characterized in that the end portion on the passage side is in close contact with the transparent plate and the end portion on the image sensor side is in close contact with the substrate.

  According to the first aspect, the gaming machine includes a slot and a game medium detecting means. The slot is provided so that a game medium can be input. The game medium detecting means detects the game medium input from the input port. The game medium detecting means has a passage forming portion, an image pickup means, a holding means, and a light transmitting plate. The passage forming portion is formed with a passage through which the game medium passes. The imaging means images a passing object which is an object passing through the passage. The translucent plate is arranged between the passage forming portion and the image pickup means, and is made of a translucent material. The imaging unit has an image sensor, a lens holding unit, and a lens protection unit. The image sensor is fixed to the substrate and images the passing object. The lens holding unit holds the imaging lens so that an image can be formed on the image sensor. The lens protection means surrounds the imaging lens and fixes the lens holding means between the passage and the image sensor. The lens protection means is incorporated in such a manner that the end on the passage side is in close contact with the transparent plate and the end on the image sensor side is in close contact with the substrate.

  In this way, the lens holding means for holding the image pickup lens is surrounded by the lens protection means, the passage side end of the lens protection means is brought into close contact with the light-transmitting plate, and the image sensor side end is brought into close contact with the substrate. By assembling in a state, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as fats and dusts of cigarettes from entering the inside of the lens protection means that houses the imaging lens. Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of preventing foreign matter from adhering to a lens for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The lens protection unit has a lens engagement unit (for example, a lens engagement unit 295a) that engages with the outer periphery of the lens holding unit at an end portion on the image sensor side,
In the lens engaging portion, a part of the outer circumference of the lens holding means is formed with a pair of concave portions (for example, concave portions 295b) capable of protruding from the lens engaging portion,
A game machine characterized in that a part of an outer periphery of the lens holding means and a pair of the concave portions of the lens engaging portion are fitted to each other.

  According to the second aspect, a part of the outer periphery of the lens holding means can project from the lens engaging portion to the lens engaging portion that engages with the outer periphery of the lens holding means at the end portion of the lens protection means on the image sensor side. To form a pair of concave portions. Then, a part of the outer circumference of the lens holding means and the pair of recesses are fitted together. Thus, when assembling the image pickup means, a part of the outer circumference of the lens holding means that holds the image pickup lens is fitted into the pair of recesses, and the outer circumference of the lens holding means is engaged with the lens engaging portion, so that the image pickup is performed. The lens can be placed and fixed in an appropriate position with respect to the image sensor. Therefore, the assembling work of the image pickup means becomes easy. Further, since a part of the outer circumference of the lens holding means holding the image pickup lens and the pair of concave portions of the lens engaging portion are fitted, it is possible to prevent the lens holding means from being displaced from an appropriate position due to vibration or the like. .

The third mode according to the present invention is
A connector capable of connecting a harness (for example, a GPIO connector 288a) is arranged on the board.
The lens protection means is a gaming machine characterized in that a connector protection part (for example, a connector protection part 295c) that is in close contact with the substrate and surrounds at least a part of the connector is integrally formed.

  According to the third aspect, since the foreign matter can be prevented from entering the connector by surrounding at least a part of the connector arranged on the substrate with the connector protection portion, the foreign matter is inserted into the connector to perform a fraudulent act. Goto can be prevented. In addition, since the connector protection portion that surrounds at least a part of the connector is formed in the lens protection means that surrounds the imaging lens, the member that protects the imaging lens and the member that protects the connector are integrated, and one mold can perform a plurality of functions. Since it is possible to create a member (lens protection means) that has it, it becomes possible to suppress design and manufacturing costs.

  A fourth form of the present invention is the gaming machine, wherein the lens protection means is in close contact with the substrate to surround a surface of the connector other than the surface to which the harness is connected.

According to the fourth aspect, by closely contacting the lens protection means with the substrate, it is possible to surround the surface of the connector other than the surface to which the harness is connected, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent foreign matter from entering the connector. It is possible to more reliably prevent illegal acts by inserting foreign matter into the connector.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine capable of preventing foreign matter from adhering to a lens for highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. it can.

[Appendix 15]
The gaming machine of Appendix 15 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

  Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot. For this medal selector, a medal (illegal medal) that is not a proper medal (regular medal) is inserted into the medal insertion slot, or a device is inserted into the medal insertion slot, and the regular medal is inserted into the game machine. Measures have been taken against fraudulent activity in which a game is played by misidentifying that it has been thrown.

For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is described.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, if a medal with a unit price of 20 yen and a medal with a 5 yen price are the same diameter and are different only in color and stamp (pattern), the slot machine will be Cannot be determined. For this reason, in a gaming machine that handles a medal with a loan unit price of 20 yen as a regular medal, it is not possible to detect an illegal act of playing a game using a medal with a loan unit price of 5 yen (illegal medal). .

In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.
Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. By the way, a harness is connected to such a CCD camera. This harness is bound by a binding bunt or the like during assembly work. However, since the space inside the game machine is limited, the work of bundling such harnesses with a binding bunt or the like is performed in a narrow space, which is one of the causes for lowering the work efficiency of the assembling work.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of improving work efficiency in assembling a device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. To do.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
An insertion slot into which a game medium can be inserted (for example, a medal insertion slot 21),
And a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 201) for detecting the game medium inserted from the slot,
The game medium detecting means,
A passage forming portion (for example, a base plate portion 204) in which a passage (for example, a medal rail 210) through which the game medium passes is formed,
Detection means (for example, a camera unit 209) for detecting a passing object which is an object passing through the passage,
Holding means for holding the detection means (for example, an intermediate member 293),
The holding means has a harness receiving portion (for example, a harness receiving portion 293c) in which a harness extending in a predetermined direction is arranged,
A groove (for example, a groove 293f) in which a band-shaped binding member (for example, a binding band) that extends in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction and that bundles the harness is arranged is formed in the harness receiving portion.
In the gaming machine, the groove has an inclined portion (for example, an inclined portion 293g) that inclines upward from a center side of the harness receiving portion to an end side thereof in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

  According to the first aspect, the gaming machine includes a slot and a game medium detecting means. The slot is provided so that a game medium can be input. The game medium detecting means detects the game medium input from the input port, and has a passage forming portion, a detecting means, and a holding means. The passage forming portion is formed with a passage through which the game medium passes. The detection means detects a passing object which is an object passing through the passage. The holding means holds the detecting means. The holding means has a harness receiving portion having an arrangement surface on which a harness extending in a predetermined direction is arranged. The harness receiving portion is formed with a groove that extends in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction and in which a band-shaped binding member that binds the harness is arranged. The groove has an inclined portion that is inclined upward from the center side of the harness receiving portion to the end side in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

Thereby, when assembling the game medium detecting means, the worker arranges the harness extending in the predetermined direction in the harness receiving portion. Then, the binding member is arranged on the back side of the harness by inserting the binding member into the groove from the front surface side of the harness. After that, by further pushing the binding member into the groove, the tip of the binding member comes into contact with the inclined portion of the groove and projects toward the front surface side of the harness. In this state, the worker can bundle or fix the harnesses by passing through the back side of the harness and binding both ends of the binding member with the tip protruding toward the front side of the harness. In this way, by forming the groove having the inclined portion in the harness receiving portion, it is easy to rotate the binding member to the back side of the harness and then project the binding member to the front side.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of improving the work efficiency of the assembling work of the device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The holding means includes a cover member (for example, a cover member 294) that covers the harness receiving portion,
The cover member is
A pair of through holes (for example, through holes 294b) that are formed in the vicinity of both ends of the groove and that penetrate the cover member and through which the binding member is inserted;
A part of the surface on the side of the harness receiving portion, which is formed between the pair of through holes, has a holding portion (for example, a tip side holding portion 294c) protruding toward the harness receiving portion. Is a gaming machine characterized by.

According to the second mode,
The holding means includes a cover member that covers the harness receiving portion. The cover member has a pair of through holes and a holding portion. The pair of through holes are formed in the vicinity of both ends of the groove, respectively, and penetrate the cover member to insert the binding member. The pressing portion is formed between the pair of through holes, and a part of the surface on the harness receiving portion side projects toward the harness receiving portion side.

Thereby, when assembling the game medium detecting means, the worker arranges the harness extending in the predetermined direction in the harness receiving portion and covers the harness receiving portion with the cover member. Then, the tip of the binding member is inserted from the outside of the cover member into the inside of the cover member through one of the through holes. Then, the binding member is inserted into the groove and arranged on the back side of the harness. After that, by further pushing the binding member into the groove, the tip of the binding member abuts on the inclined portion of the groove, projects toward the front surface side of the harness, and projects to the outside of the cover member through the other through hole. In this state, the worker binds both ends of the binding member to fix the harness to the cover member in a state of being pressed by the pressing portion. Thus, by forming the pressing portion between the pair of through holes in the cover member that covers the harness receiving portion, the binding member can be easily turned to the back side of the harness even after the harness is covered with the cover member. , Can be fixed to the cover member.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of improving the work efficiency of the assembling work of the device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.

The third mode according to the present invention is
The side surface of the groove of the harness receiving portion forms a wall for preventing the binding member from falling out of the groove, and both ends of the groove of the harness receiving portion face the pair of through holes of the cover member. It is a game machine characterized by being formed in a position.

With this, when the harness receiving portion is covered with the cover member and then the harness is fixed with the binding member, the binding member is naturally guided to the groove when the binding member is passed through one of the through holes, and the binding member is removed from the groove. It does not fall off and projects from the other through hole. Therefore, even after the harness is covered with the cover member, the binding member can be more easily rotated to the back side of the harness and fixed to the cover member.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of further improving the work efficiency of the assembling work of the device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, there is provided a gaming machine capable of improving the work efficiency of the assembling work of the device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. it can.

[Appendix 16]
The gaming machine in Appendix 16 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot.
Here, by inserting the cheating device from the medal insertion slot and operating the counting function of the medal selector illegally in a typical goto act of the misconduct to the gaming machine (so-called goto act), the medal is inserted. There are things that look like they are doing and get a lot of credits. In a gaming machine, measures against such a go-to act are taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a geometric transformation is applied to a template image to generate a first image group including a plurality of geometrically transformed template images having different geometric transformation amounts, and eigenvalue decomposition is performed to uniquely generate the first image group. A second image group is generated by calculating a function and performing an inner product operation of these functions, and by calculating the image similarity between the input image and the second image group, whether the object is correct in the image processing. A technique for determining whether or not it is disclosed.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 5317250 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, in a hall where a slot machine is installed, a low-bet gaming machine called a so-called 5 slot that can be played with a medal of 5 yen per coin, and a normal gaming machine that can be played with a medal of 20 yen per coin (so-called 20 slot). ), And may have been installed. In such a hall, using a medal acquired at 5th slot for 20th slot will result in damage by a person who commits fraudulently acquiring the difference ((20 yen-5 yen) x number of owned cards). Is occurring. However, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, if the lent-out rented out token is 20 yen per coin and the medal of 5 yen per coin has the same diameter and is different only in color and marking (pattern), these are distinguished. It was impossible to prevent such fraud.

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

  Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 can determine whether or not the target object is correct by capturing an appropriate input image, but the captured image is distorted or the determination target is reflected. Without it, proper judgment cannot be made. Therefore, in order to detect fraudulent activity using the game medium, it is necessary to detect the game medium to be determined with high accuracy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine or a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate gaming medium is used by improving the accuracy of determining the gaming medium. .
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine or a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 301) for detecting the insertion of the game medium is provided,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion (for example, a base plate portion 304 or the like) through which the game medium passes,
An image pickup means (for example, a camera unit 209 or the like) for picking up an image of the game medium passing through the game medium passing portion,
Irradiation means (for example, a first light guide body 261, a second light guide body 262, a third light guide body 263, and the like) for irradiating light for imaging by the imaging means,
The game medium passing portion has a plurality of holes (for example, a hole 312 for determination) and a shielding member (for example, a shielding member 312a) provided according to the plurality of holes,
The shielding member of the game medium passing portion reflects the light from the irradiation means,
The image pickup means is a game machine characterized by distinguishing the plurality of holes by the light reflected by the shielding member.

  According to the first aspect, the game machine includes a game medium detection unit that detects insertion of a game medium. The game medium detection unit includes a game medium passage unit, an image pickup unit, and an irradiation unit. The game medium passes through the game medium passing unit. The image capturing means captures an image of the game medium passing through the game medium passing portion. The irradiating means irradiates light for the image pickup of the image pickup means. The game medium passing portion has a plurality of holes and a shielding member provided corresponding to the plurality of holes. The shielding member of the game medium passing portion reflects the light from the irradiation means. The image capturing unit determines the plurality of holes based on the light reflected by the shielding member.

Thereby, the imaging means images the plurality of holes of the game medium passing portion together with the game medium when the game medium passing through the game medium passing portion is imaged. For example, when the imaging means images the game medium passing through the surface of the game medium passing portion from the passing game medium side, the plurality of holes are partially imaged. The image capturing means can determine the passage of the game medium by determining the plurality of imaged holes. At this time, when the anti-reflection sheet is provided in the plurality of holes or when the shielding member is not provided, the back side of the game medium passing portion (the side opposite to the side where the game medium passes) in the captured image. When the member arranged in the image is reflected in the hole, the light from the irradiating means is diffusely reflected, which makes it difficult to distinguish the hole from the other portion of the game medium passing portion. According to the present invention, since the shielding member that reflects the light from the irradiation means is provided according to the plurality of holes, in the image captured by the image capturing means, the light from the irradiation means is used in the plurality of holes. By performing constant reflection as compared with other portions of the medium passing portion, the brightness becomes higher than that of the other portions, and the shapes of the plurality of holes can be imaged more clearly, so the accuracy of discrimination of the plurality of holes is improved. .
Therefore, by improving the accuracy of determining the game medium, it is possible to provide a game machine capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular game medium is used in the game machine.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The shielding member is a game machine attached from the non-imaging surface (for example, the front surface 304a) side of the game medium passing portion by the imaging means.

  As a result, the shielding member is attached from the non-image pickup surface side by the image pickup means, so that the contours of the plurality of holes are clearer than in the case where the shield member is attached from the image pickup surface side by the image pickup means in the game medium passage portion, and more holes are formed. The accuracy of discrimination is improved. Further, it is possible to prevent the game medium from passing through the image pickup surface side of the image pickup means in the game medium passing portion, coming into contact with the shielding member to hinder the passage of the game medium, thereby preventing the game medium from being clogged.

The third mode according to the present invention is
A plurality of the holes provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the game medium passing portion are shorter than the hole on the upstream side in the traveling direction in which the hole on the downstream side is shorter than the traveling direction of the game medium. It is a machine.

  As a result, the hole on the downstream side of the hole on the upstream side of the game medium passing portion is shortened with respect to the traveling direction in which the game medium passes, so that the passing speed of the game medium becomes relatively slow. By making the hole on the downstream side shorter than the hole on the upstream side in the traveling direction of the game medium, it is possible to save space without degrading the accuracy of imaging the game medium together with the hole. Further, by making the hole on the upstream side of the game medium passage portion longer than the hole on the downstream side in the traveling direction of the game medium, the game medium is surely played even on the upstream side where the passing speed of the game medium is relatively high. It is possible to image the medium together with the hole, and the accuracy of the game medium determination process is improved.

A fourth mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion through which the game medium passes,
Imaging means for imaging the game medium passing through the game medium passing portion,
Irradiating means for irradiating light for imaging by the imaging means,
The game medium passing portion has a plurality of holes and a shielding member provided corresponding to the plurality of holes,
The shielding member of the game medium passing portion reflects the light from the irradiation means,
The image pickup means is a gaming machine (for example, gaming machines 500, 600, 700, etc.) characterized by distinguishing the plurality of holes by the light reflected by the shielding member.

According to the fourth mode, the same operational effects as the gaming machine of the first mode are achieved. Therefore, by improving the determination accuracy of the game medium, it is possible to provide a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate game medium is used.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming machine or a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate gaming medium is used by improving the accuracy of determining the gaming medium.

[Appendix 17]
The gaming machine of Appendix 17 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot.
Here, by inserting the cheating device from the medal insertion slot and operating the counting function of the medal selector illegally in a typical goto act of the misconduct to the gaming machine (so-called goto act), the medal is inserted. There are things that look like they are doing and get a lot of credits. In a gaming machine, measures against such a go-to act are taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a geometric transformation is applied to a template image to generate a first image group including a plurality of geometrically transformed template images having different geometric transformation amounts, and eigenvalue decomposition is performed to uniquely generate the first image group. A second image group is generated by calculating a function and performing an inner product operation of these functions, and by calculating the image similarity between the input image and the second image group, whether the object is correct in the image processing. A technique for determining whether or not it is disclosed.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 5317250 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, in a hall where a slot machine is installed, a low-bet gaming machine called a so-called 5 slot that can be played with a medal of 5 yen per coin, and a normal gaming machine that can be played with a medal of 20 yen per coin (so-called 20 slot). ), And may have been installed. In such a hall, using a medal acquired at 5th slot for 20th slot will result in damage by a person who commits fraudulently acquiring the difference ((20 yen-5 yen) x number of owned cards). Is occurring. However, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, if the lent-out rented out token is 20 yen per coin and the medal of 5 yen per coin has the same diameter and is different only in color and marking (pattern), these are distinguished. It was impossible to prevent such fraud.

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

  Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 can determine whether or not the target object is correct by capturing an appropriate input image, but the captured image is distorted or the determination target is reflected. Without it, proper judgment cannot be made. Therefore, in order to detect fraudulent activity using the game medium, it is necessary to detect the game medium to be determined with high accuracy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine or a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate gaming medium is used by improving the accuracy of determining the gaming medium. .
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine or a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 301 or the like) for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
Retention means for retaining the game medium (for example, a medal tray unit 34, etc.),
Storage means for storing the game medium (for example, a hopper device 51 or the like),
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion (for example, a base plate portion 304 or the like) in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member (for example, a sub-plate 305 or the like) which covers at least a part of the game medium passing portion and is rotatably attached to the game medium passing portion,
The auxiliary member includes
A first guiding part (for example, a first guiding part 321a or the like) for guiding the game medium in a direction different from the direction of guiding the storage medium when the game medium is not guided to the storage means,
A second guide section (for example, a second guide section 321b or the like) for guiding the game medium in the direction of the staying means, and the game machine.

  According to the first aspect, the gaming machine includes a game medium detecting means, a staying means, and a storing means. The game medium detecting means detects insertion of a game medium. The retention means retains the game medium. The storage means stores the game medium. The game medium detecting means includes a game medium passing portion and an auxiliary member. The game medium passing portion is formed with a path through which the game medium passes. The auxiliary member covers at least a part of the game medium passage portion and is rotatably attached to the game medium passage portion. And a 1st guidance part and a 2nd guidance part are formed in an auxiliary member. The first guiding unit guides the game medium in a direction different from the direction in which the game medium is guided to the storage unit when the game medium is not guided to the storage unit. The second guiding portion guides the game medium toward the staying means.

Thereby, for example, when the game medium is not guided to the storing means even before the game medium is heading to the storing means, a direction different from the direction in which the game medium is guided to the storing means by the first guiding portion (for example, the direction of the retaining means). ), The game medium can be smoothly guided, and since the second guiding portion is formed, the game medium can be smoothly guided to the retaining means. Thereby, for example, it is determined whether or not it is a regular medal by the determination (for example, the marking determination and the color determination) of the image obtained by capturing the image of the game medium passing through the game medium passing portion, and the result of this determination, Since it can be smoothly guided to the storing means or the retaining means, it is possible to prevent the game medium passing through the game medium passing portion from being clogged and the determination accuracy of the game medium from being lowered.
Therefore, by improving the accuracy of determining the game medium, it is possible to provide a game machine capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by erroneously recognizing that a regular game medium is used in the game machine.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The staying means is provided below the second guiding portion,
The second guide portion has an inclined surface that extends below the route in the direction in which the route extends and that is inclined downward from the route side in a direction away from the route.

  As a result, when the game medium is not guided to the storage means, the game medium is once dropped from the path, abutted against the inclined surface with the momentum in the falling direction, and guided to the staying means provided below. Therefore, the game medium can be dropped in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the game medium passes through the route without tilting. Therefore, for example, when the game medium is imaged from the direction orthogonal to the direction passing through the route and the determination is made by the image processing of the captured image, the game medium dropped from the route has not fallen down, so the dropped game It is possible to accurately judge whether the medium normally moves in the direction of the retention means.

The third mode according to the present invention is
The game medium detection unit further includes a guide unit (for example, a slope 203 or the like) for guiding the game medium to the storage unit,
The first guide portion has an inclined surface that is inclined toward the guide portion.

  Thus, the first guide portion of the auxiliary member has the inclined surface that is inclined toward the guide portion for guiding the game medium to the storage means, so that the game medium stays at the inlet of the guide portion and the inlet of the guide portion. It is possible to prevent the game medium from being jammed.

A fourth mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
Retention means for retaining the game medium,
A storage means for storing the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member that covers at least a part of the game medium passing portion and is rotatably attached to the game medium passing portion,
The auxiliary member includes
A first guiding portion for guiding the game medium in a direction different from the direction of guiding the storage medium when the game medium is not guided to the storage means,
A second guide portion for guiding the game medium in the direction of the staying means, and a game device (for example, game devices 500, 600, 700, etc.).

According to the fourth mode, the same operational effects as the gaming machine of the first mode are achieved. Therefore, by improving the determination accuracy of the game medium, it is possible to provide a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate game medium is used.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming machine or a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate gaming medium is used by improving the accuracy of determining the gaming medium.

[Appendix 18]
The gaming machine of Appendix 18 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot.
Here, by inserting the cheating device from the medal insertion slot and operating the counting function of the medal selector illegally in a typical goto act of the misconduct to the gaming machine (so-called goto act), the medal is inserted. There are things that look like they are doing and get a lot of credits. In a gaming machine, measures against such a go-to act are taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a geometric transformation is applied to a template image to generate a first image group including a plurality of geometrically transformed template images having different geometric transformation amounts, and eigenvalue decomposition is performed to uniquely generate the first image group. A second image group is generated by calculating a function and performing an inner product operation of these functions, and by calculating the image similarity between the input image and the second image group, whether the object is correct in the image processing. A technique for determining whether or not it is disclosed.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 5317250 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, in a hall where a slot machine is installed, a low-bet gaming machine called a so-called 5 slot that can be played with a medal of 5 yen per coin, and a normal gaming machine that can be played with a medal of 20 yen per coin (so-called 20 slot). ), And may have been installed. In such a hall, using a medal acquired at 5th slot for 20th slot will result in damage by a person who commits fraudulently acquiring the difference ((20 yen-5 yen) x number of owned cards). Is occurring. However, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, if the lent-out rented out token is 20 yen per coin and the medal of 5 yen per coin has the same diameter and is different only in color and marking (pattern), these are distinguished. It was impossible to prevent such fraud.

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

  Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 can determine whether or not the target object is correct by capturing an appropriate input image, but the captured image is distorted or the determination target is reflected. Without it, proper judgment cannot be made. Therefore, in order to detect fraudulent activity using the game medium, it is necessary to detect the game medium to be determined with high accuracy.

An object of the present invention is to detect a fraudulent activity that is misidentified as a legitimate game medium being used, with high accuracy, by separately selecting the game medium due to fraudulent activity, in addition to the acceptance of the game medium. Alternatively, it is to provide a game device.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine or a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
Control means (for example, main control circuit 91 or the like) for performing control relating to the game,
And a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 301) for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion (for example, a base plate portion 304 or the like) in which a path (for example, a medal rail 210 or the like) through which the game medium passes is formed;
A game medium receiving unit (for example, a medal receiving solenoid 308b or the like) which is controlled by the control unit and controls the acceptance of the insertion of the game medium,
A game medium selection means (for example, a medal selection solenoid 308a) for selecting the inserted game medium,
And a determination and selection control unit (for example, a control LSI 234 or the like) that determines the game medium and controls the game medium selection unit,
The control means outputs a control signal for permitting the insertion acceptance by the game medium acceptance means when a predetermined game medium acceptance condition is satisfied,
The judgment selection control means,
When the inserted game medium does not match the predetermined game medium, a control signal for removing the game medium is output to the game medium selection means,
When the inserted game medium matches the predetermined game medium, the game medium is selected by outputting a control signal for accepting the game medium to the game medium selection means. It is a game machine that does.

  According to the first aspect, the gaming machine includes a control means and a game medium detection means. The control means controls the game. The game medium detecting means detects the insertion of the game medium and comprises a game medium passing portion, a game medium accepting means, and a judgment and sorting control means. The game medium passing portion is formed with a path through which the game medium passes. Then, the control means outputs a control signal permitting the acceptance of the insertion by the game medium acceptance means when a predetermined game medium acceptance condition is satisfied. When the input game medium does not match the predetermined game medium, the determination and selection control means outputs a control signal for excluding the game medium to the game medium selection means, and the input game medium is predetermined. When it matches the game medium, the game medium is selected by outputting a control signal for accepting the game medium to the game medium selecting means.

In this way, in addition to the control means for accepting or rejecting the insertion of the game medium depending on whether or not the predetermined game medium insertion condition is satisfied, whether or not the inserted game medium matches the predetermined game medium. Thus, the inserted game medium is excluded or accepted. Thereby, in addition to the conventional selector function that allows or disallows the insertion of the game medium by the control means for controlling the game, the game medium detection means judges the validity of the inserted game medium and selects the game medium. Since it is possible to exclude an illegal game medium by the means, it becomes possible to exclude a goto act.
Therefore, in addition to the acceptance of the game media, by selecting the game media due to the fraudulent activity, it is possible to accurately detect the fraudulent activity in which the game machine is mistakenly recognized as using the legitimate game media. Amusement machines can be provided.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The game medium detecting means,
A movable movable means for selection (for example, medal pressure 213a for medal selection) which is movable by driving the game medium selection means,
The game medium selection means and the selection movable means are provided on the back surface (for example, the front surface 304a) of the surface of the game medium passage on which the path is formed,
The sorting movable means is
In the intermediate portion, rotatably supported on the back surface of the game medium passing portion, the base end portion is rotatably connected to the game medium selecting means,
The game medium sorting means is driven when a control signal for removing the game medium is received from the determination sorting control means, and the tip end portion of the sorting movable means is provided with a sorting hole formed in the path ( For example, it is a game machine characterized by being projected into the path from a medal selecting central hole 212a or the like).

  According to the second mode, the game medium detection means includes the selection movable means. The sorting movable means is moved by driving the game medium sorting means. The game medium selecting means and the selecting movable means are provided on the back surface of the surface on which the path of the game medium passing portion is formed. The selecting movable means is rotatably supported on the back surface of the game medium passing portion at the intermediate portion, and the base end portion is rotatably connected to the game medium selecting means. Further, the game medium selection means is driven when a control signal for removing the game medium is received from the determination selection control means, and the tip end of the selection movable means is moved from the selection hole formed in the path to the inside of the path. To project.

  As a result, a structure for removing the game medium from the path through which the game medium passes (a structure for selecting the game medium due to fraudulent activity) is provided on the back surface of the surface on which this path is formed. Compared with the case where such a configuration is provided separately from the game medium passage portion in which the path is formed, the game medium detecting means can be downsized. Further, the game medium selection means is driven when a control signal for removing the game medium is received, and the tip end part of the selection movable means is projected into the path, so that the game medium selection means is always driven to select. The power consumption of the game medium detection means can be reduced as compared with the case where the movable means is moved.

The third mode according to the present invention is
The game medium accepting means excludes the game medium at an upstream side of a position where the game medium selecting means selects the game medium in a passing direction of the game medium passing portion through which the game medium passes. Is a gaming machine characterized by.

  As a result, the game medium accepting unit eliminates the game medium on the upstream side of the position where the game medium selecting unit selects the game medium with respect to the passing direction of the game medium passing through the game medium passing unit. Therefore, the game medium selecting means can sort the game media on the downstream side of the position where the game medium receiving means removes the game medium, and therefore, the upstream side of the position where the game medium receiving means excludes the game medium. Compared with the case where the game medium is selected, the processing time for the determination selection control unit to determine the game medium can be extended. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load of the determination processing in the determination / selection control means.

A fourth mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
A game medium reception unit that is controlled by a control unit that controls the game of the gaming machine, and that controls the input reception of the game medium,
A game medium selecting means for selecting the inputted game medium,
And a determination and selection control unit that determines the game medium and controls the game medium selection unit,
The control means outputs a control signal for permitting the insertion acceptance by the game medium acceptance means when a predetermined game medium acceptance condition is satisfied,
The judgment selection control means,
When the inserted game medium does not match the predetermined game medium, a control signal for removing the game medium is output to the game medium selection means,
When the inserted game medium matches the predetermined game medium, the game medium is selected by outputting a control signal for accepting the game medium to the game medium selection means. Is a gaming device (for example, gaming device 500, 600, 700, etc.).

According to the fourth mode, the same operational effects as the gaming machine of the first mode are achieved. Therefore, it is possible to provide a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent activity which causes a misunderstanding that a legitimate game medium is used, by selecting a game medium due to a fraudulent activity, in addition to the acceptance of the game medium. .
[The invention's effect]

According to the present invention, a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes misidentification that a legitimate game medium is used, by selecting game media due to fraudulent activity, in addition to the acceptance of the game media. Alternatively, a game device can be provided.
[Appendix 19]
The gaming machine of Appendix 19 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot.
Here, by inserting the cheating device from the medal insertion slot and operating the counting function of the medal selector illegally in a typical goto act of the misconduct to the gaming machine (so-called goto act), the medal is inserted. There are things that look like they are doing and get a lot of credits. In a gaming machine, measures against such a go-to act are taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a geometric transformation is applied to a template image to generate a first image group including a plurality of geometrically transformed template images having different geometric transformation amounts, and eigenvalue decomposition is performed to uniquely generate the first image group. A second image group is generated by calculating a function and performing an inner product operation of these functions, and by calculating the image similarity between the input image and the second image group, whether the object is correct in the image processing. A technique for determining whether or not it is disclosed.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 5317250 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, in a hall where a slot machine is installed, a low-bet gaming machine called a so-called 5 slot that can be played with a medal of 5 yen per coin, and a normal gaming machine that can be played with a medal of 20 yen per coin (so-called 20 slot). ), And may have been installed. In such a hall, using a medal acquired at 5th slot for 20th slot will result in damage by a person who commits fraudulently acquiring the difference ((20 yen-5 yen) x number of owned cards). Is occurring. However, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, if the lent-out rented out token is 20 yen per coin and the medal of 5 yen per coin has the same diameter and is different only in color and marking (pattern), these are distinguished. It was impossible to prevent such fraud.

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

  Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 can determine whether or not the target object is correct by capturing an appropriate input image, but the captured image is distorted or the determination target is reflected. Without it, proper judgment cannot be made. Therefore, in order to detect fraudulent activity using the game medium, it is necessary to detect the game medium to be determined with high accuracy.

  Further, in the slot machine, by operating a return lever or the like for clearing the clogging of medals, the inserted medals are returned to the saucer, and the medals cannot be played. That is, medals inserted while the return lever or the like is operated are not accepted and cannot be played. However, there is also a fraudulent act in which a counterfeit medal is accepted by the slot machine and the game machine is in a playable state while the return lever or the like is operated. Even if the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 uses the technique described in Patent Document 2, such fraudulent activity cannot be detected.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine or a gaming machine capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a misunderstanding that a legitimate game medium is used by determining whether or not a game medium can be accepted. To provide.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gaming machine or a gaming machine having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 301) for detecting the insertion of the game medium is provided,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion (for example, a base plate portion 304 or the like) in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member (for example, a sub plate 305 or the like) attached to the game medium passage portion and rotatable so as to cover the game medium passage portion;
A protection member (for example, a protection member 304d or the like) attached to the game medium passage portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member,
Rotation means for rotating the auxiliary member (for example, the sub-plate pressure 213c),
An image pickup means (for example, a camera unit 209 or the like) for picking up an image of a predetermined area including the path formed in the game medium passing portion,
Irradiation means (for example, the second light guide 262 or the like) that irradiates light for the imaging means to capture an image,
The auxiliary member is
A through-hole (for example, a through-hole 321a or the like) formed so that the image-capturing means can image the path provided in the game-medium passing portion,
A plurality of holes (for example, a sub-plate state detection hole 321c) formed in the predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole,
In the state of being rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path,
A plurality of said holes,
When the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected,
When the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected differently from the case where the auxiliary member is not rotated,
The image pickup means is a game machine characterized by judging whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of light from the irradiation means in the hole.

  According to the first mode, the game machine includes a game medium detection means. The game medium detecting means detects the insertion of the game medium and includes a game medium passing portion, an auxiliary member, a protecting member, a rotating means, an image pickup means, and an irradiating means. The game medium passing portion is formed with a path through which the game medium passes. The auxiliary member is attached to the game medium passing portion and is rotatable so as to cover the through hole, which is formed so that the image pickup means can image the path provided in the game medium passing portion, and is in the vicinity of the through hole. Then, the game medium has a hole formed in a predetermined area, and is rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path. The protection member is attached to the game medium passing portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member. The rotating means rotates the auxiliary member. The image capturing means captures an image of a predetermined area including the route formed in the game medium passing portion. The irradiation unit irradiates light for the image pickup unit to pick up an image. The plurality of holes reflect the light from the irradiation means when the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, and the irradiation means when the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means. Is reflected differently than when the auxiliary member is not rotated. Then, the imaging unit determines whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of light from the irradiation unit at the hole.

  In this way, the game medium detecting means drops the game medium from the path of the game medium passing portion when the auxiliary member is rotated. Then, when the auxiliary member is not rotated, the light from the irradiation means is reflected by the plurality of holes of the auxiliary member, and when the auxiliary member is rotated, the light from the irradiation means is rotated by the auxiliary member. The reflection is different from that in the non-executed state. By such reflection of light from the irradiation means, the imaging means determines whether the auxiliary member is rotating.

  As a result, it is possible to determine whether or not the auxiliary member rotates and the game medium falls from the path (whether or not the game medium can be received). For example, if the auxiliary member is continuously rotated, or if the auxiliary member is rotated and the game medium is dropped from the path but the game medium is received, it is illegal. There is a high possibility that an act is being performed. Therefore, by determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to provide a gaming machine that can accurately detect a fraudulent act of playing a game by mistakenly recognizing that the regular gaming medium is used in the gaming machine. it can.

The second aspect of the present invention is
The imaging unit includes an image processing unit (for example, a control LSI 234 or the like) that performs image processing on the captured image of the predetermined area,
The image processing means is a game machine characterized by determining whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated based on an image of the predetermined area that has been subjected to image processing.

  Accordingly, the image pickup unit performs image processing on the imaged image of the predetermined region, thereby obtaining an image in a state in which the auxiliary member is not rotated (a state in which light is reflected in the hole) and a state in which the auxiliary member is rotated. The difference from the image (the state in which the light is not reflected in the hole) becomes clearer, and the accuracy of determining whether or not the auxiliary member is rotating is improved. Therefore, by more accurately determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to accurately detect a fraudulent activity in which the game machine is erroneously recognized as a regular game medium being used and the game is played. Machine can be provided.

A fourth mode according to the present invention is
A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member that is attached to the game medium passage portion and is rotatable so as to cover it;
A protection member attached to the game medium passing portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member;
Rotating means for rotating the auxiliary member,
An image pickup means for picking up an image of a predetermined area including the path formed in the game medium passage portion;
Irradiation means for irradiating light for the imaging means to image,
The auxiliary member is
A through hole formed so that the image pickup means can image the path provided in the game medium passage portion;
A plurality of holes formed in the predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole,
In the state of being rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path,
A plurality of said holes,
When the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected,
When the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected differently from the case where the auxiliary member is not rotated,
The image pickup means judges whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by the reflection of the light from the irradiation means in the hole (a game device 500, 600, for example, 700 etc.).

According to the fourth mode, the same operational effects as the gaming machine of the first mode are achieved. Therefore, by determining whether or not the game medium can be accepted, it is possible to provide a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting a fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate game medium is used.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, by determining whether or not a game medium can be accepted, a gaming machine or a gaming device capable of highly accurately detecting fraudulent activity that causes a false recognition that a legitimate game medium is being used. Can be provided.

[Appendix 20]
The gaming machine of Appendix 20 is as follows.
[Background Art]

  Conventionally, a game called a pachi-slot, which is provided with a plurality of reels on each surface of which a plurality of symbols are arranged, a start switch, a stop switch, a stepping motor provided corresponding to each reel, and a control unit. The machine is known. The start switch detects that the start lever has been operated by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as “start operation”) after a game medium such as a medal has been inserted into the game machine, and starts the rotation of all reels. Output the requested signal. The stop switch detects that the stop button provided corresponding to each reel is pressed by the player (hereinafter, also referred to as "stop operation"), and outputs a signal requesting stop of rotation of the corresponding reel. To do. The stepping motor transmits the driving force to the corresponding reel. Further, the control unit controls the operation of the stepping motor based on the signals output by the start switch and the stop switch, and performs the rotation operation and the stop operation of each reel.

  In such a gaming machine, when a start operation is detected, a lottery process using random numbers on the program (hereinafter, referred to as “internal lottery process”) is performed, and a result of the lottery (hereinafter, “internal winning combination”). That is) and the rotation of the reel is stopped based on the timing of the stop operation. Then, when the rotation of all reels is stopped and the symbol combination relating to the establishment of the winning is displayed, the privilege corresponding to the symbol combination is given to the player.

Further, such a gaming machine is provided with a medal selector for detecting medals inserted into the medal insertion slot.
Here, by inserting the cheating device from the medal insertion slot and operating the counting function of the medal selector illegally in a typical goto act of the misconduct to the gaming machine (so-called goto act), the medal is inserted. There are things that look like they are doing and get a lot of credits. In a gaming machine, measures against such a go-to act are taken.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, two medal detection proximity sensors are provided in the medal passage, and it is determined whether or not a gaming medal has passed through the medal passage based on the output of each proximity sensor. A slot machine for detecting fraudulent activity using a tool such as a shape is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a geometric transformation is applied to a template image to generate a first image group including a plurality of geometrically transformed template images having different geometric transformation amounts, and eigenvalue decomposition is performed to uniquely generate the first image group. A second image group is generated by calculating a function and performing an inner product operation of these functions, and by calculating the image similarity between the input image and the second image group, whether the object is correct in the image processing. A technique for determining whether or not it is disclosed.
[Prior Art Document]
[Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-342814 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-2006-271462 [Summary of Invention]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

  However, the slot machine described in Patent Document 1 cannot detect an illegal act performed using an illegal medal without using an instrument such as a plate-shaped body. For example, in a hall where a slot machine is installed, a low-bet gaming machine called a so-called 5 slot that can be played with a medal of 5 yen per coin, and a normal gaming machine that can be played with a medal of 20 yen per coin (so-called 20 slot). ), And may have been installed. In such a hall, using a medal acquired at 5th slot for 20th slot will result in damage by a person who commits fraudulently acquiring the difference ((20 yen-5 yen) x number of owned cards). Is occurring. However, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, if the lent-out rented out token is 20 yen per coin and the medal of 5 yen per coin has the same diameter and is different only in color and marking (pattern), these are distinguished. It was impossible to prevent such fraud.

  In addition, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 1, a medal lent in a hall in which a gaming machine is installed, a medal lent in another hall, and a gaming machine purchased at a used machine store are attached. When a medal that is present or a counterfeit medal (including a device that looks like a medal) has the same diameter but only the color and the marking (pattern), these cannot be distinguished. Therefore, it is difficult to detect (detect) an illegal act of playing a game using a medal (illegal medal) other than the regular medal.

  Further, in the slot machine described in Patent Document 2, a CCD camera is used to determine the inserted illegal medals. By the way, such a CCD camera is electrically connected to the game controller by a connector which is a connecting member. The connector has a dedicated one according to the model of the gaming machine, and if a connector of one model is used in another model, it may violate the law or the gaming machine may not operate normally. On the other hand, in a game machine manufacturing factory, various models are manufactured, and there is a possibility that a human error occurs in which a connector of one model is used by another model.

It is an object of the present invention to prevent a human error that occurs when a device for accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in the game machine is attached to the game machine. To provide a connecting member.
[Means for solving the problem]

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a connecting member having the following configuration. Elements corresponding to the respective embodiments are described in parentheses, but the configuration of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first mode according to the present invention is
In a game machine (for example, a pachi-slot 1 or the like), a game medium detecting means (for example, a medal selector 301 or the like) for detecting the insertion of a game medium and another electric device (for example, a door relay terminal board 68 or the like) are electrically connected to each other. A connecting member (for example, the connector 400 or the like) to be connected,
A first member (for example, the first member 410 or the like) connected to the game medium detecting means, and a second member detachably engaged with the first member from a predetermined direction and connected to the other electric device. (For example, the second member 420, etc.),
The first member or the second member,
One of them has a protrusion (for example, protrusion 412) that protrudes in the predetermined direction, and a plurality of pin members (for example, pin member 413) that extend in the predetermined direction,
On the other hand, a recess (for example, a recess 422 or the like) into which the protrusion can be inserted, and a plurality of insertion holes into which the plurality of pin members can be inserted when the protrusion is inserted into the recess (for example, Insertion hole 423 etc.),
The plurality of pin members and the plurality of insertion holes are connection members characterized by being arranged at different positions according to the classification of the gaming machine.

According to the first aspect, the connection member electrically connects the game medium detection unit that detects the insertion of the game medium and the other electric device in the game machine, and connects the first member and the second member. Prepare
The first member is connected to the game medium detecting means.
The second member is detachably engaged with the first member from a predetermined direction and is connected to another electric device.
One of the first member and the second member has a protrusion that protrudes in a predetermined direction and a plurality of pin members that extend in the predetermined direction, and the other has a recess into which the protrusion can be inserted. A plurality of insertion holes into which a plurality of pin members can be inserted respectively when the protrusion is inserted into the recess. Then, the plurality of pin members and the plurality of insertion holes are arranged at different positions according to the classification of the gaming machine.

As described above, in the game machine, the plurality of pin members and the plurality of insertion holes of the connection member that electrically connects the game medium detection unit that detects the insertion of the game medium and the other electric device are classified as the game machine ( For example, it is arranged at a different position depending on the model etc.). As a result, even if the second member of the game machine of another classification is attached to the first member attached to a certain game machine, they do not engage with each other. Therefore, even if the first member or the second member different in classification from the gaming machine being assembled is attached, the first member and the second member do not engage with each other, so that an incorrect connection member is attached. You can see immediately.
Therefore, a connection member that can prevent a human error that occurs when a device for accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the game machine is provided. it can.

The second aspect of the present invention is
In a gaming machine (for example, a pachi-slot 1 or the like), storage means (for example, a hopper device 51 or the like) for storing a game medium and discharging the stored game medium, and other electric equipment (for example, a door relay terminal board 68 or the like) A connection member (for example, the connector 400) for electrically connecting and
A first member (for example, the first member 410 or the like) connected to the storage means, and a second member (for example, the first member 410 or the like) detachably engaged with the first member from a predetermined direction and connected to the other electric device (for example, the second member). , The second member 420, etc.),
The first member or the second member,
One of them has a protrusion (for example, protrusion 412) that protrudes in the predetermined direction, and a plurality of pin members (for example, pin member 413) that extend in the predetermined direction,
On the other hand, a recess (for example, a recess 422 or the like) into which the protrusion can be inserted, and a plurality of insertion holes into which the plurality of pin members can be inserted when the protrusion is inserted into the recess (for example, Insertion hole 423 etc.),
The plurality of pin members and the plurality of insertion holes are connection members characterized by being arranged at different positions according to the classification of the gaming machine.

  According to the second aspect, the connection member electrically connects the storage means for storing the game medium and discharging the stored game medium to another electric device in the game machine, and the first member and the second member. And a member. The first member is connected to the storage means. The second member is detachably engaged with the first member from a predetermined direction and is connected to another electric device. One of the first member and the second member has a protrusion that protrudes in a predetermined direction and a plurality of pin members that extend in the predetermined direction, and the other has a recess into which the protrusion can be inserted. A plurality of insertion holes into which a plurality of pin members can be inserted respectively when the protrusion is inserted into the recess. Then, the plurality of pin members and the plurality of insertion holes are arranged at different positions according to the classification of the gaming machine.

As described above, in the gaming machine, the plurality of pin members and the plurality of insertion holes of the connecting member that electrically connects the storage medium for storing the game medium and discharging the stored game medium to another electric device are provided. It is placed at a different position depending on the classification of the machine (for example, model). As a result, even if the second member of the game machine of another classification is attached to the first member attached to a certain game machine, they do not engage with each other. Therefore, even if the first member or the second member different in classification from the gaming machine being assembled is attached, the first member and the second member do not engage with each other, so that an incorrect connection member is attached. You can see immediately.
Therefore, a human error that occurs when attaching the storing means to the gaming machine equipped with a device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that the gaming machine is using a legitimate gaming medium is prevented. A connection member that can be provided can be provided.

The third mode according to the present invention is
The projecting portion and the recessed portion are connection members characterized in that they have different colors depending on the classification of the gaming machine.

Thereby, it is possible to know whether or not the connecting member is suitable for the classification of the gaming machine being assembled by the colors of the protrusion and the recess. Further, even if the first member or the second member, which is different in classification from the gaming machine being assembled, is attached, it is not necessary to engage them with each other, and it is possible to see that the colors are different, It is immediately apparent that the wrong connecting member is attached.
Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent a human error that occurs when a device or a storage unit for accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a regular game medium is used in the game machine is attached to the game machine. A connection member that can be prevented can be provided.
[The invention's effect]

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a human error that occurs when a device for highly accurately detecting a fraudulent act of playing a game by misidentifying that a legitimate game medium is used in the game machine is attached to the game machine. A connection member can be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pachi-slot, 34 ... Medal tray unit, 51 ... Hopper device, 68 ... Door relay terminal board, 91 ... Main control circuit, 209 ... Camera unit, 210 ... Medal rail, 212a ... Central hole for medal selection, 213a ... Medal selection Medal pressure for use, 213c ... Sub-plate pressure, 221a ... Through hole, 234 ... Control LSI, 261 ... First light guide, 262 ... Second light guide, 263 ... Third light guide, 301 ... Medal Selector, 304 ... Base plate portion, 304a ... Front surface, 304d ... Protective member, 305 ... Sub plate, 308a ... Medal selection solenoid, 308b ... Medal acceptance solenoid, 312 ... Judgment hole 312a ... Shielding member, 321a ... First guide Part, 321b ... second guiding part, 321c ... sub-plate state detecting hole, 400 ... connector, 410 ... 1 member, 412 ... protrusions 413 ... pin member, 420 ... second member, 422 ... recessed portion, 423 ... insertion hole

Claims (3)

A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member that is attached to the game medium passage portion and is rotatable so as to cover it;
A protection member attached to the game medium passing portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member;
Rotating means for rotating the auxiliary member,
An image pickup means for picking up an image of a predetermined area including the path formed in the game medium passage portion;
Irradiation means for irradiating light for the imaging means to image,
The auxiliary member is
A through hole formed so that the image pickup means can image the path provided in the game medium passage portion;
A plurality of holes formed in the predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole,
In the state of being rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path,
A plurality of said holes,
When the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected,
When the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected differently from the case where the auxiliary member is not rotated,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the image pickup means judges whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by reflection of light from the irradiation means in the hole. The image capturing means includes an image processing means for performing image processing on the captured image of the predetermined area,
The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the image processing means determines whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated on the basis of an image of the predetermined area that has been subjected to image processing. A game medium detecting means for detecting the insertion of the game medium,
The game medium detecting means,
A game medium passing portion in which a path through which the game medium passes is formed,
An auxiliary member that is attached to the game medium passage portion and is rotatable so as to cover it;
A protection member attached to the game medium passing portion so as to overlap a part of the auxiliary member;
Rotating means for rotating the auxiliary member,
An image pickup means for picking up an image of a predetermined area including the path formed in the game medium passage portion;
Irradiation means for irradiating light for the imaging means to image,
The auxiliary member is
A through hole formed so that the image pickup means can image the path provided in the game medium passage portion;
A plurality of holes formed in the predetermined region in the vicinity of the through hole,
In the state of being rotated by the rotating means, the game medium drops from the path,
A plurality of said holes,
When the auxiliary member is not rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected,
When the auxiliary member is rotated by the rotating means, the light from the irradiation means is reflected differently from the case where the auxiliary member is not rotated,
The game device, wherein the image pickup means determines whether or not the auxiliary member is rotated by reflection of light from the irradiation means in the hole.