JP2007319388A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a gaming machine capable of preventing an illegal act of trying to obtain a medal illegally.
A medal discrimination device is configured to have a substantially donut shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal, and an illumination having a circular illumination unit that irradiates light to a medal passing through the medal passage. Based on the reflected light from the circular illumination unit 210, the apparatus 200 includes an imaging apparatus 300 having a CCD 310 that captures an image of a medal, and determines acquired acquired image data and reference imaging data captured in advance.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachislot machine or a pachinko machine capable of playing a game using a gaming medium (medal / pachinko ball), and in particular, an unauthorized medal or an unauthorized member (for example, “flexible board”). The present invention relates to a gaming machine that can prevent fraudulent acts caused by the use of the game.

  Conventionally, after inserting a medal or pressing a BET button, a start lever is operated to rotate and rotate a mechanical rotating reel (hereinafter referred to as a reel), and each reel is operated by pressing a stop button corresponding to each reel. There is known a game machine called a pachislot machine that stops the game and pays out medals in accordance with the combination of symbols stopped in the reel display window.

  In the case of such a pachislot machine, when 1 to 3 medals are inserted from the medal insertion slot and the start lever is operated, the reel is driven to rotate to change a plurality of symbols, and the player presses the stop button. In response to the operation, the spinning symbols are stopped and displayed, and when the winning combination combination is stopped and displayed on the active line, a predetermined number of medals corresponding to the winning combination are paid out to the player.

  In this case, medals inserted from the medal insertion slot are stored in the medal hopper from the medal passage (guide passage). At this time, the medal counting sensor provided in the medal passage detects the inserted medals sequentially, thereby counting the number of medals.

  Here, in the game using the pachislot machine, the reel is rotated according to the number of inserted medals, so if the medal counting sensor can be operated by using an illegal medal instead of a regular medal, the investment amount (the purchase amount of the medal) ) Can be reduced, and illegal acts for the purpose of using illegal medals or malfunctioning medal counting sensors may be performed.

  In addition to using illegally manufactured medals instead of legitimate medals, such a fraudulent act is to insert a flexible board with a light emitting element such as an LED at the tip from the medal insertion slot and blink the LED. There is a method of increasing the number of medal counts by operating (turning on) the medal counting sensor. For this reason, the medal selector of the pachislot machine is provided with a medal discriminating device that discriminates whether a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot is a genuine product or an unauthorized product in order to prevent a game using an illegal medal. .

  As this kind of medal discriminating device, an image pickup device having an LED and a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) is provided in a medal passage through which the medal passes, and the surface of the medal is irradiated with light by the LED. There is known a medal discriminating apparatus that discriminates between a regular medal and an illegal medal based on image data acquired by imaging.

  Further, as a conventional technique disclosed in the conventional publication, an outer diameter reading unit that reads an outer diameter of a medal and a pattern reading unit that reads a pattern on the medal surface are opposed to each other across a medal passage where the medal is rolled and conveyed. Even if medals are continuously inserted at short intervals, the correct denomination can be determined from two discrimination results for one medal. Has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-085334

  However, in the case of a medal discriminating apparatus that images a surface portion of a medal irradiated by an LED as described above with a CCD and discriminates between a regular medal and an illegal medal based on the captured image data, the luminance of the image Is uneven and there is a problem that image data of medals cannot be obtained accurately. In other words, medals that move in the medal path do not necessarily move in a straight line, but they are skewed or rolled, so that the light irradiation by the LEDs is uneven, the unevenness of the medal surface, etc. The brightness of the image to be displayed is also uneven. As a result, there is a problem that the size based on the image data of the medal to be determined cannot be accurately determined because it cannot be acquired as image data for accurately identifying the light and darkness of the medal.

  In addition, since the medal rolls and moves in the medal passage, when the medal is imaged at various rotation angles, an error occurs in the image density (luminance) resulting from the angle at which the illumination hits. There is a problem that the size of the medal cannot be determined.

  Similarly, in the case of the conventional publication disclosed in Patent Document 1, the medal image data obtained by light irradiation by the LED still has the luminance of the image captured by the imaging device due to the unevenness of the medal surface. Since it becomes non-uniform, there is a problem that the size of the medal cannot be accurately determined.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and can be performed illegally by accurately determining whether the inserted medal is a regular medal or an illegal medal based on image data. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that can surely prevent an illegal act of acquiring a medal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a medal detection means for detecting that a medal inserted from a medal insertion slot passes through a guide passage, and a medal in the guide passage. In a gaming machine equipped with a medal discriminating device that discriminates whether it is a genuine medal or an improper medal when passing, it is arranged upstream of the medal detection means in the advancing direction of the medal, Based on the illumination means configured to irradiate light to the medal passing through the guide passage and having a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal, and reflected light by irradiation by the illumination means, Image capturing means for capturing an image of a medal as acquired image data, and reference image acquisition for acquiring image data of a regular medal captured by the image capturing means as reference image data A stage, the reference image data obtained by the reference image acquiring means, compares the said acquired image data, characterized by comprising an image determination means for determining whether both of the image data match.

  According to the present invention, the medal discrimination device includes the illumination unit configured in a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal, and acquires the image of the medal based on the reflected light by the illumination unit. In addition, the image processing is performed on the acquired acquired image data, so that the luminance detection that occurs from the angle at which the illumination hits the medals are imaged at various rotation angles by light irradiation by the circular illumination means. This makes it possible to reduce the error of the medals, and to acquire the medal image data accurately.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the medal detecting means for detecting that a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot passes through the guide passage, and whether the medal is a genuine medal when the medal passes through the guide passage. In a gaming machine provided with a medal discrimination device for discriminating whether it is a genuine medal based on image data, the medal is arranged upstream of the medal detection means in the advancing direction of the medal, and is light for the medal passing through the guide passage. Illuminating means configured to have a diameter larger than the external dimension of the medal, and imaging means for capturing an image of the medal as acquired image data based on reflected light by irradiation by the illuminating means The acquired image data captured by the imaging unit is divided into a plurality of regions, and the luminance values of the pixels included in the region are converted into averaged image data. An image processing unit that converts data into binarized image data based on a predetermined threshold value, and a plurality of regular medal images are captured a plurality of times by the imaging unit, and a binary value is acquired by the image processing unit. An image for determining whether or not the reference image acquisition means for acquiring the reference image data, the reference image data acquired by the reference image acquisition means, and the acquired image data are matched. And determining means.

  According to the present invention, the medal discrimination device includes the illumination unit configured in a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal, and acquires the image of the medal based on the reflected light by the illumination unit. And image processing (division processing, averaging processing, binarization processing) on the acquired acquired image data is performed, so that medals are imaged at various rotation angles by light irradiation by a circular illumination means. In this case, it is possible to reduce an error in luminance detection caused by the angle at which the light hits, and thus it is possible to accurately acquire image data of medals. Further, the image data representing the size of the medal can be acquired as image data with clear brightness (brightness value), and the acquired image data is converted into highly accurate binary image data by image processing. Therefore, when the binarized image data constituting both areas are collated between the acquired image data and the reference image data, medal discrimination accuracy can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the above invention, wherein the binarized image data for each of the plurality of divided areas constituting the reference image data and the plurality of divided areas for configuring the acquired image data The binarized image data is collated for each corresponding region, and when the binarized image data matches in a region of a predetermined ratio or more, it is determined that the inserted medal is a regular medal. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, when determining whether or not the acquired image data and the reference image data match, the acquired image data is divided into a plurality of areas and the luminance values are averaged, Since the binarized image data corresponding to each of the divided and averaged areas is collated and it is determined whether or not the two binarized image data match at a predetermined ratio or more. Since it is possible to accurately check the binarized image data constituting the medal, it is possible to accurately determine the size of the inserted medal and thereby reliably determine whether it is a regular medal. it can.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the image determination unit rotates the binarized image data constituting the reference image data around a predetermined position, and performs image data matching processing. It is characterized in that a determination is made for each segmented area with the acquired image data.

  According to the present invention, the image determination unit rotates the binarized image data constituting the reference image data around a predetermined position, performs the matching process of the image data, and is divided into the acquired image data. Since the comparison is performed for each inside, the binarized image data of the medals taken at various rotation angles can be made to correspond on the concentric circles of the medals, thereby forming the reference image data and the acquired image data. The binarized image data to be collated can be accurately verified.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the illuminating means has a plurality of light irradiation members arranged around the medal and arranged concentrically with the medal.

  According to the present invention, the illumination means is located around the medal and has a plurality of light irradiation members arranged concentrically with the medal, so that images are captured at various rotation angles with respect to the concentric circle of the medal. Thus, the binarized image data of the medal can be accurately acquired, whereby the reference image data and the binarized image data constituting the acquired image data can be accurately collated.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the illumination means has a substantially donut shape having a circular hole in a central portion, and is uniform toward a concentric circle centering on a substantially central portion of the medal. It is characterized by irradiating light.

  According to the present invention, the illuminating means has a substantially donut shape having a circular hole in the center and irradiates light that is uniform toward a concentric circle centered on the substantially center of the medal. On the concentric circles, it is possible to accurately acquire binary image data of medals imaged at various rotation angles, thereby accurately comparing the reference image data and the binary image data constituting the acquired image data. Can be done.

  The gaming machine of the present invention can accurately discriminate between genuine medals and unauthorized medals by using a lighting means configured in a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimensions of the medals, As a result, it is possible to prevent an illegal act of illegally trying to acquire a medal.

  Embodiments of a gaming machine according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention can be applied to various gaming machines that use medals, coins, game balls, tokens, or the like as game media. Here, the present invention is applied to a pachislot machine that uses medals as game media. explain.

[Outline and features of pachislot machine 1]
First, the outline and features of the medal discrimination device 100 provided in the pachislot machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration and a medal image of the medal discrimination device 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, two examples of a normal medal image (reference image data P) as a reference stored in advance, illumination by the illumination device 200 (circular illumination unit 210), and image processing after imaging by the imaging device 300 are performed. The schematic of an image (image data A, image data B) is shown.

  Here, the reference image data P indicates image data of regular medals captured by the imaging device 300 of the medal discrimination device 100 provided in the pachislot machine 1 in advance. Actually, about 100 regular medals are photographed by the imaging device 300 of the medal discrimination device 100 for each pachislot machine 1 at a rate of about once a week, and image data acquired by this imaging is processed by image processing. Is stored in the image RAM 32b (FIG. 11) as image data averaged and binarized by the above, and the reference image data P stored in the image RAM 32b is referred to when image data determination processing is performed. It will be.

  Here, in the pachislot machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the medal discrimination device 100 is provided inside the pachislot machine 1, and an image of a medal inserted from the medal slot 12 by the imaging device 300 provided in the medal discrimination device 100. After imaging (image data A ′, B ′), image processing is performed, and the image of the medal (image data A, B) after this image processing and the image of the regular medal (reference image data P) stored in advance. And determining whether the inserted medal is a regular medal or a non-regular medal by determining the difference between the two (difference in the binarized data of each area constituting the image data) There is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the medal discrimination device 100 includes an illumination device 200 that irradiates light to a medal that passes through the medal passage 102 from the medal slot 12, and an imaging device 300 that captures an image of the medal. The circular illumination unit 210 of 200 irradiates light to the medal, and image data for the medal is acquired by imaging by the CCD 310 of the imaging apparatus 300.

  As shown in the figure, the image data A ′ and B ′ captured by the CCD 310 of the image capturing apparatus 300 is divided into a plurality of areas whose luminance values are averaged by “image processing” and the image data A ′. , B ′ are image data A and B binarized into “black (1)” and “white (0)”.

  Then, it is determined whether the image data A and B and the regular reference image data P match. Specifically, when the matching ratio of the binarized data for each area constituting both image data is equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio (for example, 90% or higher), the medal inserted from the medal slot 12 is normal. Is determined to be a medal.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the reference image data P and the image data A match the binarized data (“black (1)”, “white (0)”) for each area constituting both image data. Therefore, the sizes of the image data coincide with each other, whereby the medal is determined as a regular medal. This regular medal proceeds in the medal passage 102 as it is, and is counted as the number of regular medals by the medal counting sensor 108 (FIG. 8-1).

  On the other hand, the reference image data P and the image data B are different from each other in the binarized data (“black (1)” and “white (0)”) for each area constituting the image data. The sizes do not match, so that the medal is determined as an illegal medal. The medal determined to be an illegal medal is returned through the medal return passage 109 (FIG. 8-1) without being counted as a genuine medal.

[Configuration and Principle of Medal Discrimination Device 100]
Next, details and principles of the configuration of the medal discrimination device 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view showing the main part of the medal discrimination device 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the medal discriminating apparatus 100 is inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 and emits light to the medal passing through the medal passage 102 when passage of the medal is detected by the medal passage sensor 107. The illumination apparatus 200 (circular illumination unit 210), and an imaging apparatus 300 having a CCD 310 and an objective lens 320 that capture an image of a medal are configured. The circular illumination unit 210 of the illumination device 200 emits light to the medal, and the image of the medal is captured by the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300. The objective lens 320 has a function of converging a parallel light beam on the CCD 310.

  That is, as shown in the figure, an illumination device 200 and an imaging device 300 constituting the medal discrimination device 100 are provided in a part of the medal passage 102. Then, the medal is irradiated with light from the circular illumination unit 210 of the illumination device 200, and the image data of the medal is acquired by the imaging device 300 according to the reflected light from the medal.

  The circular illumination unit 210 has a circular hole 211 (FIG. 8A) in the center and is formed in a substantially donut shape having a larger diameter than the external dimension of the medal. That is, since the circular illumination unit 210 has a substantially donut shape having a circular hole 211 at the center, it can irradiate light that is uniform toward a concentric circle centered around the center of the medal. .

  In addition, the medals passing through the medal passage 102 are illuminated uniformly by the circular illumination unit 210 in concentric circles. Therefore, even if the medals are imaged at various rotation angles, the luminance generated from the angle of illumination. The detection error can be reduced, whereby the medal image data can be obtained accurately.

  In this case, the circular illumination unit 210 irradiates light that is uniform toward a concentric circle centered around the substantially central part of the medal, so that the imaging surface (image data A ′) of the medal imaged by the CCD 310 is “white. The binarized image data includes a plurality of (0) "areas. Thereby, the medal image data A ′ (FIG. 3) is acquired as a black and white image corresponding to the intensity of the luminance value by the light irradiation of the circular illumination unit 210.

  On the other hand, almost simultaneously with the imaging of the medal, the plurality of areas constituting the medal path 102 other than the position where the medal imaged by the CCD 310 is formed of a black member. It becomes binary image data including a plurality. As a result, the luminance value around the medal (a plurality of areas constituting the medal passage 102) is dark, but the luminance value of the surface portion of the medal becomes brighter. (Shape and dimensions) can be clearly identified.

  Here, in this embodiment, in order to irradiate light evenly to the medal, the configuration of the illumination (circular illumination unit 210) has a substantially donut shape, but besides this configuration, it is concentric with respect to the center of the medal. It is good also as a structure which arranges a several light irradiation member in the position which becomes.

[Image processing overview]
Next, an outline of image processing by the pachislot machine 1 will be described. Here, in FIG. 3, the image data A ′ of the medal acquired by the imaging of the imaging device 300 (CCD 310) and the image data A after the image processing are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the medal image data A ′ picked up by the CCD 310 of the image pickup apparatus 300 is acquired as a black and white image corresponding to the intensity of the luminance value due to light irradiation of the circular illumination unit 210. Here, in the image data A ′ shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of areas (ranges indicated by lattices in the figure) constituting the medal path 102 are defined as image areas (predetermined imaging range) for imaging medals. An example of image data A ′ when a medal is imaged in the imaging range is shown.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the imaging surface of the medal that is actually imaged by the CCD 310 is the surface irradiated with the light of the circular illumination unit 210 (the lower side in FIG. 2). The image data A ′ having a high value is acquired by imaging.

  Then, “image processing” is performed on the image data A ′ acquired by the imaging of the imaging device 300. That is, the image data is divided into a plurality of regions (432 regions shown in FIG. 4) by the image data dividing process, and the image data is averaged and the luminance values for each region are averaged.

  More specifically, an average luminance value of pixels included in a plurality of divided areas is calculated, and the calculated average luminance value becomes a luminance value for each area. Next, the image data A binarized into “black (1)” and “white (0)” by the binarization processing of the image data.

  More specifically, the luminance values (“black”, “gray (intermediate color between black and white)”, “white”) for each area constituting the image data A ′ by the binarization processing of the image data are predetermined. Based on the threshold value, image processing is performed as binarized data, resulting in image data A shown in FIG. That is, each area constituting the image data acquired by the imaging of the CCD 310 is binarized image data (“black (1)”) having a low luminance value, and a part other than the medal imaging range (a white configuration indicating a medal) (Part) is acquired as binarized data (“white (0)”) having a high luminance value.

  Here, as shown in the figure, in the image data A (reference image data P), in addition to the image data indicating the constituent area of the medal, the pixel defect portion of the CCD 310 constituting the imaging device 300 and the foreign matter attached to the CCD 310 Image data including (dirt and dust) and foreign matter (dirt and dust) attached to the objective lens 320 (FIG. 2) is also included.

  In other words, in this embodiment, image data including unique image characteristics (characteristics resulting from a difference in the shape of the passage and a difference in the arrangement position of the optical components) that identify each pachislot machine 1, and pixel defects and foreign matters of the CCD 310 are generated. Thus, the acquired image data A can be image data for specifying each pachislot machine 1 individually, thereby reducing the processing load at the time of image determination and reducing erroneous determination. In addition, it is possible to reduce determination errors caused by foreign matters attached to optical components such as the CCD 310.

  The image data A converted by the image processing shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the image RAM 32b (FIG. 11). Hereinafter, as will be described later, this image-processed image data A is binarized for each region, and it is determined whether or not it matches the binarized reference image data P.

[Overview of image judgment processing]
Next, an outline of image determination processing by the medal determination device 100 will be described. Here, FIG. 4 shows an example of the reference image data P stored in advance and an example of the image data A obtained after image processing by the CCD 310 of the imaging apparatus 300 and image processing.

  Further, in the reference image data P and the image data A, in addition to the image data indicating the constituent area of the medal, the pixel defect portion of the CCD 310 that constitutes the imaging device 300, the foreign matter (dirt and dust) attached to the CCD 310, the objective lens 320 The image data including foreign matter (dirt, dust, etc.) attached to (FIG. 2) is also shown. Here, the reference image data P and the image data A shown in the figure will be described as an example in which the binarized image data matches.

  That is, in the image determination process, the image data A of a medal newly inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 (FIG. 1) is compared with the reference image data P stored in the image RAM 32b (FIG. 11) in advance. The process of determining whether the image data of the two matches. If the matching ratio of the binarized image data (binarized image data) is a predetermined ratio or more (for example, 90% or more), the inserted medal is a regular medal. Judge that there is. The image data determination process is a process in which the reference image data P is rotated and matched with the acquired image data captured and collated for each region.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the reference image data P and the image data A assume a predetermined part of the medal passage 102 as one frame, and constitute a medal imaged by the CCD 310 within this frame. It is the figure which showed the binarized image data of a some area | region, and the binarized image data of the some area | region which comprises the medal path | pass 102, and as shown in the figure, a horizontal frame (horizontal direction area | region) is "A To X ”, and the vertical frame (vertical direction area) is divided into 18“ 0 to 17 ”. As a whole, one frame is 432 (24 × 18 = 432). Area) divided into a plurality of areas.

  In each of these areas, the binarized data of the medal imaged by the CCD 310 and the binarized data of the predetermined range (one frame) of the medal path 102 are irradiated by the circular illumination unit 210 for each area. The data is averaged according to the luminance value at the time of being processed, and is expressed as binarized data (“black (1)” or “white (0)”).

  Therefore, in FIG. 4, the “white (0)” portion shown in each region represents a portion constituting a medal, and the “black (1)” portion shown in each region is a medal. Therefore, the set range of the “white (0)” region represents the size (outside dimension) of the medal. In other words, the binarized data (“black (1)” or “white (0)”) of each region constituting the image of the reference image data P and the newly obtained image data A image of each region. By comparing the binarized data with each other and calculating the ratio of the binarized data for each region, it is possible to determine whether the medal is a genuine medal or an illegal medal.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, in the reference image data P, the region “L2” is “white (0)”, and the region “L2” of the image data A corresponding to the region “L2” Since the portion of “L2” is also “white (0)”, the binarized data of both are the same. Hereinafter, similarly, the areas corresponding to the image data of the areas constituting the reference image data P for each area of all the area ranges of “A0 to A17, B0 to B17... X0 to X17”, and this area. Is compared with the binarized data for each area of the image data A, and a determination process is performed to determine whether the binarized data corresponding to each area matches.

  That is, when the matching ratio of the binarized data between the reference image data P and the image data A is equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio (for example, 90% or higher), the medal in which the image data A is captured is determined to be a regular medal. Can do. Similarly, with respect to image data indicating foreign matter (dirt and dust), the specific image data of the reference image data P is collated and the determination process is performed.

  That is, as shown in the figure, the binarized data of the regions “G4”, “P4”, “Q12” constituting the reference image data P is “black (1)”. Since the binarized data of the areas “G4”, “P4”, and “Q12” constituting the image data A corresponding to the three areas are also “black (1)”, the binarized data of the two coincide with each other. . Similarly, the binarized data of the areas “T1” and “U15” constituting the medal path 102 shown in one frame representing the reference image data P is “white (0)” and corresponds to these two areas. Since the binarized data of the areas “T1” and “U15” constituting the image data A to be processed are also “white (0)”, the binarized data of both are the same.

  Next, an example in which the binarized image data of the reference image data P and the image data B do not match will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the image determination process performed by the medal determination device 100, as in FIG. 4, and is obtained by taking an example of reference image data P stored in advance and imaging by the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300. 1 shows an example of image data B after image processing. Further, the reference image data P and image data B shown in the figure are not only image data indicating the constituent area of the medal, but also a pixel defect portion of the CCD 310 constituting the imaging device 300 and foreign matters (dirt and dust) attached to the CCD 310, The image data including foreign matter (dirt, dust, etc.) attached to the objective lens 320 (FIG. 2) is also shown.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the image data of the region “L2” constituting the binarized image data of the reference image data P is “white (0)”, and corresponds to the region “L2” of the reference image data P. Since the binarized data of the area “L2” constituting the binarized image data of the image data B to be “black (1)”, the image data of both does not match (the image from the reference image data P) The size of data B is small). Hereinafter, similarly, the areas corresponding to the image data of the areas constituting the reference image data P for each area of all the area ranges of “A0 to A17, B0 to B17... X0 to X17”, and this area. Is compared with the binarized data for each area of the image data B, and a determination process is performed as to whether the corresponding binarized data matches for each area. In this case, in the reference image data P and the image data B, since the matching rate of the binarized data is not equal to or higher than a predetermined rate (for example, 90% or higher), the medal is determined to be an illegal product and returned.

[Configuration of pachislot machine 1]
Next, the external configuration and internal configuration of the pachislot machine 1 according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of the pachislot machine 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the front door 2 of the internal configuration of the pachislot machine 1 is opened.

  As shown in the figure, the housing forming the entire pachislot machine 1 includes a box-shaped cabinet 1a and a front door 2 that opens and closes an opening formed in the front portion of the cabinet 1a. In addition, speakers 6L and 6R are provided on the upper part of the pachi-slot machine 1 at left and right symmetrical positions, and these speakers 6L and 6R output effect sounds such as sound effects and voices related to effects during games.

  In addition, a panel display unit 2 a and a liquid crystal display unit 2 b that are substantially vertical are provided on the front surface of the pachislot machine 1. The panel display unit 2a is provided with reel display windows 4L, 4C and 4R. The reel display windows 4L, 4C and 4R are provided with display lines of a top line 5b, a center line 5c and a bottom line 5d in the horizontal direction. In addition, display lines of a cross-up line 5a and a cross-down line 5e are provided in an oblique direction.

  As will be described later, when the player inserts one or two medals into the medal slot 12, one (center line 5c) or three (top line 5b, center line 5c, and bottom line 5d, respectively) ) Display line is enabled. Further, when the player presses the 3-BET button 15 or when the player inserts three medals into the medal slot 12, each of the five lines 5a to 5e becomes valid. Each of these lines 5a to 5e is related to the success or failure of the combination. In addition, the liquid crystal display unit 2b performs various effects during pachislot games, a demonstration display during standby, and the like.

  Behind the front door 2, there are three reels 3L, 3C, 3R in which a plurality of kinds of symbols are drawn on the outer peripheral surfaces thereof, which are rotatably arranged in a horizontal row. Each reel 3L, 3C, 3R is Rotate at a constant speed (for example, 80 rpm). These three reels 3L, 3C, 3R constitute a reel unit 3. The reels 3L, 3C, 3R can be seen from the reel display windows 4L, 4C, 4R, the reels 3L, 3C, 3R are rotating, and the stop buttons 18L, 18C, 18R can be pressed. In this case, the player enters a transparent state so that the player can visually recognize the symbols on the reels 3L, 3C, 3R.

  A pedestal 11 having a substantially horizontal plane is provided below the panel display 2a and the liquid crystal display 2b. A medal insertion slot 12 for inserting medals is provided on the right side of the pedestal portion 11, and medals inserted into the medal insertion slot 12 are credited or bet on a game.

  The medal insertion slot 12 is connected to a medal passage 102 (FIG. 8-1) constituting the medal discrimination device 100 (FIG. 7), and the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 by the medal discrimination device 100 is a genuine product. If the medal is determined to be a medal, the medal is to be counted, and if the medal is determined to be an illegal medal, the illegal medal is passed through the medal return path 109 (FIG. 8-1). It is thrown out from the exit 20 to the medal receiving part 19.

  Further, on the left side of the pedestal portion 11, a 1-bet button 13 for betting one piece for betting a credited medal, a 2-BET button 14 for betting two pieces, and a 3-bet for three bets are placed. A BET button 15 is provided. The 3-BET button 15 is a so-called MAX-BET button, and the maximum number of medals (usually three) that can be bet on one game from the medals credited by one pressing operation is bet. When the 1-BET button 13, the 2-BET button 14, and the 3-BET button 15 are pressed or three medals are inserted into the medal slot 12, predetermined lines 5a to 5e are activated. .

  A C / P button 16 is provided on the left side of the front portion of the pedestal 11 to switch between pressing a medal acquired by the player in the game or paying out the credited medal. When the C / P button 16 is pressed in a state where a predetermined number of medals have been credited, the credits are invalidated and the credited number of medals are sent from the medal payout opening 20 opened at the lower front to the medal receiving unit 19. Thrown out.

  In the present embodiment, when the medal determination device 100 determines that the medal is not a regular product but an unauthorized product, the medal is returned from the medal payout opening 20. Further, when the C / P button 16 is pressed in a state where the credit is invalidated, the credit becomes valid. On the right side of the C / P button 16, a start lever 17 that rotates the reels 3L to 3R by a player's operation is attached to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range.

  Three stop buttons 18L, 18C, and 18R for stopping the rotation of the three reels 3L, 3C, and 3R are provided on the right side of the start lever 17 at the center of the front surface portion of the pedestal portion 11, respectively. Note that one game (unit game) is started by operating the start lever 17, and is ended when all the reels 3L, 3C, 3R are stopped. Stop switches 18LS, 18CS, and 18RS (not shown) are provided on the back side of the stop buttons 18L, 18C, and 18R. These stop switches 18LS, 18CS, and 18RS detect operations (stop operations) of the corresponding stop buttons 18L, 18C, and 18R.

  The panel display unit 2a is provided with a bonus number display unit 8, BET lamps 7a to 7c, a credit display unit 9, and a payout number display unit 10. The bonus number display unit 8 is formed by a 7-segment circular illumination unit and displays game information in the bonus.

  The BET lamps 7a to 7c are lamps that are turned on in accordance with the number of medals betted to play one game (hereinafter referred to as "BET number"). Specifically, the 1-BET lamp 7a has a BET number. It is lit when 1, the 2-BET lamp 7b is lit when the BET number is 2 or more, and the 3-BET lamp 7c is lit when the BET number is 3 or more.

  The credit display unit 9 and the payout number display unit 10 are each formed by a seven-segment circular illumination unit, and the credit display unit 9 displays the remaining number of medals that have been credited. Here, normally, since the maximum number credited to the pachislot machine 1 is 50, the credit number displayed on the credit display unit 9 is 50 or less. In addition, even if a medal is inserted in a state where the maximum number of medals is credited, it is paid out as it is. Further, the payout number display portion 10 displays the number of medal payouts when a winning is established.

[Configuration of the back side of the pachislot machine 1]
As shown in FIG. 7, the reel unit 3 including the three reels 3L, 3C, and 3R shown in FIG. 6 is mounted inside the cabinet 1a. A hopper 21 (medal paying device) is installed below the reel unit 3.

  The hopper 21 has a hopper tank 21a for storing medals and a hopper body 22 for discharging medals stored in the hopper tank 21a. In addition, a medal discharge mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the hopper body 22, and a medal paid out according to a game result (winning combination) by a pachislot game or a medal discrimination device 100 is determined as an illegal medal. The configured medal is discharged through the discharge nozzle 23.

  The medals discharged from the discharge nozzle 23 are paid out to the medal receiving part 19 through the medal payout opening 20 opened in the lower part of the front door 2. In addition, on the left side of the bottom of the cabinet 1a, a power supply unit 24 that supplies power to each component mounted in the cabinet 1a of the pachislot machine 1 is provided.

  Further, on the left side of the front door 2, a medal discrimination device 100 configured to be detachable is provided. The medal determined to be genuine by the medal discriminating device 100 is sent to the hopper 21 and the medal determined to be illegal is received from the medal return passage 109 (FIG. 8-1) through the medal payout opening 20. Returned to part 19. Here, since the medal discrimination device 100 is a characteristic part of the present invention, the details of the configuration and functions will be described later.

[Internal configuration of medal discrimination device 100]
Next, the internal configuration of the medal discrimination device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8A is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the inside of the medal discrimination device 100. Moreover, FIG. 8-2 has shown the AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the operation of the medal when it is determined that the medal is a regular product. Reference numeral 150 a denotes a control board that controls the medal discrimination device 100.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the medal discrimination device 100 is configured by an outer frame body 101 formed in a cabinet shape, and is inserted into the outer frame body 101 from a medal slot 12 (FIG. 6). A medal passage 102 through which the medal passes is formed.

  The medal passage 102 is located at the upstream end in the medal advance direction, the medal insertion portion 103 communicated with the medal slot 12, and the downstream end in the medal advance direction, and is connected to the hopper 21 (FIG. 7). The medal discharging unit 104 is in contact with the medal discharging unit 104, and the medal returning unit 105 is in contact with the medal receiving unit 19. The medal passage 102 has a curved passage 102a and a skew passage 102b, and when a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 passes, the medal itself is on its upstream side (see FIG. It is formed in a shape that can travel from the upper side of 8-1 to the downstream side (lower side of FIG. 8-1).

  The curved passage 102a is formed as a bent passage portion that bends a part of the medal passage 102 so as to rapidly change the advancing direction of the medal, and the curved passage 102a decelerates the traveling speed of the medal passing through the curved passage 102a. It has a function to let you. Here, in FIG. 8A, in order to decelerate the traveling speed of the medal, a curved shape is used. For example, a speed reduction mechanism using mechanical contact or friction with brushed or meshed, air blasting, A deceleration mechanism using magnetic force, pressure, attractive force, or the like may be used. Further, a combination of a plurality of reduction mechanisms may be used.

  In addition, a magnetic sensor 106 is provided at the downstream end of the curved passage 102 a constituting the medal passage 102. The magnetic sensor 106 has a function of discriminating whether a medal is a genuine product or an unauthorized product by detecting the presence / absence of magnetism of the medal that proceeds from the medal insertion unit 103 to the curved passage 102a. Specifically, since regular medals are made of a non-magnetic material, the medals detected by the magnetic sensor 106 are non-magnetic medals.

  An illumination device 200 (circular illumination unit 210) and an imaging device 300 that constitute the medal discrimination device 100 are provided between the curved passage 102a and the skew passage 102b that constitute the medal passage 102. A medal passage sensor 107 is provided on the downstream side of the imaging apparatus 300. For the medal passage sensor 107, for example, a reflection type photosensor having a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit that project infrared rays is used.

  The medal passage sensor 107 detects the passage of this medal when the light receiving unit receives infrared rays reflected from the medal when the medal passes through the medal passage 102. When the medal passage sensor 107 detects the passage of the medal, the illuminating device 200 (FIG. 8-2) emits light from the circular illumination unit 210 toward the medal, and the medal is detected by the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300. The image of is taken. As illustrated in FIG. 8A, the circular illumination unit 210 has a substantially donut shape having a circular hole in the center, and thus light that is uniform toward a concentric circle centered around the center of the medal. Can be irradiated.

  In addition, by comparing the image data acquired by the imaging of the CCD 310 with the reference image data P stored in advance and determining whether the two image data match, whether the inserted medal is a regular medal or illegal It is determined whether it is a medal.

  Further, a medal counting sensor 108 for detecting the number of medals is provided on the downstream side of the medal passage 102. The medal counting sensor 108 is inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 and is connected to the downstream end from the upstream end of the medal passage 102. The number of medals is counted by detecting medals that have progressed to. For the medal counting sensor 108, a photocoupler provided with a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion at positions facing each other can be employed.

  The medals counted through the medal counting sensor 108 are stored in the hopper 21 (FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, counting by the medal counting sensor 108 is performed on medals determined by the medal discrimination device 100 as being regular medals.

  In addition, a medal return passage 109 connected to the medal receiving portion 19 (FIG. 7) is connected to the medal return portion 105 as a branch portion for returning a medal. Is provided. The medal return device 400 includes a passage switching mechanism 410 that switches the advancing direction of medals traveling toward the medal discharge unit 104 to the medal return passage 109 side.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8B, the passage switching mechanism 410 includes a switching solenoid 411 and a switching plate 413 having an L-shaped cross section that is swingably supported around a support shaft 412. That is, the moving direction of the medals can be switched to the medal return passage 109 side by swinging the switching plate 413 and tilting the switching plate 413 at a predetermined angle. The switching solenoid 411 is controlled to operate (ON / OFF) based on the medal discrimination result by the magnetic sensor 106 and the medal discrimination device 100. Specifically, when an illegal product medal or a predetermined number of coins are inserted or during a unit game, the switching solenoid 411 is operated to advance the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 toward the medal return passage 109 and to pay the medal. It returns from the medal receiving part 19 through the exit 20.

  In the medal discrimination device 100 configured as described above, a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 travels through the curved passage 102a from the medal insertion unit 103, and the magnetic characteristics of the medal are detected by the magnetic sensor 106. When a medal that has traveled through the curved path 102 a and the skew path 102 b is detected by the medal passage sensor 107, the medal is irradiated with light from the circular illumination unit 210 of the illumination device 200, and the medal is performed by the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300. And the reference image data P are collated to determine whether the two image data match.

  Here, in this example, since the medal is described as a regular medal, the switching solenoid 411 of the path switching mechanism 410 does not operate, so the path is not switched by the swing of the switching plate 413. Thereby, the medal passes through the medal passing sensor 107 and reaches the medal counting sensor 108, and the medal counting sensor 108 counts the medal. Hereinafter, this medal is discharged from the medal discharge unit 104 and stored in the hopper 21.

[Action when returning medal]
Next, with reference to FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, an operation when it is determined that a medal is an illegal product will be described. FIG. 9A is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating the inside of the medal discrimination device 100, and is a diagram illustrating an operation when returning a medal determined to be an unauthorized product. Moreover, FIG. 9-2 has shown AA arrow sectional drawing of FIGS. Here, the configuration of the medal discrimination device 100 is the same as that of FIG.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 travels through the curved passage 102a from the medal insertion portion 103, and the magnetic characteristics of the medal are detected by the magnetic sensor 106. 102a, when a medal that has traveled through the skew path 102b is detected by the medal passage sensor 107, light is emitted from the circular illumination unit 210 of the illumination device 200 to the medal, and the image of the medal is imaged by the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300. Is determined, and by comparing the captured image data with the reference image data, it is determined whether the two image data match.

  In this example, since the medal is described as an illegal product, the switching solenoid 411 constituting the passage switching mechanism 410 is operated, and the switching plate 413 is rotated clockwise (in the drawing, as shown in FIG. 9-2). In this case, the medal is returned to the medal receiving unit 19 through the medal return passage 109 and the medal payout opening 20 from the skew passage 102b.

  Even when the magnetic sensor 106 determines that the medal inserted from the medal slot 12 is not a non-magnetic material, the switching plate 413 is similarly tilted by the operation of the passage switching mechanism 410, so that the medal is inclined. It is returned from the line 102b to the medal receiving part 19 through the medal return path 109 and the medal payout opening 20 (FIG. 6).

[Electrical configuration of medal discrimination device 100]
Next, the electrical configuration of the medal discrimination device 100 will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the medal discrimination device 100. As shown in the figure, the medal discrimination device 100 includes an illumination device 200 that emits light from a circular illumination unit 210 to a medal that passes through the medal passage 102, an imaging device 300 that captures an image of the medal by a CCD 310, and a control board. The illumination device 200 includes a circular illumination unit 210, and the imaging device 300 includes a CCD 310 and an objective lens 320.

  The control unit 150 and the CPU 31 of the main control circuit 71 are electrically connected, and the CPU 31 is connected to a RAM 32a, an image RAM 32b, and a ROM 33. Details of the configuration of the main control circuit 71 will be described later.

  The control unit 150 includes a circular illumination driving unit 151, a medal passage sensor driving unit 152 that drives the medal passage sensor 107, a signal input / output unit 153, and a CCD driving unit 154. The circular illumination driving unit 151 is connected to the circular illumination unit 210 of the illumination device 200, and drives the circular illumination unit 210 when a medal passing through the medal passage 102 is detected by the medal passage sensor 107. Irradiate the medal with light.

  The signal input / output unit 153 is connected to the medal passage sensor 107 and the CCD 310, inputs a signal from the medal passage sensor 107 and a signal from the CCD 310, and outputs the input signal to the CPU 31. The CCD driving unit 154 is connected to the CCD 310, and when the medal passing through the medal passage 102 is detected by the medal passage sensor 107 and the circular illumination driving unit 151 is driven, light is emitted from the circular illumination unit 210 to the medal. The CCD 310 is driven almost simultaneously.

  The medal return device 400 includes a switching solenoid 411 and a solenoid driving unit 414 that constitute the passage switching mechanism 410. The solenoid driving unit 414 is connected to the switching solenoid 411 and drives the switching solenoid 411 based on a control signal from the CPU 31. As described above, since the switching plate 413 (FIG. 9-2) swings to a predetermined angle by driving the switching solenoid 411, medals determined to be illegal medals are returned along the inclination of the switching plate 413. It can be returned from the passage 109 to the medal receiving part 19.

[Electric Configuration of Pachislot Machine 1: Main Control Circuit 71]
Next, the electrical configuration of the pachislot machine 1 shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration (electric circuit) of the pachislot machine 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the electric circuit that constitutes the pachislot machine 1 includes a main control circuit 71 that controls the game processing operation of the pachislot machine 1 as a whole, and various types of electric circuits that are electrically connected to the main control circuit 71. A peripheral device (actuator) and a sub-control circuit 72 for controlling the liquid crystal display unit 2b, the speakers 6L and 6R, the LEDs 201 and the lamps 202 based on a control command transmitted from the main control circuit 71 are included.

  The main control circuit 71, various control boards, and various peripheral devices (actuators) are connected via an I / O port 38 so that various signals can be input / output electrically. Further, an external concentrated terminal board 98 is connected to the main control circuit 71, and the external concentrated terminal board 98 enables data communication between the sub control circuit 72 and the medal discrimination device 100.

  The main control circuit 71 includes a microcomputer 30 disposed on a circuit board as a main component, and is added with a circuit for random number sampling. The microcomputer 30 includes a CPU 31 that performs a control operation according to a preset program, a RAM 32a that is a storage unit, an image RAM 32b, and a ROM 33.

  Connected to the CPU 31 are a clock pulse generator 34 and a frequency divider 35 for generating a reference clock pulse, and a random number generator 36 and a sampling circuit 37 for generating a random number to be sampled.

  The random number generator 36 generates random numbers belonging to a certain numerical range, and the sampling circuit 37 samples the random numbers at an appropriate timing after the start lever 17 is operated. By using the random numbers sampled in this way, for example, an internal winning combination is determined based on a probability lottery table stored in the ROM 33. Note that random number sampling can be performed by software by executing a random number sampling program on the CPU 31 in the microcomputer 30. In this case, the random number generator 36 and the sampling circuit 37 can be omitted.

  The ROM 33 of the microcomputer 30 stores various control commands to be transmitted to the sub-control circuit 72 and a probability lottery table used for determination of random number sampling performed every time the start lever 17 is operated (start operation) and a winning symbol for stopping. A determination table, a stop table group for determining a reel stop mode according to the operation of the stop buttons 18L, 18C, and 18R, and the like are stored. Note that the sub control circuit 72 does not input a control command, information, or the like to the main control circuit 71, and communication is performed in one direction from the main control circuit 71 to the sub control circuit 72.

  Further, in this ROM 33, a combination of various symbols corresponding to the display combination, the number of medal dividends, and a winning combination determination code (establishment determination code) indicating the winning (establishment) are associated with the display combination specification. The table is stored. This display combination specifying table is referred to when the left reel 3L, the center reel 3C, and the right reel 3R are stopped and when the display combination is confirmed after all the reels 3L, 3C, and 3R are stopped. The display combination (display combination data) is a combination (established combination) corresponding to a combination of symbols arranged along the active line, and the player is given a profit corresponding to the display combination.

  Further, the RAM 32a stores various information such as an internal winning combination, a carryover combination, a current game state and the like related to winning of the pachislot machine 1. The image RAM 32b stores medal image data captured by the CCD 310 of the imaging apparatus 300. Further, as described above, the image RAM 32b stores the image data (reference image data P) of the regular medal previously captured by the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300.

  The main actuators whose operation is controlled by a control signal from the microcomputer 30 include a BET lamp (1-BET lamp 7a, 2-BET lamp 7b, 3-BET lamp 7c), bonus number display section 8, credit display. A display unit such as a unit 9 and a payout number display unit 10, a hopper 21 (including a drive unit for payout) that stores medals and pays out a predetermined number of medals according to a command from the hopper drive circuit 46, and reels 3L and 3C , 3R are stepping motors 49L, 49C, 49R.

  Also, a motor drive circuit 50 that drives and controls the stepping motors 49L, 49C, and 49R, a hopper drive circuit 46 that drives and controls the hopper 21, and a BET lamp (1-BET lamp 7a, 2-BET lamp 7b, 3-BET lamp 7c) A lamp driving circuit 45 for driving and controlling a display unit driving circuit 48 for driving and controlling display units such as a bonus number display unit 8, a credit display unit 9, and a payout number display unit 10 are connected to an output unit of the CPU 31. Each of these drive circuits receives a control signal such as a drive command output from the CPU 31 and controls the operation of each actuator.

  The microcomputer 30 also receives input signals from the start switch 17S, BET switch (1-BET switch 13S, 2-BET switch 14S, 3-BET switch 15S), reel position detection circuit 49, and payout completion signal circuit 47. Based on these, a control command is generated.

  The start switch 17S is a switch that detects an operation of the start lever 17, and the medal sensor 12S is a sensor that detects a medal inserted into the medal slot 12. The BET switches 13S, 14S, and 15S are provided on the back side of the 1-BET button 13, the 2-BET button 14, and the 3-BET button 15, and the 1-BET button 13, the 2-BET button 14, and the 3-BET button 15 are provided. A switch that generates a signal in response to an operation.

  The C / P switch 16 </ b> S is a switch that is provided on the rear surface of the C / P button 16 and generates a signal in response to an operation of the C / P button 16. The reel position detection circuit 49 is a circuit that receives a pulse signal from the reel rotation sensor and supplies a signal for detecting the position of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R to the CPU 31. The payout completion signal circuit 47 generates a signal indicating completion of the medal payout when the number of medals paid out from the hopper 21 reaches the designated number data.

  After the rotation of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R is started, the number of drive pulses supplied to each of the stepping motors 49L, 49C, 49R is counted, and the counted value is written in a predetermined area of the RAM 32a. From the reels 3L, 3C, 3R, reset pulses are obtained every rotation, and these pulses are input to the CPU 31 via the reel position detection circuit 49. The count value of the drive pulse counted in the RAM 32a is cleared to “0” by the reset pulse thus obtained. As a result, the RAM 32a stores the count value corresponding to the rotational position within the range of one rotation for each of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R.

  A symbol table (not shown) is stored in the ROM 33 in order to associate the rotational positions of the reels 3L, 3C, 3R as described above with the symbols drawn on the outer peripheral surface of the reel. In this symbol table, a code number that is sequentially given for each fixed rotation pitch of each reel 3L, 3C, 3R with reference to the rotation position where the reset pulse is generated, and a corresponding code number are provided. Is associated with a symbol code indicating the displayed symbol.

  When the CPU 31 determines the internal winning combination or the stop winning combination by lottery processing (probability random determination processing or the like) based on the random number sampling, the stop switch 18LS, Based on the operation signal sent from 18CS and 18RS and the determined stop table, a signal for controlling the stop of the reels 3L, 3C and 3R is sent to the motor drive circuit 50. However, when receiving an input of a command by the player, the CPU 31 sends a signal for controlling the reels 3L, 3C, 3R to stop the motor drive circuit 50 even if the player operates the stop buttons 18L, 18C, 18R. Do not send.

  Further, when the CPU 31 is in a stop mode (that is, a winning mode) indicating winning of the winning combination, it supplies a payout command signal to the hopper drive circuit 46 and pays out a predetermined number of medals from the hopper 21. The payout completion signal circuit 47 generates a signal for detecting a medal payout completion signal when the count value of the medal detection unit 21S (the number of medals paid out from the hopper 21) reaches the designated number data. .

  That is, the medal detection unit 21S counts the number of medals to be paid out from the hopper 21 and sends a medal payout completion signal to the CPU 31 via the payout completion signal circuit 47 when the counted value reaches a designated number. Entered. As a result, the CPU 31 stops driving the hopper 21 via the hopper drive circuit 46 and ends the medal payout process.

[Electrical configuration of pachislot machine 1: sub-control circuit 72]
Next, the sub control circuit 72 of the pachislot machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the sub control circuit 72. As shown in FIG. 12, the sub-control circuit 72 is connected to the main control circuit 71 via a bus, and the liquid crystal display unit 2b, speakers 6L and 6R, LEDs 201, lamps 202, A volume control unit 99 is connected.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the sub-control circuit 72 includes an image control circuit (gSub) 72a and a sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b. The image control circuit (gSub) 72a and the sound / lamp The control circuit (mSub) 72b is formed on a circuit board different from the circuit board constituting the main control circuit 71.

  Communication between the main control circuit 71 and the image control circuit (gSub) 72a is performed in one direction from the main control circuit 71 to the image control circuit (gSub) 72a, and the image control circuit (gSub) 72a is connected to the main control circuit. No control command or information is output to 71. Communication between the image control circuit (gSub) 72a and the sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b is performed in one direction from the image control circuit (gSub) 72a to the sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b. The sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b does not output a control command or information to the image control circuit (gSub) 72a.

  The image control circuit (gSub) 72a includes an image control microcomputer 81, a serial port 82, a program ROM 83, a work RAM 84, a calendar IC 85, an image control IC 86, a control RAM 87, an image ROM (CROM (character ROM)) 88, and a video RAM 89.

  The image control microcomputer 81 includes a CPU, an interrupt controller, and an input / output port (a serial port 82 is shown). The CPU provided in the image control microcomputer 81 performs various processes according to the control program stored in the program ROM 83 based on the control command transmitted from the main control circuit 71. For example, if a control command for displaying a specific image corresponding to the command is received from the main control circuit 71, the image control IC 86 is instructed to take out this image from the image ROM 88 and display it on the liquid crystal display unit 2b. Will do.

  The image control circuit (gSub) 72a does not include a clock pulse generation circuit, a frequency divider, a random number generator, and a sampling circuit, but executes random number sampling in software on the operation program of the image control microcomputer 81. It is configured as follows.

  The serial port 82 is a port that receives a control command or the like transmitted from the main control circuit 71. The program ROM 83 stores a control program executed by the image control microcomputer 81 and various tables described later. The work RAM 84 is used as a work memory area that is used when the image control microcomputer 81 executes a control program, and the work RAM 84 stores various information related to effects and the like.

  The calendar IC 85 is an IC that stores date data, and a game shop employee or the like operates an operation unit (not shown) to set a date, and the set date is stored in the calendar IC 85. Since the work RAM 84 and the calendar IC 85 are to be backed up, even when the power supplied to the image control microcomputer 81 is cut off, the power is continuously supplied and the stored information and the like are erased. Is prevented.

  The image control IC 86 is an IC that generates an image corresponding to the content of the effect determined by the image control microcomputer 81 and outputs the image to the liquid crystal display unit 2b. The image control IC 86 includes a control RAM 87, and the image control microcomputer 81 reads and writes information from and to the control RAM 87. Further, the control RAM 87 is expanded with a register of the image control IC 86, a sprite attribute table, and a color palette table. The image control microcomputer 81 stores the register of the image control IC 86 and the sprite attribute table at predetermined timings. Update.

  The image control IC 86 is connected to the liquid crystal display unit 2b, the image ROM 88, and the video RAM 89. Note that when processing a large amount of image data such as three-dimensional image data, the image ROM 88 may be connected to the image control microcomputer 81. The image ROM 88 stores image data, dot data, and the like for generating an image. The video RAM 89 is used as temporary storage means when an image is generated by the image control IC 86. The image control IC 86 transmits a signal to the image control microcomputer 81 every time data in the video RAM 89 is transferred to the liquid crystal display unit 2b.

  Further, in the image control circuit (gSub) 72a, the image control microcomputer 81 also controls the production of sound and lamp. The image control microcomputer 81 determines the type and output timing of the sound / lamp based on the determined effect, and transmits a control command to the sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b via the serial port 82 at every predetermined timing. To do. The sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b that has received this control command performs only sound / lamp output in accordance with the control command received from the image control circuit (gSub) 72a (excluding volume adjustment control described later).

  The sound / lamp control circuit (mSub) 72b includes a sound / lamp control microcomputer 91, a serial port 92, a program ROM 93, a work RAM 94, a sound source IC 95, a power amplifier 96, and a sound source ROM 97.

  The sound / lamp control microcomputer 91 includes a CPU, an interrupt controller, and an input / output port (a serial port 92 is shown). The CPU in the sound / lamp control microcomputer 91 performs sound / lamp output processing in accordance with the control program stored in the program ROM 93 based on the control command transmitted from the image control circuit (gSub) 72a.

  The sound / lamp control microcomputer 91 is connected to LEDs 201 and lamps 202. The sound / lamp control microcomputer 91 transmits an output signal to the LEDs 201 and the lamps 202 in response to a control command transmitted at a predetermined timing from the image control circuit (gSub) 72a. Thereby, the LEDs 201 and the lamps 202 emit light in a predetermined manner according to the effect.

  The serial port 92 is an input port that receives a control command transmitted from the image control circuit (gSub) 72a. The program ROM 93 is a memory storing a control program executed by the sound / lamp control microcomputer 91. The work RAM 94 is used as a work memory for work when the sound / lamp control microcomputer 91 executes the control program described above.

  The sound source IC 95 generates a sound source based on the control command transmitted from the image control circuit (gSub) 72 a and outputs the sound source to the power amplifier 96. The power amplifier 96 is an amplifier, and speakers 6L and 6R are connected to the power amplifier 96. The power amplifier 96 amplifies the sound source output from the sound source IC 95 and outputs the amplified sound source from the speakers 6L and 6R. The sound source ROM 97 stores sound source data (phrase etc.) for generating a sound source.

  In addition, a volume control unit 99 is connected to the sound / lamp control microcomputer 91. The volume control unit 99 can be operated by an employee of a game store or the like, and the volume output from the speakers 6L and 6R is adjusted. The sound / lamp control microcomputer 91 performs control to adjust the sound output from the speakers 6L and 6R to the input volume based on the input signal transmitted from the volume adjustment unit 99.

[Medal discrimination processing procedure by pachislot machine 1]
Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 13, the medal discrimination process procedure according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. The flowchart shown in FIG. 13 shows a medal discrimination processing routine by the medal discrimination device 100 provided in the pachislot machine 1.

  That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13, first, it is determined whether or not the pachislot game by the player is in a unit game (step S10), and if it is determined that the player is in a unit game (step S10). (Yes), as shown in FIG. 9-2, the medal return passage 109 is opened to unconditionally return the medal inserted from the medal slot 12 (step S11), and the process returns to S10.

  Specifically, the opening of the medal return passage 109 is opened by operating the switching solenoid 411 of the medal returning device 400 provided in the medal returning unit 105 to swing the switching plate 413 to a predetermined angle. Thereby, the medal inserted from the medal insertion slot 12 is returned to the medal receiving part 19 from the medal return passage 109 through the medal payout opening 20 (FIG. 7).

  Here, the unit game means that after the medal is inserted, the start lever 17 (FIG. 6) is pressed (ON), whereby the reels 3L, 3C, 3R rotate, and then the player presses the stop buttons 18L, 18C, In this case, the pachislot machine 1 is prohibited from accepting medals, so even if a medal is inserted from the medal insertion slot 12, this medal passes through the medal return passage 109. It is supposed to be returned. Whether or not a unit game is actually being performed is determined based on the reel rotation signal from the main control circuit 71 and the presence or absence of all reel stop signals from the stop buttons 18L, 18C and 18R.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that the player's pachislot game is not in a unit game (No in step S10), in order to allow passage of medals inserted from the medal insertion slot 12, FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the medal return passage 109 is closed (step S12).

  Specifically, the opening portion of the medal return passage 109 is closed by operating the switching solenoid 411 of the medal returning device 400 provided in the medal returning unit 105 to swing the switching plate 413 to the original position. Thereby, the medal passes through the medal passage 102 without being returned through the medal return passage 109.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the medal passage sensor 107 is activated (turned on) (step S13). As a result, when it is determined that the medal passage sensor 107 is activated (turned on) (Yes at Step S13), the CPU 31 drives the circular illumination unit 210 of the illumination device 200 (Step S14).

  As a result, light is emitted from the circular illumination unit 210 to the medal passing through the medal passage 102. In this case, the light irradiated from the circular illumination unit 210 to the medal is uniformly irradiated on the concentric circle from the center of the medal. On the other hand, if it is determined that the medal passage sensor 107 is not activated (ON) (No at Step S13), the process returns to Step S10.

  Subsequently, the CCD 310 of the imaging device 300 is activated (turned on) (step S15). Thereby, the image of the medal passing through the medal passage 102 can be taken by the CCD 310. Subsequently, the image data acquired by the imaging of the CCD 310 is stored in the image RAM 32b (FIG. 11) (step S16).

  Subsequently, image data division processing and averaging processing are performed on the image data acquired by the processing in step S16 (step S17). By this image data dividing process, the image data is divided into a plurality of areas.

  The averaging process is a process of averaging the luminance values, and the image data becomes image data in which the luminance values of a plurality of areas are averaged by this process. Subsequently, a process of binarizing the image data is performed (step S18). By this binarization processing of the image data, each area constituting the image data becomes binarized image data converted into either “black (1)” or “white (0)”.

  Subsequently, the CPU 31 performs image data determination processing (step S19). In this image data determination processing, it is determined whether or not the medal image data converted (generated) by the image processing in steps S14 to S16 and the regular medal image data (reference image data P) stored in advance match. This is a process for determining. This image data determination process is a process in which the reference image data P is rotated and matched with the acquired image data that has been picked up and collated for each region.

  Then, it is determined by the image data determination process whether or not the two image data coincide with each other by a predetermined ratio (90% or more) (step S20). If it is determined that they match (Yes at step S20), the process returns to S10. In this case, since the medal is determined to be a genuine medal, the advancing direction of this medal proceeds to the position of the medal counting sensor 108 without switching the path to the medal return path 109, and the number of medals as a regular medal Is counted.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S20 that the two image data do not match at a predetermined ratio or more (No in step S20), the medal is determined to be an illegal medal. The opening is made for a predetermined time (step S21). Thus, the illegal medal is returned from the medal receiving port 19 through the medal return passage 109 and the medal payout opening 20 without reaching the medal counting sensor 108. Thereafter, the CPU 31 returns to the process of step S10.

  As described above, the medals determined by the medal discriminating apparatus 100 as the illegal medals are returned through the medal return passage 109 and the medal payout opening 20 as described above with reference to the flowchart, so that the illegal medals are counted as the number of medals. There is no. As a result, it is possible to surely prevent the use of unauthorized medals, and therefore, it is possible to prevent an unauthorized act of attempting to acquire medals illegally.

[The invention's effect]
As described above, according to the present invention, the medal discriminating device 100 is configured in a substantially donut shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal, and is a circular shape that irradiates the medal passing through the medal passage 102 with light. Since the illuminating device 200 having the illuminating unit 210 and the imaging device 300 having the CCD 310 that captures an image of a medal based on the reflected light from the circular illuminating unit 210 are provided, Based on this, an image of a medal is captured as acquired image data, and image processing (division processing, averaging processing, binarization processing) is performed on the acquired acquired image data, so that the medals are directed toward the concentric circles. Because illumination is evenly applied, even if medals are imaged at various rotation angles, errors in luminance detection caused by the illumination angle are reduced. Rukoto can, thereby, it is possible to acquire the image data of the medal accurately.

  Further, the image data representing the size of the medal can be acquired as image data with clear brightness (brightness value), and the acquired image data is converted into highly accurate binary image data by image processing. Therefore, when the binarized image data constituting both areas are collated between the acquired image data and the reference image data, medal discrimination accuracy can be improved. Further, the image data representing the size of the medal can be acquired as image data with clear brightness (brightness value), and the acquired image data is converted into highly accurate binary image data by image processing. Therefore, when the binarized image data constituting both areas are collated between the acquired image data and the reference image data, medal discrimination accuracy can be improved.

  In addition, the acquired image data and the pre-stored reference image data P are collated, and the difference between the binarized image data constituting each of the areas is determined, so that it is possible to accurately discriminate between a regular medal and an illegal medal. Since this can be done, fraudulent attempts to illegally acquire medals can be prevented.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms other than the embodiments described above. That is, in the gaming machine shown in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the pachislot machine 1 using a medal as a gaming medium has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the pachinko gaming machine, parrot The same can be applied to other game machines. Furthermore, the present invention can be similarly applied to a game program in which the game of the pachislot machine 1 described in the embodiment is simulated for a home game machine. As a recording medium for recording this game program, a flexible disk (FD) or other recording medium can be used, and this game program may be downloaded via a network.

  As described above, the gaming machine according to the present invention is suitable for a gaming machine that can prevent an illegal act of illegally trying to acquire a medal.

It is explanatory drawing explaining the outline | summary of the medal | token discrimination apparatus with which the pachislot machine concerning the Example was equipped. It is the top view which expanded the principal part of the medal discrimination device concerning an example. It is explanatory drawing explaining the outline | summary of the image process by the medal discrimination device based on an Example. It is explanatory drawing explaining the outline | summary of the image determination process by the medal | token discrimination apparatus based on an Example (example in which image data corresponds). It is explanatory drawing explaining the outline | summary of the image determination process by the medal | token discrimination apparatus based on an Example (example in which image data does not correspond). It is a whole perspective view which shows the external appearance of the pachislot machine which concerns on an Example. It is a whole perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the internal structure of the pachislot machine which concerns on an Example. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of a medal discriminating device (when counting the number of medals). It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIGS. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of a medal discrimination device (at the time of a medal return). It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIGS. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the medal discrimination device based on an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the main control circuit which concerns on an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the sub control circuit which concerns on an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the medal | token discrimination | determination processing procedure by the medal discriminating apparatus which concerns on an Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Pachislot machine 3L, 3C, 3R Reel 11 Base 12 Medal slot 16 C / P button 17 Start lever 18L, 18C, 18R Stop button 30 Microcomputer 31 CPU (Central Processing Unit)
32a RAM (RandomAccessMemory)
32b Image RAM (RandomAccessMemory)
33 ROM (ReadOnlyMemory)
71 Main Control Circuit 72 Sub Control Circuit 100 Medal Discriminating Device 102 Medal Path 106 Magnetic Sensor 107 Medal Passing Sensor 108 Medal Counting Sensor 200 Illuminating Device 210 Circular Illuminating Section 211 Circular Hole 300 Imaging Device 310 CCD

Claims (5)

A medal detection means for detecting that a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot passes through the guide passage, and when the medal passes through the guide passage, whether the medal is a genuine product or an illegal product is determined based on the image data. In a gaming machine equipped with a medal discrimination device,
The medal detection means is arranged on the upstream side in the direction of travel of the medal, and irradiates light to the medal passing through the guide passage, and has a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal. Lighting means,
An imaging unit that captures an image of the medal as acquired image data based on reflected light by irradiation by the illumination unit;
Reference image acquisition means for acquiring image data of regular medals imaged by the imaging means as reference image data;
A game machine comprising: image reference means for comparing reference image data acquired by the reference image acquisition means and the acquired image data to determine whether the two image data match. A medal detection means for detecting that a medal inserted from the medal insertion slot passes through the guide passage, and when the medal passes through the guide passage, whether the medal is a genuine product or an illegal product is determined based on the image data. In a gaming machine equipped with a medal discrimination device,
The medal detection means is arranged on the upstream side in the direction of travel of the medal, and irradiates light to the medal passing through the guide passage, and has a circular shape having a diameter larger than the outer dimension of the medal. Lighting means,
An imaging unit that captures an image of the medal as acquired image data based on reflected light by irradiation by the illumination unit;
The acquired image data picked up by the image pickup means is divided into a plurality of regions, converted into image data obtained by averaging the luminance values of pixels included in the region, and the image data is binarized based on a predetermined threshold value. Image processing means for converting to binarized image data,
Reference image acquisition means for acquiring a plurality of regular medal images by the imaging means a plurality of times and acquiring the image as binary image data that has been binarized by the image processing means;
A game machine comprising: image reference means for comparing reference image data acquired by the reference image acquisition means and the acquired image data to determine whether the two image data match. The image determination means
The binarized image data for each of the plurality of regions constituting the reference image data and the binarized image data for each of the plurality of regions constituting the acquired image data are collated for each corresponding region. In addition, the gaming machine according to claim 2, wherein when the binarized image data coincides in an area of a predetermined ratio or more, the inserted medal is determined to be a regular medal. The image determination means
The binarized image data constituting the reference image data is rotated around a predetermined position, the image data matching process is performed, and the comparison is performed for each area divided from the acquired image data. The gaming machine according to claim 1, 2, or 3.   The illumination means has a substantially donut shape having a circular hole in a central portion, and irradiates light that is uniform toward a concentric circle centering on a substantially central portion of the medal. 4. The gaming machine according to any one of 4.

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