Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of reducing disassembly work when separated for recycling and the like.SOLUTION: In a Pachinko machine 1 which has a plurality of general winning ports 2001 which game balls can enter and is provided with a side unit 2800 fitted to a front surface of a panel plate 1110 of a game panel 1100 on whose front surface the game balls can flow, the side unit 2800 has: a positioning protrusion 2811c inserted in a positioning hole 1113 provided on the panel plate 1110 and a mounting hole 2811d to be fitted to the panel plate 1110; a first constituting member 2811 fitted to the panel plate 1110 so as to close an opening 1112 provided to go through the panel plate 1110 from a front side; and a second constituting member 2812 which has a mounting hole to be fitted to the first constituting member 2811 and is fitted from a back side of the first constituting member 2811.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 76

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko gaming machine (commonly also referred to as a "pachinko machine").

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, In a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, in order to perform an effect that can attract the attention of a player, the effect device is enlarged, the movable area of the effect device is widened, or the effect device is brightly decorated with light emission. As a means for performing an effect that can attract the attention of a player, the effect device is enlarged, the movable area of the effect device is widened, or the effect device is brightly decorated with light emission. As a means for performing an effect that can attract the attention of a player, the effect device is enlarged, the movable area of the effect device is widened, or the effect device is brightly decorated with light emission.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a side lamp including a substrate on which LEDs are mounted as an example of an effect device. An LED is an electronic component that emits a lot of heat when emitting light, and the internal temperature rise may cause thermal destruction of itself, and there is room for improvement in order to brightly decorate with light emission.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine capable of See, reducing the influence of heat generated by heat-generating components taking into account the above circumstances.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] Capable of performing light-emitting decoration with a plurality of light-emitting colors In a gaming machine including a decorative substrate on which an LED is mounted on the front side surface, the decorative substrate has a cover member located on the front side of the decorative substrate And the and a base member located on the back side of the decorative substrate, Is included in a decorative unit configured by combining and the Decorative unit is Enclosing the decorative substrate A first opening and a second opening are provided at a position on the side surface side and has The first opening of the decorative unit is formed in the same shape and the same size as the second opening of the decorative unit. the The first opening and the second opening is either one or both of the cover member or the base member, One formed by notching a portion And , It is provided at a position facing the LED of the decorative substrate included in the decorative unit with the LED of the decorative substrate included in the decorative unit interposed therebetween. when the decorative substrate is viewed from the side,[[]] The LED of the decorative substrate on which the LED is mounted and the on the front side of the decorative substrate A part of the space overlaps te And The front surface of the decorative substrate on which the LED is mounted is covered with a white resist, and the part number of the LED is silk-printed in yellow. is characterized by being such.[[]]

Effects of the Invention

[0056] Thus, according to the present invention If so, reducing the influence of heat generated by heat-generating components it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0057]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0058] [1. Overall Structure of Pachinko Machine] The pachinko machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the pachinko machine 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the pachinko machine shown in a state where the upper side is tilted forward.

[0059] The pachinko machine 1 according to this embodiment is installed and used in island facilities in a game hall or the like. In this pachinko machine 1, a large number (for example, 40 to 60) of game balls B are enclosed without being discharged to the outside or supplied from the outside, and circulate inside, so that the player does not touch the game balls B. It is a so-called enclosed game machine or a management game machine. In this pachinko machine 1, the number of balls held by the player is digitized and handled as ball-holding data.

[0060] The game balls B enclosed in the pachinko machine 1 have the same diameter (hereinafter also referred to as diameter D. Diameter D = 11 mm) as the game balls used in conventional pachinko machines, but are made of non-magnetic stainless steel such as SUS304. As a result, even if the game balls B are enclosed in the pachinko machine 1 for a long time, they will not rust and are distinguishable from conventional game balls (iron balls SB) that are magnetically attached.

[0061] The pachinko machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a frame-shaped outer frame 2 installed in an island facility (not shown) of a game hall, a door frame 3 that closes the front surface of the outer frame 2 in an openable and closable manner, a main body frame 4 that supports the door frame 3 in an openable and closable manner and is detachably attached to the outer frame 2 in an openable and closable manner, and a game board 5 that is detachably attached to the main body frame 4 from the front side and has a game area 5a that is visible to the player through the door frame 3 and into which the game balls B are driven by the player.

[0062] [2. Outer frame] The outer frame 2 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. 3 is a front view of the pachinko machine shown with the door frame removed. FIG. 4 is a front view of the pachinko machine shown with the door frame and the game board removed, FIG. 5 is a rear view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 seen obliquely from the front. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 disassembled by main components and seen from the front, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 disassembled by main components and seen from the rear. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 cut at the upper and lower centers. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 9.

[0063] The outer frame 2 can be attached to the island equipment of a game hall (not shown), and can be attached to the main body frame 4 so as to be openable, closable, and detachable forward. The outer frame 2 includes an outer frame main body 10 formed in an overall vertically long frame shape, an outer frame assembly fitting 20 for assembling the outer frame main body 10, an outer frame hinge mechanism 30 for supporting the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable, an outer frame locking fitting (not shown) for locking the main body frame 4 in a closed state, a curtain plate 45 attached to the lower frame body 14 of the outer frame main body 10, and a slip plate 46 attached to the upper surface of the curtain plate 45.

[0064] The outer frame main body 10 of the outer frame 2 includes a left frame body 11 and a right frame body 12 that extend in the vertical direction and are provided at a distance from each other left and right, an upper frame body 13 that connects the upper ends of the left frame body 11 and the right frame body 12, and a lower frame body 14 that connects the lower ends of the left frame body 11 and the right frame body 12. The left frame body 11 and the right frame body 12 are each formed of an extruded profile of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. The upper frame body 13 and the lower frame body 14 are formed of wood. The left frame body 11, the right frame body 12, the upper frame body 13, and the lower frame body 14 have the same dimensions in the front-rear direction.

[0065] The outer frame assembly fitting 20 of the outer frame 2 has an upper left fitting (not shown) that connects the left frame body 11 and the upper frame body 13, an upper right fitting (not shown) that connects the right frame body 12 and the upper frame body 13, a lower left fitting 23 that connects the left frame body 11 and the lower frame body 14, and a lower right fitting (not shown) that connects the right frame body 12 and the lower frame body 14.

[0066] The outer frame hinge mechanism 30 has an outer frame upper hinge body 31 provided at the upper left end of the outer frame main body 10 and an outer frame lower hinge body 35 provided at the lower left end of the outer frame main body 10.

[0067] The upper outer frame hinge body 31 of the outer frame hinge mechanism 30 is attached to the upper left surface of the upper frame body 13, and its front end protrudes forward beyond the outer frame main body 10. The upper outer frame hinge body 31 has a bearing groove 31a that penetrates vertically and is open on one side at a portion that protrudes forward beyond the outer frame main body 10, and a lock member 32 that is provided on the lower surface of the portion that protrudes forward beyond the outer frame main body 10 and can open and close the open portion of the bearing groove 31a.

[0068] The bearing groove 31a of the upper outer frame hinge body 31 can support the main body frame hinge shaft 411a of the main body frame upper hinge body 411 in the main body frame 4 by inserting the main body frame hinge shaft 411a into the bearing groove 31a from the open portion. The lock member 32 of the upper outer frame hinge body 31 is normally in a locked position where it closes the open portion of the bearing groove 31a by the biasing force of an elastic piece (not shown). When the lock member 32 is moved to the release position against the biasing force of the elastic piece, the bearing groove 31a is opened to the side, and the main body frame hinge shaft 411a can be inserted into the bearing groove 31a from the side, or the main body frame hinge shaft 411a inserted into the bearing groove 31a can be removed from the bearing groove 31a.

[0069] The lower outer frame hinge body 35 of the outer frame hinge mechanism 30 is attached to a portion (upper portion) that overlaps with the lower frame body 14 on the upper left surface of the curtain plate 45, and its front end protrudes forward beyond the outer frame main body 10. The lower outer frame hinge body 35 has a hinge shaft 35a that protrudes upward at a portion that protrudes forward beyond the outer frame main body 10. By inserting the hinge shaft 35a of the lower outer frame hinge body 35 into the outer frame shaft hole (not shown) of the main body frame lower hinge body 412 in the main body frame 4, the main body frame lower hinge body 412 can be rotatably supported.

[0070] The outer frame hinge mechanism 30 can support the main body frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed by pivotally supporting the main body frame hinge shaft 411a of the main body frame upper hinge body 411 in the main body frame 4 in the bearing groove 31a of the upper outer frame hinge body 31 and inserting the hinge shaft 35a of the lower outer frame hinge body 35 into the outer frame shaft hole of the main body frame lower hinge body 412.

[0071] The outer frame locking fittings of the outer frame 2 are provided in two vertically spaced positions on the inner surface (left side surface) of the right frame body 12. The outer frame locking fittings can lock the main body frame 4 in a non-openable state with respect to the outer frame 2 by the outer frame locking claws 684 of the lock unit 680 in the main body frame 4 being respectively locked thereto.

[0072] The curtain plate 45 of the outer frame 2 is attached to the lower frame body 14, and the front end protrudes forward from the lower frame body 14. The curtain plate 45 is formed of a synthetic resin. The sliding plates 46 are provided in two positions spaced apart left and right on the upper surface of the curtain plate 45. The sliding plates 46 are such that when the main body frame 4 is closed with respect to the outer frame 2, the lower end surface of the main body frame 4 abuts thereon. The sliding plates 46 are formed of a low-friction material with low frictional resistance, facilitating the sliding of the main body frame 4 and making opening and closing easier.

[0073] [3. Door Frame] The door frame 3 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The door frame 3 is formed in a rectangular shape that is substantially the same size as the inside of the frame of the outer frame 2 and extends vertically in a front view, and is attached to be openable and closable from the front side within the frame of the outer frame 2 via the main body frame 4. The door frame 3 includes a door frame main body 100 that is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the main body frame 4 and has a game window 101 through which the game area 5a of the game board 5 attached to the main body frame 4 faces forward when closed; a transparent glass 120 that is detachably attached to the rear side of the door frame main body 100 and closes the game window 101; a held ball number display unit 140 that displays the number of held balls of the player; a handle 160 that is operated by the player to drive the game ball B into the game area 5a of the game board 5; a cylindrical handle cover 170 that surrounds the outer periphery of the handle 160; and a count button switch 180 that can be operated by the player.

[0074] In addition, the door frame 3 includes a door frame curtain plate 190 that extends across the entire width in the left - right direction at a certain height from the lower end on the front surface of the door frame body 100, a shelf unit 200 that protrudes forward at a position between the game window 101 and the door frame curtain plate 190 on the front surface of the door frame body 100, and an effect operation unit 250 that is provided at the center in the left - right direction of the shelf unit 200 and can be operated by the player. The held ball number display unit 140 and the counting button switch 180 are provided on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200 (the upper surface of the shelf portion 201).

[0075] Furthermore, the door frame 3 includes a door frame top unit 300 provided above the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame body 100, a door frame left side unit 320 provided on the left side of the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame body 100, and a door frame right side unit 340 provided on the right side of the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame body 100.

[0076] The door frame body 100 has a door frame hinge mechanism 110 for attachably and detachably mounting to the main body frame 4. The door frame hinge mechanism 110 has a door frame upper hinge body (not shown) provided at the upper left end of the door frame body 100 and a door frame lower hinge body 112 provided at the lower left end of the door frame body 100. The door frame upper hinge body has a door frame upper hinge shaft (not shown) that protrudes upward. The door frame hinge mechanism 110 inserts the door frame upper hinge shaft of the door frame upper hinge body downward into the door frame upper shaft hole 411b of the main body frame upper hinge body 411 described later, and inserts the door frame lower hinge shaft 112a of the door frame lower hinge body 112 upward into the door frame lower shaft hole 412b of the main body frame lower hinge body 412 described later, so that the door frame 3 can be supported to be openable and closable with respect to the main body frame 4.

[0077] The held ball number display unit 140 is composed of six - digit 7 - segment LEDs. The held ball number display unit 140 is provided at a position on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200 that is to the left of the center in the left - right direction.

[0078] The handle 160 is provided at the lower right corner of the front surface of the door frame body 100, that is, near the right end between the game window 101 and the door frame curtain plate 190 on the front surface of the door frame body 100. The handle 160 is attached so that the player can rotate it with the rotation axis facing the front-rear direction. The handle 160 is formed in a shape similar to that of an automobile steering wheel, and has a central hub portion 160a, a plurality (here, three) of spoke portions 160b extending outward from the hub portion 160a, and an annular ring portion 160c connecting the tips of the spoke portions 160b.

[0079] The ring portion 160c of the handle 160 is provided at a front portion slightly away from the front end of the cylindrical handle cover 170, and is provided so that the player cannot grip the ring portion 160c. Therefore, when the player rotates the handle 160, mainly, the player operates while gripping the hub portion 160a with the fingers passing through between the spoke portions 160b. In this state, the player's fingers are in a state of being inserted into the cylinder of the handle cover 170. As a result, when the player operates the handle 160 and the air vibration (wind) generated by the drive of the main body frame speaker 403 from the bus bar duct 401e of the main body frame 4 is released forward, the wind is sent to the fingers of the player gripping the handle 160 through the duct grill 191 of the door frame curtain plate 190 and the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, which can startle the player and allow the player to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0080] The handle 160 is provided with a firing stop switch 161 that can be pressed by the player, a handle touch sensor 162 that detects a change in the capacitance of the handle 160, and a handle rotation sensor 163 that detects the rotation angle of the handle 160 (see FIG. 35).

[0081] When the launch stop switch 161 is pressed by the player, the drive of the launch solenoid 453 is stopped by the frame control board 640. Therefore, when the player presses the launch stop switch 161 while rotating the handle 160, the launch of the game ball B can be temporarily stopped without returning the rotation operation of the handle 160. After that, if the rotation operation of the handle 160 remains the same and the pressing operation of the launch stop switch 161 is released, the game ball B can be driven into the game area 5a again with the driving strength before pressing the launch stop switch 161 (the driving strength corresponding to the rotation operation of the handle 160).

[0082] The handle touch sensor 162 detects static electricity acting on the handle 160. When the player touches the handle 160, it detects the static electricity acting from the player and detects the player's contact (touch) with the handle 160. Then, when the handle 160 is rotated while the handle touch sensor 162 detects the player's contact, the detection of the handle rotation sensor 163 is received, and the drive of the launch solenoid is controlled according to the rotation angle of the handle 160, so that the game ball B can be driven in.

[0083] Therefore, even if the player tries to rotate the handle 160 by some means without touching the handle 160 and drive the game ball B into the game area 5a, since the handle touch sensor 162 does not detect the player's contact, the launch solenoid 453 is not driven and the game ball B cannot be driven in. This can prevent the game from being played by rotating the handle 160 in a way different from the original, and can reduce the load (burden) on the game hall where the pachinko machine 1 is installed.

[0084] The handle rotation sensor 163 is a variable resistor. When the handle 160 is rotated, the detection axis rotates and the internal resistance changes according to the rotation angle of the detection axis. Therefore, when the handle 160 is rotated to change the internal resistance of the handle rotation sensor 163, the driving force of the firing solenoid 453 in the ball firing unit 450 described later changes according to the internal resistance, and the game ball B can be driven into the game area 5a with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160.

[0085] The handle cover 170 extends rearward from a portion behind the annular portion of the handle 160 so that the diameter expands, and is formed in a conical tube shape. Openings 171 communicating with the inside are provided on the right circumferential surface and the lower circumferential surface of the outer circumferential surface of the handle cover 170. Below the opening 171 on the lower circumferential surface of the handle cover 170, the duct grill 191 of the door frame curtain plate 190 is located. Thus, when the player operates the handle 160 and the air vibration (wind) due to the drive of the main body frame speaker 403 is discharged forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main body frame 4, the wind is sent to the fingers of the player holding the handle 160 through the duct grill 191 of the door frame curtain plate 190 and the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, which can startle the player and allow the player to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0086] The count button switch 180 is provided on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200 at a position to the right of the center in the left-right direction. Although details will be described later, when the count button switch 180 is pressed while there are balls in hand, the balls in hand can be sent to the game ball lending device 8 for settlement.

[0087] The door frame curtain plate 190 extends left and right at a constant height and with the same length as the width of the door frame body 100 in the left-right direction, and is attached to the lower end on the front surface of the door frame body 100. The door frame curtain plate 190 penetrates through in the front-rear direction near the right end and has a duct grill 191 located in front of the bass reflex duct 401e of the main body frame 4 described later.

[0088] The duct grill 191 is formed in a lattice shape consisting of vertical and horizontal grids. The horizontal grid of the duct grill 191 is in the shape of a strip plate with a constant width in the front-rear direction, and is provided in an inclined state such that the front end is positioned above the rear end. This duct grill 191 is provided below (directly below) the handle 160. Thus, when the player operates the handle 160 and air vibration (wind) due to the drive of the body frame speaker 403 is released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the body frame 4, the wind is guided obliquely upward and forward by the horizontal grid of the duct grill 191, and the wind is sent to the fingers of the player holding the handle 160 through the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, which can startle the player and allow the player to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0089] The shelf unit 200 is provided at a position between the game window 101 and the door frame curtain plate 190 on the front surface of the door frame body 100. A spherical effect operation unit 250 is provided at the center in the left-right direction of the shelf unit 200. The shelf unit 200 has a shelf portion 201 that bulges forward in a shelf shape along the lower end of the game window 101 from the upper end, a dish portion 202 that bulges forward from a portion on the left side of the center in the left-right direction at the lower end, a speaker grill 203 provided at a position between the shelf portion 201 and the dish portion 202, and a setting adjustment button 204 provided on the upper surface of the shelf portion 201 and consisting of four push buttons arranged in the front, rear, left, and right directions.

[0090] The upper surface of the shelf portion 201 is formed as a smooth surface. The shelf portion 201 has a front-end decorative portion 201a formed in a semi-tube shape so as to be continuous from the lower ends of the door frame left side unit 320 and the door frame right side unit 340 at the front-edge. The semi-tube-shaped front-end decorative portion 201a is provided so as to be connected to the left and right side surfaces of the spherical effect operation unit 250. On the upper surface of the shelf portion 201, a held ball number display portion 140 is provided at a position on the left side of the center in the left-right direction, a counting button switch 180 is provided at a position on the right side of the center in the left-right direction, and a setting adjustment button 204 is provided at a position in front of and to the left of the counting button switch 180.

[0091] The dish part 202 is formed in a shallow dish shape. As a result, a player can place their hand (finger) on the dish part 202 or place small items such as a pouch, a mobile phone, a key for a purse, a car, etc., which is convenient.

[0092] The speaker grill 203 is located in front of the main body frame speaker 403 in the main body frame 4 described later, and is formed of a punching metal having a plurality of through holes.

[0093] The effect operation unit 250 is provided at the center in the left - right direction of the shelf unit 200. Its front end protrudes forward from the shelf unit 200, and its upper end protrudes upward from the shelf unit 200. The effect operation unit 250 is formed entirely in a spherical shape. The effect operation unit 250 has a circular first effect button 251 provided near the center on the upper surface and an annular second effect button 252 provided so as to surround the first effect button 251. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the first effect button 251 is formed in a columnar shape, and the second effect button 252 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The first effect button 251 and the second effect button 252 are provided coaxially, and their axis is inclined so as to move forward as it goes upward.

[0094] The first effect button 251 and the second effect button 252 are provided so as to move (pop - up) upward as a whole according to the player - participation type effect. The first effect button 251 can always be pressed, while the second effect button 252 can only be pressed when it pops up.

[0095] Although illustration is omitted, a vibrator (vibration device) is provided inside the first effect button 251.

[0096] The door frame top unit 300 is provided at a position above the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100, and both ends in the left - right direction are sandwiched between the upper end portions of the door frame left side unit 320 and the door frame right side unit 340. The door frame top unit 300 protrudes forward like an eaves. The door frame top unit 300 is provided with a semi - tube - shaped door frame top decorative body 301 that extends left and right along the front edge and has translucency. The door frame top decorative body 301 is curved in the front - rear direction so that the center in the left - right direction is located most forward in plan view.

[0097] Although not shown in the figure, the door frame top unit 300 has a door frame top decorative substrate on which a plurality of LEDs for illuminating and decorating the door frame top decorative body 301 are mounted, and a door frame top speaker that outputs sounds such as voices, music, and sound effects.

[0098] The door frame left side unit 320 is provided at a position to the left of the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100, and is vertically long from near the upper end of the door frame main body 100 to near the speaker grill 203 below the shelf portion 201 of the shelf unit 200. The door frame left side unit 320 extends over the entire vertical length and is provided with a semi - tube - shaped door frame left side decorative body 321 that has translucency. The vicinity of the lower end of the door frame left side decorative body 321 is curved to the right.

[0099] Although not shown in the figure, the door frame left side unit 320 has a door frame left side decorative substrate on which a plurality of LEDs for illuminating and decorating the door frame left side decorative body 321 are mounted.

[0100] The door frame right side unit 340 is provided at a position to the right of the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100, and is vertically long from near the upper end of the door frame main body 100 to the handle cover 170 below the shelf portion 201 of the shelf unit 200. The door frame right side unit 340 protrudes longer forward than the door frame left side unit 320 and is formed in a vertically long partition - standing shape.

[0101] The door frame right side unit 340 includes a semi-tubular door frame right side decorative body 341 that extends vertically along the front end and has translucency, a translucent door frame right side left side decorative body (not shown) provided behind the door frame right side decorative body 341 and forming the left side surface, a translucent door frame right side right side decorative body (not shown) provided behind the door frame right side decorative body 341 and forming the right side surface, and a door frame right side decorative substrate (not shown) on which a plurality of LEDs for illuminating and decorating the door frame right side decorative body 341, the door frame right side left side decorative body, and the door frame right side right side decorative body are mounted. The lower end vicinity of the door frame right side decorative body 341 is curved leftward.

[0102] Also, the door frame right side unit 340 has an opening 342 that penetrates front to back near the lower end and faces the keyhole 682 of the lock unit 680 forward.

[0103] [3-1. Counting Button Switch] The counting button switch 180 is provided at a position on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200 that is to the right of the center in the left-right direction. The counting button switch 180 can send the held balls to the game ball lending device 8 for settlement by pressing the switch when there are held balls (the number of held balls > 0). Although details will be described later, the counting button switch 180 can send the held balls one by one or in predetermined numbers (for example, every 250 balls) according to the pressing time. The number of held balls sent to the game ball lending device 8 is sent to the management server 9 via the communication network, and an IC card storing the number of held balls is discharged from the game ball lending device 8.

[0104] Here, the game ball lending device 8 is provided adjacent to the pachinko machine 1 in the island facility of the game hall (also referred to as a stand). Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the game ball lending device 8 is provided with an insertion slot for inserting cash, prepaid cards, etc., a card slot for inserting / removing an IC card, a ball lending button switch 8a, a return button switch, a display unit for displaying the inserted amount of money, the counted number of balls, etc. When the ball lending button switch 8a is pressed while cash or the like is inserted into the insertion slot, a predetermined number of game balls B are lent out within the range of the inserted amount of money. In the present embodiment, the number of lent game balls B is transmitted to the frame control board as digital data and is also transmitted to the management server 9 via the communication network for management.

[0105] Regarding the count button switch 180 in detail, when the player "short presses" (for example, the pressing time for one time is less than 500 ms) the count button switch 180 while having balls in hand, one game ball B is counted from the balls in hand. When the count button switch 180 is "long pressed" (for example, the pressing time for one time is 500 ms or more), until the number of balls in hand becomes less than 250, game balls B are counted 250 at a time at the count notification timing every predetermined time (for example, 300 ms) during the long press. When the number of balls in hand becomes 250 or less during the long press, game balls B are counted one by one. Also, when the count button switch 180 is "long pressed" (for example, the pressing time for one time is 500 ms or more), even if the count button switch 180 is not continuously pressed, the total number of balls in hand may be unconditionally counted.

[0106] When counted by the pressing operation of the count button switch 180, the number of balls in hand displayed on the number-of-balls-in-hand display unit 140 is subtracted and displayed, and the counted number of balls is displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the game ball lending device 8.

[0107] [4. Main body frame] The main body frame 4 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 11 and the like. FIG. 11 is a front view of the main part showing the firing unit and the fur unit and the like in cross section in the front view of FIG. 3. The main body frame 4 is formed in a box frame shape with the front open, and the game board 5 is detachably accommodated inside from the front. The main body frame 4 is openably attached to a frame-shaped outer frame 2 attached to the island equipment in the game hall above and below the front left side of the front, and a door frame 3 is openably attached so that the open front side is closed.

[0108] The main body frame 4 includes a frame-shaped main body frame base unit 400 that is openably supported with respect to the outer frame 2, a ball firing unit 450 for driving the game ball B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, and a game ball B that was not driven into the game area 5a despite being fired by the ball firing unit 450. A fur unit 470 for recovering the game ball B, a circulating ball path unit 500 for sending the game ball B discharged from the game board 5 and the game ball B recovered by the fur unit 470 to the ball firing unit 450 side, and a ball lifting unit 550 for moving the game ball B upward from the downstream end of the circulating ball path unit 500. And a ball sending unit 600 for sending the game balls B lifted by the ball lifting unit 550 one by one to the ball firing unit 450.

[0109] Further, the main body frame 4 includes a ball receiving tray 620 for receiving the game ball B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500, a frame board unit 630 having a frame control board 640 for controlling the ball firing unit 450, the ball lifting unit 550, and the like, and a locking unit 680 for locking between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 and between the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4.

[0110] [4-1. Main body frame base unit] Regarding the main body frame base unit 400 in the main body frame 4, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 and the like. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the main body frame base unit in the main body frame, viewed from the front after disassembling each main component, and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the main body frame base unit in the main body frame, viewed from the rear after disassembling each main component. The main body frame base unit 400 is supported so as to be openable and closable forward with respect to the outer frame 2, and can support the door frame 3 so as to be openable and closable forward. The main body frame base unit 400 is attached with a ball launching unit 450, a fairing unit 470, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, a ball feeding unit 600, a ball receiving tray 620, a frame substrate unit 630, a lock unit 680, and the like.

[0111] The main body frame base unit 400 has a main body frame base 401 that penetrates front and rear and into which the game board 5 is inserted from the front, and a base wall portion 401b provided below the game board insertion portion 401a, and the whole is formed in a vertically long rectangle, and a side surface reinforcing plate 402 that reinforces the left side surface of the main body frame base 401.

[0112] Also, the main body frame base unit 400 includes a main body frame speaker 403 attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b in the main body frame base 401, a box-shaped main body frame speaker box 404 attached to the base wall portion 401b so as to cover the main body frame speaker 403 from the rear and having an open front, and a back cover 405 provided so as to be openable and closable from the rear for the game board insertion portion 401a in the main body frame base 401.

[0113] Furthermore, the main body frame base unit 400 includes a game board lock member 406 attached to the main body frame base 401, a door release switch 407 and a frame release switch 408 attached to the main body frame base 401, and a main body frame hinge mechanism 410 attached to the main body frame base 401.

[0114] The main body frame base 401 is formed of synthetic resin and has a vertically long rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The main body frame base 401 includes a game board insertion portion 401a that penetrates front to back in the range of about two-thirds of the total height from near the upper end downward, a base wall portion 401b provided below the game board insertion portion 401a, a game board regulating portion 401c that protrudes upward (into the game board insertion portion 401a) near the center in the left-right direction on the upper end surface of the base wall portion 401b, a main body frame speaker opening 401d that penetrates front to back near the left end of the base wall portion 401b and faces the main body frame speaker 403 forward, and a bass reflex duct 401e that penetrates front to back at the lower right corner of the base wall portion 401b.

[0115] Further, the main body frame base 401 includes a tray insertion recess 401f that is recessed backward from the front side at the lower part of the center in the left-right direction of the base wall portion 401b and into which the ball receiving tray 620 is inserted, and a ball storage passage insertion opening 401g that penetrates front to back above the tray insertion recess 401f in the base wall portion 401b and into which the ball meandering member 513 and the meandering cover 514 of the circulating ball path unit 500 are inserted.

[0116] Further, the main body frame base 401 includes a far unit mounting portion 401h and a ball launching unit mounting portion 401i that are provided side by side left and right above the ball storage passage insertion opening 401g on the front surface of the base wall portion 401b, a ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j that opens vertically to the right of the ball launching unit mounting portion 401i in the base wall portion 401b, a ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k that is provided at a position behind the ball launching unit mounting portion 401i on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b, a circulating ball path unit mounting portion 401l that is provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b, and a cylinder insertion opening 401m that penetrates front to back near the upper right corner of the base wall portion 401b and through which the cylinder 681 of the lock unit 680 is inserted.

[0117] Furthermore, the main body frame base 401 has a locking claw 401n that protrudes forward from the left end of the tray insertion recess 401f and is elastically locked to the front end of the ball receiving tray 620 inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f, thereby restricting the forward movement of the ball receiving tray 620.

[0118] The game board insertion part 401a of the main body frame base 401 is detachably inserted with the game board 5 from the front. The base wall part 401b has the game board 5 placed on its upper end surface. A door opening switch 407, a ball launching unit 450, a fairing unit 470, and a ball receiving tray 620 are attached to the front surface of the base wall part 401b. Also, a main body frame speaker 403, a main body frame speaker box 404, a frame opening switch 408, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, and a ball feeding unit 600 are attached to the rear surface of the base wall part 401b.

[0119] The game board regulating part 401c restricts the left - right and backward movement of the game board 5 when the game board 5 is inserted into the game board insertion part 401a. As shown in the figure, the main body frame speaker opening 401d is formed in a grid pattern and is provided so as to be located behind the speaker grill 203 of the door frame 3 in a state where the door frame 3 is closed with respect to the main body frame 4. The main body frame speaker 403 is attached to the rear surface of the base wall part 401b so as to close the main body frame speaker opening 401d from the rear.

[0120] The bass reflex duct 401e is formed in a long hole cylindrical shape that is long from left to right, and two of them are provided side by side from left to right. Although details will be described later, the bass reflex duct 401e communicates with the enclosure 404a of the main body frame speaker 403 composed of the base wall portion 401b and the main body frame speaker box 404, and is for reversing the phase of the sound output from the main body frame speaker 403 to the rear and emitting it forward. In the present embodiment, with the cylindrical bass reflex duct 401e, it is possible to resonate and amplify the low-frequency range of the sound output from the main body frame speaker 403 to make a more heavy bass sound resonate. This bass reflex duct 401e is provided so as to be located behind the duct grill 191 of the door frame 3 in a state where the door frame 3 is closed with respect to the main body frame 4.

[0121] The tray insertion recess 401f can detachably support the ball receiving tray 620 from the front. The bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f is inclined so that the front end side is lower (see FIG. 10). Thereby, even if the game ball B spills into the tray insertion recess 401f in a state where the ball receiving tray 620 is not inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f, it can be discharged forward. Further, since the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f is inclined so that the front end side is lower, it is possible to easily slide the placed ball receiving tray 620 forward.

[0122] The ball storage passage insertion port 401g is provided so that the front side portions of the ball meandering member 513 and the meandering cover 514 of the circulating ball path unit 500 attached to the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b penetrate and protrude forward. The far unit attachment portion 401h is provided on the right side of the main body frame speaker port 401d near the upper end of the base wall portion 401b. The ball launch unit attachment portion 401i is provided on the right side of the far unit attachment portion 401h. The ball lifting unit attachment portion 401j is provided at a portion between the upper end vicinity of the base wall portion 401b and the bass reflex duct 401e.

[0123] The ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k is provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b such that the upper surface of the ball feeding unit 600 faces upward (inside the game board insertion portion 401a), and is provided so that the ball feeding unit 600 can be attached and detached from above. When the ball feeding unit 600 is attached to the ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k, the elastic claw 609b of the ball feeding unit 600 faces forward through the locking hole of the base wall portion 401b on the right side of the ball launching unit 450. In this state, when the elastic claw 609b is pressed backward to be elastically deformed and the knob portion 609a provided on the upper surface of the ball feeding unit 600 is pinched and pulled up, the ball feeding unit 600 can be removed upward.

[0124] The circulating ball path unit mounting portion 401l is provided at a position above the box extension portion 404c of the main body frame speaker box 404 to be described later in the central portion in the left-right direction on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b. The cylinder insertion port 401m is provided near the upper end of the base wall portion 401b on the right side of the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j.

[0125] The side reinforcing plate 402 is formed in a U-shaped shape that is open to the right in a plan view and is attached to the left side surface of the main body frame base 401. The side reinforcing plate 402 is formed of an extruded profile of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. The side reinforcing plate 402 is provided with two left position regulating members 402a spaced apart vertically. The left position regulating member 402a is for positioning the left side of the game board 5.

[0126] The main body frame speaker 403 is attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b so as to close the main body frame speaker opening 401d of the main body frame base 401 from the rear. The main body frame speaker 403 is a cone-shaped speaker that mainly outputs bass.

[0127] The main body frame speaker box 404 is formed in a box shape that is open to the front, and is attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b so as to cover the main body frame speaker 403 from the rear. The main body frame speaker box 404 forms an enclosure 404a of the main body frame speaker 403 by being attached to the base wall portion 401b.

[0128] The main body frame speaker box 404 has a box main body portion 404b located behind the main body frame speaker 403, a box extension portion 404c connected to the lower end of the box main body portion 404b and extending to the right in a front view, and a frame substrate unit shaft support portion 404d provided on the rear surface of the box main body portion 404b. The box extension portion 404c of the main body frame speaker box 404 extends to the right up to near the right end of the main body frame base 401 so as to cover the rear of the bass reflex duct 401e, and a part of it extends further to the rear than the box main body portion 404b.

[0129] The enclosure 404a is composed of the box main body portion 404b and the box extension portion 404c, and communicates with the outside through the bass reflex duct 401e. That is, the bass reflex duct 401e, the main body frame speaker 403, and the main body frame speaker box 404 constitute a bass reflex type speaker of the phase inversion type.

[0130] Specifically, a predetermined sound is output from the main body frame speaker 403 to the front and the rear. The sound output from the main body frame speaker 403 to the front is emitted to the front of the pachinko machine 1 through the main body frame speaker port 401d and the speaker grill 203.

[0131] On the one hand, the sound output rearward from the main body frame speaker 403 causes the air inside the main body frame speaker box 404 (enclosure 404a) to vibrate. And since this enclosure 404a is open to the front (outside) by the cylindrical bass reflex duct 401e, it will be emitted forward from the bass reflex duct 401e. At this time, since the bass reflex duct 401e is formed in a cylindrical shape with a predetermined length, in its interior, the low frequency range is amplified by resonance due to the vibration of the air column, and it is emitted forward in a state where the phase is inverted.

[0132] As a result, the sound output forward from the main body frame speaker 403 and the sound output rearward do not act to cancel each other out and attenuate, but rather act to resonate with each other and amplify. Thus, even if the diameter of the main body frame speaker 403 is small, it is possible to output a large sound with a booming bass, and it is possible to let the player hear a sound with rich bass.

[0133] Since this bass reflex duct 401e is provided behind the duct grill 191 below the handle 160 in the door frame 3, when the air vibration (wind) caused by the drive of the main body frame speaker 403 is emitted forward from the bass reflex duct 401e, the wind is guided obliquely upward and forward by the horizontal grid of the duct grill 191 and sent into the handle cover 170 through the opening 171 of the handle cover 170. Therefore, when the main body frame speaker 403 is driven (sound is output) when the player is operating the handle 160, wind is sent to the fingers of the player holding the handle 160 through the bass reflex duct 401e and the duct grill 191, which can startle the player and allow the player to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0134] The box extension portion 404c of the main body frame speaker box 404 is formed such that the depth in the front-rear direction is longer than the vertical height, and the rear end is provided so as to protrude slightly rearward from the rear end of the frame substrate unit 630 (see Fig. 10). The box extension portion 404c covers the lower part of the frame substrate unit 630 so that a gap is formed between it and the frame substrate unit 630 (unit base 670 and power supply substrate box 672) when assembled to the main body frame 4. Thus, the box extension portion 404c makes it difficult for various wirings connected to the frame substrate unit 630 to hang down.

[0135] The upper surface of the box extension portion 404c is inclined so as to be lower toward the rear. Thereby, dust, pachinko balls B, etc. that have fallen from above can be guided to the rear and discharged. Also, the lower surface of the box extension portion 404c is inclined so as to be higher toward the rear. Thereby, when closing the main body frame 4 with respect to the outer frame 2, the box extension portion 404c does not contact the lower frame body 14 of the main body frame 4.

[0136] This main body frame speaker box 404 supports the rear end side of the tray insertion recess 401f in the main body frame base 401 so as to suspend it when assembled to the main body frame 4. Thus, even when a load (the weight of a plurality of pachinko balls B) acts on the tray insertion recess 401f from above via the ball receiving tray 620 when the pachinko balls B discharged from the circulating ball path unit 500 are received by the ball receiving tray 620, the tray insertion recess 401f does not deform.

[0137] The back cover 405 is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the main body frame base 401 so as to cover the rear of the game board 5 attached to the main body frame 4 when assembled to the pachinko machine 1. The back cover 405 is formed of a transparent synthetic resin. In a front view, the left side of the back cover 405 is rotatably supported with respect to the main body frame base 401, and the right side is detachably locked to the main body frame base 401 by elastic locking claws.

[0138] The game board locking member 406 is rotatably attached to the front surface of the main body frame base 401 (base wall portion 401b) around an axis extending in the front-rear direction. The game board locking member 406 can prevent the lower end side of the game board 5 from moving forward by rotating it to the locking position with the game board 5 inserted into the game board insertion portion 401a.

[0139] The door opening switch 407 is for detecting the opening and closing of the door frame 3 with respect to the main body frame 4. The door opening switch 407 is attached below the cylinder insertion port 401m in the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401.

[0140] The frame opening switch 408 is for detecting the opening and closing of the main body frame 4 with respect to the outer frame 2. The frame opening switch 408 is attached below the door opening switch 407 in the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401.

[0141] The main body frame hinge mechanism 410 has a main body frame upper hinge body 411 attached to the upper end of the left side of the main body frame base 401 and a main body frame lower hinge body 412 attached to the lower end of the left side of the main body frame base 401.

[0142] The main body frame upper hinge body 411 includes a main body frame hinge shaft 411a that protrudes upward in a columnar shape and is inserted into the bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 in the outer frame 2, and an upper shaft hole 411b for the door frame provided adjacent to the main body frame hinge shaft 411a and into which the door frame upper hinge shaft of the door frame upper hinge body in the door frame 3 is inserted from below.

[0143] The main body frame lower hinge body 412 includes a shaft hole for the outer frame (not shown) into which the hinge shaft 35a of the outer frame lower hinge body 35 in the outer frame 2 is inserted from below, and a lower shaft hole 412b for the door frame into which the door frame lower hinge shaft 112a of the door frame lower hinge body 112 in the door frame 3 is inserted from above.

[0144] The main body frame hinge mechanism 410 supports the main body frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed with respect to the outer frame 2 by inserting the main body frame hinge shaft 411a of the upper main body frame hinge body 411 into the bearing groove 31a of the upper outer frame hinge body 31 in the outer frame 2 and inserting the hinge shaft 35a of the lower outer frame hinge body 35 in the outer frame 2 into the shaft hole for the outer frame of the lower main body frame hinge body 412.

[0145] Also, the main body frame hinge mechanism 410 supports the door frame 3 so that it can be opened and closed with respect to the main body frame 4 by inserting the upper door frame hinge shaft of the upper door frame hinge body in the door frame 3 from below into the upper shaft hole 411b for the door frame of the upper main body frame hinge body 411 and inserting the lower door frame hinge shaft 112a of the lower door frame hinge body 112 in the door frame 3 from above into the lower shaft hole 412b for the door frame of the lower main body frame hinge body 412.

[0146] [4-2. Ball Launching Unit] Regarding the ball launching unit 450 in the main body frame 4, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 and the like. FIG. 14(a) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main body frame seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main body frame seen from the rear. FIG. 15(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit seen from the front after disassembling, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit seen from the rear after disassembling. FIG. 16(a) is a perspective view of the launching unit cover of the ball launching unit seen from the left rear, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the ball launching unit showing only the launching unit cover in cross-section in a front view.

[0147] The ball launching unit 450 is for launching the game ball B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, and has a ball inlet 450a for receiving the game ball B sent from the ball feeding unit 600, a ball launching port 450b through which the launched game ball B is discharged to the outside, and a ball discharge port 450c for discharging the game ball B. The ball launching unit 450 can drive the game ball B with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160 at the lower right front corner of the door frame 3. The ball launching unit 450 is attached to the ball launching unit attachment portion 401i provided on the upper part of the front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401, on the right side of the center in the left-right direction.

[0148] The ball inlet 450a of the ball launching unit 450 is provided on the rear surface and is quadrangularly opened with a size allowing one game ball B to pass through. This ball inlet 450a is positioned in front of the ball delivery outlet 602 of the ball delivery unit 600 and communicates with the ball delivery outlet 602 when assembled to the main body frame 4. The ball launching port 450b is obliquely opened at the left end of the upper surface so that the left end side is lower. This ball launching port 450b communicates with the upper part of the far right opening 470b of the far unit 470 when assembled to the main body frame 4. The ball discharge port 450c is opened on the left side surface. This ball discharge port 450c communicates with the lower part of the far right opening 470b of the far unit 470 when assembled to the main body frame 4.

[0149] The ball launching unit 450 includes a flat unit base 451, a launching unit cover 452 attached to cover the front side of the unit base 451, a launching solenoid 453 attached to the rear side of the unit base 451 so that the rotation shaft 453a protrudes forward from the unit base 451, a launching subtraction sensor 454 capable of detecting the presence or absence of launching of the game ball B, a launching hammer 455 attached to the rotation shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453, a nut 456 attaching the launching hammer 455 to the rotation shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453, an annular spacer 457 inserted into the rotation shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453, two contact rubbers 458 capable of contacting the launching hammer 455, and a contact rubber holder 459 holding one of the contact rubbers 458.

[0150] The unit base 451 of the ball launching unit 450 is formed of a metal plate such as an iron plate. The unit base 451 is provided with the ball inlet 450a, which penetrates quadrangularly through the part from the center to the upper part in a front view.

[0151] The emission unit cover 452 is formed by injection molding using an opaque synthetic resin with low translucency. The emission unit cover 452 includes a flat front plate 452a provided at a distance forward from the unit base 451, a ball launch base 452b provided on the rear side of the front plate 452a directly below the ball inlet 450a of the unit base 451 and inclined such that the left end side is higher, and a detection port 452c penetrating the ball launch base 452b vertically.

[0152] Further, the emission unit cover 452 includes a launch base upper wall portion 452d that forms a gap through which the game ball B cannot pass between it and the ball launch base 452b in the upper right of the ball launch base 452b in a front view on the rear side of the front plate 452a, and a sensor lower mounting portion 452e and a sensor upper mounting portion 452f provided so as to sandwich the ball launch base 452b and the launch base upper wall portion 452d on the rear side of the front plate 452a.

[0153] Furthermore, the emission unit cover 452 includes a guide wall portion 452g provided along the extension line of the inclined ball launch base 452b to the left of the ball launch base 452b on the rear side of the front plate 452a, and a discharge guide inner wall portion 452h that extends downward from the left end of the ball launch base 452b on the rear side of the front plate 452a and then extends downward and to the left so as to become lower.

[0154] The game balls B supplied through the ball inlet 450a are placed on the ball launch base 452b. The upper surface of the ball launch base 452b is inclined such that the left end is higher in a front view. The upper surface of the ball launch base 452b is recessed into a constant cross-sectional shape (trapezoidal shape) so as to narrow downward along the inclined direction. The ball launch base 452b is formed such that the length in the inclined direction (launch direction) is slightly longer than the diameter of the game ball B, and only one game ball B is placed in contact with the two inclined surfaces recessed into a trapezoidal shape. In this embodiment, the ball launch base 452b is inclined at an angle of approximately 27 degrees with respect to the horizontal.

[0155] The detection port 452c is provided at the bottom of the trapezoidally recessed part of the ball launching base 452b. The upper wall part 452d of the launching base is provided above the inclined lower end side of the ball launching base 452b. The upper wall part 452d of the launching base is provided so as to form a gap between the ball launching base 452b through which the game ball B cannot pass and the tip of the launching hammer 455 can pass. Thereby, the game ball B supplied to the ball launching base 452b abuts against the left end of the upper wall part 452d of the launching base and is placed on the ball launching base 452b in a state where the movement of the game ball B in the downstream direction (here, the right direction) of the inclined direction of the ball launching base 452b is restricted.

[0156] The sensor lower mounting part 452e and the sensor upper mounting part 452f are respectively provided with a light emitting part 454a and a light receiving part 454b that constitute the launch subtraction sensor 454.

[0157] The guide wall part 452g has an upper surface that constitutes the bottom surface of the ball launch port 450b. The upper surface of the guide wall part 452g is inclined at the same angle as the inclination of the ball launching base 452b and is provided at a position that is longer than the diameter of the game ball B to the left from the ball launching base 452b. In this embodiment, since the ball launching base 452b is made as short as possible, when the game ball B on the ball launching base 452b is struck by the launching hammer 455, the launching direction of the game ball B is difficult to determine and there is a risk that it cannot be properly driven between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5. However, because the guide wall part 452g is provided, the game ball B launched from the ball launching base 452b bounces on the upper surface of the guide wall part 452g, so that the game ball B can jump outwards from the ball launch port 450b and be driven between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002.

[0158] Also, since the guide wall part 452g is provided at a distance from the ball launching base 452b, even if the game ball B tries to return in the direction of the ball launching base 452b at the guide wall part 452g depending on the driving strength of the game ball B, it will flow down onto the lower discharge guide inner wall part 452h through the space between the guide wall part 452g and the ball launching base 452b and will not return to the ball launching base 452b.

[0159] The discharge guide inner wall portion 452h forms a ball discharge port 450c with the guide wall portion 452g. The discharge guide inner wall portion 452h is inclined so that the left end side is lower, guides the game ball B that has flowed down through the space between the ball launch base 452b and the guide wall portion 452g to the left, and can discharge it from the ball discharge port 450c at the left end to the far unit 470 side. Thereby, even though the game ball B was struck by the launch hammer 455 on the ball launch base 452b, the game ball B that was not launched from the ball launch port 450b is guided by the discharge guide inner wall portion 452h and discharged from the ball discharge port 450c to the far unit 470.

[0160] The launch solenoid 453 is constituted by a rotary solenoid having a rotation axis 453a extending in the front-rear direction.

[0161] The launch subtraction sensor 454 can detect the presence or absence of the game ball B on the ball launch base 452b. The launch subtraction sensor 454 is composed of a light emitting portion 454a that irradiates detection light and a light receiving portion 454b that receives the detection light, and each is attached to the sensor lower mounting portion 452e and the sensor upper mounting portion 452f of the launch unit cover 452. The detection light emitted from the light emitting portion 454a is received by the light receiving portion 454b through the detection port 452c provided at the bottom of the ball launch base 452b. At this time, if a game ball B is placed on the ball launch base 452b, the detection light is blocked by the game ball B, and the detection light is not received by the light receiving portion 454b. Thereby, the presence or absence of the game ball B on the ball launch base 452b can be detected.

[0162] The launch subtraction sensor 454, details of which will be described later, is for detecting that the game ball B has been launched from the ball launch base 452b and subtracting one from the number of balls held by the player.

[0163] The firing hammer 455 is for hitting and firing the game ball B. The firing hammer 455 is attached to the rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453 and rotates (pivots) together with the rotating shaft 453a. The tip of the firing hammer 455 is provided so as to be able to contact the game ball B placed on the ball firing table 452b through the space between the ball firing table 452b and the upper wall portion 452d above the firing table.

[0164] The nut 456 is screwed onto the rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453. The spacer 457 is for the rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453 to be inserted into. The rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453 is inserted through the spacer 457 and the firing hammer 455 in that order from the rear, and the nut 456 is screwed onto the tip protruding forward from the firing hammer 455 and tightened, whereby the firing hammer 455 is attached.

[0165] The stopper rubber 458 is attached to the unit base 451 so as to regulate the rotation range (pivoting range) of the firing hammer 455. The stopper rubber 458 provided at the pivoting end in the direction in which the firing hammer 455 hits the game ball B (here, the counterclockwise direction) is attached to the unit base 451 via the stopper rubber holder 459.

[0166] According to the ball firing unit 450 of the present embodiment, only one game ball B is placed on the ball firing table 452b, and the firing subtraction sensor 454 is used to detect that the game ball B has been fired from the ball firing table 452b. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect the firing of the game balls B one by one.

[0167] Also, according to the ball firing unit 450, since the unit base 451 is made of a metal plate and the firing unit cover 452 is formed of an opaque synthetic resin with low light transmittance, it is possible to prevent the firing subtraction sensor 454 composed of a photosensor from being erroneously detected by external light.

[0168] In addition, according to the ball launching unit 450, since the launching of the game ball B is detected, when the player stops the game and cashes out, there is no need to automatically fire the game ball B placed on the ball launching base 452b for return to the player to make it a foul ball.

[0169] [4-3. Foul Unit] The foul unit 470 in the main body frame 4 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. FIG. 17(a) is a perspective view of the foul unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the foul unit in the main body frame as seen from the rear. FIG. 18(a) is an exploded perspective view of the foul unit as seen from the front after disassembling, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the foul unit as seen from the rear after disassembling. FIG. 19(a) is an explanatory view showing the state where the foul shutter is closed in the side cross-section of the foul unit, and (b) is an explanatory view showing the state where the foul shutter is open in the side cross-section of the foul unit.

[0170] The foul unit 470 is for collecting the game ball B that was launched by the ball launching unit 450 and was driven between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 on the game board 5 but not into the game area 5a, the game ball B that was launched by the ball launching unit 450 but whose launching intensity was too weak to reach the game board 5 (between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002), and the like. The foul unit 470 has a foul upper opening 470a that is open on the upper surface, a foul right opening 470b that is open on the right side surface, and a foul ball outlet 470c that communicates with the foul upper opening 470a and the foul right opening 470b and is open rearward at the lower end.

[0171] The fur unit 470 is attached to a fur unit attachment portion 401h provided at the middle portion in the left - right direction at the upper front of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401. When the fur unit 470 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the upper end is approximately at the same height as the upper end of the base wall portion 401b, and the fur right opening 470b is closed by the ball - firing port 450b and the ball discharge port 450c of the ball - firing unit 450. That is, when assembled to the main body frame 4, the fur right opening 470b communicates with the ball - firing port 450b and the ball discharge port 450c. The fur upper opening 470a and the fur right opening 470b are formed by a unit base 472 and a front cover 473 described later, and the ball discharge port 450c is formed in the unit base 472.

[0172] The fur unit 470 includes a fur shutter 471 that can open and close the fur upper opening 470a so that the game ball B cannot pass through, a unit base 472 attached to the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401, a front cover 473 attached to the front side of the unit base 472, a rear cover 474 attached to the rear side of the unit base 472 so as to cover the rear part of the fur shutter 471, a spring 475 that biases the fur shutter 471 forward, and a fur ball grounding sheet metal 476 provided between the unit base 472 and the front cover 473.

[0173] The fur shutter 471 is supported so as to be slidable in the front - rear direction by the cooperation of the unit base 472 and the front cover 473. The fur shutter 471 has a strip - shaped shutter portion 471a that is long in the left - right direction, two front - protruding portions 471b that protrude forward from both the left and right ends of the shutter portion 471a, respectively, and a flat - plate - shaped rear wall portion 471c that extends downward from the rear - end side of the shutter portion 471a.

[0174] The fur shutter 471 can close the fur upper opening 470a so that the game ball B cannot pass through it by the shutter part 471a. The two front projecting parts 471b are provided such that the front ends project forward beyond the front cover 473 and are provided so that the rear surface of the door frame body 100 in the door frame 3 can abut thereon. The rear wall part 471c has the front end of the spring 475 abutting on the rear surface thereof.

[0175] The unit base 472 has a flat plate-shaped main body part 472a that is long in the left-right direction and has a part that extends downward near the right end and is in a partial T shape, a shutter insertion port 472b that penetrates back and forth near the upper end of the main body part 472a and extends in the left-right direction, and a plurality of rear support ports 472c that are provided along the lower end edge on the left side of the part that extends downward in the main body part 472a and penetrate back and forth.

[0176] The unit base 472 is provided with a fur ball outlet 470c that penetrates back and forth and extends rearward in a square tube shape near the lower end of the part that extends downward in the main body part 472a. The cylindrical fur ball outlet 470c is inclined so as to be lower toward the rear.

[0177] The lower end edge of the part on the left side of the main body part 472a that is more than the part that extends downward is inclined so as to be lower toward the right. The shutter insertion port 472b is provided with a size such that the shutter part 471a and the front projecting part 471b of the fur shutter 471 can be inserted therethrough. The plurality of rear support ports 472c are each provided to be long in the left-right direction so as to be lower toward the right and are arranged in a row along the inclined lower end edge of the main body part 472a. The rear support ports 472c are provided so that the support pieces 476a of the fur ball earth sheet metal 476 can be inserted with a gap therebetween.

[0178] The front cover 473 includes a flat front plate 473a shaped like a partial T with a long left - right direction and a portion extending downward near the right end, a left wall portion 473b extending rearward from the left end edge of the front plate 473a, a lower wall portion 473c extending rightward and rearward along the lower end edge of the front plate 473a from the lower end of the left wall portion 473b, a hanging wall portion 473d extending downward and rearward along the left end edge of the portion extending downward in the front plate 473a from the right end of the lower wall portion 473c, a bottom wall portion 473e extending rightward and rearward along the lower end edge of the portion extending downward in the front plate 473a from the lower end of the hanging wall portion 473d, and a right wall portion 473f extending rearward from the upper right end of the front plate 473a.

[0179] The upper edge and the right - end edge of the front plate 473a constitute the front - end edges of the far upper opening 470a and the far right opening 470b. The right - end edge of the upper end of the left wall portion 473b constitutes the left - end edge of the far upper opening 470a, and the left - end edge of the upper end of the right wall portion 473f constitutes the right - end edge of the far upper opening 470a, respectively. The lower - end edge of the right wall portion 473f constitutes the upper - end edge of the far right opening 470b, and the right - end edge of the bottom wall portion 473e constitutes the lower - end edge of the far right opening 470b, respectively.

[0180] In the front cover 473, the lower wall portion 473c is located below the far upper opening 470a. After guiding the game ball B flowing down through the far upper opening 470a to the right, it can be made to flow down onto the bottom wall portion 473e along the hanging wall portion 473d. The bottom wall portion 473e is inclined such that the portion in front of the far ball outlet 470c is lower rearward and the portion on the right side of that portion is higher rightward. Therefore, the game ball B flowing down onto the bottom wall portion 473e is guided rearward and discharged rearward from the far ball outlet 470c. Also, since the right - end edge of the bottom wall portion 473e constitutes the lower - end edge of the far right opening 470b, the game ball B entering from the far right opening 470b will flow down onto the bottom wall portion 473e, be guided by the bottom wall portion 473e, and be discharged rearward from the far ball outlet 470c.

[0181] Further, the front cover 473 has a plurality of front support openings 473g that are arranged in a row left and right along the lower wall portion 473c in the front plate 473a and penetrate through in the front-rear direction. The plurality of front support openings 473g are provided so as to face the rear support opening 472c of the unit base 472. Further, the front support openings 473g are provided so that the support pieces 476a of the far ball ground metal plate 476 are inserted with a gap therebetween.

[0182] The rear cover 474 is formed in a box shape with the front being open. The rear portion of the far shutter 471 is inserted into the rear cover 474, and a spring 475 is disposed therein. The rear end of the spring 475 abuts against the front surface of the rear wall of the rear cover 474.

[0183] Two springs 475 are provided spaced apart left and right and are disposed inside the box-shaped rear cover 474. The front end of the spring 475 abuts against the rear surface of the rear wall portion 471c of the far shutter 471, and the rear end abuts against the front surface of the rear wall of the rear cover 474. The spring 475 biases the far shutter 471 forward.

[0184] The far ball ground metal plate 476 is formed of a metal plate such as an iron plate and is finally connected to the ground of the game hall via a ground wire (not shown). The far ball ground metal plate 476 is formed in a strip shape that is long left and right, and a plurality of support pieces 476a extend outward from the front and rear long sides. The far ball ground metal plate 476 is placed on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 473c in the front cover 473, and the plurality of support pieces 476a are inserted into the rear support opening 472c of the unit base 472 and the front support opening 473g of the front cover 473 with play.

[0185] As a result, the game ball B that has flowed down through the upper opening 470a of the farl toward the lower wall portion 473c is guided to the right while the static electricity charged by contacting the farl ball grounding sheet metal 476 is removed. At this time, since the support piece 476a is loosely fitted in the rear support port 472c and the front support port 473g, when the farl ball grounding sheet metal 476 vibrates due to the contact of the game ball B, dust and dirt on the farl ball grounding sheet metal 476 are discharged to the outside through the gaps of the loosely fitted rear support port 472c and front support port 473g. Note that this farl ball grounding sheet metal 476 also serves to reinforce the falling game ball B.

[0186] This farl unit 470 is attached to a farl unit attachment portion 401h provided near the upper part in the center in the left - right direction on the front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame 4 in a state of being assembled to the pachinko machine 1. In this state, the ball - shooting unit 450 is attached adjacent to the right side of the farl unit 470.

[0187] And as shown in FIG. 11, the upper opening 470a of the farl unit 470 is located near the upper end of the base wall portion 401b and on the axis in the shooting direction of the game ball B in the ball - shooting unit 450. In other words, the upper opening 470a of the farl is provided at a position between the lower opening portion between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 on the game board 5 and the ball - shooting port 450b of the ball - shooting unit 450.

[0188] On one hand, the right faring opening 470b of the faring unit 470 has its upper part communicating with the ball launching opening 450b of the ball launching unit 450 and its lower part communicating with the ball discharge opening 450c of the ball launching unit 450. Therefore, in the part between the lower end opening part between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 on the game board 5 and the ball launching opening 450b of the ball launching unit 450, the upper faring opening 470a and the right faring opening 470b are provided. As a result, the game ball B launched from the ball launching opening 450b of the ball launching unit 450 enters the faring unit 470 from the right faring opening 470b, and then enters between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 on the game board 5 through the upper faring opening 470a.

[0189] When the door frame 3 is opened forward with respect to the main body frame 4 for the faring unit 470 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19(a), the faring shutter 471 slides forward by the biasing force of the spring 475, and the shutter part 471a of the faring shutter 471 protrudes between the front surface of the unit base 472 and the front plate 473a of the front cover 473, closing the upper faring opening 470a so that the game ball B cannot pass through. That is, the faring shutter 471 is in the closed position. In this state, the rear wall part 471c of the faring shutter 471 is in contact with the rear surface of the main body part 472a of the unit base 472 and does not slide forward any further.

[0190] When the fur shutter 471 is in the closed position and the game ball B is launched from the ball launch unit 450, the launched game ball B enters the fur unit 470 through the fur right opening 470b, then contacts the lower surface of the shutter portion 471a of the fur shutter 471, and flows down within the fur unit 470 without being hit upward through the fur upper opening 470a. The game ball B that has flowed down within the fur unit 470 is guided by the lower wall portion 473c (fur ball grounding sheet metal 476), the hanging wall portion 473d, the bottom wall portion 473e, etc., and is supplied from the rear fur ball outlet 470c to the circulating ball path unit 500. Thereby, even when the game ball B is launched while the door frame 3 is open, the game ball B does not leak from the fur unit 470 to the outside.

[0191] In addition, when the door frame 3 is opened with respect to the main body frame 4, the door open switch 407 turns OFF. Therefore, the launch of the game ball B from the ball launch unit 450 may be stopped due to the OFF state of the door open switch 407. Alternatively, when the door frame 3 is opened, instead of stopping the launch of the game ball B, the game may be temporarily stopped by the main control board 1310, and when the door frame 3 is closed, the game may be resumed.

[0192] Also, when the main body frame 4 is opened with respect to the outer frame 2 (the frame open switch 408 is OFF), since the door frame 3 is closed and the game ball B does not leak to the outside, the launch of the game ball B from the ball launch unit 450 may not be stopped. Alternatively, when the main body frame 4 is opened, the same processing as when the above-mentioned door frame 3 is opened may be performed.

[0193] When the door frame 3 is closed with respect to the main body frame 4, the rear surface of the door frame 3 abuts against the front ends of the two front protruding portions 471b of the far shutter 471, and the far shutter 471 is in a state of sliding backward against the biasing force of the spring 475 (see Fig. 19(b)). In this state, the shutter portion 471a of the far shutter 471 is located behind the front surface of the unit base 472, and the far upper opening 470a is open so that the game ball B can pass through. That is, the far shutter 471 is in the open position state.

[0194] When the game ball B is launched from the ball launch unit 450 with the far shutter 471 in the open position state, the launched game ball B enters the far unit 470 from the far right opening 470b, and then is launched upward to the game board 5 side (between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002) through the far upper opening 470a. Then, when the launched game ball B crosses the backflow prevention member 1007 provided at the upper end of the inner rail 1002, the game ball B is driven into the game area 5a.

[0195] In addition, the game ball B that was launched from the ball launch unit 450 but did not cross the backflow prevention member 1007 at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 (the game ball B that was not driven into the game area) flows down between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002, enters from the far upper opening 470a as a far ball, and is recovered by the far unit 470. The game ball B recovered through the far upper opening 470a flows down onto the far ball grounding sheet metal 476 placed on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 473c, and the static electricity is removed by the far ball grounding sheet metal 476. At this time, since the far ball grounding sheet metal 476 is loosely fitted, it vibrates when the game ball B abuts against it, and the dust, dirt, etc. on the far ball grounding sheet metal 476 are discharged outside the far unit 470 from the rear support port 472c and the front support port 473g due to the vibration.

[0196] The game ball B that has flowed down onto the fur ball earth sheet metal 476 (lower wall portion 473c) is guided to the right by its inclination, flows down onto the bottom wall portion 473e along the hanging wall portion 473d, and is guided backward by the inclination of the bottom wall portion 473e, and is discharged from the fur ball outlet 470c to the circulating ball path unit 500.

[0197] Also, in the fur unit 470, the game ball B discharged from the ball discharge port 450c of the ball launch unit 450 is received at the lower part of the fur right opening 470b. The game ball B that has entered the fur unit 470 from the lower part of the fur right opening 470b flows down onto the bottom wall portion 473e, and is guided backward by the inclination of the bottom wall portion 473e, and is discharged from the fur ball outlet 470c to the circulating ball path unit 500.

[0198] In this way, according to the fur unit 470, even though it is launched from the ball launch unit 450, the game ball B that has not been driven into the game area 5a of the game board 5 can be recovered without leaking to the outside and supplied to the circulating ball path unit 500. And, although details will be described later, in the circulating ball path unit 500, the game ball B supplied from the fur ball outlet 470c is detected by the fur ball sensor 507. When the game ball B is detected by this fur ball sensor 507, the number of balls held by the player is incremented by one.

[0199] Also, in the fur unit 470, since the unit base 472, the front cover 473, the rear cover 474, etc. are formed of a transparent synthetic resin, the inside can be visually recognized from the outside, and it is easy to discover a ball jam inside.

[0200] [4-3a. Second Embodiment of Fur Unit] Subsequently, a second embodiment of the fur unit 470 will be described. The fur unit 470 of the second embodiment is the same as the above-described fur unit 470 except that the opening / closing mechanism of the fur shutter 471 is different. The fur unit 470 of the second embodiment is provided with an electric actuator such as a motor or a solenoid for opening and closing the fur shutter 471, which is not shown in the figure.

[0201] In this embodiment, when the door opening switch 407 is turned off by opening the door frame 3 with respect to the main body frame 4, the far shutter 471 slides to the closed position by an electric actuator. Thereby, even if the game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450 with the door frame 3 open, the game ball B does not jump out to the outside through the far upper opening 470a.

[0202] Then, when the door frame 3 is closed and the door opening switch 407 is turned on, the far shutter 471 slides to the open position by an electric actuator, and the game ball B launched from the ball launching unit 450 can be driven into the game board 5 side through the far upper opening 470a.

[0203] Note that even when the frame opening switch 408 is turned off by opening the main body frame 4 with respect to the outer frame 2, the far shutter 471 may be slid to the closed position by an electric actuator. In this case, if the opening and closing process of the far shutter 471 by the frame opening switch 408 is made the same as the opening and closing process by the above-described door opening switch 407, the configuration related to the software can be simplified.

[0204] Further, an opening switch (not shown) capable of detecting both the opening of the door frame 3 and the opening of the main body frame 4 may be provided, and the far shutter 471 may be opened and closed by an electric actuator, and the mechanism related to the opening and closing can be made simple.

[0205] [4-4. Circulating Ball Path Unit] Regarding the recirculating ball path unit 500 in the main body frame 4, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 20 to 27 and the like. FIG. 20(a) is a perspective view of the recirculating ball path unit in the main body frame seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the recirculating ball path unit in the main body frame seen from the rear. FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the recirculating ball path unit seen from the front, and FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the recirculating ball path unit seen from the rear. FIG. 23(a) is a plan view showing only the ball meandering member and the ball removal shutter in the recirculating ball path unit, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball meandering member and the ball removal shutter in the recirculating ball path unit seen from the front. FIG. 24(a1) is an explanatory view showing the ball removal shutter and the ball meandering member in the closed position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross section, (a2) is an explanatory view showing only the part of the ball removal shutter in (a1) from the bottom surface, (b1) is an explanatory view showing the ball removal shutter and the ball meandering member in the open position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross section, and (b2) is an explanatory view showing only the part of the ball removal shutter in (b1) from the bottom surface.

[0206] Also, FIG. 25(a) is an explanatory view showing the ball removal shutter in the closed position with an iron ball magnetically attached thereto together with the ball meandering member and the ball removal tray in a side cross section, (b) is an explanatory view showing the ball removal shutter in the open position with an iron ball magnetically attached thereto together with the ball meandering member and the ball removal tray in a side cross section, and (c) is an explanatory view showing the ball removal shutter slid to the closed position from the state of (b) with an iron ball magnetically attached to the lower surface together with the ball meandering member and the ball removal tray in a side cross section. FIG. 26(a) is an explanatory view showing a front cross section of the recirculating ball path unit cut at the position of the out ball sensor, and (b) is an explanatory view showing a front cross section of the recirculating ball path unit cut at the position of the safe ball sensor. FIG. 27(a) is a perspective view of the lower part of the main body frame together with the outer frame with the meandering cover of the recirculating ball path unit removed, seen from the front with an enlarged view, and (b) is a perspective view of the lower part of the main body frame together with the outer frame with the meandering cover of the recirculating ball path unit removed, seen from the rear with an enlarged view.

[0207] The circulating ball path unit 500 stores a plurality of game balls B discharged from the game board 5 and game balls B recovered by the far unit 470, and sends the stored game balls B to the ball launching unit 450 side via the ball lifting unit 550. The circulating ball path unit 500 is attached to a circulating ball path unit attachment portion 401l provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401.

[0208] The circulating ball path unit 500 has an out ball receiving port 500a that is long in the left - right direction and opens upward, a safe ball receiving port 500b provided behind the out ball receiving port 500a that is long in the left - right direction and opens upward, a far ball receiving port 500c that opens on the front surface, and a ball discharge port 500d that opens rightward near the lower end. The out ball receiving port 500a and the safe ball receiving port 500b are formed such that the depth in the front - rear direction is slightly wider than the diameter of the game ball B, and a plurality of game balls B can pass through in the left - right direction. The far ball receiving port 500c and the ball discharge port 500d are formed to have a size through which one game ball B can pass at a time.

[0209] The out ball receiving port 500a receives the game ball B (out ball) received at the out port of the game board 5. The safe ball receiving port 500b receives the game ball B (safe ball) received at the winning ports such as the general winning port, start port, big winning port, etc. of the game board 5. The far ball receiving port 500c receives the game ball B (far ball) discharged from the far ball outlet 470c of the far unit 470. The ball discharge port 500d discharges the game balls B received at the out ball receiving port 500a, the safe ball receiving port 500b, and the far ball receiving port 500c and stored inside, and delivers them to the ball lifting unit 550.

[0210] Further, the circulating ball path unit 500 includes an out ball passage 501 through which the game ball B received at the out ball receiving port 500a flows, a safe ball passage 502 through which the game ball B received at the safe ball receiving port 500b flows, a foul ball passage 503 through which the game ball B received at the foul ball receiving port 500c flows, and a ball storage passage 504 that communicates with the downstream ends of the out ball passage 501, the safe ball passage 502, and the foul ball passage 503, respectively, and the downstream end of which is the ball discharge port 500d.

[0211] Furthermore, the circulating ball path unit 500 includes an out ball sensor 505 that detects each game ball B (out ball) flowing through the out ball passage 501, a safe ball sensor 506 that detects each game ball B (safe ball) flowing through the safe ball passage 502, and a foul ball sensor 507 that detects each game ball B (foul ball) flowing through the foul ball passage 503. The safe ball sensor 506 has the meaning of what is called a total winning port sensor in a conventional pachinko machine, and it can be used to determine illegal winning by comparing it with the total number of winning balls in all winning ports.

[0212] The circulating ball path unit 500 includes a flat plate-shaped ball receiving front plate 510, a ball receiving front member 511 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front plate 510, and a ball receiving rear member 512 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front member 511. The ball storage passage 504 is provided below the ball receiving front plate 510, the ball receiving front member 511, and the ball receiving rear member 512.

[0213] Also, the circulating ball path unit 500 includes a ball meandering member 513 provided below the ball receiving front plate 510, the ball receiving front member 511, and the ball receiving rear member 512 and open upward, a meandering cover 514 covering the upper part of the ball meandering member 513, a ball extraction shutter 515 for discharging the game ball B from the ball meandering member 513, a magnet 516 attached to the ball extraction shutter 515, and a circulating ball path relay board 517 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front member 511.

[0214] The foul ball receiving front plate 510 extends horizontally, and a foul ball receiving port 500c that penetrates through in the front-rear direction is provided near the lower part at the center in the left-right direction.

[0215] The front ball receiving member 511 forms an out ball receiving port 500a in cooperation with the foul ball receiving front plate 510 on its upper surface. The front ball receiving member 511 is formed with an out ball passage 501 and a foul ball passage 503 in a state of being open forward, and when the foul ball receiving front plate 510 is attached, the front sides thereof are closed. The downstream end of the out ball passage 501 opens downward at the lower left end of the front ball receiving member 511. The opening of the downstream end of the out ball passage 501 is located in front of the opening of the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502. The downstream end of the foul ball passage 503 opens downward at a position in the front ball receiving member 511 that is lower right than the downstream end of the out ball passage 501.

[0216] The front ball receiving member 511 has an upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a that slopes downward to the right from near the center in the left-right direction to the middle of the vertical wall forming the left end edge of the out ball receiving port 500a, a lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b that slopes downward to the left from a position below the upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a in the vertical wall forming the right end edge of the out ball receiving port 500a to near the lower part of the left end edge of the out ball receiving port 500a, and a crank portion 511c that extends in a crank shape downward to the lower left from the left end of the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b with a width allowing the game balls B to flow in a row.

[0217] The height between the right end of the upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a and the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b is approximately twice the diameter of the game ball B, and thus the height of the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b on the left side is formed to be lower toward the left. Thereby, the game balls B received in the out ball receiving port 500a can be aligned in a single row.

[0218] An out ball sensor 505 is attached to a portion that extends vertically directly below the downstream end of the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b in the crank portion 511c.

[0219] In the ball receiving front member 511, the out ball passage 501 is constituted by an upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a, a lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b, a crank portion 511c, and the like. Therefore, the out ball passage 501 is widely formed such that the upstream side can receive a large number of game balls B, and the received game balls B are aligned in a row and delivered to the downstream ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513).

[0220] Also, in the ball receiving front member 511, the foul ball passage 503 is inclined downward from a portion behind the foul ball receiving port 500c to a portion on the right side of the left end of the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b at a position below the upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a and below the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b so as to be lower toward the left. After that, it extends downward for a short distance. In the ball receiving front member 511, a foul ball sensor 507 is attached to a portion extending leftward in the foul ball passage 503. This foul ball passage 503 is formed such that the game balls b flow in a row, and the game balls B that have flowed through the foul ball passage 503 are delivered to a portion downstream of the portion where they are delivered from the out ball passage 501 in the ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513).

[0221] The ball receiving front member 511 is provided with a recess 511d that is recessed at a size that does not obstruct the flow of the game balls B at the front edge of the upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a, the front edge of the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b, and the front edge of the bottom wall that forms the foul ball passage 503 and extends left and right. This recess 511d enables dust, dirt, etc. in the out ball passage 501 and the foul ball passage 503 to be discharged to the outside.

[0222] Also, the ball receiving front member 511 has a circulation ball path relay substrate 517 attached to a portion behind the foul ball passage 503 on the rear surface.

[0223] The ball receiving rear member 512 forms a safe ball receiving port 500b in cooperation with the ball receiving front member 511 on the upper surface. A safe ball passage 502 is formed in the ball receiving rear member 512 in a state of being open forward, and the front side of the safe ball passage 502 is closed by attaching the ball receiving front member 511. The downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 opens downward at the lower left end of the ball receiving rear member 512. The opening of the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 is located behind the opening of the downstream end of the out ball passage 501. That is, the opening of the downstream end of the out ball passage 501 and the opening of the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction.

[0224] The ball receiving rear member 512 has an upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a that is inclined downward to the right from the middle of the vertical wall forming the left end edge of the safe ball receiving port 500b to near the center in the left-right direction, a lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b that is inclined downward to the left from a portion below the upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a in the vertical wall forming the right end edge of the safe ball receiving port 500b to near the lower part of the left end edge of the safe ball receiving port 500b, and a crank portion 512c that extends in a crank shape downward to the left from the left end of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b with a width allowing the game balls B to flow in a row.

[0225] The height between the right end of the upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a and the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b is approximately twice the diameter of the game ball B, and thus the height of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b on the left side is formed to be lower as it goes to the left. Thereby, the game balls B received in the safe ball receiving port 500b can be aligned in one row.

[0226] A safe ball sensor 506 is attached to a portion that extends vertically directly below the downstream end of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b in the crank portion 512c.

[0227] In the ball receiving rear member 512, a safety ball passage 502 is formed by an upper safety ball receiving plate portion 512a, a lower safety ball receiving plate portion 512b, a crank portion 512c, and the like. Therefore, the safety ball passage 502 is widely formed at the upstream side so as to be able to receive a large number of game balls B, and the received game balls B are aligned in a row and delivered to the most upstream portion of the downstream ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513).

[0228] The ball receiving rear member 512 is provided with recessed portions 512d that are recessed at the front end edges of the upper safety ball receiving plate portion 512a and the lower safety ball receiving plate portion 512b with a size that does not obstruct the flow of the game balls B. Due to these recessed portions 512d, dust, dirt, etc. inside the safety ball passage 502 can be discharged to the outside.

[0229] The ball meandering member 513 extends in the left-right direction while meandering back and forth and is lowered on the right end side, forming a ball storage passage 504 capable of storing a large number of game balls B. As shown in FIG. 23 and the like, the ball meandering member 513 includes a first straight portion 513a that is inclined so as to be lowered forward with the rear portion as the upstream end, a first turning portion 513b that bends rightward from the downstream end (front end) of the first straight portion 513a and then further bends downward to the rear, a second straight portion 513c that extends from the downstream end (rear end) of the first turning portion 513b to a position near the rear end of the first straight portion 513a so as to be lowered rearward, a second turning portion 513d that bends rightward from the downstream end (rear end) of the second straight portion 513c and then further bends downward to the front, a third straight portion 513e that extends from the downstream end (front end) of the second turning portion 513d to the same position as the front end of the second straight portion 513c so as to be lowered forward, a third turning portion 513f that bends rightward from the downstream end (front end) of the third straight portion 513e and then further bends downward to the rear, a fourth straight portion 513g that extends from the downstream end (rear end) of the third turning portion 513f to the same position as the rear end of the third straight portion 513e so as to be lowered rearward, a fourth turning portion 513h that bends rightward from the downstream end (rear end) of the fourth straight portion 513g and then further bends downward to the front, a fifth straight portion 513i that extends from the downstream end (front end) of the fourth turning portion 513h to the same position as the front end of the fourth straight portion 513g so as to be lowered forward, a first bending portion 513j that bends downward to the right from the downstream end (front end) of the fifth straight portion 513i, a first horizontal portion 513k that extends rightward from the downstream end (right end) of the first bending portion 513j so as to be lowered rightward, a second bending portion 513l that bends downward to the rear from the downstream end (right end) of the first horizontal portion 513k, a sixth straight portion 513m that extends from the downstream end (rear end) of the second bending portion 513l to a position near the downstream end of the fifth straight portion 513i so as to be lowered rearward, a third bending portion 513n that bends downward to the right from the downstream end (rear end) of the sixth straight portion 513m, and a second horizontal portion 513o that extends rightward from the downstream end (right end) of the third bending portion 513n so as to be lowered rightward. The opening at the downstream end of the second horizontal portion 513o forms a ball discharge port 500d that opens to the right.

[0230] In the ball meandering member 513 (the ball storage passage 504), above the rear end of the first straight portion 513a, the opening of the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 is located, and in front of it, the opening of the downstream end of the out ball passage 501 is located. Also, above the rear end of the second straight portion 513c, the opening of the downstream end of the foul ball passage 503 is located.

[0231] Further, the ball meandering member 513 includes a ball outlet 513p that penetrates vertically in the first horizontal portion 513k, a pair of rail portions 513q that extend forward and backward along the left and right end edges of the ball outlet 513p on the lower surface of the first horizontal portion 513k and protrude downward, support pieces 513r that protrude so as to approach each other from the lower ends of the pair of rail portions 513q, and locking recesses 513s that are recessed on the side surfaces of the pair of rail portions 513q that face each other.

[0232] The ball outlet 513p of the ball meandering member 513 is closed so as to be openable and closable by a ball outlet shutter 515, although details will be described later. The pair of rail portions 513q extend rearward from the ball outlet 513p. The pair of rail portions 513q support the ball outlet shutter 515 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The two support pieces 513r prevent the ball outlet shutter 515 from falling. Also, the two support pieces 513r protrude from the respective rail portions 513q at the portion of the ball outlet 513p. Thereby, even if the load of the game ball B acts on the ball outlet shutter 515 through the ball outlet 513p, the ball outlet shutter 515 can be sufficiently supported, preventing the ball outlet shutter 515 from falling off. The locking recess 513s can hold the ball outlet shutter 515 in the open position when the locking projection 515f of the ball outlet shutter 515 is inserted.

[0233] Note that the ball meandering member 513 is provided with a gauge portion 520 that can visually confirm an appropriate amount of the game ball B (circulating ball), a circulating ball shortage sensor 521, and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 that can detect the circulating game ball B, although details will be described later.

[0234] According to this ball meandering member 513, it is possible to form a ball storage passage 504 that meanders back and forth and extends in the left - right direction so as to be lower on the right side. Further, since the ball meandering member 513 is provided with a plurality of turning parts (first turning part 513b, second turning part 513d, third turning part 513f, fourth turning part 513h) and a plurality of bending parts (first bending part 513j, second bending part 513l, third bending part 513n), the flow rate of the game ball B can be suppressed at these parts, and the impact on the inlet side of the ball lifting unit 550 can be alleviated.

[0235] The meandering cover 514 is attached to the ball meandering member 513 so as to cover the open upper end of the ball meandering member 513. By attaching the meandering cover 514 to the ball meandering member 513, it is possible to prevent the game ball B from leaking outside from the ball meandering member 513 (ball storage passage 504), and to prevent game balls B that do not correspond to the ball storage passage 504 from the outside or illegal game balls B from entering.

[0236] The length of the part extending back and forth at the left end of the meandering cover 514 is formed shorter than the first straight part 513a of the ball meandering member 513 toward the rear. As a result, when the meandering cover 514 is attached to the ball meandering member 513, the rear part of the first straight part 513a of the ball meandering member 513 is in an open state upward, and it becomes possible to communicate with the out - ball passage 501 and the safe - ball passage 502 through that part.

[0237] Further, the meandering cover 514 has an opening 514a that penetrates vertically at a position above the vicinity of the rear end of the second straight part 513c in the ball meandering member 513. Through this opening 514a, the foul - ball passage 503 can communicate with the ball storage passage 504.

[0238] The ball extraction shutter 515 is for extracting (discharging) the game balls B (circulating game balls) from the circulating ball path unit 500 etc., and is slidably attached in the front-rear direction to the lower surface of the ball meandering member 513. The ball extraction shutter 515 includes a flat plate-shaped door portion 515a capable of closing the ball extraction port 513p, a knob portion 515b extending vertically, horizontally, and laterally from the front edge of the door portion 515a, a pair of paddle portions 515c each extending rearward from the rear ends of both left and right sides of the door portion 515a, a connecting portion 515e forming an opening 515d that penetrates vertically by connecting the pair of paddle portions 515c behind the door portion 515a, locking protrusions 515f bulging from the outer surfaces of the pair of paddle portions 515c between the connecting portion 515e and the rear ends, hook portions 515g extending outward from each other from the rear ends of the pair of paddle portions 515c, and a magnet support portion 515h protruding cylindrically from the lower surface of the door portion 515a.

[0239] The magnet support portion 515h of the ball extraction shutter 515 can support the cylindrical magnet 516 by inserting the magnet 516 into the cylinder. The magnet support portion 515h is open rearward such that the rear end side of the outer peripheral surface of the supported magnet 516 coincides with the inner peripheral surface on the front side in the opening 515d (see Fig. 24 etc.).

[0240] When the ball extraction shutter 515 is attached to the ball meandering member 513, a pair of rail portions 513q of the ball meandering member 513 are located on both left and right outer sides of the door portion 515a and the pair of paddle portions 515c, and the lower surface of the first horizontal portion 513k and the upper surfaces of the pair of support pieces 513r are located on both upper and lower sides of the door portion 515a and the pair of paddle portions 515c. Thereby, the ball extraction shutter 515 is slidable in the front-rear direction between a closed position and an open position described later.

[0241] Note that a screw hole is provided in the lower end surface of the magnet support portion 515h of the ball extraction shutter 515. When a screw is screwed into the screw hole with the magnet 516 inserted into the magnet support portion 515h, a part of the head of the screw is located below the magnet 516, and the magnet 516 does not fall from the magnet support portion 515h.

[0242] In the normal state, as shown in FIGS. 24(a1) and (a2), the ball removal shutter 515 is in a closed position where the ball removal opening 513p is blocked by the door portion 515a so that the game ball B cannot pass through. In this state, the rear surface of the knob portion 515b abuts against the front surface of the first horizontal portion 513k, and the pair of locking projections 515f are in contact with the respective rear end surfaces of the pair of rail portions 513q. Thereby, the ball removal shutter 515 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction and is held in the closed position. Therefore, when the ball removal shutter 515 is in the closed position, the game ball B is not discharged from the ball removal opening 513p to the lower ball receiving tray 620.

[0243] Also, when the ball removal shutter 515 is in the closed position, the magnet support portion 515h (magnet 516) is located below the vicinity of the center of the ball removal opening 513p. Although details will be described later, when the iron ball SB (see FIG. 25) flows through the ball storage passage 504, the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the door portion 515a by the magnetic force of the magnet 516, resulting in ball jamming, and it becomes possible to detect the mixing of the iron ball SB.

[0244] In the ball removal shutter 515 in the closed position, when the knob portion 515b is grasped and pulled forward, the locking projection 515f provided on the lever portion 515c strongly abuts against the rear end surface of the rail portion 513q. At this time, due to the force applied to the locking projection 515f, the lever portion 515c is elastically deformed inward, and the locking projection 515f moves to the inner side surface side of the rail portion 513q, and the ball removal shutter 515 slides forward from the closed position. Then, when the locking projection 515f reaches the locking recess 513s, the locking projection 515f is inserted into the locking recess 513s by the elastic force of the lever portion 515c, and the hook portion 515g provided at the rear end of the lever portion 515c approaches the rear end surface of the rail portion 513q. Thereby, the ball removal shutter 515 is in a state where further forward sliding is restricted.

[0245] In this state, as shown in FIGS. 24(b1) and (b2), the opening 515d of the ball-discharge shutter 515 coincides with the ball-discharge port 513p, and the game ball B can pass through the ball-discharge port 513p. That is, the ball-discharge shutter 515 is in the open position. When the ball-discharge shutter 515 is in the open position, the game ball B upstream of the ball-discharge port 513p in the ball storage passage 504 is discharged through the ball-discharge port 513p and the opening 515d to the lower ball receiving tray 620. Thereby, it becomes possible to extract the circulating game ball B to the outside.

[0246] Then, when the game balls B accumulate in the ball receiving tray 620 and become heavy, the ball receiving tray 620 is placed on the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f that is inclined so that the front end side is lower. Therefore, due to the inclination of the bottom wall, it tries to slide forward, but the sliding forward is blocked by the locking of the locking claw 401n. In this state, when the locking of the locking claw 401n is released, the ball receiving tray 620 automatically slides forward due to the weight of the stored game balls B, and the ball receiving tray 620 can be easily taken out from the tray insertion recess 401f.

[0247] Note that in the state where the ball-discharge shutter 515 is assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the rear surface of the door frame 3 is close to the front surface of the knob portion 515b. Even if the ball-discharge shutter 515 tries to slide forward for some reason, the knob portion 515b abuts against the door frame 3, and the sliding to the open position is blocked. Thereby, the circulating game ball B will not accidentally escape, and an illegal game ball B will not be mixed through the ball-discharge port 513p.

[0248] The magnet 516 is formed in a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the magnet support portion 515h of the ball-discharge shutter 515. This magnet 516 is for attracting the iron ball SB. The magnet 516 uses a magnet with a strong magnetic force such as a neodymium magnet.

[0249] Incidentally, in a game hall or the like, when the pachinko machine 1 of the present embodiment and a conventional pachinko machine that allows a player to touch a game ball (steel ball SB) are mixed, there is a risk that the steel ball SB may be mixed in when the game ball B is replenished or replaced by maintenance or the like of the pachinko machine 1 of the present embodiment.

[0250] On the other hand, in this pachinko machine 1, when the steel ball SB is mixed in, since the magnet 516 is provided on the ball discharge shutter 515, when the steel ball SB flows through the ball storage passage 504, on the upper surface of the door portion 515a of the ball discharge shutter 515 in the closed position, the steel ball SB is magnetically attracted and stopped by the magnetic force of the magnet 516 (see Fig. 25(a)). At this time, since the magnet 516 with a strong magnetic force is used, even if a force to press downstream acts due to a large number of game balls B accumulating on the upstream side of the magnetically attracted steel ball SB, the steel ball SB does not move from the upper surface of the door portion 515a.

[0251] Then, when the firing of the game ball B from the ball firing unit 450 continues in a state where the steel ball SB is magnetically attracted to the door portion 515a (magnet 516) of the ball discharge shutter 515 in the ball storage passage 504, the game balls B on the downstream side of the magnetically attracted steel ball SB are sequentially consumed, and the consumed (fired) game balls B are sequentially supplied to the upstream side of the steel ball SB. Therefore, detection of the game ball B becomes OFF at the circulation ball shortage sensor 521, the lifting inlet sensor 553, etc. provided downstream of the ball discharge shutter 515, and detection of the game ball B becomes ON at the circulation ball excess sensor 522, the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the far ball sensor 507, etc. provided upstream of the ball discharge shutter 515. As a result, it is possible to detect and notify that a ball jam has occurred between the circulation ball shortage sensor 521, etc. and the circulation ball excess sensor 522, etc. That is, it is possible to detect that the steel ball SB is magnetically attracted at the door portion 515a.

[0252] As shown in Fig. 25(a), with the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the upper surface of the door portion 515a of the ball extraction shutter 515 by the magnetic force of the magnet 516, when the ball extraction shutter 515 is slid from the closed position to the forward open position, the front end of the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the upper surface of the door portion 515a abuts against the front wall of the first horizontal portion 513k, and only the iron ball SB is prevented from moving forward. Then, when the ball extraction shutter 515 slides further forward, the door portion 515a that supported the lower end of the iron ball SB disappears, and the iron ball SB moves into the lower opening 515d due to gravity. At this time, since the rear end side of the outer peripheral surface of the magnet 516 coincides with the inner surface on the front side of the opening 515d, the iron ball SB is in a state of being magnetically attached to the outer peripheral surface of the magnet 516 (see Fig. 25(b)).

[0253] Note that the iron ball SB tries to move from the outer peripheral surface of the magnet 516 to the side with a strong magnetic pole (here, the lower end surface side) of the magnet 516. However, when the ball extraction shutter 515 is in the open position, the upper end surface of the ball receiving tray 620 is located below the magnet 516, and the iron ball SB does not move below the magnet 516. Therefore, when the ball extraction shutter 515 is slid to the open position, the iron ball B is located at a position overlapping the opening 515d, and the game ball B upstream of the iron ball SB does not pass through the opening 515d, that is, the ball extraction port 513p and is not discharged downward.

[0254] After sliding the ball extraction shutter 515 to the open position and then sliding the ball extraction shutter 515 back to the closed position, while preventing the game ball B upstream of the iron ball SB from passing through the ball extraction port 513p by the door portion 515a, the iron ball SB that was magnetically attached to the outer peripheral surface of the magnet 516 moves to the lower surface side of the magnet 516, and the iron ball SB is in a state of being magnetically attached to the lower surface of the magnet 516 (see Fig. 25(c)). Then, the ball receiving tray 620 is pulled out and removed from the tray insertion recess 401f, and the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the lower surface of the magnet 516 is removed.

[0255] In this way, with the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the door portion 515a of the ball extraction shutter 515 by the magnet 516, when the ball extraction shutter 515 is slid back and forth, only the magnetically attached iron ball SB can be taken out from the ball storage passage 504 to the outside.

[0256] The circulating ball path relay board 517 is attached at a position behind the fair ball passage 503 on the rear surface of the ball receiving front member 511 and at a position below the out ball receiving plate lower part 511b of the ball receiving rear member 512. The circulating ball path relay board 517 is for relaying the connection between the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the fair ball sensor 507, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, and the frame control board 640 described later.

[0257] In the circulating ball path unit 500 of the present embodiment, the ball receiving front plate 510, the ball receiving front member 511, the ball receiving rear member 512, the ball meandering member 513, and the meandering cover 514 are formed of a transparent synthetic resin. Therefore, it is possible to visually recognize the internal state from the outside.

[0258] In the circulating ball path unit 500, the out ball sensor 505 and the fair ball sensor 507 are attached in a state of being sandwiched between the ball receiving front plate 510 and the ball receiving front member 511, and the safe ball sensor 506 is attached in a state of being sandwiched between the ball receiving front member 511 and the ball receiving rear member 512. The out ball sensor 505 and the safe ball sensor 506 are provided side by side in the front-rear direction.

[0259] The out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the fair ball sensor 507, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 detect the game ball B non-contact by detecting a change in the induced current, for example.

[0260] The circulating ball path unit 500 is attached to the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401 from the rear side. In a state where the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the out ball receiving port 500a and the safe ball receiving port 500b are attached at the same height as the upper surface of the base wall portion 401b and in contact with the rear end edge of the upper surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0261] Further, the circulating ball path unit 500 is attached in a state of being assembled to the main body frame 4 such that the ball feeding unit 600 is positioned between the base wall portion 401b and the main body frame 4.

[0262] Furthermore, in a state where the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, a portion of the ball meandering member 513 and the meandering cover 514 in front of the center in the front-rear direction penetrates the ball storage path insertion port 401g provided in the base wall portion 401b from the rear and protrudes forward. As a result, when the door frame 3 is opened with respect to the main body frame 4, the game balls B in the ball meandering member 513 (ball storage path 504) can be visually recognized from the front (outside).

[0263] Also, when the frame substrate unit 630 is opened rearward in a state where the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the inside of each of the out ball path 501, the safe ball path 502, the foul ball path 503, and the portion of the ball storage path 504 behind the base wall portion 401b can be visually recognized from the rear. As a result, when a ball jam occurs, by opening the frame substrate unit 630, the inside of the out ball path 501 or the like can be confirmed, and it is easy to identify the location where the ball jam has occurred.

[0264] In addition, in a state where the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the second horizontal portion 513o of the ball meandering member 513 is located at a position behind the base wall portion 401b and below the ball launching unit 450. That is, the circulating ball path unit 500 has a ball discharge port 500d that opens rightward at a position lower than the ball launching unit 450 behind the base wall portion 401b. This ball discharge port 500d communicates with the ball lifting inlet passage 551 of the ball lifting unit 550 described later.

[0265] The circulating ball path unit 500 of the present embodiment includes a gauge unit 520 that enables visual recognition of an appropriate amount of the game balls B stored in the ball storage path 504 (the ball meandering member 513), a circulating ball shortage sensor 521 for detecting that the stored game balls B (circulating balls) are insufficient, and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 for detecting that the stored game balls B (circulating balls) are excessive (see FIG. 37).

[0266] The gauge unit 520 is colored in a color different from other parts in an appropriate amount region having a predetermined length with respect to the flow direction of the ball storage path 504 in the ball meandering member 513. Here, the state where the rear end of the row of the game balls B stored in a lined-up state is over the gauge unit 520 is regarded as an appropriate amount.

[0267] When looking at the gauge unit 520 during maintenance or the like, if the game balls B cannot be seen at the part of the gauge unit 520 (appropriate amount region), it can be determined that there is a shortage of game balls B, that is, the number of game balls B is less than the appropriate amount. When replenishing the game balls B, the game balls B are inserted from the out-port 1008 of the game board 5, or the out-ball receiving port 500a or the safe-ball receiving port 500b until the appropriate amount is reached.

[0268] On the other hand, when looking at the gauge unit 520, if the game balls B can be seen at all parts of the gauge unit 520 (when the rear end of the row of the game balls B cannot be seen), it can be determined that there is an excess of game balls B, that is, the number of game balls B is more than the appropriate amount. When there is an excess of game balls B, the ball discharge shutter 515 is pulled forward and slid to the open position to discharge the game balls B in the ball storage path 504 from the ball discharge port 513p to make the amount appropriate.

[0269] The circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is provided near the downstream end of the gauge unit 520 in the ball storage path 504. The circulating ball excess sensor 522 is provided near the upstream end of the gauge unit 520 in the ball storage path 504. The circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 are connected to the frame control board 640 via the circulating ball path relay board 517.

[0270] As will be described later, when the game balls B are in an appropriate amount, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 detects the game balls B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more, and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 does not detect the game balls B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more. When the game balls B are in a shortage state, neither the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 nor the circulating ball excess sensor 522 detects the game balls B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more. On the other hand, when the game balls B are in an excessive state, both the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 detect the game balls B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more. When the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 does not detect the game balls B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 detects the game balls B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more, a ball jam including the mixing of the steel balls SB occurs between the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522.

[0271] Here, the reason for the predetermined time k80 ms as the threshold value for detecting the presence or absence of the game balls B will be described. For example, on the circulation path R, the positions where sensors such as the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, the lifting inlet sensor 553, the lifting outlet sensor 554, and the shooter front sensor 604 are placed are the stop positions of the game balls B when the ball lifting unit 550, the ball feeding unit 600, etc. are stopped. This position is the position where the next game ball B is located every time one game ball B is sent. Therefore, the detection of the game balls B here is in the detection method of whether they are detected for 80 ms or more. This is because the time when the game balls B rolling on an inclined plane with an inclination of about 5 degrees are detected is about 50 ms. Therefore, a margin is added to detect with 80 ms to surely detect the presence of the game balls B at that position. That is, the value of 80 ms is a practical value obtained through experiments.

[0272] In this way, based on the combination of the detection states of the game balls B by the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, it is possible to automatically judge and notify the amount of the game balls B, ball jams, etc. on the frame control board 640.

[0273] In the above-described embodiment, as the gauge portion 520 in the spherical meandering member 513, an example in which an appropriate amount region is colored in a color different from other portions is shown. However, the molding color of the portion of the gauge portion 520 in the spherical meandering member 513 may be made different, a seal may be attached as the gauge portion, or a gauge portion may be formed by drawing a colored line at the downstream end and the upstream end of the appropriate amount region.

[0274] In the above-described embodiment, the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 are provided. However, the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 may be substituted with a lifting inlet sensor described later, and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 may be substituted with the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, and the foul ball sensor 507.

[0275] [4-4a. Ball clogging elimination mechanism] Next, in the circulation ball path unit 500, a ball clogging elimination mechanism 530 may be provided to facilitate elimination of ball clogging at the out ball sensor 505 or the safe ball sensor 506 as shown in FIG. 28. FIG. 28(a) is an explanatory view showing an enlarged main part of a rear cross section cut at the position of the out ball sensor with the lid member of the ball clogging elimination mechanism closed in the circulation ball path unit attached to the main body frame, and (b) is an explanatory view showing the state with the lid member opened in (a).

[0276] The ball clogging elimination mechanism 530 is configured such that, in the ball receiving front member 511 and the ball receiving rear member 512 in the circulation ball path unit 500, the upper wall portions of the out ball sensor 505 and the safe ball sensor 506 are formed as an openable and closable lid member 531. The lid member 531 is closed in a normal state as shown in FIG. 28(a). The lid member 531 is held in a closed state by being locked by a locking claw (not shown).

[0277] This ball clogging elimination mechanism 530 is used to eliminate ball clogging that occurs in the out ball passage 501 or the safe ball passage 502, or when an illegal ball B' having a larger diameter than the game ball B is inserted as an illegal act and the out ball sensor 505 or the like is blocked.

[0278] For example, when an illegal ball B' with a diameter larger than that of the game ball B is inserted from the out port 1008 of the game board 5 and the out ball sensor 505 is blocked, when the main body frame 4 is opened with respect to the outer frame 2 and then the frame substrate unit 630 is opened, the rear part of the circulating ball path unit 500 appears. And in the present embodiment, since a gap into which a finger can be inserted is formed between the part where the ball jamming elimination mechanism 530 in the circulating ball path unit 500 is provided and the box main body part 404b of the main body frame speaker box 404, by releasing the locking claw of the lid member 531 through the gap and rotating the lower end of the lid member 531 so as to move upward, the lid member 531 can be opened (see Fig. 28(b)).

[0279] And by setting the lid member 531 in an open state, a finger can be inserted into the upper part of the out ball sensor 505 in the out ball passage 501, and the illegal ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505 can be easily taken out. In this way, the illegal ball B' can be easily taken out without removing the circulating ball path unit 500 that is screwed using a driver.

[0280] In addition, even when the safe ball sensor 506 is blocked by the illegal ball B', the illegal ball B' can be taken out by the same procedure as above.

[0281] In the above description, a lid member 531 that can be opened and closed is provided as the ball jamming elimination mechanism 530. However, for example, elastic claws may be provided on the ball receiving rear member 512 and the ball receiving front member 511, and the ball receiving rear member 512 and the ball receiving front member 511 may be detachably attached to the rear by locking the elastic claws. In this case, in the normal state, the frame substrate unit 630 is located behind the circulating ball path unit 500, and even if the locking of the elastic claws is loosened, the ball receiving rear member 512 and the ball receiving front member 511 will not come off to the rear. And when the out ball sensor 505 is blocked by the illegal ball B', when the main body frame 4 is opened with respect to the outer frame 2 and then the frame substrate unit 630 is opened, the rear part of the circulating ball path unit 500 appears. Therefore, by releasing the locking of the elastic claws that attach the ball receiving rear member 512 and the ball receiving front member 511, the ball receiving rear member 512 and the ball receiving front member 511 can be easily removed, and the illegal ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505 can be easily taken out.

[0282] Alternatively, as the ball jamming elimination mechanism 530, in the ball receiving front member 511 sandwiched between the ball receiving front plate 510 and the ball receiving rear member 512, the portion above the out ball sensor 505 may be slid upward and removed. In this case, in the normal state, the game board 5 is located above the circulating ball path unit 500, and due to the action of gravity, the slidable portion of the ball receiving front member 511 will not come off upward. And when the out ball sensor 505 is blocked by the illegal ball B', when the door frame 3 is opened with respect to the main body frame 4 and the game board 5 is removed from the main body frame 4, the upper part of the circulating ball path unit 500 appears. Therefore, by sliding the slidable portion of the ball receiving front member 511 upward and removing it, the illegal ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505 can be easily taken out.

[0283] [4-5. Ball Lifting Unit] Regarding the ball lifting unit 550 in the main body frame 4, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 29 to 32 and the like. FIG. 29(a) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main body frame as seen from the left front, (b) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main body frame as seen from the right front, and (c) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main body frame as seen from the rear. FIG. 30(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit disassembled by each main component as seen from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit disassembled by each main component as seen from the rear. FIG. 31 is a front view showing an enlarged main part in a state where the ball polishing cassette is removed from the ball lifting unit attached to the main body frame. FIG. 32(a) is a right side view showing the main parts of the ball polishing mechanism and the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit, (b) is a rear view showing the main part of the ball lifting mechanism, and (c) is a plan view of the main part of the ball lifting mechanism as seen from the arrow A in (b).

[0284] The ball lifting unit 550 is for sending the game balls B discharged from the game board 5 and the far unit 470 and flowing through the circulating ball path unit 500 to the ball launching unit 450 via the ball feeding unit 600. The ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the ball lifting unit attachment portion 401j provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b in the main body frame base 401.

[0285] The ball lifting unit 550 includes a ball lifting mechanism 560 for lifting the game balls B, a ball lifting inlet passage 551 for supplying the game balls B sent from the circulating ball path unit 500 to the ball lifting mechanism 560, a ball lifting outlet passage 552 for supplying the game balls B lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 to the ball feeding unit 600, a lifting inlet sensor 553 provided in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 for detecting the game balls B flowing through, and a lifting outlet sensor 554 provided in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 for detecting the game balls B flowing through.

[0286] In addition, the ball lifting unit 550 includes a ball lifting inlet grounding sheet metal 555 provided so as to be in contact with the game ball B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551, a ball lifting outlet grounding sheet metal 556 provided so as to be in contact with the game ball B in the ball lifting outlet passage 552, a ball lifting relay board 557 that relays the connection with the frame control board 640, and a ball grinding mechanism 580 for grinding the game ball B lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 of the ball lifting unit 550.

[0287] First, the ball lifting mechanism 560 of the ball lifting unit 550 includes a lifting spiral shaft 561 that extends vertically and has a spiral lifting groove 561a on its outer peripheral surface, a shaft gear 562 attached to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561, a motor gear 563 that meshes with the shaft gear 562 and is rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the axis of the lifting spiral shaft 561, a lifting motor 564 with the motor gear 563 attached to its rotating shaft for rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561, a lifting motor index 565 having a detection part 565a provided so as to be notched in a part of the circumferential direction extending flange-like from the lower end of the shaft gear 562, and a lifting motor index sensor 566 capable of detecting the detection part 565a of the lifting motor index 565.

[0288] In addition, the ball lifting mechanism 560 includes a motor base sheet metal 567 to which the lifting motor 564 is attached and that rotatably supports the motor gear 563, and a lifting mechanism base 568 and a lifting mechanism cover 569 that are attached to the motor base sheet metal 567, rotatably support the lifting spiral shaft 561, and are attached to the ball lifting unit attachment part 401j of the base wall part 401b in the main body frame base 401.

[0289] The lifting spiral shaft 561 is provided with a spiral lifting groove 561a having a depth capable of accommodating the game balls B in a row on the outer peripheral surface. When viewed from above in the axial direction thereof (see Fig. 32(c)), the lifting spiral shaft 561 is formed with the lifting groove 561a so that the game balls B can be lifted by rotating in the clockwise direction. The pitch of the spiral of the lifting groove 561a is formed longer near the upper and lower ends than between them. The lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotatably supported by a lifting mechanism base 568 and a lifting mechanism cover 569. The rotation axis of this lifting spiral shaft 561 is inclined with respect to the vertical so that the upper end is located to the right of the lower end in a front view. Thereby, the upper end side of the lifting spiral shaft 561 can be moved farther to the right from the ball feeding unit, the length of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 can be relatively increased, and the storage amount of the game balls B can be made larger. In the present embodiment, the rotation axis of the lifting spiral shaft 561 is inclined at an angle of 12 degrees with respect to the vertical.

[0290] The shaft gear 562 is a spur gear. The motor gear 563 is a worm gear. Thereby, even if the lifting spiral shaft 561 tries to rotate due to the load acting when a large number of game balls B are accommodated in the lifting groove 561a of the lifting spiral shaft 561, the rotation can be blocked by the motor gear 563 composed of a worm gear meshing with the shaft gear 562. The lifting motor 564 is a DC motor.

[0291] The lifting motor index 565 is integrally formed with the shaft gear 562 in a flange shape. The detection part 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is provided so that a range of an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the entire circumference is cut out. The lifting motor index sensor 566 is a photosensor. The lifting motor index sensor 566 is in a light receiving state at the part of the detection part 565a in the lifting motor index 565, and is shielded from light and in a non-light receiving state at parts other than the detection part 565a. Thereby, it is possible to detect the rotation position of the lifting spiral shaft 561 via the lifting motor index 565.

[0292] Incidentally, although details will be described later, for the lifting spiral shaft 561, when the rotating shaft of the lifting motor 564 rotates 32 times by the shaft gear 562 and the motor gear 563, the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates once. And in the lifting motor index sensor 566, when the lifting motor 564 rotates 28 times after being in the non-light-receiving state located at a part other than the detection part 565a, it reaches the detection part 565a and becomes in the light-receiving state, and when the lifting motor 564 rotates further 4 times after becoming in the light-receiving state, it moves away from the detection part 565a and becomes in the non-light-receiving state. In the present embodiment, the position where the lifting motor 564 rotates 2 times after reaching the detection part 565a and becoming in the light-receiving state is set as the origin. That is, the center of the detection part 565a is set as the origin of the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0293] The motor base sheet metal 567 mounts the lifting motor 564 on the left end side in the front view, and rotatably supports the right end of the motor gear 563 on the right end side. The upper end side of the motor base sheet metal 567 is attached to the lifting mechanism base 568, and the lower end side is attached to the lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0294] The lifting mechanism base 568 accommodates the lifting spiral shaft 561 in cooperation with the lifting mechanism cover 569, and rotatably supports the lifting spiral shaft 561. The lifting mechanism base 568 has a ball grinding port 568a that penetrates through in the front-rear direction so that the lifting spiral shaft 561 faces forward with a size that the game ball B cannot pass through. This ball grinding port 568a is provided so that a part of the game ball B lifted by the lifting spiral shaft 561 protrudes forward, and the part of the game ball B that protrudes forward from the ball grinding port 568a contacts the grinding cloth 582 of the ball grinding mechanism 580, whereby the game ball B is ground.

[0295] On the hoisting mechanism base 568, a downstream portion of the ball hoisting inlet passage 551 is provided at a position to the right of the hoisting spiral shaft 561 in the front view near the lower end. The portion of the ball hoisting inlet passage 551 provided on the hoisting mechanism base 568 is inclined such that the upstream end opens rearward and becomes lower toward the lower end of the left hoisting spiral shaft 561. Further, a hoisting inlet sensor 553 is attached to the hoisting mechanism base 568 at a position to the right of the lower end of the hoisting spiral shaft 561 in the front view.

[0296] Also, an upstream portion of the ball hoisting outlet passage 552 is provided near the upper end of the hoisting mechanism base 568. The portion of the ball hoisting outlet passage 552 provided on the hoisting mechanism base 568 is inclined to be lower from the front of the upper end of the hoisting spiral shaft 561 to the left in the front view and then inclined to be lower rearward, and the downstream end opens rearward. For the ball hoisting outlet passage 552, it is inclined to be lower from the portion opening rearward in the hoisting mechanism base 568 to the left, then inclined to be lower forward, and opens forward at the front end. The said portion in the ball hoisting outlet passage 552 is formed by the cooperation of the hoisting mechanism base 568 and the hoisting mechanism cover 569.

[0297] Also, a ball milling motor base 586 to which the ball milling motor 588 of the ball milling mechanism 580 is attached is rotatably attached to the hoisting mechanism base 568 about an axis extending vertically.

[0298] The hoisting mechanism cover 569 cooperates with the hoisting mechanism base 568 to accommodate the hoisting spiral shaft 561 and rotatably supports the hoisting spiral shaft 561, and is attached from the rear to the ball hoisting unit attachment portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b in the main body frame base 401. A ball hoisting relay substrate 557 is attached to the rear surface of the hoisting mechanism cover 569.

[0299] The lifting mechanism cover 569 is provided with a portion upstream of the portion provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting inlet passage 551. The portion provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 has a downstream end that opens forward at a position to the right in the front view near the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561. After extending rearward, it bends leftward, passes behind the lifting spiral shaft 561, and then extends obliquely forward with the upstream end opening leftward. On this lifting mechanism cover 569, a ball lifting inlet grounding sheet metal 555 is attached so as to be in contact with the game ball B flowing through the ball lifting inlet passage 551 behind the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0300] Also, the lifting mechanism cover 569 is provided with a portion downstream of the portion provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting outlet passage 552. The portion provided on the lifting mechanism cover 569 in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 has an upstream end that opens rearward, bends leftward in the front view, extends leftward to the left end, then bends forward, and has a downstream end that opens forward at the front end of the lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0301] Also, a lifting outlet sensor 554 is attached near the left end of the portion extending leftward in the front view in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 on the lifting mechanism cover 569. Further, on the lifting mechanism cover 569, a ball lifting outlet grounding sheet metal 556 is attached so as to be in contact with the game ball B flowing through the ball lifting outlet passage 552 at a portion upstream of the lifting outlet sensor 554 in the portion extending leftward in the ball lifting outlet passage 552.

[0302] Subsequently, the ball lifting inlet passage 551 of the ball lifting unit 550 has an opening (inlet) at the upstream end that opens leftward near the lower part of the left side surface of the ball lifting unit 550. This opening is provided so as to face the ball discharge port 500d of the circulating ball path unit 500 when assembled to the main body frame 4. The ball lifting inlet passage 551 is inclined downward from the left end inlet toward the right, extends rightward of the lifting spiral shaft 561 so as to bypass the rear of the lifting spiral shaft 561, and then folds back forward and extends to near the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 toward the left. Then, it bends in a crank shape so as to wrap around to the front side of the lifting spiral shaft 561 in the vicinity of the lifting spiral shaft 561 and communicates with the lifting groove 561a of the lifting spiral shaft 561 on the front side near the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0303] The ball lifting inlet passage 551 is provided so as to face the ball discharge port 500d that forms the opening at the downstream end of the ball storage passage 504 in the circulating ball path unit 500, and the game ball B that has flowed through the ball storage passage 504 is transferred and circulated.

[0304] The ball lifting inlet passage 551 is provided with a lifting inlet sensor 553 at a portion that is lower toward the left near the downstream end in contact with the lifting spiral shaft 561, and a ball lifting inlet ground sheet metal 555 is attached to a portion behind the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0305] The ball lifting outlet passage 552 has an upstream end that communicates with the lifting groove 561a near the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 at the front side near the upper end of the ball lifting unit 550, extends leftward of the lifting spiral shaft 561 and then bends rearward, extends to the same position as the rear end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 and then bends leftward. Then, it extends leftward near the left end of the ball lifting unit 550 and then bends forward, and the downstream end opens forward on the front surface of the ball lifting unit 550 (lifting mechanism cover 569).

[0306] The ball lifting upper exit passage 552 is provided such that the opening at the downstream end faces the ball supply port of the ball feeding unit described later, and can supply the game balls B to the ball feeding unit 600.

[0307] The ball lifting upper exit passage 552 is provided with a lifting exit sensor 554 near the left end of the part extending leftward near the rear end of the ball lifting unit 550, and a ball lifting upper exit ground sheet metal 556 is attached to its upstream side (right side). Note that an opening is provided in the bottom wall of the part where the ball lifting upper exit ground sheet metal 556 is provided in the ball lifting upper exit passage 552, the opening being sized so as not to obstruct the flow of the game balls B, and dust, dirt, etc. can be discharged to the outside through the opening.

[0308] The lifting entrance sensor 553 detects the presence or absence of the game balls B to be lifted when the lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotated by driving the lifting motor 564 to lift the game balls B. Although details will be described later, when the lifting entrance sensor 553 does not detect the game balls B, the lifting motor 564 is not driven.

[0309] The lifting exit sensor 554 detects the presence or absence of the game balls B supplied to the ball feeding unit. Although details will be described later, when the lifting entrance sensor 553 detects the game balls B and the lifting exit sensor 554 does not detect the game balls B, and a predetermined condition is satisfied (here, subtraction of a predetermined number (for example, 3) of game balls B by the emission subtraction sensor 454), the lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotated by driving the lifting motor 564 to lift a predetermined number of game balls B.

[0310] The lifting entrance sensor 553 and the lifting exit sensor 554 detect the game balls B non - contactingly, for example, by detecting a change in the induced current.

[0311] The ball lift-inlet grounding sheet metal 555 removes the static electricity of the game balls B supplied from the circulating ball path unit 500 to the ball lift-inlet passage 551. The ball lift-inlet grounding sheet metal 555 is provided upstream of the lift-inlet sensor 553. Thereby, the static electricity of the game balls B passing through the lift-inlet sensor 553 can be removed in advance, and it is possible to avoid false detection occurring at the lift-inlet sensor 553 or the frame control board 640 malfunctioning due to the static electricity from the game balls B.

[0312] The ball lift-outlet grounding sheet metal 556 removes the static electricity of the game balls B lifted by the ball lift mechanism 560 and polished by the ball polishing mechanism 580. The ball lift-outlet grounding sheet metal 556 is provided upstream of the lift-outlet sensor 554. Thereby, the static electricity of the game balls B passing through the lift-outlet sensor 554 can be removed in advance, and it is possible to avoid false detection occurring at the lift-outlet sensor 554 or the frame control board 640 malfunctioning due to the static electricity from the game balls B.

[0313] The ball lift relay board 557 is for relaying the connection between the lift-inlet sensor 553, the lift-outlet sensor 554, the lift motor 564, the lift motor index sensor 566, the ball polishing motor 588, etc. and the frame control board 640. The ball lift relay board 557 is attached to the rear side of the lift mechanism cover 569.

[0314] The ball polishing mechanism 580 is attached to the front side of the ball lift mechanism 560. The ball polishing mechanism 580 includes a ball polishing cassette 581 in the shape of a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped box, an endless loop-shaped polishing cloth 582 partially exposed to the outside at the rear surface of the ball polishing cassette 581, a sheet-shaped ball polishing sponge 583 provided between the exposed part of the polishing cloth 582 to the outside and the rear surface of the ball polishing cassette 581, a ball polishing feed gear 584 rotatably supported around a horizontal axis at the lower part inside the ball polishing cassette 581, and a ball polishing driven gear 585 meshing with the ball polishing feed gear 584 with the polishing cloth 582 in between and rotatably supported around a horizontal axis.

[0315] Further, the ball milling mechanism 580 includes a flat plate-shaped ball milling motor base 586 that extends vertically with a constant depth in the front-rear direction to the left of the ball milling cassette 581 and whose rear end side is rotatably attached to the lifting mechanism base 568, a gear cover 587 attached to the left surface of the ball milling motor base 586, a ball milling motor 588 attached to the left surface of the gear cover 587 and having a rotating shaft protruding between the gear cover 587 and the ball milling motor base 586, a flat gear-shaped motor gear 589 attached to the rotating shaft of the ball milling motor 588, a large-diameter gear portion 590a in the shape of a flat gear that meshes with the motor gear 589, and a small-diameter gear portion 590b in the shape of a flat gear with a small diameter that rotates integrally with the large-diameter gear portion 590a. The ball milling mechanism 580 also includes a transmission gear 590 that is rotatably supported between the ball milling motor base 586 and the gear cover 587, a flat gear-shaped transmission gear 591 that meshes with the small-diameter gear portion 590b of the transmission gear 590 and is rotatably supported between the ball milling motor base 586 and the gear cover 587, and a rotation connection portion 592 that rotates integrally with the transmission gear 591 and protrudes rightward through the ball milling motor base 586.

[0316] Furthermore, the ball milling mechanism 580 includes a flat plate-shaped cassette pressing piece 593 that abuts against the front surface of the ball milling cassette 581, with its left end side locked to the front end of the ball milling motor base 586 and its right end side attached to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401, and a nylon latch 594 that detachably attaches the right end side of the cassette pressing piece 593 to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0317] The ball milling cassette 581 of the ball milling mechanism 580 is formed in a box shape with a hollow interior, and slits through which the polishing cloth 582 can pass are provided at the upper and lower edges of the rear surface. The ball milling cassette 581 is detachably attached from the front to the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting mechanism 560 so as to close the ball milling port 568a.

[0318] The abrasive cloth 582 is formed in the shape of an endless loop belt with a constant width on both the left and right sides. As shown in Fig. 32(a), the abrasive cloth 582 is accommodated in the ball milling cassette 581 in a state of meandering back and forth, and a part of it is exposed behind the rear surface of the ball milling cassette 581 through the upper and lower slits of the ball milling cassette 581.

[0319] The ball milling sponge 583 is provided between the rear surface of the ball milling cassette 581 and the part of the abrasive cloth 582 that is exposed rearward, and is attached to the rear surface of the ball milling cassette 581. The inner surface of the abrasive cloth 582 is in contact with the rear surface of the ball milling sponge 583. In a state where the ball milling sponge 583 is assembled to the ball lifting unit 550, the ball milling sponge 583 elastically presses the abrasive cloth 582 against the game ball B that is exposed forward from the ball milling port 568a of the ball lifting mechanism 560, so that the abrasive cloth 582 contacts the spherical surface of the game ball B in a wider range. Note that the ball milling sponge 583 is detachably attached to the ball milling cassette 581.

[0320] The ball milling feed gear 584 is provided so that its axis coincides with the axis of the transmission gear 591 (rotation connection part 592) in a state where the ball milling cassette 581 is attached, and the left end of the rotating shaft is connected to the rotation connection part 592 and rotates integrally with the transmission gear 591.

[0321] The ball milling driven gear 585 meshes with the ball milling feed gear 584 so as to have a gap through which the abrasive cloth 582 can enter. When the ball milling feed gear 584 rotates, the ball milling driven gear 585 rotates in the reverse direction and can feed the abrasive cloth 582 sandwiched between it and the ball milling feed gear 584.

[0322] The ball milling motor base 586 extends vertically along the left side surface of the ball milling cassette 581, and the rear end edge is rotatably attached around an axis extending vertically with respect to the hoisting mechanism base 568. Thereby, the ball milling motor base 586 can be rotated in a direction away from the ball milling cassette 581 on the front end side. The ball milling motor base 586 has a locking hole 586a penetrating left and right at a position above the vertical center at the front edge. A locking hook portion 593a provided at the left end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is inserted into and locked to the locking hole 586a.

[0323] The ball milling motor 588 is controlled independently of the operation of the hoisting motor 564, and is controlled such that the polishing cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm every time 1000 game balls B are launched.

[0324] The cassette pressing piece 593 extends left and right, and a hook-shaped locking hook portion 593a that is inserted into and locked to the locking hole 586a of the ball milling motor base 586 is provided at the left end. A nylon latch 594 is provided near the right end of the cassette pressing piece 593.

[0325] The nylon latch 594 can be locked by pressing the operation portion 594a, and the lock can be released by pulling it forward.

[0326] In the assembled state with the main body frame 4, the ball lifting unit 550 of the present embodiment is attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401. When assembling the ball lifting unit 550 to the main body frame base 401 of the main body frame 4, it is attached to the ball lifting unit attachment portion 401j provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b with the ball grinding mechanism 580's ball grinding cassette 581 and cassette pressing piece 593 removed from the ball lifting mechanism 560. At this time, the ball grinding motor base 586 protruding forward from the lifting mechanism base 568 is made to protrude the front end side forward of the base wall portion 401b through the portion penetrating in the front - rear direction in the ball lifting unit attachment portion 401j. In this state, the ball grinding port 568a of the lifting mechanism base 568 of the ball lifting mechanism 560 is positioned at the penetrating portion in the ball lifting unit attachment portion 401j on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b, and the game ball B lifted onto the lifting spiral shaft 561 from the front of the base wall portion 401b (main body frame 4) can be visually recognized (see Fig. 31). That is, by opening the door frame 3 with respect to the main body frame 4 and removing the ball grinding cassette 581, the lifting spiral shaft 561 and the game ball B lifted onto the lifting spiral shaft 561 can be confirmed from the front.

[0327] After attaching the ball lifting mechanism 560 side of the ball lifting unit 550 to the ball lifting unit attachment portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b, with the surface where the abrasive cloth 582 is exposed facing rearward from the front of the base wall portion 401b, the ball grinding cassette 581 is arranged in front of the lifting mechanism base 568 so as to close the ball grinding port 568a from the front. At this time, the ball grinding motor base 586 is rotated so that the tip side moves away from the ball grinding cassette 581.

[0328] Subsequently, the locking hook portion 593a at the left end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is inserted into and locked to the locking hole 586a at the front end of the ball mill motor base 586, and the cassette pressing piece 593 is pushed backward to press the ball mill cassette 581 backward. As a result, the ball mill motor base 586 rotates so as to be parallel to the left side surface of the ball mill cassette 581, and the rotation connecting portion 592 protruding from the right side surface of the ball mill motor base 586 engages with the left end of the ball mill feed gear 584 supported by the ball mill cassette 581. Then, by pressing and locking the operation portion 594a of the nylon latch 594, the right end side of the cassette pressing piece 593 is attached to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b, and the attachment of the ball mill cassette 581 is completed.

[0329] When removing the ball mill cassette 581, after pulling the operation portion 594a of the nylon latch 594 forward to release the lock, the ball mill cassette 581 can be removed by performing the reverse procedure of the above.

[0330] In the state where the ball lifting unit 550 of the present embodiment is assembled to the main body frame 4, the opening at the upstream end of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 faces the ball discharge port 500d of the circulating ball path unit 500, and the game balls B that have flowed through the meandering ball storage passage 504 are supplied. The game balls B supplied to the ball lifting inlet passage 551 are brought into contact with the ball lifting inlet grounding sheet metal 555 to remove static electricity, and then detected by the lifting inlet sensor 553 and supplied to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561. At this time, the game balls B are inserted into the ball mill port 568a whose front end side penetrates forward, and the front end side of the game balls B comes into contact with the grinding cloth 582 of the ball mill mechanism 580, and the vertically long ball mill port 568a restricts the movement in the left - right direction.

[0331] In this state, when the lifting motor 564 rotates the lifting spiral shaft 561 in the direction of lifting the game ball B, the game ball B is pushed from below by the lifting groove 561a and moves upward along the ball grinding port 568a. At this time, the game ball B contacts the vertically extending part on the inner peripheral edge of the ball grinding port 568a and the lifting groove 561a, and moves upward while rotating. As a result, the part of the game ball B that is in contact with the polishing cloth 582 on the front end side changes as the game ball B ascends (rotates), and it becomes possible to polish the entire surface of the game ball B evenly.

[0332] When the game ball B reaches the upper end side of the lifting spiral shaft 561, it enters the ball lifting exit passage 552, contacts the ball lifting exit earthing sheet metal 556, is detected by the lifting exit sensor 554, and is sent from the downstream end of the ball lifting exit passage 552 to the ball feeding unit. At this time, even if the game ball B is polished by the polishing cloth 582 due to being lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 and static electricity is charged, the static electricity is removed by contact with the ball lifting exit earthing sheet metal 556 upstream of the lifting exit sensor 554, and problems due to static electricity of ball grinding do not occur in the lifting exit sensor 554, the frame control board 640, etc.

[0333] On the other hand, in the ball grinding mechanism 580, with the ball grinding cassette 581 attached, when the ball grinding motor 588 rotates the ball grinding feed gear 584 in the clockwise direction in a right side view, the part of the polishing cloth 582 that is exposed to the outside from the rear surface of the ball grinding cassette 581 is housed into the ball grinding cassette 581 through the slit on the lower side of the ball grinding cassette 581. At this time, since the part of the polishing cloth 582 that is exposed to the outside is pulled downward, the part of the polishing cloth 582 that is housed in the ball grinding cassette 581 is fed out from the outside through the slit on the upper side of the ball grinding cassette 581.

[0334] The polishing cloth 582 of the ball grinding mechanism 580 moves intermittently at a slow speed. In this embodiment, every time 1000 game balls B are launched, the polishing cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm.

[0335] Thus, according to the ball lifting unit 550 of the present embodiment, while polishing the game ball B, the game ball B discharged from the circulating ball path unit 500 can be supplied to the ball feeding unit 600.

[0336] [4-6. Ball Feeding Unit] Regarding the ball feeding unit 600 in the main body frame 4, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 33 to 35 and the like. FIG. 33(a) is a perspective view of the ball feeding unit in the main body frame seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball feeding unit in the main body frame seen from the rear. FIG. 34(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball feeding unit seen from the front after being disassembled, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball feeding unit seen from the rear after being disassembled. FIG. 35 is a front cross-sectional view of the ball feeding unit cut at the position of the shooter front sensor.

[0337] The ball feeding unit 600 is for supplying the game balls B lifted by the ball lifting unit 550 to the ball launching unit 450 one by one. The ball feeding unit 600 is attached to a ball feeding unit attachment portion 401k provided on the rear side of the base wall portion 401b in the main body frame base 401. The ball feeding unit 600 faces upward from the upper surface of the base wall portion 401b so as to be sandwiched between the base wall portion 401b and the circulating ball path unit 500, and is detachably attached upward.

[0338] The ball delivery unit 600 has a ball supply port 601 that is open at the rear and through which the game balls B supplied from the ball lifting unit 550 can enter, a ball delivery port 602 that is open at the front and delivers the game balls B to the ball launch table 452b of the ball launch unit 450, a ball delivery passage 603 that connects the ball supply port 601 and the ball delivery port 602 and through which the game balls B can flow, a shooter front sensor 604 that can detect the game balls B flowing through the ball delivery passage 603, a ball delivery movable member 605 that discharges the game balls B detected by the shooter front sensor 604 one by one from the ball delivery port 602, a ball delivery solenoid 606 that moves the ball delivery movable member 605 to deliver the game balls B to the ball launch unit 450, and a ball delivery relay board 607 that relays the connection between the ball delivery solenoid 606, the shooter front sensor 604, and the frame control board 640.

[0339] Further, the ball delivery unit 600 includes a transmission member 608 that transmits the forward and backward movement of the plunger in the ball delivery solenoid 606 to move the ball delivery movable member 605, a unit base 609 that is box-shaped and open to the rear and in which the shooter front sensor 604, the ball delivery solenoid 606, etc. are provided, and a flat unit cover 610 that is attached to close the opening at the rear end of the unit base 609.

[0340] The ball supply port 601 of the ball delivery unit 600 is provided through the unit cover 610 that constitutes the rear surface of the ball delivery unit 600, and is provided at a position from the center to the upper right in a front view. The ball supply port 601 is formed to have a size through which the game balls B can pass one by one.

[0341] The ball delivery port 602 is provided through the unit base 609 that constitutes the front side of the ball delivery unit 600 in the front-rear direction, and is provided at a position slightly lower than the center in a front view. The ball delivery port 602 is formed to have a size through which the game balls B can pass one by one.

[0342] The ball delivery passage 603 connects the ball supply port 601 and the ball delivery outlet 602, and extends from the part of the ball supply port 601 to the part above the ball delivery outlet 602 so as to be lower towards the left, and then extends downward to the part of the ball delivery outlet 602. A shooter front sensor 604 is provided near the left end of the part extending leftward in this ball delivery passage 603. Also, the ball receiving part 605a of the ball delivery movable member 605 is located at the part extending vertically behind the ball delivery outlet 602 in the ball delivery passage 603.

[0343] The shooter front sensor 604 is provided near the left end extending downward to the left in the ball delivery passage 603. That is, the shooter front sensor 604 is provided immediately upstream of the ball receiving part 605a in the ball delivery movable member 605. This shooter front sensor 604 detects the game ball B non - contact, for example, by detecting a change in induced current.

[0344] The ball delivery movable member 605 is movable by the drive of the ball delivery solenoid 606 to discharge the game balls B in the ball delivery passage 603 one by one from the ball delivery outlet 602 and supply them to the ball launch unit 450. The ball delivery movable member 605 has a U - shaped bottom wall that is inclined forward and can accommodate only one game ball B, a paddle part 605b extending leftward from the left end of the ball receiving part 605a, a bearing part 605c that penetrates front - to - back at the left end of the paddle part 605b and into which the first shaft pin 610a of the unit cover 610 is rotatably inserted, and a movable gear part 605d provided fan - shaped to the right and coaxial with the bearing part 605c.

[0345] The ball delivery solenoid 606 is for moving the ball delivery movable member 605 to supply the game balls B in the ball delivery passage 603 one by one from the ball delivery outlet 602 to the ball launch unit 450. The ball delivery solenoid 606 is provided at the upper left corner in the front view, with the magnetic pole part generating magnetic force downward, between the unit base 609 and the unit cover 610.

[0346] The ball feeding relay board 607 is for relaying the connection between the shooter front sensor 604 and the ball feeding solenoid 606 and the frame control board 640. The ball feeding relay board 607 is provided at the upper right corner in the front view between the unit base 609 and the unit cover 610.

[0347] The transmission member 608 transmits the forward and backward movement of the plunger of the ball feeding solenoid 606 so that the ball feeding movable member 605 can move. The transmission member 608 includes a sheet metal holding portion 608b to which a sheet metal 608a that can be magnetically attached to the magnetic pole portion of the ball feeding solenoid 606 is attached, a paddle portion 608c extending rightward from the sheet metal holding portion 608b, a bearing portion 608d that penetrates front and rear at the right end of the paddle portion 608c and into which the second shaft pin 610b of the unit cover 610 is relatively rotatably inserted, and a drive gear portion 608e that is provided fan-shaped leftward coaxially with the bearing portion 608d and meshes with the movable gear portion 605d of the ball feeding movable member 605.

[0348] The unit base 609 is formed in a box shape that is open to the rear, and a ball feeding outlet 602 is provided penetrating front and rear at a position near the center of the lower part of the front surface. The unit base 609 cooperates with the unit cover 610 to form a ball feeding passage 603 and holds the shooter front sensor 604, the ball feeding movable member 605, the ball feeding solenoid 606, the ball feeding relay board 607, and the transmission member 608.

[0349] The unit base 609 has a knob portion 609a that is recessed downward near the center in the left-right direction on the upper surface and an elastic claw 609b provided at the lower right corner of the front surface. The knob portion 609a is formed so that an operator can pick it up from above and is used when removing the ball feeding unit 600 upward from the unit base 401 of the main body frame 4. The elastic claw 609b is for being locked in the locking hole of the ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k of the main body frame base 401 so that the ball feeding unit 600 cannot be removed upward when it is in a state of being mounted on the ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k of the main body frame base 401.

[0350] When removing the ball feeding unit 600 from the main body frame base 401, press the elastic claw 609b facing forward through the locking hole in the base wall portion 401b to elastically deform it backward, and at the same time, pinch and pull up the knob portion 609a provided on the upper surface, then it can be removed upward from the ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k of the main body frame base 401.

[0351] The unit cover 610 has a ball supply port 601 penetrating through in the front-rear direction at the part from the center to the upper right when viewed from the front. The unit cover 610 cooperates with the unit base 609 to form a ball feeding passage 603, and holds the shooter front sensor 604, the ball feeding movable member 605, the ball feeding solenoid 606, the ball feeding relay substrate 607, and the transmission member 608. The unit cover 610 has a first shaft pin 610a and a second shaft pin 610b protruding forward in a columnar shape near the lower left corner when viewed from the front. The first shaft pin 610a can support the ball feeding movable member 605 to be rotatable (pivotable) by being inserted into the bearing portion 605c of the ball feeding movable member 605. The second shaft pin 610b can support the transmission member 608 to be rotatable (pivotable) by being inserted into the bearing portion 608d of the transmission member 608.

[0352] In the assembled state, the ball feeding unit 600 of the present embodiment has the first shaft pin 610a inserted into the bearing portion 605c of the ball feeding movable member 605 and the second shaft pin 610b inserted into the bearing portion 608d of the transmission member 608, and the movable gear portion 605d of the ball feeding movable member 605 meshes with the driving gear portion 608e of the transmission member 608. In this state, the ball receiving portion 605a at the right end of the ball feeding movable member 605 is located at the part extending vertically above and below the rear of the ball feeding outlet 602 in the ball feeding passage 603. When the ball feeding movable member 605 rotates around the bearing portion 605c, the ball receiving portion 605a moves up and down in the part extending vertically in the ball feeding passage 603.

[0353] In the normal state, the ball feed solenoid 606 is de-energized (OFF). Therefore, the sheet metal 608a of the transmission member 608 is in a state of being separated downward from the magnetic pole portion of the ball feed solenoid 606 due to gravity. In this state, the lower surface of the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball feed movable member 605 abuts against the bottom wall of the downstream end of the ball feed passage 603, the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a coincides with the ball feed outlet 602, and the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a does not coincide with the ball feed passage 603. Therefore, the game ball B flowing from the upstream toward the ball receiving portion 605a abuts against the upper portion of the U-shaped portion of the ball receiving portion 605a and is not received by the ball receiving portion 605a. On the other hand, the game ball B received by the ball receiving portion 605a rolls forward due to the inclination of the bottom wall of the ball receiving portion 605a and is discharged forward from the ball feed outlet 602.

[0354] When the ball feed solenoid 606 is energized (ON) in this normal state, the sheet metal 608a of the transmission member 608 is attracted upward to the magnetic pole portion by the magnetic force generated in the magnetic pole portion of the ball feed solenoid 606, and the transmission member 608 rotates in the clockwise direction about its bearing portion 608d. When the transmission member 608 rotates in the clockwise direction, the movable gear portion 605d of the ball feed movable member 605 that meshes with the drive gear portion 608e of the transmission member 608 causes the ball feed movable member 605 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction about its bearing portion 605c, and the ball receiving portion 605a moves upward.

[0355] When the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball feed movable member 605 moves upward, the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a is in a state of not coinciding with the ball feed outlet 602, and the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a is in a state of coinciding with the ball feed passage 603, and the game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 605a from the ball feed passage 603. In this state, since the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a does not coincide with the ball feed outlet 602, the game ball B received by the ball receiving portion 605a does not roll forward and is not discharged from the ball feed outlet 602. Further, since the ball receiving portion 605a is sized to accommodate only one game ball B, when one game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 605a, the game ball B on the upstream side thereof is not received by the ball receiving portion 605a.

[0356] After that, when the energization of the ball feed solenoid 606 is stopped (turned OFF), the adsorption of the sheet metal 608a of the transmission member 608 from the magnetic pole portion of the ball feed solenoid 606 is released. At this time, since the game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball feed movable member 605, the ball feed movable member 605 rotates in the clockwise direction about its bearing portion 605c so that the ball receiving portion 605a moves downward due to the weight of the game ball B. At the same time, the transmission member 608 rotates in the counterclockwise direction about its bearing portion 608d via the drive gear portion 608e that meshes with the movable gear portion 605d of the ball feed movable member 605, and returns to the normal state.

[0357] When the ball feed unit 600 returns to the normal state, the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball feed movable member 605 coincides with the ball feed outlet 602. Therefore, the game ball B received by the ball receiving portion 605a rolls forward and is discharged from the ball feed outlet 602 to the ball launch unit 450.

[0358] As described above, according to the ball feed unit 600 of the present embodiment, by turning the ball feed solenoid 606 ON and OFF, the game balls B can be sent to the ball launch unit 450 one by one.

[0359] [4-7. Ball receiving tray] Regarding the ball receiving tray 620 in the main body frame 4, it will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8, 10, etc. The ball receiving tray 620 is provided below the circulating ball path unit 500 and is for receiving the game balls B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500. The ball receiving tray 620 is formed in a container shape that is open upward, and the bottom wall is inclined so as to be lower toward the front.

[0360] The ball receiving tray 620 is inserted and attached to the tray insertion recess 401f in the main body frame base 401 from the front. When the ball receiving tray 620 is attached to the main body frame base 401, it is locked by the locking claws 401n of the main body frame base 401 and cannot come out forward. When removing the ball receiving tray 620, by elastically deforming the locking claws 401n to the left, the locking is released and it can be pulled out forward.

[0361] When attaching the ball receiving tray 620 to the tray insertion recess 401f of the main body frame base 401, move the ball receiving tray 620 backward from the front of the tray insertion recess 401f and insert it into the tray insertion recess 401f. At this time, since the front end of the locking claw 401n is inclined like an arrowhead, when the rear end of the ball receiving tray 620 abuts against the locking claw 401n from the front, due to the arrowhead-like inclination, the locking claw 401n elastically deforms to the left, and the ball receiving tray 620 can be inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f. Then, when the front end of the ball receiving tray 620 reaches the part of the locking claw 401n and the contact with the front end of the locking claw 401n disappears, the elastically deformed locking claw 401n returns to its original state, locks the front end of the ball receiving tray 620, and prevents the ball receiving tray 620 from sliding forward.

[0362] Since this ball receiving tray 620 is placed on the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f that is inclined so that the front end side is lower, when the game ball B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500 is stored and becomes heavy, it tries to slide forward due to the inclination of the bottom wall, but the slide is blocked by the locking of the locking claw 401n. Then, when the locking of the locking claw 401n is released, the ball receiving tray 620 automatically slides forward due to the weight of the stored game ball B, and the ball receiving tray 620 can be easily taken out from the tray insertion recess 401f.

[0363] [4 - 8. Frame Substrate Unit] Regarding the frame substrate unit 630 in the main body frame 4, it will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 and the like. The frame control board 640, although details will be described later, is for displaying the number of balls held at the ball count display unit 140, performing settlement processing by operating the count button switch 180, controlling the ball launch unit 450, the ball lift unit 550, the ball feed unit 600, etc., and managing (monitoring) the game balls B in the circulating ball path unit 500, etc.

[0364] The frame substrate unit 630 is attachably and detachably mounted at a position behind the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401 in the main body frame base unit 400. The frame substrate unit 630 includes a frame control board 640, a power supply board 650, an interface board 660, and a game ball lending device connection terminal board 665.

[0365] Also, the frame substrate unit 630 includes a unit base 670 that is attachably and detachably mounted on the rear side of the main body frame base unit 400, a frame control board box 671 that is mounted on the rear side of the unit base 670 and houses the frame control board 640, a power supply board box 672 that is mounted between the frame control board box 671 and the unit base 670 and houses the power supply board 650, an interface board box 673 that is mounted on the left side in the front view of the frame control board box 671 on the unit base 670 and houses the interface board 660 and the game ball lending device connection terminal board 665, and a nylon latch 674 for fixing the unit base 670 to the main body frame base unit 400 in a non-openable and non-removable manner.

[0366] Although not shown in the figure, the frame control board 640 includes a ROM that stores various processing programs and various commands, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a CPU for executing the processing programs and commands, etc.

[0367] The frame control board 640 has a RAM clear switch 641 for erasing the information stored in the RAM, a ball extraction switch 642 used when extracting the enclosed game balls B from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500 to the outside (ball receiving tray 620), and a ball count storage / display clear switch 643 for clearing the number of balls held by the player stored in the RAM or the like and clearing the display on the ball count display section 140 of the door frame 3 (see Fig. 38).

[0368] The frame control board 640 is connected in two-way communication with the main control board 1310, which will be described later, provided on the game board 5, and a game ball lending device connection terminal board 665 is also connected in two-way communication. The frame control board 640 is connected to the game ball lending device 8 via the game ball lending device connection terminal board 665.

[0369] The ball count display section 140 of the door frame 3, the firing stop switch 161, the handle touch sensor 162, the handle rotation sensor 163, and the counting button switch 180 are connected to the frame control board 640.

[0370] In addition, the door opening switch 407, the frame opening switch 408, the firing solenoid 453, the firing subtraction sensor 454, the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the foul ball sensor 507, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the lifting inlet sensor 553, the lifting outlet sensor 554, the lifting motor 564, the lifting motor index sensor 566, the ball polishing motor 588, and the pre-firing sensor 604 and the ball feeding solenoid 606 of the main body frame 4 are connected to the frame control board 640.

[0371] The power supply board 650 is for supplying power of a predetermined voltage to the frame control board 640, the main control board 1310, the peripheral control board 1510, and the like.

[0372] The interface board 660 is for relaying the connection between the frame control board 640 and various relay boards provided on the door frame 3 side or the game board 5 side.

[0373] The game ball lending device connection terminal board 665 is for relaying the connection between the frame control board 640 and the game ball lending device 8.

[0374] The unit base 670 is formed long in the left - right direction, and a hinge shaft 670a is provided at the left end to be pivotally supported by the frame board unit shaft support part 404d of the main body frame speaker box 404 of the main body frame base unit 400. At the right end, two nylon latches 674 are attached with the operation part 674a facing backward.

[0375] The unit base 670 has a rear part 670b that extends rightward by a length of 1 / 4 of the total length in the left - right direction from the left end in a plan view, a connecting part 670c that extends forward short from the right end of the rear part 670b, and a front part 670d that extends from the front end of the connecting part 670c to the right end. Thus, the unit base 670 has a step in the front - rear direction between the rear part 670b and the front part 670d.

[0376] An interface board box 673 is detachably attached to the rear side of the rear part 670b of the unit base 670. On the other hand, a power supply board box 672 is detachably attached to the rear side of the front part 670d of the unit base 670, and a frame control board box 671 is detachably attached to the rear side of the power supply board box 672.

[0377] In the normal state (use state) of the frame board unit 630 of this embodiment, the hinge shaft 670a provided at the left end of the unit base 670 is pivotally supported by the frame board unit shaft support part 404d of the main body frame base unit 400, and the nylon latch 674 attached to the right end of the unit base 670 is attached to the rear surface of the base wall part 401b of the main body frame base 401. In this state, the frame board unit 630 covers the rear of the circulating ball path unit 500 and the ball lifting unit 550 attached to the rear side of the base wall part 401b, making it impossible to approach them.

[0378] Also, in the normal state, as shown in FIG. 10, the front portion 670d of the unit base 670, the power supply board box 672, and the frame control board box 671 in the frame board unit 630 are located above the box extension portion 404c of the main body frame speaker box 404. At this time, since the front portion 670d and the power supply board box 672 are formed to be shorter in the vertical direction than the frame control board box 671, a space capable of accommodating wiring and the like is formed between the power supply board box 672 and the box extension portion 404c.

[0379] When the operation portion 674a of the nail latch 674 is pulled backward from the normal state to release the lock, the attachment on the right end side of the unit base 670 comes off, and by hinge-rotating about the hinge shaft 670a at the left end, the frame board unit 630 can be opened backward. By opening the frame board unit 630 backward, the circulating ball path unit 500 and the ball lifting unit 550 attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b will appear, and an approach to them will be possible.

[0380] [4-9. Tablet Unit] Regarding the tablet unit 680 in the main body frame 4, it will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 and the like. The tablet unit 680 is attached from the rear along the right end edge in the front view of the main body frame base 401 in the main body frame base unit 400. The tablet unit 680 is for locking between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 and between the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4.

[0381] The tablet unit 680 includes a cylindrical tablet cylinder 681 that penetrates the cylinder insertion port 401m of the main body frame base 401 from the rear and has a front end protruding forward, a keyhole 682 provided on the front end face of the tablet cylinder 681, a door frame lock claw 683 that is unlocked when a key corresponding to the keyhole 682 is inserted and rotated in a predetermined direction, and an outer frame lock claw 684 that is unlocked when a key corresponding to the keyhole 682 is inserted and rotated in a determination direction opposite to the above to release the lock between the main body frame 4 and the outer frame 2.

[0382] [5. Brief Description of the Game Board] The game board 5 of the pachinko machine 1 has the same board surface configuration as the game board 5 shown in FIG. 75 and the like, which will be described later, and will be briefly described here with reference to FIG. 3. The game board 5 is provided with winning openings such as a general winning opening 2001, a first starting opening 2003, a second starting opening 2004, a big winning opening 2005, etc. in a game area 5a into which the game ball B is driven, and a privilege is given when the game ball B is received. The player operates the handle 160 so that the game ball B can be received into the winning opening, and enjoys driving the game ball B. The game board 5 is detachably attached to the game board insertion part 401a of the main body frame 4 from the front side. The game board 5 is visible from the player side through the game window 101 of the door frame 3 in a state of being assembled to the pachinko machine 1, and has a game area 5a into which the game ball B is driven when the player operates the handle 160.

[0383] The game board 5 includes a front component member 1000 that partitions the outer periphery of the game area 5a and has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view, a plate-like game panel 1100 that is attached to the rear side of the front component member 1000 and partitions the rear end of the game area 5a, and a plurality of obstacle pins (not shown) that are implanted in a predetermined gauge arrangement so as to be able to contact the game ball B within the game area 5a on the front surface of the game panel 1100.

[0384] The front component member 1000 of the game board 5 is entirely formed transparently. The front component member 1000 has a substantially square outer shape in a front view and a substantially circular inner shape that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The outer periphery of the game area 5a is partitioned by the inner circumference of the inner shape. The front component member 1000 includes an outer rail 1001 that extends in an arc shape along the circumferential direction clockwise from the lower end near the left side from the center in the left-right direction in a front view, passes through the upper end in the center in the left-right direction in a front view, and extends to the upper right obliquely; an inner rail 1002 that is arranged inside the front component member 1000 substantially along the outer rail 1001 and extends in an arc shape from the lower part in the center in the left-right direction in a front view to the upper left obliquely in a front view; and an out guide part 1003 that is formed at the right side in a front view of the lower end of the inner rail 1002 at the lowest position of the game area 5a and is inclined so as to become lower toward the rear.

[0385] Further, the front component member 1000 includes a lower right rail 1004 that linearly inclines such that the right end side is slightly higher from the right end in the front view of the out-guiding portion 1003 to the vicinity of the right side of the front component member 1000, a right rail 1005 that extends from the right end of the lower right rail 1004 along the right side of the front component member 1000 to the lower side of the upper end of the outer rail 1001 and whose upper portion curves inward of the front component member 1000, and a shock stop portion 1006 that connects the upper end of the right rail 1005 and the upper end of the outer rail 1001 and against which the game ball B that has rolled along the outer rail 1001 abuts.

[0386] Further, the front component member 1000 includes a backflow prevention member 1007 that is pivotally supported at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 and is extendable upward from the upper end of the inner rail 1002 so as to close the space between the inner rail 1002 and the outer rail 1001, and is pivotable only between a closed position where it closes the space between the inner rail 1002 and the outer rail 1001 and an open position where it pivots in the clockwise direction in the front view to open the space between the inner rail 1002 and the outer rail 1001, and is biased by a spring (not shown) so as to return to the closed position side.

[0387] Furthermore, the front component member 1000 includes an out port 1008 that penetrates front to back at the rear end of the out-guiding portion 1003 at the lower center in the left-right direction in the front view within the frame. The game ball B received in the out port 1008 is discharged downward (to the out ball receiving port 500a of the circulating ball path unit 500) from the game board 5 behind the game panel 1100 without being returned to the game area 5a.

[0388] The game board 5 is provided behind the game panel 1100 and includes a main control board 1310 that controls the game content performed by driving the game ball B into the game area 5a, and a function display unit 1400 that displays the game situation based on a control signal from the main control board 1310 and is attached to the upper left corner of the front component member 1000 so as to be visible to the player side.

[0389] The game board 5 also includes a peripheral control board 1510 provided behind the game panel 1100, an effect display device 1600 disposed at the center of the game area 5a in a front view behind the game panel 1100 and capable of displaying a predetermined effect image, a front unit 2000 attached to the front surface of the game panel 1100, and a back unit 3000 attached to the back surface of the game panel 1100.

[0390] The game board 5 (front unit 2000) includes a plurality of general winning holes 2001 that are always open and can receive the game balls B driven into the game area 5a, a gate 2010 provided at a predetermined position in the game area 5a through which the game balls B can pass, a first starting hole 2003 and a second starting hole 2004 provided at predetermined positions in the game area 5a where a lottery for the first special symbol and the second special symbol is conducted when the game balls B are received, and a big winning hole 2005 that can receive the game balls B according to the lottery result of the special symbol lottery conducted when the game balls B are received into the first starting hole 2003 or the second starting hole 2004.

[0391] The first starting hole 2003 is provided directly above the out hole 1008 below a frame-shaped center accessory 2500 provided at the center in the game area 5a. The second starting hole 2004 is provided in the attacker unit 2400 and opens and closes to be able to receive the game balls B according to the lottery result of the normal symbol lottery conducted when the game balls B pass through the gate 2010.

[0392] The big winning hole 2005 is provided in the attacker unit 2400 attached to the lower right corner in the game area 5a.

[0393] In addition, the game board 5 is provided with a general winning opening sensor 3001 for detecting the game ball B received at the general winning opening 2001, a gate sensor 2011 for detecting the game ball B passing through the gate 2010, a first start opening sensor 2101 for detecting the game ball B received at the first start opening 2003, a second start opening sensor 2401 for detecting the game ball B received at the second start opening 2004, and a big winning opening sensor 2402 for detecting the game ball B received at the big winning opening 2005 (see FIG. 38).

[0394] The game ball B received at the general winning opening 2001 is detected by the general winning opening sensor 3001 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged from the game board 5 to the safe ball receiving port 500b in the lower circulating ball path unit 500. The game ball B received at the first start opening 2003 is detected by the first start opening sensor 2101 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged from the game board 5 to the safe ball receiving port 500b in the lower circulating ball path unit 500. The game ball B received at the second start opening 2004 is detected by the second start opening sensor 2401 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged from the game board 5 to the safe ball receiving port 500b in the lower circulating ball path unit 500. The game ball B received at the big winning opening 2005 is detected by the big winning opening sensor 2402 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged from the game board 5 to the safe ball receiving port 500b in the lower circulating ball path unit 500.

[0395] The main control board 1310 controls the game using the game ball B in the game area 5a in the pachinko machine 1. The main control board 1310 is connected to the frame control board 640 provided on the main body frame 4 by two-way communication and is connected to the peripheral control board 1510 in one direction with only output signals.

[0396] The main control board 1310 receives detection signals of the game balls B from the general winning opening sensor 3001, the gate sensor 2011, the first start opening sensor 2101, the second start opening sensor 2401, the big winning opening sensor 2402, etc. Also, the main control board 1310 outputs drive signals to the start opening solenoid 2412 for opening and closing the second start opening 2004, the attacker solenoid 2414 for opening and closing the big winning opening 2005, etc.

[0397] When the game ball B received at the general winning opening 2001 is detected by the general winning opening sensor 3001, the main control board 1310 outputs a predetermined number (for example, 10) of prize ball commands. Since this is the same as in the conventional pachinko machine, the software of the main control board 1310 does not need to be changed. When receiving this prize ball command, the frame control board 640 interprets it as a held ball addition signal. Also, when the game ball B received at the first start opening 2003 is detected by the first start opening sensor 2101, a predetermined number (for example, 1) of prize ball commands are output. Also, when the game ball B received at the second start opening 2004 is detected by the second start opening sensor 2401, a predetermined number (for example, 1) of prize ball commands are output. Further, when the game ball B received at the big winning opening 2005 is detected by the big winning opening sensor 2402, a predetermined number (for example, 10 or 13) of prize ball commands are output.

[0398] Also, the main control board 1310 outputs signals such as the lottery result of the normal symbol and the lottery result of the special symbol to the peripheral control board 1510.

[0399] The function display unit 1400 displays the game state (game situation), the lottery result of the normal symbol, the lottery result of the special symbol, etc. using a plurality of LEDs based on the signals from the main control board 1310.

[0400] The function display unit 1400 includes, although detailed illustration is omitted, a status indicator composed of three LEDs for displaying the game state, a normal symbol display composed of two LEDs for displaying the lottery result of the normal symbol lottery selected by the passage of the game ball B through the gate 2010, and a normal hold display composed of two LEDs for displaying the number of holds of the normal symbol lottery selected by the passage of the game ball B through the gate 2010.

[0401] Further, the function display unit 1400 includes a first special symbol display composed of eight LEDs for displaying the lottery result of the first special symbol lottery selected by the acceptance of the game ball B into the first start port 2003, a first special hold number display composed of two LEDs for displaying the number of holds related to the acceptance of the game ball B into the first start port 2003, a second special symbol display composed of eight LEDs for displaying the lottery result of the second special symbol lottery selected by the acceptance of the game ball B into the second start port 2004, and a second special hold number display composed of two LEDs for displaying the number of holds related to the acceptance of the game ball B into the second start port 2004.

[0402] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 includes a round display composed of five LEDs for displaying the number of repetitions (rounds) of the opening and closing pattern of the big winning port 2005 when the lottery result of the special symbol (first special symbol or second special symbol) is a "win" or the like.

[0403] In this function display unit 1400, the provided LEDs can be appropriately turned on, off, and blinked to display the number of holds, symbols, and the like.

[0404] The peripheral control board 1510 is attached to the rear side of the effect display device 1600. The peripheral control board 1510 causes the effect display device 1600 to display an effect image, execute a light emission effect, a movable effect, or the like based on the signal sent from the main control board 1310.

[0405] [6. Flow of the game ball] Next, the flow of the pachinko balls B in the pachinko machine 1 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 36 and 37 and the like. FIG. 36 is an explanatory view showing various passages of the pachinko balls on the rear side of the main body frame from the back. FIG. 37 is an explanatory view schematically showing the flow of the pachinko balls in the main body frame.

[0406] In the pachinko machine 1 of the present embodiment, when the player is not operating the handle 160, as shown in FIG. 37, a large number (for example, 40 to 60) of circulating pachinko balls B are stored in a portion below the game board 5 in the main body frame 4. The circulation path R of the pachinko balls B in the main body frame 4 is provided with, in order from the upstream side, a far unit 470, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, a ball feeding unit 600, and a ball launching unit 450. The circulation path R is composed of an out ball passage 501, a safe ball passage 502, a far ball passage 503, a ball storage passage 504, a ball lifting entrance passage 551, a ball lifting exit passage 552, and the like.

[0407] A plurality of sensors for detecting the pachinko balls B flowing through the circulation path R are provided, in order from the upstream side, with a safe ball sensor 506, an out ball sensor 505, a far ball sensor 507, a circulating ball excess sensor 522, a circulating ball shortage sensor 521, a lifting entrance sensor 553, a lifting exit sensor 554, a pre-launch sensor 604, and a launch subtraction sensor 454. Based on the signals from these various sensors, various control processes described later are executed on the frame control board 640.

[0408] When the player is not operating the handle 160, the safe ball sensor 506, the out ball sensor 505, the far ball sensor 507, and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 are in the OFF (non-detection) state, and the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, the lifting entrance sensor 553, the lifting exit sensor 554, the pre-launch sensor 604, and the launch subtraction sensor 454 are in the ON (detection) state.

[0409] In the circulation path R in the main body frame 4, a large number of game balls B are stored in a state where they are lined up in a row. The large number of game balls B lined up in a row have their leading ends positioned on the ball launch table 452b of the launch unit cover 452 in the ball launch unit 450, and their rearmost parts are located upstream of the ball extraction shutter 515 within the range of the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 504 of the circulating ball path unit 500.

[0410] In the circulation path R, in the part between the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 in the ball lifting unit 550 and the lifting exit sensor 554, a specific number (for example, 4) of game balls B that is less than a predetermined number is lined up with respect to the length where a predetermined number (for example, 5) of game balls B are lined up. This is to ensure a space for receiving the lifted game ball B even if one game ball B is lifted when returning the lifting spiral shaft 561 to the origin.

[0411] Also, in the circulation path R, in the part between the shooter front sensor 604 and the lifting exit sensor 554, a predetermined number (for example, 10) are lined up. This can avoid the situation where the game balls B being launched run out before the lifted game balls B are replenished by the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 when the game balls B continue to be launched in the ball launch unit 450 even after the detection of the game balls B at the lifting exit sensor 554 becomes OFF (non - detection).

[0412] When the player operates the handle 160 to drive the launch solenoid 453 of the ball launch unit 450, the game ball B placed on the ball launch table 452b in the launch unit cover 452 is launched, and the detection of the game ball B at the launch subtraction sensor 454 becomes non - detection (OFF). As a result, the number of balls held by the player is decreased by one (the ball - holding subtraction process described later). Then, the ball feed solenoid 606 of the ball feed unit 600 is energized for a predetermined time, the ball receiving part 605a of the ball feed movable member 605 moves up and down, and one game ball B is placed on the ball launch table 452b, and the launch subtraction sensor 454 is in a detected (ON) state.

[0413] By operating the player's handle 160, game balls B are launched one by one, and a plurality of game balls B stored between the launch front sensor 604 and the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 (in the ball lifting exit passage 552) decrease one by one. Eventually, detection of the game ball B by the lifting exit sensor 554 becomes non-detection (OFF). Then, when a predetermined number (for example, 3) of game balls B are launched after the lifting exit sensor 554 becomes non-detected, the lifting motor 564 of the ball lifting unit 550 starts rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561. After rotating three times and supplying three game balls B to the ball lifting exit passage 552, it stops (the lifting motor operation process described later).

[0414] When the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates by the lifting motor 564, the game ball B located at the downstream end of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 moves to the lower end side of the lifting spiral shaft 561 and is moved upward. As a result, a large number of game balls B lined up in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 and the ball storage passage 504 flow to the downstream side, and the number of game balls B stored in the ball storage passage 504 decreases.

[0415] The game ball B launched from the ball launch unit 450 and driven into the game area 5a of the game board 5 is received by either the out port 1008 or a winning port (general winning port 2001, first start port 2003, second start port 2004, big winning port 2005). The game ball B received by the out port 1008 of the game board 5 is discharged downward from the game board 5 and transferred to the out ball receiving port 500a of the circulating ball path unit 500. The game ball B transferred to the out ball receiving port 500a is detected by the out ball sensor 505 through the out ball passage 501 and sent to the ball storage passage 504.

[0416] On the other hand, the game ball B received by the winning port of the game board 5 is discharged downward from the game board 5 and transferred to the safe ball receiving port 500b of the circulating ball path unit 500. The game ball B transferred to the safe ball receiving port 500b is detected by the safe ball sensor 506 through the safe ball passage 502 and sent to the ball storage passage 504.

[0417] When the out ball sensor 505 detects the game ball B, the number of out balls is counted, and when the safe ball sensor 506 detects the game ball B, the number of safe balls is counted. As a result, it becomes possible to calculate the accurate ball output rate of the game ball B. The calculated ball output rate is displayed on a display unit (not shown) provided on the main control board 1310. Since this ball output rate changes according to the game state, as the ball output rate within a predetermined period (for example, per unit time, per predetermined time, per day, etc.), it is calculated as "(the number of additional balls due to winning within the predetermined period - the number of safe balls within the predetermined period) ÷ the number of out balls within the predetermined period = the ball output rate within the predetermined period".

[0418] By the way, the game ball B that was not driven into the game area 5a of the game board 5 despite being launched from the ball launch unit 450 (ball launch base 452b) is recovered by the foul unit 470 as a foul ball, and then transferred to the foul ball receiving port 500c of the circulating ball path unit 500. Then, the game ball B transferred to the foul ball receiving port 500c is detected by the foul ball sensor 507 by flowing through the foul ball passage 503 and sent to the ball storage passage 504. When the foul ball sensor 507 detects the game ball B, the number of balls held by the player is incremented by 1 (foul ball addition process described later).

[0419] In this way, in the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment, the game ball B is enclosed without being discharged to the outside or supplied from the outside, and circulates inside, so that the player does not touch the game ball B.

[0420] [7. Various Control Processes] Next, various control processes in the frame control board 640 in the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 38 to 49. Fig. 38 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the pachinko machine. Fig. 39 is a flowchart showing the launch permission process. Fig. 40 is a flowchart showing the ball subtraction process, and Fig. 41 is a flowchart showing the ball addition process by foul balls. Fig. 42 is a flowchart showing the launch control process. Fig. 43 is a flowchart showing the prize ball process. Fig. 44 is a flowchart showing the lifting motor operation process, Fig. 45 is a table showing the relationship between the lifting inlet sensor and the lifting outlet sensor and the operation of the lifting motor, and Fig. 46 is a graph showing the relationship between the launching operation of the game ball and the operation of the ball lifting unit. Fig. 47 is a graph showing the operation of the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit. Fig. 48(a) is a flowchart showing the security process, and (b) is a flowchart showing the security process of an embodiment different from (a). Fig. 49 is a table showing the relationship between the circulating ball shortage sensor and the circulating ball excess sensor and the error notification. In FIG. 38, some of the electronic components such as sensors, solenoids, motors, LEDs, etc. connected to the main control board 1310 and the peripheral control board 1510 are omitted.

[0421] As shown in Fig. 38, the main control structure of the pachinko machine 1 is made up of a frame control board 640 attached to the main body frame 4, and a main control board 1310 and a peripheral control board 1510 attached to the game board 5. The frame control board 640 mainly performs control processing for the launch and circulation of game balls B, the number of balls held, etc. The main control board 1310 mainly performs control processing for the game. The peripheral control board 1510 mainly performs control processing for the presentation.

[0422] Signals from the firing stop switch 161, handle touch sensor 162, handle rotation sensor 163, counting button switch 180, door opening switch 407, frame opening switch 408, firing subtraction sensor 454, out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, circulation ball shortage sensor 521, circulation ball excess sensor 522, lifting inlet sensor 553, lifting outlet sensor 554, lifting motor index sensor 566, shooter front sensor 604, RAM clear switch 641, ball release switch 642, ball count memory / display clear switch 643, etc. are input to the frame control board 640.

[0423] Also, the frame control board 640 outputs signals to the held ball count display unit 140, firing solenoid 453, lifting motor 564, ball polishing motor 588, ball feeding solenoid 606, etc.

[0424] Furthermore, the frame control board 640 receives and outputs signals from / to the game ball lending device 8 via the game ball lending device connection terminal board 665. Also, the frame control board 640 receives and outputs signals from / to the main control board 1310.

[0425] Signals from the general winning opening sensor 3001, gate sensor 2011, first start opening sensor 2101, second start opening sensor 2401, big winning opening sensor 2402, etc. are input to the main control board 1310. Also, the main control board 1310 outputs signals to the start opening solenoid 2412, attacker solenoid 2414, peripheral control board 1510, etc.

[0426] Note that the game ball lending device 8 is provided outside the pachinko machine 1 and outputs signals to the management server 9 via a communication network. Signals from the ball lending button switch 8a, return button switch, frame control board 640, etc. are input to the game ball lending device 8. Also, the game ball lending device 8 outputs signals to the display unit, frame control board 640, etc.

[0427] [7-1. Firing Permission Process] The launch permission process will be described with reference to FIG. 39. The launch permission process is a process for determining whether or not to launch the game ball B. When the launch permission process is started, first, in step S101, it is confirmed whether or not the player is touching the handle 160. If the player is touching the handle 160 and the handle touch sensor 162 is ON (YES), the process proceeds to the next step S102. If the handle touch sensor 162 is OFF in step S101 (NO), the process proceeds to step S107, the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF, and the process ends.

[0428] In step S102, it is confirmed whether or not the launch stop switch 161 is OFF. If the launch stop switch 161 is OFF, it proceeds to the next step S103 as YES. On the other hand, if the launch stop switch 161 is OFF in step S102, it proceeds to step S107 as NO, the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF, and the process ends.

[0429] In step S103, it is confirmed whether or not the frame control board 640 is connected to the game ball lending device 8 via the game ball lending device connection terminal board 665. If it is connected to the game ball lending device 8, the process proceeds to the next step S104 as YES. On the other hand, if the connection to the game ball lending device 8 is not confirmed in step S103, it proceeds to step S107 as NO, the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF, and the process ends.

[0430] In step S104, it is confirmed whether or not there is a main control launch permission from the main control board 1310. If there is a main control launch permission, the process proceeds to the next step S105 as YES. On the other hand, if there is no main control launch permission in step S104, it proceeds to step S107 as NO, the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF, and the process ends.

[0431] In step S105, it is checked whether the number of balls held by the player is more than 0. If the number of balls held is more than 0, it proceeds to the next step S106 as YES, turns on the frame control launch permission signal, and ends the process. On the other hand, in step S105, if the number of balls held is less than 0 (the number of balls held is 0), it proceeds to step S107 as NO, turns off the frame control launch permission signal, and ends the process.

[0432] In this way, the launch of the game ball B is permitted by the launch permission process. In this state, when the player rotates the handle 160, the launch solenoid 453 is driven with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle, and the game ball B is launched from the ball launch unit 450. When driving the launch solenoid 453, the launch control process described later is executed.

[0433] [7-2. Subtraction process for balls held] The subtraction process for balls held will be described with reference to FIG. 40. The subtraction process for balls held is a process of subtracting the number of balls held by the player when the game ball B is launched. In the subtraction process for balls held, first, in step S111, it is determined whether the launch subtraction sensor 454 of the ball launch unit 450 has changed from the ON state to the OFF state. When the game ball B is placed on the ball launch table 452b of the ball launch unit 450, the launch subtraction sensor 454 detects the game ball B and is in the ON state. From this state, when the launch solenoid 453 is driven and the launch hammer 455 strikes the game ball B on the ball launch table 452b and the game ball B is launched, the launch subtraction sensor 454 becomes non-detected and enters the OFF state.

[0434] Then, in step S111, when the game ball B is launched and the launch subtraction sensor 454 changes from ON to OFF, it proceeds to the next step S112 as YES, subtracts 1 from the number of balls held, and ends the process.

[0435] On the other hand, in step S111, if the launch subtraction sensor 454 does not change from ON to OFF and remains in the ON state, it ends the process without subtracting the number of balls held as NO.

[0436] In this way, when the game ball B is launched from the ball launch unit 450 by the held ball subtraction process, the number of held balls of the player is decreased by one.

[0437] [7-3. Held ball addition process] The held ball addition process by a foul will be described with reference to FIG. 41. When the game ball B is launched from the ball launch unit 450, the number of held balls of the player is decreased by the held ball subtraction process. However, when the launched game ball B is not hit into the game area 5a of the game board 5, since no game is performed by the game ball B, leaving the number of held balls decreased would reduce the player's interest. Therefore, in the held ball addition process, the game ball B (foul ball) that is not hit into the game area 5a is added to the number of held balls of the player.

[0438] In the held ball addition process, in step S121, it is determined whether or not the foul ball sensor 507 of the circulating ball path unit 500 has changed from OFF to ON by detecting the game ball B (foul ball). When the foul ball sensor 507 becomes ON, it proceeds to the next step S122 as YES, adds one to the number of held balls, and ends the process.

[0439] On the other hand, in step S121, if the foul ball sensor 507 remains OFF without becoming ON, the process ends as NO without adding to the number of held balls.

[0440] In this way, by the held ball addition process, even though the game ball B is launched from the ball launch unit 450, when the game ball B is not hit into the game area 5a of the game board 5, it is possible to avoid the player being disadvantaged by adding the foul ball to the number of held balls.

[0441] [7-4. Launch control process] The launch control process will be described with reference to FIG. 42 and the like. The launch control process determines whether to actually launch the game ball B by driving the launch solenoid 453 after the player rotates the handle 160 after the frame control launch permission signal becomes ON in the launch permission process. First, in step S131, the launch control process determines whether there is frame control launch permission (ON / OFF). If there is frame control launch permission (ON), it proceeds to the next step S132 as YES. On the other hand, if there is no frame control launch permission (OFF) in step S131, it ends the process without driving the launch solenoid 453 as NO.

[0442] In step S132, it determines whether the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON. If the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON (there is a game ball B on the ball launch base 452b), it proceeds to the next step S133 as YES, turns on the launch solenoid 453, strikes the game ball B with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160, and ends the process.

[0443] On the other hand, if the launch subtraction sensor 454 is not ON (OFF) in step S132, it proceeds to the next step S134 as NO. When the launch subtraction sensor 454 is OFF, since there is no game ball B placed on the ball launch base 452b, the processes from step S134 onward are performed.

[0444] In step S134, it determines whether the pre-launch sensor 604 is ON. If the pre-launch sensor 604 is not ON (when the game ball B is not detected), it proceeds to the next step S135 as NO, turns on the error display indicating "out of launch balls", returns to step S134, and repeats until the pre-launch sensor 604 becomes ON. The error display is, for example, displayed on the display screen of the effect display device.

[0445] Note that the error display may be provided by turning on an alarm lamp or may be displayed as an image on the effect display device. Alternatively, an error signal may be output to the hall computer (hall computer) of the game hall via the game ball lending device 8 to turn on the alarm lamp provided on the game hall side.

[0446] In this step S134, when the shooter front sensor 604 detects the game ball B and turns ON, it proceeds to the next step S136 as YES, turns ON (energizes) the ball feed solenoid 606, and moves the ball feed movable member 605. As a result, the game ball B detected by the shooter front sensor 604 is transferred to the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball feed movable member 605. When the ball feed solenoid 606 turns OFF after a predetermined short time, the game ball B transferred to the ball receiving portion 605a is supplied to the ball launch table 452b. At this time, if there is a game ball B upstream (the ball lift exit passage 552) of the game ball B sent to the ball launch table 452b by the ball feed movable member 605, that game ball B moves to the downstream side and the shooter front sensor 604 turns ON.

[0447] In step S136, after turning ON the ball feed solenoid 606, it proceeds to the next step S137, and determines again whether the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON. If the launch subtraction sensor 454 is not ON, it returns to step S134 as NO, and repeats the above flow until the launch subtraction sensor 454 turns ON.

[0448] Then, in step S137, when the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON, it proceeds to the next step S138 as YES. After turning OFF the error display of "out of launch balls", it proceeds to step S133, turns ON the launch solenoid 453, strikes the game ball B with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160, and ends the process.

[0449] In this way, through the launch control process, after confirming that the game ball B is placed on the ball launch table 452b in the ball launch unit 450, the game ball B can be launched.

[0450] [7-5. Prize Ball Process] The bonus ball process will be described with reference to FIG. 43 and the like. In the bonus ball process, when a game ball B is received at a winning opening such as the general winning opening 2001, the first start opening 2003, the second start opening 2004, the big winning opening 2005, etc. provided on the game board 5, a predetermined number of bonus balls corresponding to the winning opening are given as a privilege, and the bonus balls are added to the number of balls held by the player.

[0451] In the bonus ball process, when a signal (bonus ball signal) output from the main control board 1310 is input to the frame control board 640 because a game ball B is received at a winning opening on the game board 5, the bonus ball signal input in step S141 is analyzed. The bonus ball signal output from the main control board 1310 may be the number of bonus balls or the type of winning opening where the game ball B is received.

[0452] When the bonus ball signal is analyzed in step S141, in the subsequent step S142, the number of bonus balls corresponding to the analyzed bonus ball signal is added to the number of balls held by the player, and the process ends.

[0453] In this way, by the bonus ball process, the number of game balls B (number of bonus balls) corresponding to the winning opening where the game ball B has won on the game board 5 can be added to the number of balls waiting for the player.

[0454] [7-6. Hoisting Motor Operation Process] The hoisting motor operation process will be described with reference to FIGS. 44 to 47 and the like. In the hoisting motor operation process, when the number of game balls B in the ball hoisting exit passage 552 decreases because the game ball B is launched by the ball launch unit 450, the game balls B in the ball hoisting entrance passage 551 are hoisted by the rotation of the hoisting spiral shaft 561 of the ball hoisting unit 550 and supplied to the ball hoisting exit passage 552.

[0455] The hoisting motor operation process first clears the retry counter 1 in step S201 and proceeds to the next step S202. In step S202, it is determined whether the hoisting motor index sensor 566 for detecting the hoisting motor index 565 attached to the lower end of the hoisting spiral shaft 561 in the ball hoisting mechanism 560 of the ball hoisting unit 550 is ON.

[0456] The hoisting motor index 565 has a detection portion 565a provided so as to notch a part in the circumferential direction of a disk shape (flange shape). When the detection portion 565a of the hoisting motor index 565 is positioned at the portion of the hoisting motor index sensor 566 due to the rotation of the hoisting spiral shaft 561, the hoisting motor index sensor 566 becomes ON, and the hoisting motor index sensor 566 becomes OFF at portions other than the detection portion 565a.

[0457] In step S202, if the hoisting motor index sensor 566 is ON, it proceeds to the next step S203 as YES, and it is determined whether the hoisting exit sensor 554 is ON for 80 ms or more. In this step S203, if it is determined that the hoisting exit sensor 554 is not ON for 80 ms or more (the hoisting exit sensor 554 is OFF), it proceeds to the next step S204 as NO.

[0458] On the other hand, in step S203, if it is determined that the hoisting exit sensor 554 is ON for 80 ms or more, it returns to step S203 as YES and is repeated until the hoisting exit sensor 554 is not ON for 80 ms or more (until the hoisting exit sensor 554 becomes OFF). That is, it is repeated until the last part of the row of the plurality of game balls B in the ball hoisting exit passage 552 decreases due to the launch of the game balls B and becomes downstream of the hoisting exit sensor 554, and when the hoisting exit sensor 554 becomes OFF, it proceeds to step S204.

[0459] In step S204, it is determined whether the ascending entrance sensor 553 has been ON for 80 ms or more. If it is determined that the ascending entrance sensor 553 has not been ON for 80 ms or more (the ascending entrance sensor 553 is OFF), the process proceeds to step S205 as NO, the error display indicating "ascending entrance ball cut-off" is turned ON, and the process returns to step S204. Thereby, it is possible to notify of a ball cut-off in the ball ascending entrance passage 551 and prompt the elimination of the ball cut-off.

[0460] In step S204, if it is determined that the ascending entrance sensor 553 has been ON for 80 ms or more, the process proceeds to the next step S206 as YES. After turning OFF the error display indicating "ascending entrance ball cut-off", in the subsequent step S207, after 1800 ms has elapsed, the operation of the ascending motor 564 is started to rotate the ascending spiral shaft 561. Thereby, the ascending of the game ball B in the ball ascending entrance passage 551 is started. The ascending spiral shaft 561 ejects one game ball B when it makes one rotation.

[0461] Here, paraphrasing the start of the operation of the ascending motor 564, as shown in FIG. 46, in a state where the ascending entrance sensor 553 has been ON for 80 ms or more (continuous ON), the ascending motor 564 is stopped, the ascending exit sensor 554 has been ON for 80 ms or more (continuous ON), and the shooter front sensor 604 has been ON for 80 ms or more (continuous ON), the game ball B is continuously fired at intervals of a predetermined time (here, 600 ms) by operating the handle 160. Then, when the ascending exit sensor 554 turns OFF, after t1 time (here, 1800 ms) has elapsed from that point, the operation of the ascending motor 564 is started, and the ejection (ascending device ball ejection) of the game ball B from the upper end of the ascending spiral shaft 561 toward the ball ascending exit passage 552 side is started.

[0462] In this embodiment, when the ascending outlet sensor 554 turns off and three game balls B are launched, the ascending motor 564 operates and the rotation of the ascending spiral shaft 561 starts. Note that the time interval for discharging the game balls B due to the rotation of the ascending spiral shaft 561 is set shorter than the time interval for continuously launching the game balls B. Thereby, the supply of the game balls B to the ball launching unit 450 will not fail to catch up with the launch of the game balls B.

[0463] Note that the ball polishing motor 588 provided in the ball ascending unit 550 is controlled independently of the operation of the ascending motor 564. As shown in FIG. 46, every time 1000 game balls B are launched, it operates so that the polishing cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm.

[0464] As shown in FIG. 45, this ascending motor 564 does not operate and stops except when the ascending inlet sensor 553 is ON and the ascending outlet sensor 554 is OFF.

[0465] Returning to the explanation of the ascending motor operation process, when the operation of the ascending motor 564 starts in step S207, the retry counter 2 is cleared in the subsequent step S208, and in the subsequent step S209, it is determined whether the ascending motor index 565 (ascending motor index sensor 566) turns ON again within 600 ms after turning OFF.

[0466] In step S209, if it is determined that the ascending motor index 565 turns ON again within 600 ms after turning OFF (the ascending spiral shaft 561 is rotating), it proceeds to the next step S210 as YES, and it is determined whether the ascending outlet sensor 554 is ON for 80 ms or more. If it is not ON, it returns to step S208 as NO, and the operation of the ascending motor 564 continues.

[0467] On the one hand, in step S210, if it is determined that the lifting exit sensor 554 has been ON for 80 ms or more, it proceeds to the next step S211 as YES, stops the lifting motor 564 at the position of the third detection of the detection unit 565a of the lifting motor index 565, returns to step S201, and repeats the lifting motor operation process.

[0468] That is, as shown in FIGS. 46 and 47, after the lifting exit sensor 554 turns ON (continuously ON), when the lifting motor index 565 rotates and the non-light-shielding state (the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns ON by the detection unit 565a) occurs for the third time, the lifting motor 564 stops. At this time, the lifting spiral shaft 561 that rotates integrally with the lifting motor index 565 discharges one game ball B per rotation to the ball lifting exit passage 552 side (lifting device ball discharge). Therefore, three game balls B are discharged between the time when the lifting exit sensor 554 turns ON and the time when the lifting motor 564 stops. In other words, when the lifting exit sensor 554 turns ON, three game balls B are discharged to the ball lifting exit passage 552 side and the lifting motor 564 stops. As a result, a sufficient number of game balls B are stored in the ball lifting exit passage 552. Note that, in order to smoothly execute the lifting motor origin return process described later, the ball lifting exit passage 552 is not filled with game balls B, but a predetermined number of empty spaces are left.

[0469] In this lifting motor operation process, in step S202, if it is determined that the lifting motor index 565 is not ON (the lifting motor index sensor 566 is OFF), it proceeds to the next step S212 as NO, and it is determined whether the retry counter 1 is less than 3.

[0470] In step S212, if the retry counter 1 is less than 3, it proceeds to step S213 to execute the lifting motor origin return process as YES, then in step S214, adds "1" to the retry counter 1 and returns to step S202.

[0471] In the lifting motor home position return process of step S213, when the lifting motor index sensor 566 is OFF, the lifting motor 564 is activated to rotate the lifting motor index 565 together with the lifting spiral shaft 561. After the detection unit 565a reaches and turns ON while the lifting motor index sensor 566 is OFF, the lifting motor 564 rotates two times and stops, and the lifting motor 564 (lifting motor index 565) returns to the origin.

[0472] Specifically, the lifting motor index 565 (lifting spiral shaft 561) is configured to rotate once when the lifting motor 564 rotates 32 times according to the gear ratio between the shaft gear 562 and the motor gear 563. And since the circumferential length of the detection unit 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is formed to be the length of 4 rotations of the lifting motor 564, the position where the lifting motor 564 rotates two times and stops after the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns ON is located at the center of the detection unit 565a. That is, the center of the detection unit 565a on the lifting motor index 565 is set as the origin of the lifting motor 564 (lifting spiral shaft 561, lifting motor index 565) (see FIG. 47).

[0473] When the lifting motor home position return process is executed, the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates approximately once, so one game ball B is discharged to the ball lifting exit passage 552. However, since the ball lifting exit passage 552 has a predetermined number of empty spaces for accommodating the game balls B, the discharge of the game balls B from the lifting spiral shaft 561 is not hindered, and the lifting motor 564 can be returned to the home position.

[0474] In the above step S212, when it is determined that the retry counter 1 is not less than 3, the process proceeds to step S215 as NO, the error display indicating "lifting ball jam error" is turned ON, and the operation stops in the subsequent step S216. The release condition of this operation stop can be released by turning on a power switch (not shown) provided on the power supply board 650 in the main body frame 4.

[0475] On the other hand, in step S209 above, if it is determined that the hoisting motor index 565 does not turn ON again within 600 ms after turning OFF (the hoisting spiral shaft 561 is not rotating), it is set to ON and the process proceeds to step S217. It is determined whether the retry counter 2 is less than 3. If it is determined that the retry counter 2 is not less than 3, the process proceeds to step S215 as NO, the error display indicating "hoisting ball jamming error" is turned ON, and the operation is stopped in the subsequent step S216.

[0476] On the other hand, in step S217, if it is determined that the retry counter 2 is less than 3, the ball jamming release process of the next step S218 is executed as YES. In the subsequent step S219, "1" is added to the retry counter 2, and the process returns to step S209.

[0477] In the ball jamming release process of step S218, after stopping the hoisting motor 564 in a state where the ON / OFF of the hoisting exit sensor 554 is not monitored, the hoisting motor 564 is rotated in the reverse direction. After a predetermined time (for example, 100 ms) has elapsed, the hoisting motor 564 is stopped, and the hoisting motor 564 is operated (forward rotation) again.

[0478] In this way, by the hoisting motor operation process, when the game ball B is launched and the number of game balls B in the ball hoisting exit passage 552 decreases, the hoisting spiral shaft 561 is rotated by the operation of the hoisting motor 564, and the game ball B in the ball hoisting inlet passage 551 is hoisted from the lower end and discharged from the upper end to be supplied to the ball hoisting exit passage 552.

[0479] Note that the operation time of the hoisting motor 564, the number of discharged game balls B, etc. described above are examples, and appropriate times and numbers may be used.

[0480] [7-7. Security Processing] The security process will be described with reference to FIG. 48 and the like. The security process is for monitoring the presence or absence of improper acts. As shown in FIG. 48(a), in the security process, the contradiction counter is cleared in step S301, and in the subsequent step S302, the number of balls collected within a predetermined time in the circulating ball path unit 500 is calculated. The number of balls collected is calculated by the sum of the number of out balls, the number of safe balls, and the number of foul balls.

[0481] After calculating the number of balls collected in step S302, proceed to the next step S303, and determine whether the number of balls launched by the launch subtraction sensor 454 is the same as the number of balls collected. If it is determined to be the same, return to step S302 as YES. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of balls launched and the number of balls collected are not the same, proceed to the next step S304 as NO, add "1" to the contradiction counter, and proceed to the subsequent step S305.

[0482] In step S305, determine whether the contradiction counter is greater than n (for example, 50). If it is determined to be smaller than n, return to step S302 as NO. On the other hand, if it is determined that the contradiction counter is greater than n, proceed to the next step S306 as YES, turn on the error display indicating that an improper act has been committed, and then execute the game stop process in the subsequent step S307 to end the process.

[0483] The error display in step S306 can be canceled by turning on a power switch (not shown) provided on the power supply board 650 in the main body frame 4.

[0484] Also, as the game stop process in step S307, there are the stop of launching the game ball B in the ball launch unit 450, the stop of lifting the game ball B (circulation stop) by the ball lifting unit 550, the stop of the game on the main control board 1310 side, and the like.

[0485] The security process may be the process shown in Fig. 48(b). In this security process, first, in step S311, the contradiction counter is cleared, and in the following step S312, it is determined whether the number of shot balls detected by the shot subtraction sensor 454 is equal to or greater than the number of foul balls detected by the foul ball sensor 507.

[0486] In step S312, if it is determined that the number of shot balls is equal to or greater than the number of foul balls, the process returns to step S312 as YES. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of shot balls is not equal to or greater than the number of foul balls, the process proceeds to the next step S313 as NO, increments the contradiction counter by "1", and proceeds to the next step S314.

[0487] In step S314, it is determined whether the contradiction counter is greater than n (for example, 50), and if it is determined that the contradiction counter is less than n, the process returns to step S312 as NO. On the other hand, if it is determined that the contradiction counter is greater than n, the process proceeds to the next step S315 as YES, and an error display indicating that a fraudulent act is being performed is turned ON, and then in the following step S316, a game stop process is executed to end the process.

[0488] The error display in step S315 can be cleared by turning on and off a power switch (not shown) provided on the power supply board 650 in the main body frame 4.

[0489] In addition, the game stop processing in step S316 includes stopping the launch of game ball B by the ball launching unit 450, stopping the lifting of game ball B by the ball lifting unit 550 (stopping circulation), stopping the game on the main control board 1310 side, etc.

[0490] In this way, the presence or absence of fraudulent conduct can be determined based on the number of shot balls, the number of game balls B discharged from the game board 5 (number of recovered balls), the number of foul balls, and the like.

[0491] [7-8. Detecting the amount of enclosed balls] The enclosed ball quantity detection process will be described with reference to FIG. 49 and the like. The enclosed ball quantity detection process detects whether the quantity (number of balls) of the enclosed game balls B is appropriate. The enclosed ball quantity detection process determines whether the game balls B are in an appropriate quantity based on the combination of the ON / OFF of the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the ON / OFF of the circulating ball excess sensor 522. In the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, when the detection of the game balls B continues for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or longer, it is set to ON.

[0492] Specifically, in the ball storage passage 504 of the circulating ball path unit 500, which is upstream of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 in the ball lifting unit 550, when the rearmost part of the game balls B arranged in a row is located between the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is ON and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 is OFF. In such a combination, it is determined that the quantity of the game balls B is appropriate, and no error related thereto is notified.

[0493] On the other hand, when the rearmost part of the game balls B arranged in a row in the ball storage passage 504 is located downstream of the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is OFF and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 is OFF. In such a combination, it is determined that the quantity of the game balls B is too small, and an error notifying that "there are too few game balls" is notified.

[0494] Also, when the rearmost part of the game balls B arranged in a row in the ball storage passage 504 is located upstream of the circulating ball excess sensor 522 beyond the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is ON and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 is ON. In such a combination, it is determined that the quantity of the game balls B is too large, and an error notifying that "there are too many game balls" is notified.

[0495] Incidentally, depending on the environment (game hall) where the pachinko machine 1 of the present embodiment is installed, it may be installed together with a conventional pachinko machine that uses steel balls SB as game balls. When replenishing or replacing the game balls B due to maintenance or the like of the pachinko machine 1 of the present embodiment, there is a risk that the steel balls SB may be mixed in. And when the steel balls SB are mixed into the pachinko machine 1, since a strong magnet 516 is provided on the ball extraction shutter 515 of the ball storage passage 504 in the circulation path R, the mixed-in steel balls B are magnetically attracted by the magnet 516 and stop on the ball extraction shutter 515.

[0496] When the steel balls SB are magnetically attached to the ball extraction shutter 515 and the game balls B continue to be launched in the ball launch unit 450, the game balls B on the downstream side of the ball extraction shutter 515 in the ball storage passage 504 are lifted by the ball lift unit 550 and decrease, and eventually the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 turns OFF. On the other hand, the game balls B launched from the ball launch unit 450 are collected by the out ball receiving port 500a, the safe ball receiving port 500b, the far unit 470, etc. of the circulating ball path unit 500 and supplied to the upstream side of the ball storage passage 504, and accumulate upstream of the ball extraction shutter 515 (steel balls SB), and eventually the circulating ball excess sensor 522 turns ON. Thus, in the case of the combination where the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is OFF and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 is ON, it is determined that the steel balls SB are magnetically attached to the ball extraction shutter 515, and an error notifying that "steel balls are mixed in" is notified.

[0497] In addition, when a ball jam occurs due to ball dust between the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the same combination as above occurs, so an error notifying that "steel balls are mixed in" is notified.

[0498] Also, for the error notification, a notification lamp may be provided and lit, or an image may be displayed on the effect display device. Alternatively, an error signal may be output to the hall computer (hall computer) of the game hall via the game ball lending device 8 to light the notification lamp provided on the game hall side.

[0499] In this way, through the enclosed ball quantity detection process, it is possible to manage the quantity of the enclosed game balls B to an appropriate amount and to detect the mixing of the steel balls SB.

[0500] [7-9. Ball extraction process] The ball extraction process will be described. The ball extraction process is executed when, in the circulating ball path unit 500, the ball extraction shutter 515 opens the ball extraction port 513p to extract the game ball B into the ball receiving tray 620. The ball extraction process is executed by opening the door frame 3 with respect to the main body frame 4 to turn off the door open switch 407, pulling the ball extraction shutter 515 forward to open the ball extraction port 513p, and turning on the ball extraction switch 642 provided on the frame control board 640.

[0501] In the ball extraction process, the ON / OFF of the lifting inlet sensor 553 is disabled, the firing solenoid 453 in the ball firing unit 450 repeats ON / OFF at a predetermined time interval, and the lifting motor 564 remains in an operating state.

[0502] At this time, even if the game ball B is fired when the firing solenoid 453 is turned ON, since the door frame 3 is open, the far shutter 471 is in the closed position, and the ball is sent to the circulating ball path unit 500 as a far ball without being launched to the outside from the far unit 470.

[0503] Then, after the elapse of a predetermined time or when the power switch of the power supply board 650 is turned off, the ball extraction process ends.

[0504] In this way, through the ball extraction process, the enclosed game balls B can be extracted. When putting in the game balls B, it is possible to put them in (refill) from the out port 1008 of the game board 5, or from the out ball receiving port 500a or the safe ball receiving port 500b which is opened upward by removing the game board 5 from the main body frame 4.

[0505] [8. Overall configuration of the game board] The overall structure of the game board 5 in the pachinko machine 1 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 50 to 56. FIG. 50 is a front view of the game board showing the transparent center accessory etc. in an opaque state. FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the game board of FIG. 50 as seen from the right front, FIG. 52 is a perspective view of the game board of FIG. 50 as seen from the left front, and FIG. 53 is a perspective view of the game board of FIG. 50 as seen from the rear. FIG. 54 is an exploded perspective view of the game board disassembled by main members as seen from the front, and FIG. 55 is an exploded perspective view of the game board disassembled by main members as seen from the rear. FIG. 56 is a front view of the game board showing the game area where the game balls circulate by cutting the front unit parallel to the surface of the game panel.

[0506] The game board 5 of the pachinko machine 1 has a game area 5a into which the game ball B is driven when the player operates the handle 160. In the game area 5a, there are provided a general winning opening 2001, a normal winning opening 2002, a first starting opening 2003, a second starting opening 2004, a big winning opening 2005, an accessory winning opening 2006, and a second V winning opening 2008, which give the player a predetermined privilege (for example, addition of a predetermined number of hold balls) upon receiving or passing the game ball B. This game board 5 is for performing a game that allows the player to enjoy the driving operation of the handle 160 and the circulation of the game ball B in the game area 5a so that the game ball B can be received by the general winning opening 2001, the normal winning opening 2002, the first starting opening 2003, the second starting opening 2004, the big winning opening 2005, the accessory winning opening 2006, etc. in the game area 5a.

[0507] The game board 5 includes a front component member 1000 that partitions the outer periphery of the game area 5a and has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view, a plate-like game panel 1100 that is attached to the rear side of the front component member 1000 and partitions the rear end of the game area 5a, a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 (see FIG. 65) that detect magnetism acting illegally in the game area 5a, and a vibration sensor 1040 (see FIG. 65 etc.) that detects vibration acting on the game board 5 (pachinko machine 1). A plurality of obstacle pins that come into contact with the game ball B are implanted in a predetermined gauge arrangement at a portion within the game area 5a on the front surface of the game panel 1100.

[0508] In addition, the game board 5 includes a board holder 1200 attached to the lower rear side of the game panel 1100, and a main control unit 1300 having a main control board 1310 (see FIG. 65 etc.) attached to the rear surface of the board holder 1200 and controlling the game content performed by driving a game ball B into the game area 5a.

[0509] In addition, the game board 5 further includes a function display unit 1400 that displays the game situation based on a control signal from the main control board 1310 and is attached to the upper left corner of the front component 1000 so as to be visible to the player, a peripheral control unit 1500 disposed on the rear side of the game panel 1100, an effect display device 1600 disposed at the center of the game area 5a in a front view and capable of displaying a predetermined effect image, a panel relay board (not shown) disposed on the rear side of the game panel 1100 and relaying the connection between the main control board 1310 and the peripheral control board 1510, a front unit 2000 attached to the front surface of the game panel 1100, and a back unit 3000 attached to the rear surface of the game panel 1100.

[0510] The effect display device 1600 is provided on the rear surface of the back unit 3000, and the peripheral control unit 1500 is provided on the rear surface of the effect display device 1600.

[0511] The table unit 2000 is capable of receiving the game balls B driven into the game area 5a and has a plurality (here, three) of general winning openings 2001 that are always open, a normal winning opening 2002 provided at a predetermined position in the game area 5a and always open to receive the game balls B, a first start opening 2003 provided at the center in the left-right direction below the center accessory 2500 and always open to receive the game balls B, a second start opening 2004 that allows the reception of the game balls B according to the lottery result of the normal symbol lottery when the game balls B are received into the normal winning opening 2002, a big winning opening 2005 or an accessory winning opening 2006 that allows the reception of the game balls B according to the lottery result of the first special symbol lottery drawn by the reception of the game balls B into the first start opening 2003 or the second special symbol lottery drawn by the reception of the game balls B into the second start opening 2004, and a first V winning opening 2007 and a second V winning opening 2008 that are capable of receiving the game balls B received into the accessory winning opening 2006. Further, the game board 5 is provided with a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 (see FIG. 65) that detect magnetism acting illegally within the game area 5a.

[0512] Also, the table unit 2000 is provided at the most downstream in the game area 5a, has an out opening 2020 that is always open to receive the game balls B and discharges the received game balls B outside the game area 5a without returning them, and two sub-out openings 2021 provided upstream of the out opening 2020 in the game area 5a, which are always open to receive the game balls B and discharge the received game balls B outside the game area 5a without returning them. The out opening 2020 has two provided on the left and right with the first start opening 2003 in between. Also, the two sub-out openings 2021 are provided respectively in a part to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the game area 5a and a part to the right of the center in the left-right direction of the game area 5a.

[0513] Furthermore, the front unit 2000 is attached directly above the lower end of the game area 5a at the center in the left - right direction within the game area 5a, and includes a start port unit 2100 having a first start port 2003 and an out port 2020; a side unit 2200 provided along the inner rail 1002 to the left in the front view of the start port unit 2100 and having three general winning ports 2001 and one sub - out port 2021; a side upper - left unit 2300 provided slightly above and to the left in the front view of the side unit 2200; an attacker unit 2400 provided to the right of the start port unit 2100 and having a second start port 2004, a big winning port 2005, and one sub - out port 2021; a frame - shaped center device 2500 provided slightly above and to the upper side in the approximate center in the front view within the game area 5a and having a device winning port 2006, a first V - winning port 2007, and a second V - winning port 2008; and a normal winning port unit 2600 provided above the right end of the attacker unit 2400 and having a normal winning port 2002.

[0514] The center device 2500 includes a frame - shaped main body unit 2510 having a device winning port 2006 and a first V - winning port 2007, and a lottery device 2550 provided in the lower part within the frame of the main body unit 2510 and having a second V - winning port 2008.

[0515] The back unit 3000 includes a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 for detecting magnetism that acts illegally within the game area 5a, a vibration sensor 1040 for detecting vibrations acting on the game board 5 (pachinko machine 1), a back box 3010 which is box - shaped with an open front, attached to the rear surface of the panel holder 1120 in the game panel 1100 and having a square opening 3010a in the rear wall; a lock slider 3020 detachably attaching the effect display device 1600 to the rear wall of the back box 3010; and a back substrate unit 3040 disposed behind the effect display device 1600 and attached to the rear wall of the back box 3010.

[0516] Further, the back unit 3000 includes a back ball guide unit 3100 provided at the lower part near the front end inside the back box 3010 through which the game ball B guided rearward of the game panel 1100 flows, a back decoration unit 3200 provided behind the back ball guide unit 3100 inside the back box 3010, a back front effect unit 3300 provided to the left and above the back ball guide unit 3100 near the front end inside the back box 3010, and a back rear effect unit 3400 provided behind the back front effect unit 3300 inside the back box 3010.

[0517] [8-1. Front component member] Regarding the front component member 1000 on the game board 5, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 54 and 55 and the like. The front component member 1000 is entirely formed transparently. The outer shape of the front component member 1000 is substantially square in a front view, and the inner shape penetrates in the front-rear direction in a substantially circular shape, and the outer periphery of the game area 5a is defined by the inner circumference of the inner shape. This front component member 1000 includes an outer rail 1001 that extends in an arc shape along the circumferential direction clockwise from the lower end near the left side from the center in the left-right direction in a front view, passes through the upper end in the center in the left-right direction in a front view, and extends to the upper right diagonal part, and an inner rail 1002 that is arranged inside the front component member 1000 substantially along the outer rail 1001 and extends in an arc shape from the lower part in the center in the left-right direction in a front view to the upper left diagonal part in a front view. And an out guide part 1003 that is formed at the lowest position of the game area 5a on the right side in a front view at the lower end of the inner rail 1002 and is inclined so as to become lower toward the rear.

[0518] Further, the front component member 1000 includes a lower right rail 1004 that is linearly inclined so that the right end side is slightly higher from the right end in a front view of the out guide part 1003 to near the right side of the front component member 1000, and a right rail 1005 that extends from the right end of the lower right rail 1004 along the right side of the front component member 1000 to the lower side of the upper end of the outer rail 1001, and the upper part of which is curved inside the front component member 1000. And a shock stop part 1006 that connects the upper end of the right rail 1005 and the upper end of the outer rail 1001 and against which the game ball B that has rolled along the outer rail 1001 abuts.

[0519] Further, the front component member 1000 is pivotally supported at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 so as to be rotatable, and is rotatable only between a closed position extending upward from the upper end of the inner rail 1002 to close the space between it and the outer rail 1001 and an open position rotated in the clockwise direction in a front view to open the space between it and the outer rail 1001, and is biased by a spring (not shown) so as to return to the closed position side, and includes a backflow prevention member 1007.

[0520] Furthermore, the front component member 1000 includes an out port 1008 that penetrates front and back at the rear end of the out guide portion 1003 at the lower center in the left - right direction in a front view within the frame. This out port 1008 is closed from the front by the start port unit 2100.

[0521] Also, the front component member 1000 includes a security recess 1009 that is recessed from the front end to the rear at each of the outer sides of the portions extending substantially vertically from the lower ends of the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002, below the out guide portion 1003 and the lower right rail 1004, and outside the right rail 1005. When the game board 5 is attached to the main body frame 4 and the door frame 3 is closed with respect to the main body frame 4, a rear projection piece (not shown) protruding rearward from a security cover (not shown) in the door frame 3 is inserted into the security recess 1009. As a result, the space between the security cover and the game board 5 (front component member 1000) is in a state of being complexly bent by the rear projection piece of the security cover and the security recess 1009 of the front component member 1000. Therefore, even if an illegal tool such as a piano wire tries to enter the game area 5a through the space between the security cover and the front component member 1000 from below the front surface of the game board 5, it will be blocked by the rear projection piece and the security recess 1009, and the entry of illegal tools into the game area 5a can be prevented.

[0522] In addition, the front component member 1000 is provided with a notch portion 1010 that is notched upward from the lower end at the lower left corner in a front view. This notch portion 1010 coincides with the notch portion 1122 of the game panel 1100. When the front component member 1000 is attached to the main body frame of a pachinko machine of the type that pays out game balls to the player, the front openings of the lower normal payout passage and the lower full payout passage of the lower full ball path unit penetrate through the notch portion 1010 and the notch portion 1122 and face forward to supply game balls to the upper plate and the lower plate of the door frame.

[0523] Furthermore, the front component member 1000 includes a function display unit attachment portion 1011 that is formed at the upper left corner in a front view and to which the function display unit 1400 is attached, and a certificate attachment portion 1012 that is formed at the lower right corner.

[0524] In addition, the front component member 1000 is formed to be substantially entirely transparent, and the game panel 1100, the back unit 3000, etc. disposed on the rear side can be visually recognized from the front.

[0525] [8-2. Game Panel] Regarding the game panel 1100 on the game board 5, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 54 and 55 and the like. The game panel 1100 is attached to the rear surface of the front component member 1000, and the front unit 2000 and the back unit 3000 are attached thereto. The game panel 1100 includes a flat panel plate 1110 that is formed to be slightly larger than the inner circumference of the front component member 1000 having a frame-shaped outer circumference and is made of a transparent synthetic resin, and a frame-shaped panel holder 1120 that holds the outer circumference of the panel plate 1110, is attached to the rear side of the front component member 1000, and has the back unit 3000 attached to its rear surface. A plurality of obstacle pins are implanted on the front surface of the game panel 1100 in a predetermined gauge arrangement.

[0526] The panel board 1110 of the gaming panel 1100 is formed of a synthetic resin board such as an acrylic resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polyarylate resin, or a methacrylic resin, or an inorganic board such as glass or metal. The thickness of this panel board 1110 is thinner than that of a wooden gaming panel, which is about 20 mm, and the minimum necessary thickness that can sufficiently hold the panel board 1110 even when obstacle nails are implanted on the front surface or the front unit 2000 is attached is about 10 mm. In this embodiment, the panel board 1110 is formed of a transparent synthetic resin board.

[0527] The panel board 1110 is at the lowest position within the gaming area 5a, and the position corresponding to the out-port 1008 of the front component 1000 is recessed upward from the lower end. That is, in this embodiment, the out-port 1008 of the panel board 1110 is not in a hole shape but is formed in a notch shape that is open downward of the panel board 1110. Note that the out-port 1008 may be formed in a hole shape. Further, a plurality of openings 1112 for attaching the front unit 2000 are formed through the panel board 1110 in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the openings 1112 are formed in a hole shape, but they may be formed in a notch shape that is open outward from the outer peripheral surface of the panel board 1110.

[0528] Also, although not shown in the drawings, the panel board 1110 includes a plurality of positioning holes formed in round holes and short long holes penetrating in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of engaging stepped portions that are spaced apart in the left-right direction at the upper edge and the lower edge and are formed with a thin thickness. The positioning holes are for positioning with the panel holder 1120 by inserting a protruding pin (not shown) of the panel holder 1120. The engaging stepped portions are for being detachably attached to the panel holder 1120 by being engaged with an engaging claw (not shown) or an engaging piece (not shown) of the panel holder 1120.

[0529] The panel board 1110 has a large opening 1112 for attaching the center accessory 2500 offset upward from the center in a front view. As a result, the panel board 1110 has a frame shape, and in a front view, the width orthogonal to the flow direction of the game balls B (the circumferential direction of the frame shape) has a wide width on the left side, right side, and lower side where a plurality of game balls B can be arranged, excluding the upper side from the center, and a narrow width on the upper side where a plurality of game balls B cannot be arranged.

[0530] The panel holder 1120 of the game panel 1100 has an outer shape that is substantially rectangular with a size that includes the panel board 1110, and is formed thicker than the panel board 1110 (in this embodiment, about 38 mm, the same thickness as a wooden game panel). This is to enable playing by attaching it to the main body frame 4 of the same pachinko machine 1 (game machine), regardless of whether it is a wooden game panel or a transparent synthetic resin game panel 1100.

[0531] This panel holder 1120 is formed of a transparent synthetic resin (for example, a thermoplastic synthetic resin). This panel holder 1120 has a holding step portion (not shown) that is recessed from the front side toward the rear side with substantially the same size as the panel board 1110, and a through hole 1121 that penetrates the holding step portion in the front-rear direction with substantially the same size as the substantially game area 5a.

[0532] Further, the panel holder 1120 is provided with a notch portion 1122 that is notched upward from the lower end at the lower left corner in a front view. This notch portion 1122 is formed to coincide with the notch portion 1010 of the front constituent member 1000. This notch portion 1122 is for supplying game balls to the upper and lower dishes of the door frame with the front end openings of the lower normal payout passage and the lower full payout passage of the lower full ball path unit facing forward through the notch portion 1010 and the notch portion 1122 when attached to the main body frame of a pachinko machine of the type that pays out game balls to the player.

[0533] Furthermore, the panel holder 1120 is formed with an out concave portion 1123 that extends upward from the lower end to a position corresponding to the out port 1008 and is recessed from the rear surface toward the front. The upper part of the out concave portion 1123 communicates with the out port 1008.

[0534] Also, although not shown in the drawing, the panel holder 1120 includes a plurality of protruding pins that protrude forward from the holding step portion and are respectively inserted into a plurality of positioning holes of the panel plate 1110, and three engaging claws that are disposed outside the holding step portion and elastically engage with the engaging step portions of the upper side and the lower left inclined portion of the panel plate 1110, and a pair of engaging pieces that protrude upward from the lower outer side of the holding step portion and respectively engage with the two engaging step portions of the lower side of the panel plate 1110. The panel holder 1120 can be detachably attached in a state where the panel plate 1110 is accommodated in the holding step portion by engaging the engaging step portion of the lower side of the panel plate 1110 with the engaging piece from the front obliquely upward and then moving the upper portion of the panel plate 1110 backward to elastically engage the engaging step portions of the upper side and the lower left inclined portion with the engaging claws. At this time, the protruding pins of the panel holder 1120 are inserted into the positioning holes of the panel plate 1110, and the panel plate 1110 is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the panel holder 1120.

[0535] Since this game panel 1100 is formed transparently together with the front constituent member 1000 attached to the front side, when assembled to the game board 5, it is possible to reduce the visibility of the boundary of the game area 5a, give a sense of openness to the player, and although the actual size of the game area 5a does not change, it is possible to make the game area 5a appear larger (wider) to the player.

[0536] Also, since the game panel 1100 is made transparent together with the front constituent member 1000, it is possible to make it appear to emit light by reflecting or refracting the light from the effect display device 1600, the front unit 2000, the back unit 3000, etc. toward the front (the player side), and the overall decorativeness of the game board 5 can be further enhanced.

[0537] [8-3. Substrate Holder] The substrate holder 1200 on the game board 5 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 54 and 55 and the like. The substrate holder 1200 is formed in a horizontally long box shape with the upper and front sides open, and the bottom surface is inclined so as to be lower toward the center in the left-right direction. The substrate holder 1200 has a discharge portion 1201 that is notched from the front end toward the rear at the center in the left-right direction on the bottom surface. This substrate holder 1200, in a state assembled to the game board 5, covers the lower part of the back unit 3000 attached to the rear side of the game panel 1100 from the lower side and the rear side, and the main control substrate box 1320 of the main control unit 1300 is attached to the rear surface.

[0538] In a state where the substrate holder 1200 is assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the discharge portion 1201 is located directly above the out ball receiving port 500a and the safe ball receiving port 500b in the circulating ball path unit 500 of the main body frame 4. Thereby, the game balls B discharged to the rear side of the game panel 1100 through the out port 2020 and the sub-out port 2021 are discharged to the out ball receiving port 500a in the circulating ball path unit 500, and are detected (counted) one by one by the out ball sensor 505 as they flow through the out ball passage 501 after being received by the out ball receiving port 500a. On the other hand, the game balls B received by winning ports such as the general winning port 2001, the normal winning port 2002, the first start port 2003, the second start port 2004, the big winning port 2005, and the accessory winning port 2006 and discharged downward from the front unit 2000 and the back unit 3000 are discharged to the safe ball receiving port 500b in the circulating ball path unit 500, and are detected (counted) one by one by the safe ball sensor 506 as they flow through the safe ball passage 502 after being received by the safe ball receiving port 500b.

[0539] [8-4. Main Control Substrate Unit] The main control unit 1300 on the game board 5 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 53 to 55 and the like. The main control unit 1300 is detachably attached to the rear surface of the board holder 1200. The main control unit 1300 includes a main control board 1310 (see FIG. 65) that controls game content and the granting of benefits to players, etc., and a main control board box 1320 that houses the main control board 1310 and is attached to the board holder 1200.

[0540] The main control board box 1320 is composed of a board base 1330 that is attached to the board holder 1200 and to which the main control board 1310 is attached to the rear surface, and a board cover 1340 that is attached to the board base 1330 so as to cover the main control board 1310 from the rear. The board base 1330 and the board cover 1340 are formed of transparent polycarbonate. The main control board 1310 is housed in the internal space formed by the board base 1330 and the board cover 1340. Since the board base 1330 and the board cover 1340 are formed of transparent polycarbonate, the state of the front side and the back side of the main control board 1310 (whether unauthorized modification has been performed or whether an unauthorized IC is mounted) can be confirmed from the outside of the main control board box 1320.

[0541] Also, the main control board box 1320 is provided with a plurality of sealing mechanisms 1350 corresponding to the board base 1330 and the board cover 1340 respectively. When the main control board box 1320 is closed using one sealing mechanism 1350, next, in order to open the main control board box 1320, it is necessary to break that sealing mechanism 1350, and traces of the opening and closing of the main control board box 1320 can be left. Therefore, by looking at the traces of the opening and closing, unauthorized opening and...

Claims

In a gaming machine including a decorative substrate on which LEDs capable of performing light-emitting decoration in a plurality of emission colors are mounted on the front surface, the decorative substrate is included in a decorative unit configured by combining a cover member located on the front side of the decorative substrate and a base member located on the back side of the decorative substrate, the decorative unit has a first opening and a second opening at positions on the side surface side of the included decorative substrate, the first opening of the decorative unit is formed in the same shape and the same size as the second opening of the decorative unit, the first opening and the second opening are formed by cutting out a part of either one or both of the cover member or the base member, and are provided at positions facing each other with the LED of the decorative substrate included in the decorative unit interposed therebetween. When the decorative substrate is viewed from the side surface side, a part of the space between the LED of the decorative substrate on which the LED is mounted and the front side of the decorative substrate overlaps, the front surface of the decorative substrate on which the LED is mounted is covered with a white resist and the part number of the LED is silk-printed in yellow A gaming machine characterized by the above.

Images