gaming machines

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 (generally also referred to as a "pachinko machine"). [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, In gaming machines such as pachinko machines, it is important to attract the interest of players. As a means to realize the possible effects, the size of the production equipment and the range of movement of the production equipment are increased. They also use bright lighting and decorative stage equipment.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a side lamp equipped with a circuit board on which an LED is mounted as an example of a lighting device. LEDs are electronic components that generate a lot of heat when they emit light, and an internal temperature rise can lead to thermal destruction of the LED itself, so there is room for improvement in order to achieve flashy lighting decoration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-264006 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. This reduces the impact of heat generated by heat-generating components. The objective of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that allows players to [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a gaming machine equipped with a decorative substrate on the front surface of which are mounted LEDs capable of lighting decoration in multiple light colors, The decorative substrate is contained in a decorative unit formed 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 side wall that covers the decorative substrate from the side, The side wall of the decorative unit is provided with a first opening and a second opening formed by cutting out a part of either the cover member or the base member, or both, that constitute the decorative unit; The first opening provided in the side wall of the decorative unit is formed to have the same shape and size as the second opening provided in the side wall of the decorative unit, The first opening and the second opening are respectively positioned on opposing short sides of the decorative substrate included in the decorative unit, and when the decorative substrate is viewed from the side, the LEDs of the decorative substrate on which the LEDs are mounted overlap with a portion of the space on the front side of the decorative substrate. And, When the first opening provided in the decorative unit is located at an upper position, the second opening is located below the first opening across the decorative substrate. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0056] Thus, according to the present invention, For example, reducing the effects of heat generated by heat-generating components It is possible to provide a gaming machine that allows this. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0057] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a pachinko machine shown with the upper side tilted forward. [Figure 3] This is a front view of the pachinko machine with the door frame removed. [Figure 4] This is a front view of the pachinko machine with the door frame and game board removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the pachinko machine of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 as seen obliquely from the front. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4, broken down into its main components, as seen from the front. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4, broken down into its main components, as seen from behind. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 cut at the center from top to bottom. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 9. [Figure 11]4 is a front view of the main part of the front view of FIG. 3, showing the launch unit, the foul unit, etc. in cross section. FIG. [Figure 12] This is an exploded oblique view of the main frame base unit of the main frame, disassembled into its main components, viewed from the front. [Figure 13] This is an exploded oblique view of the main frame base unit in the main frame, disassembled into its main components and viewed from behind. [Figure 14] (a) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main body frame as seen from the back. [Figure 15] 1A is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit as seen from the front, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 16] (a) is an oblique view of the launch unit cover of the ball launch unit seen from the rear left, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the ball launch unit showing only the launch unit cover in cross section when viewed from the front. [Figure 17] 1A is a perspective view of the foul unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the foul unit in the main body frame as seen from the back. [Figure 18] FIG. 1(a) is an exploded perspective view of the foul unit as seen from the front, and FIG. 1(b) is an exploded perspective view of the foul unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 19] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross section of the foul unit with the foul shutter in a closed state, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross section of the foul unit with the foul shutter in an open state. [Figure 20] 1A is a perspective view of the circulation ball path unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the circulation ball path unit in the main body frame as seen from the back. [Figure 21] This is an exploded oblique view of the circulating ball path unit as seen from the front. [Figure 22] This is an exploded perspective view of the circulation ball path unit as seen from behind. [Figure 23](a) is a plan view showing only the ball serpentine member and ball removal shutter in the circulating ball path unit, and (b) is an oblique view from the front showing only the ball serpentine member and ball removal shutter in the circulating ball path unit. [Figure 24] (a1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball removal shutter and ball serpentine member in the closed position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross section, (a2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball removal shutter portion in (a1) from the bottom, (b1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball removal shutter and ball serpentine member in the open position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross section, and (b2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball removal shutter portion in (b1) from the bottom. [Figure 25] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross section of the ball serpentine member and ball removal tray when the ball removal shutter is in the closed position with an iron ball magnetically attached to it; (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross section of the ball serpentine member and ball removal tray when the ball removal shutter is in the open position with an iron ball magnetically attached to it; and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross section of the ball serpentine member and ball removal tray when the ball removal shutter has been slid from the (b) position to the closed position with an iron ball magnetically attached to the underside. [Figure 26] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a front cross section of the circulating ball path unit cut at the out ball sensor location, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a front cross section of the circulating ball path unit cut at the safe ball sensor location. [Figure 27] (a) is an oblique view from the front showing an enlarged view of the lower part of the main body frame together with the outer frame with the serpentine cover of the circulation ball path unit removed, and (b) is an oblique view from the back showing an enlarged view of the lower part of the main body frame together with the outer frame with the serpentine cover of the circulation ball path unit removed. [Figure 28] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the key parts of the rear cross section taken at the out ball sensor when the cover member of the ball elimination mechanism in the circulating ball path unit attached to the main frame is closed, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing (a) with the cover member open. [Figure 29](a) is an oblique view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame seen from the front left, (b) is an oblique view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame seen from the front right, and (c) is an oblique view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame seen from the rear. [Figure 30] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit disassembled into its main components as viewed from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit disassembled into its main components as viewed from the back. [Figure 31] This is an enlarged front view showing the main parts with the ball polishing cassette removed from the ball lifting unit attached to the main body frame. [Figure 32] (a) is a right side view showing the main parts of the ball grinding mechanism and ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit, (b) is a rear view showing the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism, and (c) is a plan view of the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism as seen from arrow A in (b). [Figure 33] (a) is a perspective view of the ball throwing unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball throwing unit in the main body frame as seen from the back. [Figure 34] 1A is an exploded perspective view of the ball throwing unit as seen from the front, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the ball throwing unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 35] This is a front cross-sectional view of the ball sending unit cut at the pre-launch sensor location. [Figure 36] This is an explanatory diagram showing the various passages for game balls on the rear side of the main body frame from the rear. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the flow of game balls in the main body frame. [Figure 38] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control configuration of a pachinko machine. [Figure 39] 10 is a flowchart showing a launch permission process. [Figure 40] 10 is a flowchart showing a ball possession subtraction process. [Figure 41] 10 is a flowchart showing the process of adding balls in possession due to foul balls. [Figure 42] 10 is a flowchart showing a launch control process. [Figure 43]10 is a flowchart showing prize ball processing. [Figure 44] 10 is a flowchart showing a lifting motor operation process. [Figure 45] 10 is a table showing the relationship between the lift inlet sensor and the lift outlet sensor and the operation of the lift motor. [Figure 46] 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the launching operation of the game ball and the operation of the ball lifting unit. [Figure 47] 10 is a graph showing the operation of the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit. [Figure 48] 10A is a flowchart showing security processing, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing security processing of an embodiment different from that of FIG. [Figure 49] 10 is a table showing the relationship between the low circulating ball sensor and the high circulating ball sensor and error notification. [Figure 50] This is a front view of the game board, showing the transparent center gimmicks and other parts as opaque. [Figure 51] FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the game board of FIG. 50 as seen from the front right. [Figure 52] FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the game board of FIG. 50 as seen from the front left. [Figure 53] FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the game board of FIG. 50 as seen from behind. [Figure 54] This is an exploded perspective view of the game board disassembled into its main components and viewed from the front. [Figure 55] This is an exploded perspective view of the game board disassembled into its main components and viewed from behind. [Figure 56] This is a front view of the game board, showing the inside of the game area where game balls circulate, by cutting the front unit parallel to the surface of the game panel. [Figure 57] 1(a) is a front view of the lottery device in the center role, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the lottery device seen from above in front. [Figure 58] This is a side cross-sectional view of the lottery device in the center role, cut at the center in the left-right direction. [Figure 59]1(a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a lottery device in a state where the game ball cannot loop, and FIG. 1(b) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a lottery device in a state where the game ball can loop. [Figure 60] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of game balls in a lottery device. [Figure 61] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board in a normal state. [Figure 62] This is a front view of the game board, showing the state in which the rear front lifting decorative unit of the rear front performance unit has been dropped from the standby position to the performance position, from the normal state. [Figure 63] This is a front view of the game board showing the rear rear rising decoration of the rear rear performance unit moved from the retracted position to the appearing position from the normal state. [Figure 64] This is a front view of the game board, showing the state in which, from the normal state, the rear front rising decoration unit of the rear front performance unit has been dropped from the standby position to the performance position, and the rear rear rising decoration of the rear rear performance unit has been moved from the retracted position to the appearing position. [Figure 65] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control configuration of a pachinko machine. [Figure 66] This is an explanatory diagram showing the center device of the first embodiment attached to the game panel, cut halfway in the vertical direction, together with the previous components. [Figure 67] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the decorative body of the center accessory disassembled into a front decorative part and a rear decorative part from the front, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the decorative body consisting of a front decorative part and a rear decorative part from the front. [Figure 68] This is an explanatory diagram showing the center frame of the center accessory in Figure 66 placed on a stand with its rear end facing downwards. [Figure 69] This is an explanatory diagram showing a partial cross section of a center accessory with a center frame to which a decorative body different from that shown in Figure 66 is attached. [Figure 70] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of the center reel of the second embodiment as seen from within the frame, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a), and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the center reel of (a) with the rear end facing downwards and the center frame placed on a stand. [Figure 71] This is a front view showing a gaming board with a center device of the third embodiment, with the area behind the gaming panel omitted. [Figure 72] This is an exploded perspective view of the center gadget and game panel of Figure 71 when viewed from the front. [Figure 73] This is an exploded perspective view of the center accessory in Figure 71 as seen from the front. [Figure 74] 10(a) to 10(g) are explanatory diagrams showing various joining patterns between the first frame and the second frame in the center role piece of the third embodiment. [Figure 75] FIG. 10(a) is a front view showing the main part of a game board on which a side unit of a second embodiment is provided, and FIG. 10(b) is a perspective view of (a) seen from the front. [Figure 76] (a) is an exploded oblique view showing the side unit disassembled from the game panel on the game board of Figure 75, (b) is an exploded oblique view showing the side unit of (a) disassembled from the front, (c) is an exploded oblique view of the side unit of (b) seen from behind, and (d) is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the game panel and the side unit in vertical cross section. [Figure 77] FIG. 77 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the side unit and the game panel in cross section in FIG. 76. [Figure 78] FIG. 76 is an explanatory diagram showing a side unit having a different configuration from that of the side unit in FIG. 75 in vertical cross section together with a game panel. [Figure 79] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a side unit of a different shape from the side unit shown in Figure 77 in vertical cross section together with the game panel, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an oblique view of the main parts of the LED board and board cover of the side unit in (a). [Figure 80] FIG. 80 is an explanatory diagram showing a side unit having a different configuration from the side unit shown in FIG. 79 in vertical cross section together with a game panel. [Figure 81] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of a side unit of a different type together with a game panel. [Figure 82]10 is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of a side unit of a different type together with a game panel. [Figure 83] 10A is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of a side unit of a different type together with a game panel, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of FIG. [Figure 84] (a) is a front view showing the main parts of the game board on which the side unit etc. of the third embodiment is installed, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the outlet part in (a), and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing a longitudinal cross section of (b). [Figure 85] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the outlet area of ​​a game board equipped with a side unit having a finger grip portion of a different shape from that shown in Figure 84, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing (a) in vertical cross section. [Figure 86] 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a panel plate of a gaming panel in which an opening to which a side unit is attached and an outlet are continuously connected. FIG. [Figure 87] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface portion is located behind the LED board, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface portion is located behind the LED board in a form different from (a), (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface portion is located so as to overlap the LED board, and (d) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface portion is located around the entire circumference of the unit cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0058] [1. Overall structure of a pachinko machine] A pachinko machine 1 according to one 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 Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the pachinko machine with the upper side tilted forward.

[0059] The pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment is installed and used in an island facility of a gaming hall. This pachinko machine 1 is a gaming machine called a sealed gaming machine or a controlled gaming machine in which a large number of game balls B (for example, 40 to 60 balls) are sealed in without being discharged to the outside or supplied from the outside, and the game balls B circulate inside so that the player does not come into contact with the game balls B. In this pachinko machine 1, the number of balls held by the player is converted into held ball data and handled.

[0060] The game ball B enclosed in the pachinko machine 1 has the same diameter (hereinafter referred to as diameter D; diameter D = 11 mm) as the game balls used in conventional pachinko machines, but is made of a material that is not magnetic, such as SUS304 stainless steel. This means that game ball B will not rust even if it is enclosed in the pachinko machine 1 for a long period of time, and it is distinguished from conventional game balls (iron balls SB) that are magnetic.

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

[0062] [2. Outer Frame] The outer frame 2 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Figure 3 is a front view of the pachinko machine with the door frame removed. Figure 4 is a front view of the pachinko machine with the door frame and game board removed, Figure 5 is a rear view of the pachinko machine of Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine of Figure 4 seen from diagonally ahead. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of Figure 4 seen from the front, with each main component disassembled, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of Figure 4 seen from the rear, with each main component disassembled. Figure 9 is a plan view of the pachinko machine of Figure 4 cut at the center from top to bottom. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 9.

[0063] The outer frame 2 is attached to an island facility of an amusement hall (not shown), and can be attached to the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed forward and can be detached. The outer frame 2 includes an outer frame main body 10 formed in a vertically long frame shape overall, outer frame assembly fittings 20 to which the outer frame main body 10 is attached, an outer frame hinge mechanism 30 that supports the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed, an outer frame locking fitting (not shown) for locking the main frame 4 in a closed state, a panel 45 attached to the lower frame body 14 of the outer frame main body 10, and a sliding plate 46 attached to the upper surface of the panel 45.

[0064] The outer frame body 10 of the outer frame 2 includes a left frame body 11 and a right frame body 12 that extend vertically and are spaced apart from each other on the left and right sides, 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 from an extruded metal material such as an aluminum alloy. The upper frame body 13 and the lower frame body 14 are formed from 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-to-rear direction.

[0065] The outer frame assembly fittings 20 of the outer frame 2 include 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 upper outer frame hinge body 31 provided at the upper left end of the outer frame main body 10 and a lower outer frame 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, with its front end protruding forward beyond the outer frame main body 10. The upper outer frame hinge body 31 has, in the portion protruding forward beyond the outer frame main body 10, a bearing groove 31a that penetrates vertically and is open on one side, and a locking member 32 that is provided on the underside of the portion protruding forward beyond the outer frame main body 10 and is capable of opening and closing the open portion of the bearing groove 31a.

[0068] The bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 can support the main frame hinge shaft 411a of the main frame upper hinge body 411 in the main frame 4 by inserting the main frame hinge shaft 411a of the main frame upper hinge body 411 into the open portion. The locking member 32 of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 is normally positioned in a locked position where it closes the open portion of the bearing groove 31a due to the biasing force of an elastic piece (not shown). When the locking member 32 is moved to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the elastic piece, the bearing groove 31a is opened to the side, allowing the main frame hinge shaft 411a to be inserted into the bearing groove 31a from the side, or the main frame hinge shaft 411a inserted in the bearing groove 31a to 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) of the upper left end surface of the back panel 45 that overlaps with the lower frame body 14, 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 an outer frame shaft hole (not shown) of the lower main frame hinge body 412 in the main frame 4, the lower main frame hinge body 412 can be rotatably supported.

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

[0071] Two outer frame locking fittings for the outer frame 2 are provided spaced apart vertically on the inner surface (left surface) of the right frame body 12. The outer frame locking fittings are respectively engaged with the outer frame locking claws 684 of the lock unit 680 in the main frame 4, thereby locking the main frame 4 to the outer frame 2 in a closed state so that it cannot be opened.

[0072] The top panel 45 of the outer frame 2 is attached to the lower frame body 14, with its front end protruding forward beyond the lower frame body 14. The top panel 45 is made of synthetic resin. Two sliding plates 46 are provided on the upper surface of the top panel 45, spaced apart on the left and right. The sliding plates 46 are contacted by the lower end surface of the main frame 4 when the main frame 4 is closed against the outer frame 2. The sliding plates 46 are made of a low-friction material, which makes the main frame 4 slide easily, facilitating opening and closing.

[0073] [3. Door frame] The door frame 3 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The door frame 3 is formed in a rectangular shape extending vertically in a front view, with approximately the same size as the interior of the outer frame 2, and is attached to the interior of the outer frame 2 via the main frame 4 so as to be able to open and close from the front. The door frame 3 is provided with a door frame main body 100 that is openable and closable relative to the main frame 4 and has a game window 101 through which, when closed, a game area 5a of a game board 5 attached to the main frame 4 is visible to the front, 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 ball count display unit 140 that displays the number of balls the player has, a handle 160 that the player operates to shoot game balls 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] The door frame 3 also includes a door frame panel 190 extending from the lower end of the front of the door frame main body 100 across the entire width in the left-right direction at a certain height, a shelf unit 200 protruding forward at a position between the game window 101 and the door frame panel 190 on the front of the door frame main body 100, and an effect operation unit 250 provided in the left-right center of the shelf unit 200 and operable by a player. The ball holding number display unit 140 and the count button switch 180 are provided on the top surface of the shelf unit 200 (top 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 main body 100, a door frame left side unit 320 provided to the left of the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100, and a door frame right side unit 340 provided to the right of the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100.

[0076] The door frame main body 100 has a door frame hinge mechanism 110 for opening and closing the door frame 4. The door frame hinge mechanism 110 has an upper door frame hinge body (not shown) provided at the upper left end of the door frame main body 100, and a lower door frame hinge body 112 provided at the lower left end of the door frame main body 100. The upper door frame hinge body has an upper door frame hinge shaft (not shown) protruding upward. The door frame hinge mechanism 110 can support the door frame 3 so that it can be opened and closed relative to the main frame 4 by inserting the upper door frame hinge shaft of the upper door frame hinge body into an upper door frame shaft hole 411b of an upper main frame hinge body 411 (described later) from below, and inserting the lower door frame hinge shaft 112a of the lower door frame hinge body 112 into a lower door frame shaft hole 412b of a lower main frame hinge body 412 (described later) from above.

[0077] The ball count display unit 140 is configured with a 6-digit 7-segment LED. The ball count display unit 140 is provided on the top surface of the shelf unit 200, 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 main body 100, i.e., near the right end between the game window 101 and the door frame panel 190 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100. The handle 160 is attached so that the player can rotate it with its rotation axis facing forward and backward. The handle 160 is shaped like an automobile steering wheel, and has a central hub portion 160a, multiple (here, three) 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 located slightly forward from the front end of the cylindrical handle cover 170 so that the player cannot grip the ring portion 160c. Therefore, when a player rotates the handle 160, the player mainly operates the handle 160 while gripping the hub portion 160a with their fingers passing through the spokes 160b. In this state, the player's fingers are inserted into the cylindrical handle cover 170. As a result, when a player operates the handle 160, air vibrations (wind) caused by the driving of the main frame speaker 403 are emitted forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4. This sends wind to the player's fingers gripping the handle 160 through the duct grill 191 of the door frame panel 190 and the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, surprising the player and allowing the player to experience an unprecedented performance.

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

[0081] When the player presses the launch stop switch 161, the frame control board 640 stops the drive of the launch solenoid 453. Therefore, if 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 of the handle 160. After that, if the player releases the pressing of the launch stop switch 161 while continuing to rotate the handle 160, the game ball B can be shot into the game area 5a again with the same impact strength (impact strength corresponding to the rotation of the handle 160) as before the launch stop switch 161 was pressed.

[0082] The handle touch sensor 162 detects static electricity acting on the handle 160, and 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 touch sensor 162 detects the player's contact, if the handle 160 is rotated, the detection of the handle rotation sensor 163 is accepted, and the drive of the launch solenoid is controlled with a strength according to the rotation angle of the handle 160, allowing the game ball B to be shot in.

[0083] Therefore, even if a player tries to shoot game ball B into the game area 5a by rotating the handle 160 in some way without touching it, the handle touch sensor 162 does not detect the player's contact, so the launch solenoid 453 is not driven and game ball B cannot be shot in. This makes it possible to prevent a player from playing a game by rotating the handle 160 in a way that is different from the intended way, and reduces the burden (stress) on the game hall where the pachinko machine 1 is installed.

[0084] The handle rotation sensor 163 is a variable resistor, and 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 launch solenoid 453 in the ball launch unit 450 (described later) changes according to the internal resistance, and the game ball B can be shot into the game area 5a with a strength according to the rotation angle of the handle 160.

[0085] The handle cover 170 is formed in a conical cylindrical shape, extending rearward from a rear portion of the annular portion of the handle 160 so that its diameter widens. Openings 171 that communicate with the interior are provided on the right and lower peripheral surfaces of the outer periphery of the handle cover 170. A duct grill 191 of the door frame panel 190 is located below the opening 171 on the lower peripheral surface of the handle cover 170. As a result, when a player operates the handle 160, air vibrations (wind) caused by the driving of the main frame speaker 403 are emitted forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4. This causes wind to be sent to the fingers of the player holding the handle 160 through the duct grill 191 of the door frame panel 190 and the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, surprising the player and allowing the player to experience an unprecedented performance.

[0086] The counting button switch 180 is located on the top surface of the shelf unit 200, to the right of the center in the left-right direction. The counting button switch 180 will be described in detail later, but by pressing it when there are balls in your possession, you can send the balls to the game ball lending device 8 and settle the account.

[0087] The door frame panel 190 extends to the left and right at a fixed height with a length equal to the left-right width of the door frame main body 100, and is attached to the lower end of the front surface of the door frame main body 100. The door frame panel 190 penetrates from front to back near the right end, and has a duct grill 191 located in front of a bass reflex duct 401e of the main body frame 4, which will be described later.

[0088] The duct grill 191 is formed in a grid pattern consisting of vertical and horizontal grids. The horizontal grid of the duct grill 191 is a strip-like plate with a constant width in the front-to-rear direction, and is provided at an angle so that the front end is positioned higher than the rear end. This duct grill 191 is provided below (directly below) the handle 160. As a result, when a player operates the handle 160, air vibrations (wind) caused by the driving of the main frame speaker 403 are emitted forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4. The wind is guided diagonally upward and forward by the horizontal grid of the duct grill 191 and is sent through the opening 171 of the handle cover 170 to the fingers of the player holding the handle 160, surprising the player and allowing the player to experience an unprecedented performance.

[0089] Shelf unit 200 is provided in a region between game window 101 and door frame panel 190 on the front surface of door frame main body 100. A spherical performance operation unit 250 is provided in the left-right center of shelf unit 200. Shelf unit 200 has a shelf portion 201 that bulges forward in a shelf-like shape from the upper end along the lower end of game window 101, a dish portion 202 that bulges forward from a region on the left side of the left-right center at the lower end, a speaker grill 203 provided in a region between shelf portion 201 and dish portion 202, and setting adjustment buttons 204 that are provided on the upper surface of shelf portion 201 and consist of four push buttons aligned front to back and left to right.

[0090] The top surface of the shelf portion 201 is formed into a smooth surface. The shelf portion 201 has a front end decorative portion 201a formed in a semi-tubular shape so as to continue from the lower ends of the door frame left side unit 320 and the door frame right side unit 340 at its front edge. The semi-tubular front end decorative portion 201a is provided so as to be connected to both the left and right sides of the spherical performance operation unit 250. On the top surface of the shelf portion 201, a ball count display unit 140 is provided to the left of the center in the horizontal direction, a count button switch 180 is provided to the right of the center in the horizontal direction, and a setting adjustment button 204 is provided in front of and to the left of the count button switch 180.

[0091] The dish portion 202 is formed in a shallow dish shape, which allows the player to place their hand (fingers) on the dish portion 202 or place small items such as a pouch, mobile phone, wallet, car keys, etc., on it, making it convenient.

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

[0093] The performance operation unit 250 is provided in the center of the shelf unit 200 in the left-right direction, with its front end protruding forward from the shelf unit 200 and its upper end protruding upward from the shelf unit 200. The performance operation unit 250 is formed in a spherical shape as a whole. The performance operation unit 250 has a circular first performance button 251 provided near the center on the top surface, and an annular second performance button 252 provided so as to surround the periphery of the first performance button 251. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the first performance button 251 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the second performance button 252 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The first performance button 251 and the second performance button 252 are provided on the same axis, and are inclined so that the axis moves more forward as it goes upward.

[0094] The first effect button 251 and the second effect button 252 are provided so that they move upward (pop up) in their entirety in response to the player participation effect. The first effect button 251 can be pressed at all times, whereas the second effect button 252 can only be pressed when it pops up.

[0095] Although not shown in the drawings, a vibrator (vibration device) is provided inside the first effect button 251.

[0096] The door frame top unit 300 is located above the game window 101 on the front surface of the door frame main body 100, with both its left and right ends sandwiched between the upper end portions of the left door frame side unit 320 and the right door frame side unit 340. The door frame top unit 300 protrudes forward like a canopy. The door frame top unit 300 is equipped with a semi-tubular door frame top decorative body 301 that extends left and right along its front edge and is translucent. The door frame top decorative body 301 is curved in the front-to-rear direction so that the center in the left-to-right direction is located furthest forward in a plan view.

[0097] The door frame top unit 300, although not shown in the figure, has a door frame top decorative board on which multiple LEDs are mounted to illuminate and decorate the door frame top decorative body 301, and a door frame top speaker that outputs sounds such as voice, music, and sound effects.

[0098] The door frame left-side unit 320 is located on the front of the door frame main body 100 to the left of the game window 101, and extends vertically from near the top 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 its entire length in the vertical direction and is equipped with a semi-tubular door frame left-side decorative body 321 that is translucent. The door frame left-side decorative body 321 is curved to the right near its bottom end.

[0099] The door frame left side unit 320 has a door frame left side decorative board (not shown) on which multiple LEDs are mounted to illuminate and decorate the door frame left side decorative body 321.

[0100] The door frame right-side unit 340 is provided on the front of the door frame main body 100 to the right of the play window 101, and extends vertically 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 further forward than the door frame left-side unit 320, and is formed in the shape of a vertically long partition.

[0101] The right-side door frame unit 340 includes a semi-tubular, translucent right-side door frame decorative element 341 extending vertically along the front edge, a translucent left-side right-side door frame decorative element (not shown) located behind the right-side door frame decorative element 341 and forming the left side, a translucent right-side right-side door frame decorative element (not shown) located behind the right-side door frame decorative element 341 and forming the right side, and a right-side door frame decorative board (not shown) on which multiple LEDs are mounted to illuminate and decorate the right-side door frame decorative element 341, the left-side right-side right-side right-side right-side right-side right-side right-side right-side decorative element. The right-side door frame decorative element 341 is curved leftward near its bottom end.

[0102] The door frame right side unit 340 also has an opening 342 that penetrates from front to back near the bottom end and through which the keyhole 682 of the lock unit 680 faces forward.

[0103] [3-1. Counting button switch] The counting button switch 180 is located on the top surface of the shelf unit 200, to the right of the center in the left-right direction. By pressing the counting button switch 180 when there are balls in hand (number of balls in hand > 0), the balls can be sent to the game ball lending device 8 for settlement. The counting button switch 180 can be sent one ball at a time or a predetermined number of balls (for example, 250 balls) depending on the amount of time it is pressed, as will be described in detail later. The number of 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 balls in hand is ejected from the game ball lending device 8.

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

[0105] To explain the counting button switch 180 in more detail, when a player has balls in their possession and "short-presses" the counting button switch 180 (for example, pressing the switch once for less than 500 ms), one game ball B is counted from the balls in their possession. When the counting button switch 180 is "long-pressed" (for example, pressing the switch once for 500 ms or more), 250 game balls B are counted at the count notification timing every predetermined time (for example, 300 ms) while the counting button switch 180 is pressed until the number of balls in their possession falls below 250. When the number of balls in their possession falls below 250 during the long-pressing, one game ball B is counted. Furthermore, when the counting button switch 180 is "long-pressed" (for example, pressing the switch once for 500 ms or more), the counting button switch 180 may be configured to unconditionally count all of the balls in their possession, even if the counting button switch 180 is not continuously pressed.

[0106] When counting is performed by pressing the counting button switch 180, the number of balls held displayed on the ball count 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 frame] The main body frame 4 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 11. Figure 11 is a front view of the main part, showing the firing unit, foul unit, etc. in cross section in the front view of Figure 3. The main body frame 4 is formed in a box-like frame shape with an open front, and a game board 5 is housed inside in a detachable manner from the front. The main body frame 4 is openably attached to a frame-shaped outer frame 2 attached to the island equipment of the game hall at the top and bottom of the front end on the left side of the front, and a door frame 3 is openably attached to close the open front side.

[0108] The main frame 4 comprises a frame-shaped main frame base unit 400 that is supported on the outer frame 2 so as to be able to open and close, a ball launching unit 450 for shooting game balls B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, a foul unit 470 for collecting game balls B that were shot by the ball launching unit 450 but not shot into the game area 5a, a circulating ball path unit 500 for sending game balls B discharged from the game board 5 and game balls B collected by the foul unit 470 to the ball launching unit 450 side, a ball lifting unit 550 that moves game balls B upward from the downstream end of the circulating ball path unit 500, and a ball sending unit 600 that sends game balls B lifted by the ball lifting unit 550 one by one to the ball launching unit 450.

[0109] The main frame 4 also includes a ball receiving tray 620 for receiving game balls B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulation ball path unit 500, a frame base unit 630 having a frame control board 640 for controlling the ball launching unit 450, the ball lifting unit 550, etc., and a locking unit 680 for locking the outer frame 2 and the main frame 4 and the door frame 3 and the main frame 4.

[0110] [4-1. Main frame base unit] The main frame base unit 400 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of the main frame base unit in the main frame, broken down into its main components, as viewed from the front, and Figure 13 is an exploded perspective view of the main frame base unit in the main frame, broken down into its main components, as viewed from the rear. The main frame base unit 400 is supported on the outer frame 2 so that it can open and close forward, and is also capable of supporting the door frame 3 so that it can open and close forward. Attached to the main frame base unit 400 are a ball launching unit 450, a foul unit 470, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, a ball sending unit 600, a ball receiving tray 620, a frame base unit 630, a lock unit 680, and the like.

[0111] The main frame base unit 400 comprises a main frame base 401 which is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape overall and has a game board insertion section 401a which penetrates from front to back and into which the game board 5 is inserted from the front, and a base wall section 401b which is provided below the game board insertion section 401a, and a side reinforcing plate 402 which reinforces the left side of the main frame base 401.

[0112] The main frame base unit 400 also includes a main frame speaker 403 attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, a box-shaped main frame speaker box 404 attached to the base wall portion 401b so as to cover the main frame speaker 403 from the rear and having an open front, and a rear cover 405 that is provided so that the game board insertion portion 401a of the main frame base 401 can be opened and closed from the rear.

[0113] Furthermore, the main body frame base unit 400 includes a game board locking member 406 attached to the main body frame base 401, a door opening switch 407 and a frame opening 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 made 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 from near the top end downward to about two-thirds of the total height, a base wall portion 401b provided below the game board insertion portion 401a, a game board restriction 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 port 401d that penetrates from front to back near the left end of the base wall portion 401b and through which the main body frame speaker 403 faces forward, and a bass reflex duct 401e that penetrates from front to back at the lower right corner of the base wall portion 401b.

[0115] In addition, the main frame base 401 is provided with a tray insertion recess 401f that is recessed from the front side to the rear at the bottom 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 port 401g that penetrates from front to back above the tray insertion recess 401f in the base wall portion 401b and into which the ball serpentine member 513 and serpentine cover 514 of the circulating ball passage unit 500 are inserted.

[0116] The main frame base 401 also has a foul unit mounting portion 401h and a ball launching unit mounting portion 401i arranged side by side above the ball storage passage insertion port 401g on the front surface of the base wall portion 401b, a ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j which opens vertically to the right of the ball launching unit mounting portion 401i on the base wall portion 401b, a ball sending unit mounting portion 401k which is arranged 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 which is arranged on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b, and a cylinder insertion port 401m which penetrates from front to back near the upper right corner of the base wall portion 401b and through which the lock cylinder 681 of the lock unit 680 is inserted.

[0117] Furthermore, the main frame base 401 is provided with 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 5 is removably inserted from the front into the game board insertion portion 401a of the main body frame base 401. The game board 5 is placed on the upper end surface of the base wall portion 401b. A door opening switch 407, a ball launching unit 450, a foul unit 470, and a ball receiving tray 620 are attached to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b. In addition, 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 sending unit 600 are attached to the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0119] The game board restricting portion 401c restricts the movement of the game board 5 in the left-right and rearward directions when the game board 5 is inserted into the game board insertion portion 401a. As shown in the figure, the main body frame speaker port 401d is formed in a lattice shape, and is provided so as to be located behind the speaker grill 203 of the door frame 3 when the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main body frame 4. A main body frame speaker 403 is attached to the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b so as to close the main body frame speaker port 401d from behind.

[0120] The bass reflex duct 401e is formed as a long, cylindrical hole extending laterally, and two are provided side by side. The bass reflex duct 401e, which will be described in detail later, is connected to the enclosure 404a of the main frame speaker 403, which is composed of the base wall portion 401b and the main frame speaker box 404. The bass reflex duct 401e inverts the phase of the sound output rearward from the main frame speaker 403 and emits it forward. In this embodiment, the cylindrical bass reflex duct 401e resonates and amplifies the low-frequency range of the sound output from the main frame speaker 403, producing a deeper bass sound. The bass reflex duct 401e is positioned behind the duct grille 191 of the door frame 3 when the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main 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 is lower (see FIG. 10). This allows game balls B to be ejected forward even if they spill into the tray insertion recess 401f when the ball receiving tray 620 is not inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f. In addition, because the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f is inclined so that the front end is lower, the ball receiving tray 620 placed therein can be easily slid forward.

[0122] The ball storage passage insertion port 401g is provided so as to penetrate and protrude forward through the ball serpentine member 513 and the front portion of the serpentine cover 514 of the circulation ball passage unit 500 attached to the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b. The foul unit mounting portion 401h is provided near the top end of the base wall portion 401b, to the right of the main frame speaker port 401d. The ball launching unit mounting portion 401i is provided to the right of the foul unit mounting portion 401h. The ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j is provided in a region between the top end of the base wall portion 401b and the bass reflex duct 401e.

[0123] The ball sending unit mounting portion 401k is provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b so that the top surface of the ball sending unit 600 faces upward (inside the game board insertion portion 401a), and is provided so that the ball sending unit 600 can be attached and detached from above. When the ball sending unit 600 is attached to the ball sending unit mounting portion 401k, the elastic claw 609b of the ball sending unit 600 penetrates the locking hole in the base wall portion 401b and faces forward to the right of the ball launching unit 450. In this state, the elastic claw 609b is pressed backward to elastically deform it, and the knob portion 609a provided on the top surface of the ball sending unit 600 is grasped and pulled up, whereby the ball sending unit 600 can be removed upward.

[0124] Ball circulation path unit mounting portion 401l is provided in the center of the left-right direction on the rear surface of base wall portion 401b, above box extension portion 404c of main body frame speaker box 404 (described later). Cylinder insertion opening 401m is provided near the upper end of base wall portion 401b, to the right of ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j.

[0125] The side reinforcing plate 402 is U-shaped in plan view, opening to the right, and is attached to the left side of the main frame base 401. The side reinforcing plate 402 is made of an extruded metal material such as an aluminum alloy. The side reinforcing plate 402 has two left position restricting members 402a spaced apart from each other above and below. The left position restricting member 402a is used to position the left side of the game board 5.

[0126] Body frame speaker 403 is attached to the rear side of base wall portion 401b so as to close from the rear body frame speaker port 401d of body frame base 401. Body frame speaker 403 is a cone-shaped speaker that mainly outputs low-pitched sounds.

[0127] 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 base wall portion 401b so as to cover body frame speaker 403 from behind. Body frame speaker box 404 forms enclosure 404a for body frame speaker 403 by attaching it to base wall portion 401b.

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

[0129] Enclosure 404a is composed of box main body 404b and box extension 404c, and is in communication with the outside through bass reflex duct 401e. In other words, bass reflex duct 401e, main body frame speaker 403, and main body frame speaker box 404 form a phase-inverting bass reflex speaker.

[0130] More specifically, a predetermined sound is output forward and backward from the main body frame speaker 403. The sound output forward from the main body frame speaker 403 is emitted forward of the pachinko machine 1 through the main body frame speaker port 401d and the speaker grill 203.

[0131] On the other hand, the sound output rearward from main frame speaker 403 vibrates the air inside main frame speaker box 404 (enclosure 404a). Since enclosure 404a is open to the front (outside) by cylindrical bass reflex duct 401e, the sound is emitted forward from bass reflex duct 401e. At this time, because bass reflex duct 401e is formed into a cylindrical shape of a predetermined length, the low-frequency range is amplified inside it by resonance caused by air column vibration, and the sound is emitted forward with its phase reversed.

[0132] As a result, the sound output from the main frame speaker 403 to the front and the sound output from the main frame speaker 403 to the rear do not cancel each other out and act to attenuate, but rather resonate with each other and act to amplify, so that even though the diameter of the main frame speaker 403 is small, it can output a loud sound with deep bass, allowing the player to hear a sound with rich bass.

[0133] This bass reflex duct 401e is provided behind the duct grill 191 below the handle 160 in the door frame 3, so when air vibrations (wind) caused by the driving of the main frame speaker 403 are released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e, the wind is guided diagonally upward and forward by the horizontal lattice 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 frame speaker 403 is driven (sound is output) while the player is operating the handle 160, wind is sent to the fingers of the player holding the handle 160 via the bass reflex duct 401e and the duct grill 191, surprising the player and allowing the player to experience an unprecedented performance.

[0134] Box extension portion 404c of main body frame speaker box 404 is formed so that its depth in the front-to-back direction is longer than its height in the top-to-bottom direction, and its rear end is provided so that it protrudes slightly rearward beyond the rear end of frame board unit 630 (see FIG. 10). Box extension portion 404c covers the bottom of frame board unit 630 so that a gap is formed between frame board unit 630 (unit base 670 and power supply board box 672) and box extension portion 404c when assembled to main body frame 4. This makes it difficult for the various wires connected to frame board unit 630 to droop.

[0135] The box extension portion 404c is inclined so that its upper surface becomes lower toward the rear. This allows trash, game balls B, and the like that fall from above to be guided rearward and discharged. The box extension portion 404c is also inclined so that its lower surface becomes higher toward the rear. This prevents the box extension portion 404c from coming into contact with the lower frame 14 of the main body frame 4 when the main body frame 4 is closed against the outer frame 2.

[0136] When assembled to the main body frame 4, the 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 hang down. As a result, the game balls B discharged from the circulating ball path unit 500 are received by the ball receiving tray 620, and even if a load (the weight of multiple game balls B) acts from above on the tray insertion recess 401f via the ball receiving tray 620, the tray insertion recess 401f will not deform.

[0137] The back cover 405 is provided so as to be openable and closable relative 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 made of transparent synthetic resin. When viewed from the front, the left side of the back cover 405 is rotatably supported relative to the main body frame base 401, and the right side is detachably fastened to the main body frame base 401 by an elastic fastening claw.

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

[0139] The door opening switch 407 is for detecting whether the door frame 3 is opened or closed relative to the main body frame 4. The door opening switch 407 is attached to the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401 below the cylinder insertion opening 401m.

[0140] The frame opening switch 408 is for detecting the opening and closing of the main frame 4 relative to the outer frame 2. The frame opening switch 408 is attached below the door opening switch 407 on the base wall portion 401b of the main 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 frame upper hinge body 411 has a main frame hinge shaft 411a that protrudes upward in a cylindrical shape and is inserted into the bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 in the outer frame 2, and a door frame upper shaft hole 411b that is provided adjacent to the main 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 frame lower hinge body 412 has an outer frame shaft hole (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 door frame lower shaft hole 412b 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 frame hinge mechanism 410 supports the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed relative to the outer frame 2 by inserting the main frame hinge axis 411a of the main frame upper hinge body 411 into the bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 in the outer frame 2, and by inserting the hinge axis 35a of the outer frame lower hinge body 35 in the outer frame 2 into the outer frame axis hole of the main frame lower hinge body 412.

[0145] Furthermore, the main frame hinge mechanism 410 inserts the upper door frame hinge shaft of the upper door frame hinge body in the door frame 3 from below into the upper door frame shaft hole 411b of the upper main frame hinge body 411, and also inserts 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 door frame shaft hole 412b of the lower main frame hinge body 412, thereby supporting the door frame 3 so that it can be opened and closed relative to the main frame 4.

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

[0147] The ball launching unit 450 is for launching game ball B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, and has a ball inlet 450a that receives game ball B sent from the ball sending unit 600, a ball launching port 450b through which the launched game ball B is released to the outside, and a ball outlet 450c through which game ball B is discharged. The ball launching unit 450 can shoot game ball B with a strength that corresponds to the rotation angle of the handle 160 in the lower right corner of the front surface of the door frame 3. The ball launching unit 450 is attached to a ball launching unit mounting portion 401i that is provided on the upper front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, to the right 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 a square opening large enough to allow one game ball B to pass through. When assembled to the main body frame 4, this ball inlet 450a is located in front of the ball outlet 602 of the ball sending unit 600 and communicates with the ball outlet 602. The ball launching opening 450b opens at an angle at the left end of the top surface, with the left end lower. When assembled to the main body frame 4, this ball launching opening 450b communicates with the upper part of the foul right opening 470b of the foul unit 470. The ball discharge opening 450c opens on the left side surface. When assembled to the main body frame 4, this ball discharge opening 450c communicates with the lower part of the foul right opening 470b of the foul unit 470.

[0149] The ball launching unit 450 comprises a flat unit base 451, a launching unit cover 452 attached to cover the front side of the unit base 451, a launch solenoid 453 attached to the rear side of the unit base 451 so that its rotation axis 453a protrudes forward of the unit base 451, a launch subtraction sensor 454 capable of detecting whether or not a game ball B has been launched, a launch hammer 455 attached to the rotation axis 453a of the launch solenoid 453, a nut 456 attaching the launch hammer 455 to the rotation axis 453a of the launch solenoid 453, a circular spacer 457 inserted into the rotation axis 453a of the launch solenoid 453, two rubbers 458 that can come into contact with the launch hammer 455, and a rubber holder 459 that holds one of the 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 a ball inlet 450a, which penetrates in a square shape from the center to the upper part when viewed from the front.

[0151] The launching unit cover 452 is formed by injection molding using an opaque synthetic resin with low light transmittance. The launching unit cover 452 includes a flat front plate 452a provided at a distance forward from the unit base 451, a ball launch pad 452b provided on the rear side of the front plate 452a directly below the ball inlet 450a of the unit base 451 and inclined so that the left end is higher, and a detection port 452c passing through the ball launch pad 452b from top to bottom.

[0152] The launch unit cover 452 also has a launch pad upper wall portion 452d on the rear side of the front plate 452a, at the upper right of the ball launch pad 452b when viewed from the front, which forms a gap between the ball launch pad 452b and the launch pad 452b through which the game ball B cannot pass, and a sensor lower mounting portion 452e and a sensor upper mounting portion 452f which are arranged on the rear side of the front plate 452a so as to sandwich the ball launch pad 452b and the launch pad upper wall portion 452d.

[0153] Furthermore, the launch unit cover 452 is provided with a guide wall portion 452g which is arranged to the left of the ball launch pad 452b on the rear side of the front plate 452a and follows the inclined extension line of the ball launch pad 452b, and an ejection guide wall portion 452h which extends downward from the left end of the ball launch pad 452b on the rear side of the front plate 452a and then extends so as to become lower toward the left.

[0154] The ball launcher 452b is where the game ball B supplied through the ball inlet 450a is placed. The top surface of the ball launcher 452b is inclined so that the left end is higher when viewed from the front. The ball launcher 452b is recessed into a constant cross-sectional shape (trapezoidal) that narrows downward along the direction of the inclination of the top surface. The length of the ball launcher 452b in the inclined direction (launching direction) is slightly longer than the diameter of the game ball B, and the ball launcher 452b is formed so that only one game ball B can be placed on it so that it is in contact with the two inclined surfaces of the trapezoidal recess. In this embodiment, the ball launcher 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 portion of the ball launching pad 452b. The launching pad upper wall 452d is provided above the sloping lower end of the ball launching pad 452b. The launching pad upper wall 452d is provided so as to form a gap between the ball launching pad 452b and the launching pad upper wall 452d, through which the game ball B cannot pass but through which the tip of the launching hammer 455 can pass. As a result, the game ball B supplied to the ball launching pad 452b abuts against the left end of the launching pad upper wall 452d and is placed on the ball launching pad 452b in a state where its movement downstream (to the right in this case) in the sloping direction of the ball launching pad 452b is restricted.

[0156] The light emitting portion 454a and the light receiving portion 454b that constitute the emission subtraction sensor 454 are attached to the sensor lower attachment portion 452e and the sensor upper attachment portion 452f, respectively.

[0157] The upper surface of the guide wall 452g forms the bottom surface of the ball launch port 450b. The upper surface of the guide wall 452g is inclined at the same angle as the inclination of the ball launch pad 452b, and is provided at a location that is longer than the diameter of the game ball B to the left of the ball launch pad 452b. In this embodiment, the ball launch pad 452b is made as short as possible, so when the game ball B on the ball launch pad 452b is struck by the launching hammer 455, the launch direction of the game ball B is difficult to determine, and there is a risk that the game ball B will not be properly launched between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5. However, because the guide wall 452g is provided, the game ball B launched from the ball launch pad 452b bounces off the upper surface of the guide wall 452g, and flies outward from the ball launch port 450b, allowing the game ball B to be launched between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002.

[0158] Furthermore, since the guide wall portion 452g is located away from the ball launch pad 452b, even if the game ball B tries to return towards the ball launch pad 452b at the guide wall portion 452g depending on the strength of the impact, the game ball B will pass between the guide wall portion 452g and the ball launch pad 452b and flow down onto the lower discharge guide wall portion 452h, and will not return to the ball launch pad 452b.

[0159] The discharge guide wall 452h forms a ball discharge port 450c between itself and the guide wall 452g. The discharge guide wall 452h is inclined so that the left end is lower, and can guide the game ball B that flows down between the ball launch pad 452b and the guide wall 452g to the left and discharge it from the ball discharge port 450c at the left end toward the foul unit 470. As a result, the game ball B that was hit by the launching hammer 455 at the ball launch pad 452b but was not launched from the ball discharge port 450b is guided by the discharge guide wall 452h and discharged from the ball discharge port 450c to the foul unit 470.

[0160] The firing solenoid 453 is configured as a rotary solenoid having a rotation shaft 453a extending forward and backward.

[0161] The launch subtraction sensor 454 can detect the presence or absence of a gaming ball B on the ball launch pad 452b. The launch subtraction sensor 454 is composed of a light-emitting unit 454a that emits detection light and a light-receiving unit 454b that receives the detection light, and these are attached to the sensor lower mounting portion 452e and the sensor upper mounting portion 452f of the launch unit cover 452, respectively. The detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 454a passes through a detection port 452c provided at the bottom of the ball launch pad 452b and is received by the light-receiving unit 454b. At this time, if a gaming ball B is placed on the ball launch pad 452b, the detection light is blocked by the gaming ball B, and the detection light is not received by the light-receiving unit 454b. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of a gaming ball B on the ball launch pad 452b.

[0162] The launch subtraction sensor 454, which will be described in detail later, detects that the game ball B has been launched from the ball launcher 452b and subtracts one ball from the number of balls the player has.

[0163] The firing hammer 455 is used to strike and launch the game ball B. The firing hammer 455 is attached to the rotation shaft 453a of the launch solenoid 453, and rotates (pivots) together with the rotation shaft 453a. The tip of the firing hammer 455 passes between the ball launch pad 452b and the launch pad upper wall portion 452d, and is arranged so that it can come into contact with the game ball B placed on the ball launch pad 452b.

[0164] Nut 456 is screwed onto rotating shaft 453a of firing solenoid 453. Spacer 457 is inserted into rotating shaft 453a of firing solenoid 453. Rotating shaft 453a of firing solenoid 453 is inserted from the rear through spacer 457 and then firing hammer 455, and nut 456 is screwed onto the tip protruding forward from firing hammer 455 and tightened, thereby attaching firing hammer 455.

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

[0166] According to the ball launching unit 450 of this embodiment, only one game ball B is placed on the ball launching pad 452b, and the launch subtraction sensor 454 detects that the game ball B has been launched from the ball launching pad 452b, so that the launch of the game balls B can be reliably detected one by one.

[0167] Furthermore, according to the ball launching unit 450, the unit base 451 is made of a metal plate and the launching unit cover 452 is formed from an opaque synthetic resin with low light transmittance, thereby preventing the launch subtraction sensor 454, which is made of a photosensor, from making a false detection due to external light.

[0168] Furthermore, since the ball launching unit 450 detects the launch of game ball B, when the player stops playing and settles the account, there is no need to automatically shoot game ball B placed on the ball launching table 452b into the air to make it a foul ball in order to return it to the player.

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

[0170] The foul unit 470 is for retrieving game balls B that were launched by the ball launching unit 450 and hit between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5 but did not reach the game area 5a, and game balls B that were launched by the ball launching unit 450 but did not reach the game board 5 (between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002) because the launching strength was too weak. The foul unit 470 has a foul upper opening 470a that opens on the top surface, a foul right opening 470b that opens 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 opens rearward at the bottom end.

[0171] The foul unit 470 is attached to a foul unit attachment portion 401h provided in the center in the left-right direction at the top of the front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401. When assembled to the main body frame 4, the foul unit 470 has an upper end at approximately the same height as the upper end of the base wall portion 401b, and the foul right opening 470b is closed by the ball launching port 450b and ball discharge port 450c of the ball launching unit 450. In other words, when assembled to the main body frame 4, the foul right opening 470b communicates with the ball launching port 450b and ball discharge port 450c. The foul upper opening 470a and the foul right opening 470b are formed by the unit base 472 and front cover 473, which will be described later, and the ball discharge port 450c is formed in the unit base 472.

[0172] The foul unit 470 comprises a foul shutter 471 that can be opened and closed to prevent the game ball B from passing through the foul upper opening 470a, a unit base 472 that is attached to the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, a front cover 473 that is attached to the front side of the unit base 472, a rear cover 474 that is attached to the rear side of the unit base 472 so as to cover the rear of the foul shutter 471, a spring 475 that urges the foul shutter 471 forward, and a foul ball earth metal plate 476 that is provided between the unit base 472 and the front cover 473.

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

[0174] The foul shutter 471 can close the foul upper opening 470a by the shutter portion 471a so that the game ball B cannot pass through. The two forward protruding portions 471b are provided so that their front ends protrude further forward than the front cover 473, and are provided so that they can abut against the rear surface of the door frame main body 100 of the door frame 3. The front end of the spring 475 abuts against the rear surface of the rear wall portion 471c.

[0175] The unit base 472 has a main body 472a that is flat and T-shaped, elongated from side to side and having a portion extending downward near the right end, a shutter insertion opening 472b that penetrates from front to back near the upper end of the main body 472a and extends left and right, and a plurality of rear support openings 472c that are provided along the lower edge of the main body 472a to the left of the portion that extends downward and penetrates from front to back.

[0176] Near the lower end of the downward-extending portion of main body 472a, unit base 472 is provided with foul ball outlet 470c, which penetrates from front to back and extends rearward in the shape of a square tube. Cylindrical foul ball outlet 470c is inclined so that it slopes lower toward the rear.

[0177] The lower edge of the main body 472a is inclined so that the left side of the lower edge is lower to the right than the downward extending portion. The shutter insertion opening 472b is sized to allow the shutter portion 471a and forward protrusion 471b of the foul shutter 471 to pass through. The multiple rear support openings 472c are elongated on the left and right sides so that each is lower to the right, and are lined up along the inclined lower edge of the main body 472a. The rear support openings 472c are designed so that the support piece 476a of the foul ball ground metal plate 476 can be inserted with a gap between them.

[0178] The front cover 473 comprises a flat, partial T-shaped front plate 473a that is long from side to side and has a portion extending downward near the right end, a left wall portion 473b that extends rearward from the left edge of the front plate 473a, a lower wall portion 473c that extends rightward from the lower end of the left wall portion 473b along the lower edge of the front plate 473a and also extends rearward, a hanging wall portion 473d that extends downward from the right end of the lower wall portion 473c along the left edge of the portion of the front plate 473a that extends downward and also extends rearward, a bottom wall portion 473e that extends rightward from the lower end of the hanging wall portion 473d along the lower edge of the portion of the front plate 473a that extends downward and also extends rearward, and a right wall portion 473f that extends rearward from the upper right end of the front plate 473a.

[0179] The upper and right edges of the front panel 473a form the front edges of the upper foul opening 470a and the right foul opening 470b. The right edge of the upper end of the left wall portion 473b forms the left edge of the upper foul opening 470a, and the left edge of the upper end of the right wall portion 473f forms the right edge of the upper foul opening 470a. The lower edge of the right wall portion 473f forms the upper edge of the right foul opening 470b, and the right edge of the bottom wall portion 473e forms the lower edge of the right foul opening 470b.

[0180] The front cover 473 has a lower wall portion 473c located below the foul ball upper opening 470a. The lower wall portion 473c guides the game ball B that flows down through the foul ball upper opening 470a to the right and then allows it to flow down onto the bottom wall portion 473e along the hanging wall portion 473d. The bottom wall portion 473e is inclined so that the portion in front of the foul ball outlet 470c is lower toward the rear, and the portion to the right of the lower wall portion 473e is higher toward the right. Therefore, the game ball B that flows down onto the bottom wall portion 473e is guided rearward and discharged rearward from the foul ball outlet 470c. Furthermore, because the right edge of the bottom wall portion 473e forms the lower edge of the foul right opening 470b, the game ball B that enters through the foul right opening 470b flows down onto the bottom wall portion 473e, is guided by the bottom wall portion 473e, and is discharged rearward from the foul ball outlet 470c.

[0181] The front cover 473 also has a plurality of front support openings 473g that are arranged in a row on the left and right sides along the lower wall portion 473c on the front plate 473a and penetrate from front to back. The plurality of front support openings 473g are provided to face the rear support openings 472c of the unit base 472. The front support openings 473g are also provided so that the support pieces 476a of the foul ball grounding metal plate 476 can be inserted with a gap between them.

[0182] The rear cover 474 is formed in a box shape with an open front. The rear part of the fall shutter 471 is inserted inside the rear cover 474, and a spring 475 is also disposed inside the rear cover 474. 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 on the left and right, and are disposed inside the box-shaped rear cover 474. The front end of each spring 475 abuts against the rear surface of the rear wall portion 471c of the fall shutter 471, and the rear end abuts against the front surface of the rear wall of the rear cover 474. The springs 475 urge the fall shutter 471 forward.

[0184] The foul ball grounding metal plate 476 is formed from a metal plate such as a steel plate, and is ultimately connected to the ground of the gaming hall via a ground wire (not shown). The foul ball grounding metal plate 476 is formed in the shape of a long strip from side to side, with multiple support pieces 476a extending outward from the front and rear long sides. The foul ball grounding metal plate 476 is placed on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 473c of the front cover 473, and the multiple support pieces 476a are inserted with some play into the rear support opening 472c of the unit base 472 and the front support opening 473g of the front cover 473.

[0185] As a result, game ball B flowing down through foul upper opening 470a toward lower wall portion 473c comes into contact with foul ball grounding metal plate 476, and is guided to the right with the static electricity removed. At this time, because support piece 476a is loosely fitted into rear support opening 472c and front support opening 473g, contact of game ball B causes foul ball grounding metal plate 476 to vibrate, and this vibration causes dust and dirt on foul ball grounding metal plate 476 to be discharged to the outside through the gap between rear support opening 472c and front support opening 473g where it is loosely fitted. Note that this foul ball grounding metal plate 476 also serves as reinforcement against falling game ball B.

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

[0187] 11, the foul-up opening 470a of the foul unit 470 is located near the upper end of the base wall portion 401b and is located on the axis of the launch direction of the game ball B in the ball launching unit 450. In other words, the foul-up opening 470a is provided in a region between the opening portion at the lower end between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5 and the ball launch port 450b of the ball launching unit 450.

[0188] Meanwhile, the upper part of the foul right opening 470b of the foul unit 470 communicates with the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450, and the lower part communicates with the ball discharge port 450c of the ball launching unit 450. Therefore, the foul top opening 470a and the foul right opening 470b are provided in the area between the opening at the lower end between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5 and the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450. As a result, the game ball B launched from the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450 enters the foul unit 470 through the foul right opening 470b, and then passes through the foul top opening 470a and enters between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5.

[0189] In the foul unit 470 of this embodiment, when the door frame 3 is opened forward relative to the main body frame 4, as shown in FIG. 19(a), the foul shutter 471 slides forward due to the biasing force of the spring 475, and the shutter portion 471a of the foul shutter 471 protrudes between the front surface of the unit base 472 and the front plate 473a of the front cover 473, closing the foul upper opening 470a so that the game ball B cannot pass through. In other words, the foul shutter 471 is in the closed position. In this state, the rear wall portion 471c of the foul shutter 471 abuts against the rear surface of the main body portion 472a of the unit base 472, and it cannot slide forward any further.

[0190] When the foul shutter 471 is in the closed position and a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the launched game ball B enters the foul unit 470 through the foul right opening 470b, abuts against the underside of the shutter portion 471a of the foul shutter 471, and flows down through the foul unit 470 without being launched upward through the foul upper opening 470a. The game ball B that flows down through the foul unit 470 is guided by the lower wall portion 473c (foul ball earthing metal plate 476), the hanging wall portion 473d, the bottom wall portion 473e, etc., and is supplied to the circulating ball path unit 500 from the rear foul ball outlet 470c. This prevents the game ball B from leaking out of the foul unit 470, even if the game ball B is launched when the door frame 3 is open.

[0191] When the door frame 3 is opened relative to the main body frame 4, the door opening switch 407 is turned OFF, and turning the door opening switch 407 OFF may stop the launch of the game ball B from the ball launching unit 450. Alternatively, instead of stopping the launch of the game ball B when the door frame 3 is opened, the main control board 1310 may temporarily suspend the game, and when the door frame 3 is closed, the game may be resumed.

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

[0193] When the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main body frame 4, the rear surface of the door frame 3 abuts against the front ends of the two forward protrusions 471b of the foul shutter 471, causing the foul shutter 471 to slide rearward against the biasing force of the spring 475 (see FIG. 19(b)). In this state, the shutter portion 471a of the foul shutter 471 is located rearward of the front surface of the unit base 472, and the foul upper opening 470a is open so that the game ball B can pass through. In other words, the foul shutter 471 is in the open position.

[0194] When the foul shutter 471 is in the open position and a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the launched game ball B enters the foul unit 470 from the foul right opening 470b, passes through the foul upper opening 470a, and is launched upward toward the game board 5 (between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002). Then, the launched game ball B passes over the backflow prevention member 1007 provided at the upper end of the inner rail 1002, and is launched into the game area 5a.

[0195] Note that game ball B that was launched from the ball launching unit 450 but did not pass over the backflow prevention member 1007 at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 (game ball B that was not hit into the game area) flows down between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002, enters through the foul upper opening 470a as a foul ball, and is collected by the foul unit 470. The game ball B that was collected through the foul upper opening 470a flows down onto the foul ball earth metal plate 476 placed on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 473c, and static electricity is removed by the foul ball earth metal plate 476. At this time, since the foul ball earth metal plate 476 is loosely fitted, it vibrates when the game ball B comes into contact with it, and the vibration causes dust and dirt on the foul ball earth metal plate 476 to be ejected from the foul unit 470 through the rear support opening 472c and the front support opening 473g.

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

[0197] In addition, the foul unit 470 receives the game ball B discharged from the ball discharge port 450c of the ball launching unit 450 at the bottom of the foul right opening 470b. The game ball B that enters the foul unit 470 from the bottom of the foul right opening 470b flows down onto the bottom wall 473e, is guided rearward by the inclination of the bottom wall 473e, and is discharged from the foul ball outlet 470c to the circulating ball path unit 500.

[0198] In this way, the foul unit 470 can collect game balls B that were launched from the ball launching unit 450 but did not land in the game area 5a of the game board 5 without leaking to the outside, and supply them to the circulating ball path unit 500. As will be described in detail later, the circulating ball path unit 500 detects game ball B supplied from the foul ball outlet 470c with the foul ball sensor 507. When game ball B is detected by this foul ball sensor 507, one ball is added to the player's possession number.

[0199] In addition, in the foul unit 470, the unit base 472, front cover 473, rear cover 474, etc. are made of transparent synthetic resin, so the inside can be seen from the outside, making it easy to find any balls stuck inside.

[0200] [4-3a. Second embodiment of the foul unit] Next, a second embodiment of the foul unit 470 will be described. The foul unit 470 of the second embodiment differs only in the opening and closing mechanism of the foul shutter 471, and other configurations are the same as the above-described foul unit 470. Although not shown, the foul unit 470 of the second embodiment is provided with an electric actuator such as a motor or solenoid for opening and closing the foul shutter 471.

[0201] In this embodiment, when the door open switch 407 is turned off by opening the door frame 3 relative to the main body frame 4, the foul shutter 471 is slid to the closed position by the electric actuator. As a result, even if the game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450 with the door frame 3 open, the game ball B will not fly out from the foul upper opening 470a.

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

[0203] It is also possible to have the fall shutter 471 slide to the closed position by the electric actuator even when the frame opening switch 408 is turned off by opening the main frame 4 relative to the outer frame 2. In this case, if the opening and closing process of the fall shutter 471 by the frame opening switch 408 is made the same as the opening and closing process by the door opening switch 407, the software configuration can be simplified.

[0204] In addition, an opening switch (not shown) can be provided that can detect the opening of both the door frame 3 and the main frame 4, and the fall shutter 471 can be opened and closed by an electric actuator, thereby simplifying the mechanism for opening and closing.

[0205] [4-4. Circulation Ball Pathway Unit] The circulating ball path unit 500 in the main body frame 4 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 20 to 27. Figure 20(a) is a perspective view of the circulating ball path unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the circulating ball path unit in the main body frame as seen from the back. Figure 21 is an exploded perspective view of the circulating ball path unit as seen from the front, and Figure 22 is an exploded perspective view of the circulating ball path unit as seen from the back. Figure 23(a) is a plan view showing only the ball serpentine member and ball removal shutter in the circulating ball path unit, and (b) is a perspective view of the circulating ball path unit as seen from the front. Figure 24(a1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball removal shutter and ball serpentine member in the closed position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross section, (a2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball removal shutter portion in (a1) from the bottom, (b1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball removal shutter and ball serpentine member in the open position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross section, and (b2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball removal shutter portion in (b1) from the bottom.

[0206] 25(a) is an explanatory side cross-sectional view of the ball serpentine member and ball removal tray with the iron ball magnetically attached to the ball removal shutter in the closed position, (b) is an explanatory side cross-sectional view of the ball serpentine member and ball removal tray with the iron ball magnetically attached to the ball removal shutter in the open position, and (c) is an explanatory side cross-sectional view of the ball serpentine member and ball removal tray with the ball removal shutter slid to the closed position from the state shown in (b) and the iron ball magnetically attached to the underside. 26(a) is an explanatory front cross-sectional view of the circulating ball path unit cut at the location of the out-ball sensor, and (b) is an explanatory front cross-sectional view of the circulating ball path unit cut at the location of the safe ball sensor. 27(a) is an oblique front view of the circulating ball path unit with the serpentine cover removed, showing the outer frame and the lower part of the main body frame enlarged, and (b) is an oblique rear view of the circulating ball path unit with the serpentine cover removed, showing the outer frame and the lower part of the main body frame enlarged.

[0207] The circulation ball path unit 500 is for storing multiple game balls B discharged from the game board 5 and game balls B collected by the foul unit 470, and for sending the stored game balls B to the ball launching unit 450 via the ball lifting unit 550. The circulation ball path unit 500 is attached to the circulation ball path unit mounting 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 from side to side and opens upward, a safe ball receiving port 500b that is located behind the out ball receiving port 500a and is long from side to side and opens upward, a foul ball receiving port 500c that opens at the front, and a ball discharge port 500d that opens to the right near the bottom end. The out ball receiving port 500a and the safe ball receiving port 500b are formed so that their depths in the front-to-back direction are slightly wider than the diameter of the game ball B, and are formed so that multiple game balls B can pass through in the left-to-right direction. The foul ball receiving port 500c and the ball discharge port 500d are formed to be large enough to allow one game ball B to pass through each.

[0209] The out ball receiving port 500a receives a game ball B (out ball) received in an out port of the game board 5. The safe ball receiving port 500b receives a game ball B (safe ball) received in a winning port of the game board 5, such as a general winning port, a starting port, or a big winning port. The foul ball receiving port 500c receives a game ball B (foul ball) discharged from the foul ball outlet 470c of the foul unit 470. The ball discharge port 500d discharges the game ball B received in the out ball receiving port 500a, the safe ball receiving port 500b, and the foul ball receiving port 500c and stored therein, and hands it over to the ball lifting unit 550.

[0210] The circulating ball path unit 500 also has an out ball passage 501 through which game balls B received in the out ball receiving port 500a circulate, a safe ball passage 502 through which game balls B received in the safe ball receiving port 500b circulate, a foul ball passage 503 through which game balls B received in the foul ball receiving port 500c circulate, and a ball storage passage 504 which is connected to the downstream ends of the out ball passage 501, the safe ball passage 502, and the foul ball passage 503 and whose downstream end is the ball release port 500d.

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

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

[0213] The circulating ball path unit 500 also includes a ball serpentine member 513 that is provided below the ball receiving front plate 510, the ball receiving front member 511, and the ball receiving rear member 512 and is open upward, a serpentine cover 514 that covers the top of the ball serpentine member 513, a ball removal shutter 515 for discharging game balls B from the ball serpentine member 513, a magnet 516 attached to the ball removal shutter 515, and a circulating ball path relay board 517 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front member 511.

[0214] The ball receiving front plate 510 extends to the left and right, and is provided with a foul ball receiving opening 500c that penetrates from front to back near the bottom center in the left-right direction.

[0215] The top surface of front ball catcher member 511 cooperates with front ball catcher plate 510 to form out ball receiving opening 500a. Front ball catcher member 511 is formed with out ball passage 501 and foul ball passage 503, which are open to the front, and their front ends are closed when front ball catcher plate 510 is attached. The downstream end of out ball passage 501 opens downward at the lower left end of front ball catcher member 511. The opening at the downstream end of out ball passage 501 is located in front of the opening at the downstream end of safe ball passage 502. The downstream end of foul ball passage 503 opens downward at a position on front ball catcher member 511 below and to the right of the downstream end of out ball passage 501.

[0216] The front ball receiving member 511 has an upper ball receiving plate portion 511a that slopes downward toward the right from the middle of the vertical wall that forms the left edge of the out ball receiving opening 500a to near the center in the left-right direction, a lower ball receiving plate portion 511b that slopes downward toward the left from a point on the vertical wall that forms the right edge of the out ball receiving opening 500a below the upper ball receiving plate portion 511a to near the bottom of the left edge of the out ball receiving opening 500a, and a crank portion 511c that extends in a crank shape toward the bottom left from the left end of the lower ball receiving plate portion 511b with a width that allows game balls B to pass through in a single file.

[0217] The height between the right end of the upper out-ball receiving plate 511a and the lower out-ball receiving plate 511b is about twice the diameter of the game ball B, so that the height of the lower out-ball receiving plate 511b on the left side decreases as it moves leftward. This allows the game balls B received in the out-ball receiving opening 500a to be aligned in a single row.

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

[0219] In the front ball receiving member 511, the out ball passage 501 is formed by the out ball receiving plate upper portion 511a, the out ball receiving plate lower portion 511b, the crank portion 511c, etc. Therefore, the out ball passage 501 is formed wide on the upstream side so that it can receive many game balls B, and the received game balls B are aligned in a row and transferred to the downstream ball storage passage 504 (ball serpentine member 513).

[0220] In addition, in the front ball receiving member 511, the foul ball passage 503 is located below the upper out ball receiving plate portion 511a and below the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b, and slopes downward from the rear of the foul ball receiving opening 500c to a portion to the right of the left end of the lower out ball receiving plate portion 511b, before extending a short distance downward. In the front ball receiving member 511, a foul ball sensor 507 is attached to the portion of the foul ball passage 503 extending to the left. The foul ball passage 503 is formed so that game balls b flow in a single file, and game ball B that flows through the foul ball passage 503 is delivered to a portion of the ball storage passage 504 (ball serpentine member 513) downstream of the portion where it is delivered from the out ball passage 501.

[0221] The front ball receiving member 511 has recesses 511d at the front edge of the upper out ball receiving plate 511a, the front edge of the lower out ball receiving plate 511b, and the front edge of the bottom wall extending to the left and right and forming the foul ball passage 503. These recesses 511d allow dust and dirt inside the out ball passage 501 and the foul ball passage 503 to be discharged to the outside.

[0222] In addition, a circulating ball path relay board 517 is attached to the rear surface of the ball receiving front member 511 at a location behind the foul ball passage 503.

[0223] The upper surface of the rear ball receiving member 512 cooperates with the front ball receiving member 511 to form the safe ball receiving opening 500b. The rear ball receiving member 512 is formed with the safe ball passage 502 open to the front, and the front side of the safe ball passage 502 is closed when the front ball receiving member 511 is attached. The downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 opens downward at the lower left end of the rear ball receiving member 512. The opening at the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 is located behind the opening at the downstream end of the out ball passage 501. In other words, the opening at the downstream end of the out ball passage 501 and the opening at the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 are lined up front to back.

[0224] The post-ball receiving member 512 has an upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a that slopes downward toward the right from halfway up the vertical wall that forms the left edge of the safe ball receiving opening 500b to near the center in the left-right direction, a lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b that slopes downward toward the left from a position on the vertical wall that forms the right edge of the safe ball receiving opening 500b below the upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a to near the bottom of the left edge of the safe ball receiving opening 500b, and a crank portion 512c that extends in a crank shape toward the lower left from the left end of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b with a width that allows game balls B to pass through in a single file.

[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 about twice the diameter of the game ball B, and the height of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b on the left side is therefore formed to become lower as it goes leftward. This allows the game balls B received in the safe ball receiving opening 500b to be aligned in a single row.

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

[0227] In the post-ball receiving member 512, the safe ball passage 502 is formed by the upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a, the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b, the crank portion 512c, etc. Therefore, the safe ball passage 502 is formed wide enough on the upstream side to receive many 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 serpentine member 513).

[0228] The post-ball-receiving member 512 is provided with recesses 512d at the front edge of the upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a and the front edge of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b, which are recessed to a size that does not interfere with the flow of the game ball B. These recesses 512d allow dust, dirt, etc. inside the safe ball passage 502 to be discharged to the outside.

[0229] The ball serpentine member 513 snakes back and forth and extends in the left-right direction so that its right end is lower, forming a ball storage passage 504 capable of storing a large number of game balls B. As shown in FIG. 23 etc., the ball serpentine member 513 is made up of a first straight portion 513a that is inclined so that it becomes lower toward the front, with its rear portion being the upstream end, a first turned-back portion 513b that is bent to the right from the downstream end (front end) of the first straight portion 513a and then bent so as to become lower further toward the rear, a second straight portion 513c that extends from the downstream end (rear end) of the first turned-back portion 513b to a position near the rear end of the first straight portion 513a so as to become lower toward the rear, and a second straight portion 513c that is bent to the right from the downstream end (rear end) of the second straight portion 513c and then bent further toward the rear. a second folded portion 513d bent so as to become lower toward the front; a third straight portion 513e extending from the downstream end (front end) of the second folded portion 513d to the same position as the front end of the second straight portion 513c so as to become lower toward the front; a third folded portion 513f bent from the downstream end (front end) of the third straight portion 513e to the right and then bent so as to become lower toward the rear; and a fourth straight portion 513g extending from the downstream end (rear end) of the third folded portion 513f to the same position as the rear end of the third straight portion 513e so as to become lower toward the rear. a fourth turning portion 513h that turns right from the downstream end (rear end) of the fourth straight portion 513g and then turns forward and lower; a fifth straight portion 513i that extends forward and lower 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; a first bending portion 513j that turns right from the downstream end (front end) of the fifth straight portion 513i; and a first lateral portion 513k that extends rightward and lower from the downstream end (right end) of the first bending portion 513j. a second bent portion 513l bent rearward from the downstream end (right end) of the first lateral portion 513k, a sixth straight portion 513m extending rearward from the downstream end (rear end) of the second bent portion 513l to a position near the downstream end of the fifth straight portion 513i, a third bent portion 513n bent rightward from the downstream end (rear end) of the sixth straight portion 513m, and a second lateral portion 513o extending rightward from the downstream end (right end) of the third bent portion 513n. The opening at the downstream end of the second lateral portion 513o forms a ball discharge port 500d that opens to the right.

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

[0231] The ball serpentine member 513 also has a ball removal opening 513p that penetrates the first horizontal section 513k from top to bottom, a pair of rail sections 513q that extend forward and backward along the left and right end edges of the ball removal opening 513p on the underside of the first horizontal section 513k and protrude downward, support pieces 513r that protrude from the lower ends of each of the pair of rail sections 513q so as to approach each other, and locking recesses 513s that are recessed on the side surfaces of the pair of rail sections 513q that face each other.

[0232] The ball removal opening 513p of the ball serpentine member 513 is closed by the ball removal shutter 515, details of which will be described later. A pair of rail portions 513q extend rearward from the ball removal opening 513p. The pair of rail portions 513q support the ball removal shutter 515 so that it can slide back and forth. Two support pieces 513r prevent the ball removal shutter 515 from falling. Furthermore, the two support pieces 513r protrude from their respective rail portions 513q at the ball removal opening 513p. This ensures that the ball removal shutter 515 is adequately supported and prevents it from falling off, even if the weight of the game ball B acts on the ball removal shutter 515 through the ball removal opening 513p. The locking recess 513s can hold the ball removal shutter 515 in the open position by inserting the locking protrusion 515f of the ball removal shutter 515.

[0233] The ball serpentine member 513 is provided with a gauge section 520 that allows visual confirmation of the appropriate amount of game balls B (circulating balls), as well as a circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 that can detect the game balls B in circulation, as will be described in detail later.

[0234] This ball serpentine member 513 can form a ball storage passage 504 that snakes back and forth and extends left and right so as to become lower to the right. In addition, since the ball serpentine member 513 is provided with a plurality of turning portions (first turning portion 513b, second turning portion 513d, third turning portion 513f, fourth turning portion 513h) and a plurality of bending portions (first bending portion 513j, second bending portion 513l, third bending portion 513n), the circulation speed of the game ball B can be suppressed at those portions, and the impact on the inlet side of the ball lifting unit 550 can be alleviated.

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

[0236] The length of the portion of serpentine cover 514 that extends forward and backward at its left end is shorter toward the rear than first straight portion 513a of ball serpentine member 513. As a result, when serpentine cover 514 is attached to ball serpentine member 513, the rear portion of first straight portion 513a of ball serpentine member 513 is opened upward, allowing communication with out ball passage 501 and safe ball passage 502 through that portion.

[0237] Furthermore, serpentine cover 514 has opening 514a penetrating vertically at a location above the rear end of second straight portion 513c of ball serpentine member 513. Foul ball passage 503 can communicate with ball storage passage 504 through opening 514a.

[0238] The ball removal shutter 515 is for removing (discharging) game ball B (circulating game ball) from the circulating ball path unit 500, etc., and is attached to the underside of the ball serpentine member 513 so as to be slidable in the forward and backward directions. The ball removal shutter 515 has a flat door portion 515a that can close the ball removal opening 513p, a knob portion 515b that extends up, down, left, and right from the front edge of the door portion 515a, a pair of rod portions 515c that each extend rearward from the rear ends of the left and right ends of the door portion 515a, a connecting portion 515e that connects the pair of rod portions 515c at the rear of the door portion 515a to form an opening 515d that penetrates up and down, locking protrusions 515f that bulge from the outer surface of each of the pair of rod portions 515c between the connecting portion 515e and the rear end, hook portions 515g that extend outward from the rear ends of the pair of rod portions 515c, and a magnet support portion 515h that protrudes cylindrically from the underside of the door portion 515a.

[0239] The magnet support portion 515h of the bulb-removed shutter 515 can support a cylindrical magnet 516 by inserting the magnet 516 into the cylinder. The magnet support portion 515h is open rearward so that the rear end side of the outer circumferential surface of the supported magnet 516 coincides with the front inner circumferential surface of the opening 515d (see FIG. 24, etc.).

[0240] When the ball removal shutter 515 is attached to the ball serpentine member 513, the pair of rail portions 513q of the ball serpentine member 513 are located on both the left and right outer sides of the door portion 515a and the pair of rod 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 the top and bottom sides of the door portion 515a and the pair of rod portions 515c. This allows the ball removal shutter 515 to slide back and forth between a closed position and an open position, which will be described later.

[0241] In addition, a screw hole is provided on the lower end surface of the magnet support portion 515h of the ball-cutting shutter 515, and when a screw is screwed into the screw hole with the magnet 516 inserted into the magnet support portion 515h, part of the head of the screw is positioned below the magnet 516, so that the magnet 516 will not fall off the magnet support portion 515h.

[0242] As shown in Figures 24(a1) and (a2), the ball ejection shutter 515 is normally in a closed position, where the door portion 515a prevents the game ball B from passing through the ball ejection opening 513p. 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 protrusions 515f abut against the rear end surfaces of the pair of rail portions 513q. This restricts the ball ejection shutter 515 from moving forward and backward and keeps it in the closed position. Therefore, when the ball ejection shutter 515 is in the closed position, the game ball B cannot be ejected from the ball ejection opening 513p into the ball receiving tray 620 below.

[0243] Furthermore, when the ball removal shutter 515 is in the closed position, the magnet support portion 515h (magnet 516) is located below and near the center of the ball removal opening 513p. As will be described in detail later, when an iron ball SB (see FIG. 25) flows through the ball storage passage 504, the iron ball SB is attracted to the door portion 515a by the magnetic force of the magnet 516, causing a ball jam, making it possible to detect the presence of the iron ball SB.

[0244] When the ball removal shutter 515 is in the closed position, gripping the knob portion 515b and pulling it forward causes the locking protrusion 515f on the rod portion 515c to strongly abut against the rear end surface of the rail portion 513q. At this time, the force acting on the locking protrusion 515f elastically deforms the rod portion 515c inward, causing the locking protrusion 515f to move toward the inner surface of the rail portion 513q, sliding the ball removal shutter 515 forward from the closed position. When the locking protrusion 515f reaches the locking recess 513s, the elastic force of the rod portion 515c inserts the locking protrusion 515f into the locking recess 513s, and the hook portion 515g on the rear end of the rod portion 515c approaches the rear end surface of the rail portion 513q. This restricts the ball removal shutter 515 from sliding forward any further.

[0245] In this state, as shown in Figures 24(b1) and (b2), the opening 515d of the ball removal shutter 515 is aligned with the ball removal port 513p, allowing the game ball B to pass through the ball removal port 513p. In other words, the ball removal shutter 515 is in the open position. When the ball removal shutter 515 is in the open position, the game ball B upstream of the ball removal port 513p in the ball storage passage 504 is discharged through the ball removal port 513p and the opening 515d into the ball receiving tray 620 below. This makes it possible to remove the circulating game ball B to the outside.

[0246] When ball receiving tray 620 accumulates and becomes heavy with game balls B, ball receiving tray 620 rests on the bottom wall of tray insertion recess 401f, which is sloped so that the front end is lower, and the slope of the bottom wall causes ball receiving tray 620 to attempt to slide forward, but locking claws 401n prevent it from sliding forward. In this state, when locking claws 401n are released, ball receiving tray 620 automatically slides forward due to the weight of the stored game balls B, and ball receiving tray 620 can be easily removed from tray insertion recess 401f.

[0247] When the ball removal 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 part 515b, and even if the ball removal shutter 515 tries to slide forward for some reason, the knob part 515b abuts against the door frame 3, preventing it from sliding to the open position. This prevents the circulating game balls B from being accidentally removed and lost, and prevents illegal game balls B from being mixed in through the ball removal opening 513p.

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

[0249] Incidentally, in an amusement hall or the like, if the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment coexists with conventional pachinko machines in which players can touch the game balls (iron balls SB), there is a risk that the iron balls SB may become mixed in when the game balls B are replenished or replaced during maintenance of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment.

[0250] In contrast to this, in the present pachinko machine 1, when an iron ball SB gets mixed in, because a magnet 516 is provided in the ball removal shutter 515, when the iron ball SB flows through the ball storage passage 504, the iron ball SB is magnetically attracted to the upper surface of the door portion 515a of the ball removal shutter 515 in the closed position by the magnetic force of the magnet 516 and stops (see Figure 25(a)). At this time, because the magnet 516 has a strong magnetic force, even if a large number of game balls B accumulate upstream of the magnetically attracted iron ball SB and a force acts to press it downstream, the iron ball SB will not move from the upper surface of the door portion 515a.

[0251] Then, when the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the door portion 515a (magnet 516) of the ball ejection shutter 515 in the ball storage passage 504 and the game ball B continues to be released from the ball launching unit 450, the game balls B downstream of the magnetically attached iron ball SB are sequentially consumed, and the consumed (released) game balls B are sequentially supplied upstream of the iron ball SB. Therefore, the detection of game ball B is turned OFF in the low circulating ball sensor 521 and the lifting inlet sensor 553, which are provided downstream of the ball ejection shutter 515, and the detection of game ball B is turned ON in the excess circulating ball sensor 522, the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the foul ball sensor 507, etc., which are provided upstream of the ball ejection shutter 515. This allows the occurrence of a ball jam between the low circulating ball sensor 521, etc. and the excess circulating ball sensor 522, etc. to be detected and reported. That is, it is possible to detect that the iron ball SB is magnetically attracted to the door portion 515a.

[0252] As shown in Figure 25(a), when the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the upper surface of the door portion 515a of the ball removal shutter 515 by the magnetic force of the magnet 516, if the ball removal shutter 515 is slid forward from the closed position to the open position, the front end of the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the upper surface of the door portion 515a abuts the front wall of the first lateral portion 513k, preventing only the iron ball SB from moving forward. Then, when the ball removal shutter 515 slides further forward, the door portion 515a that was supporting the lower end of the iron ball SB disappears, and the iron ball SB moves downward into the opening 515d due to gravity. At this time, the rear end of the outer circumferential surface of the magnet 516 coincides with the inner surface of the front side of the opening 515d, so that the iron ball SB becomes magnetically attached to the outer circumferential surface of the magnet 516 (see Figure 25(b)).

[0253] Furthermore, the iron ball SB tries to move from the outer circumferential surface of the magnet 516 toward the pole with the stronger magnetic force (here, the bottom end surface), but when the ball removal shutter 515 is in the open position, the top 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 removal shutter 515 is slid to the open position, the iron ball B is located in a position overlapping with the opening 515d, and the game ball B upstream of the iron ball SB is not discharged downward through the opening 515d, i.e., the ball removal port 513p.

[0254] After sliding the ball removal shutter 515 to the open position, when the ball removal shutter 515 is slid to the rear closed position, the door portion 515a prevents the game ball B upstream of the iron ball SB from passing through the ball removal opening 513p, while the iron ball SB that has been magnetized on the outer circumferential surface of the magnet 516 moves to the underside of the magnet 516, and the iron ball SB becomes magnetically attached to the underside of the magnet 516 (see Figure 25(c)). After that, the ball receiving tray 620 is pulled out and removed from the tray insertion recess 401f, and the iron ball SB that has been magnetically attached to the underside of the magnet 516 is removed.

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

[0256] The circulating ball path relay board 517 is attached to the rear of the front ball receiving member 511, behind the foul ball passage 503, and below the out ball receiving plate portion 511b of the rear ball receiving member 512. The circulating ball path relay board 517 is used to relay the connections between the out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, low circulating ball sensor 521, and high circulating ball sensor 522 and the frame control board 640, which will be described later.

[0257] In this embodiment, the ball circulation path unit 500 has a ball receiving front plate 510, a ball receiving front member 511, a ball receiving rear member 512, a ball serpentine member 513, and a serpentine cover 514, all made of transparent synthetic resin. Therefore, the internal state can be seen from the outside.

[0258] Circulating ball path unit 500 is mounted with out ball sensor 505 and foul ball sensor 507 sandwiched between ball receiving front plate 510 and front ball receiving member 511, and safe ball sensor 506 sandwiched between front ball receiving member 511 and rear ball receiving member 512. Out ball sensor 505 and safe ball sensor 506 are arranged side by side in the front and back.

[0259] The out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, insufficient circulating ball sensor 521, and excessive circulating ball sensor 522 detect game ball B in a non-contact manner, for example, by detecting changes in induced current.

[0260] The circulating ball path unit 500 is attached from the rear to the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401. When 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 edge of the upper surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0261] In addition, when the circulation ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the ball sending unit 600 is attached so as to be positioned between it and the base wall portion 401b.

[0262] Furthermore, when the circulation ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the portions of the ball serpentine member 513 and the serpentine cover 514 forward of the center in the front-to-rear direction penetrate the ball storage path insertion port 401g provided in the base wall portion 401b from the rear and protrude forward. As a result, when the door frame 3 is opened relative to the main body frame 4, the game ball B in the ball serpentine member 513 (ball storage path 504) can be seen from the front (outside).

[0263] Furthermore, when the circulation ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4 and the frame base unit 630 is opened to the rear, the interior of each of the out ball path 501, safe ball path 502, foul ball path 503, and the area behind the base wall 401b in the ball storage path 504 can be seen from behind. This allows the interior of the out ball path 501, etc. to be checked when a ball jam occurs by opening the frame base unit 630, making it easy to identify the location of the jam.

[0264] Furthermore, when the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled to the main body frame 4, the second horizontal section 513o of the ball serpentine member 513 is located behind the base wall 401b and below the ball launching unit 450. In other words, the circulating ball path unit 500 has a ball discharge port 500d that opens to the right behind the base wall 401b and at a lower position than the ball launching unit 450. This ball discharge port 500d is connected to the ball lifting inlet passage 551 of the ball lifting unit 550, which will be described later.

[0265] The circulating ball path unit 500 of this embodiment has a gauge section 520 that allows visual inspection of the appropriate amount of game balls B stored in the ball storage passage 504 (ball serpentine member 513), a circulating ball deficiency sensor 521 for detecting when the stored game balls B (circulating balls) are too few, and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 for detecting when the stored game balls B (circulating balls) are too many (see Figure 37).

[0266] The gauge section 520 has a predetermined length of appropriate amount area colored a different color from other areas in the flow direction of the ball storage passage 504 in the ball serpentine member 513. Here, the appropriate amount is defined as the state in which the rear end of the row of game balls B stored in a line hangs over the gauge section 520.

[0267] When the gauge section 520 is viewed during maintenance, etc., if no game balls B can be seen in the area of ​​the gauge section 520 (appropriate amount area), it can be determined that there are fewer game balls B than the appropriate amount. To replenish game balls B, game balls B are inserted into 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 section 520, if game balls B can be seen in all parts of the gauge section 520 (the rear end of the row of game balls B is not visible), it can be seen that there are more game balls B than appropriate. If there are too many game balls B, the ball removal shutter 515 can be pulled forward and slid to the open position, thereby discharging the game balls B in the ball storage passage 504 from the ball removal opening 513p to make the appropriate amount.

[0269] The circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is located near the downstream end of the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 504. The circulating ball excess sensor 522 is located near the upstream end of the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 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] Although details will be described later, when there is an appropriate amount of game balls B, the under-circulating ball sensor 521 detects game ball B for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more, and the excess circulating ball sensor 522 does not detect game ball B for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more. When there are too few game balls B, neither the under-circulating ball sensor 521 nor the excess circulating ball sensor 522 detects game ball B for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more. On the other hand, when there are too many game balls B, both the under-circulating ball sensor 521 and the excess circulating ball sensor 522 detect game ball B for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more. Furthermore, if the insufficient circulating ball sensor 521 does not detect game ball B for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more, and the excessive circulating ball sensor 522 detects game ball B for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more, a ball jam including the inclusion of iron ball SB has occurred between the insufficient circulating ball sensor 521 and the excessive circulating ball sensor 522.

[0271] Here, we will explain the reason for the predetermined time k of 80 ms as the threshold for detecting the presence or absence of game ball B. For example, along the circulation path R, 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 launch front sensor 604 are located at the positions where game ball B stops when the ball lifting unit 550 and the ball sending unit 600 are stopped. This position is where the next game ball B is located each time a game ball B is sent. Therefore, game ball B is detected here by determining whether it has been detected for 80 ms or more. This is because it takes about 50 ms to detect game ball B rolling on a slope with an incline of about 5 degrees, so a margin is added to ensure that game ball B is detected at 80 ms to ensure its presence at that position. In other words, this value of 80 ms is a practical value obtained through experiments.

[0272] In this way, by combining the detection states of game ball B by the insufficient circulating ball sensor 521 and the excessive circulating ball sensor 522, the frame control board 640 can automatically determine and report the amount of game ball B, ball clogging, etc.

[0273] In the above embodiment, the gauge portion 520 in the spherical serpentine member 513 is colored a different color in the appropriate amount region than in the other portions, but the gauge portion 520 in the spherical serpentine member 513 may be molded in a different color, a sticker may be attached as the gauge portion, or colored lines may be drawn at the downstream and upstream ends of the appropriate amount region.

[0274] In addition, in the above embodiment, a circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 are provided, but the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 may be replaced with the lifting inlet sensor described below, and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 may be replaced with the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, and the foul ball sensor 507.

[0275] [4-4a. Ball jamming elimination mechanism] Next, the circulating ball path unit 500 may be provided with a ball jamming elimination mechanism 530, as shown in Figure 28, to make it easier to eliminate ball jams in the out ball sensor 505 and the safe ball sensor 506. Figure 28(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the main part of the rear cross section cut at the out ball sensor with the cover member of the ball elimination mechanism in the circulating ball path unit attached to the main body frame closed, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the cover member in (a) in an open state.

[0276] The ball jamming elimination mechanism 530 is configured by using an openable and closable cover member 531 as the wall portion above the out ball sensor 505 and the safe ball sensor 506 in the pre-ball receiving member 511 and the post-ball receiving member 512 of the circulating ball path unit 500. As shown in Figure 28(a), the cover member 531 is normally closed. The cover member 531 is held closed by a locking claw (not shown).

[0277] This ball jamming elimination mechanism 530 is used to eliminate ball jams that occur in the out ball passage 501 or the safe ball passage 502, or when an illegal ball B' with a larger diameter than the game ball B is thrown in as a fraudulent act, blocking the out ball sensor 505, etc.

[0278] For example, if a rogue ball B' with a larger diameter than game ball B is inserted through outlet 1008 of game board 5 or the like and blocks out ball sensor 505, opening main frame 4 relative to outer frame 2 and then opening frame base unit 630 will reveal the rear of circulating ball path unit 500. In this embodiment, a gap large enough to insert a finger is formed between the portion of circulating ball path unit 500 where ball jam elimination mechanism 530 is provided and box main body 404b of main frame speaker box 404. Therefore, by releasing the locking claw of lid member 531 through the gap and rotating lid member 531 so that the lower end of lid member 531 moves upward, lid member 531 can be opened (see FIG. 28(b)).

[0279] By opening the cover member 531, a finger can be inserted into the area above the out ball sensor 505 in the out ball passage 501, making it possible to easily remove the illegal ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505. In this way, the illegal ball B' can be easily removed without having to remove the circulation ball passage unit 500, which is screwed in place using a screwdriver.

[0280] Even if the safe ball sensor 506 is blocked by the illegal ball B', the illegal ball B' can be removed by the same procedure as above.

[0281] In the above, ball jamming elimination mechanism 530 is shown as having an openable / closable lid member 531, but, for example, elastic claws may be provided on rear ball receiving member 512 and front ball receiving member 511, and the elastic claws may be engaged to allow rear ball receiving member 512 and front ball receiving member 511 to be attached and detached rearward. In this case, frame base unit 630 is normally located behind ball circulation path unit 500, and even if the elastic claws are loosened, rear ball receiving member 512 and front ball receiving member 511 will not come off rearward. If the out ball sensor 505 is blocked by an illegal ball B', opening the main frame 4 relative to the outer frame 2 and then opening the frame base unit 630 will reveal the rear of the circulation ball path unit 500.By releasing the engagement of the elastic claws that attach the post-ball receiving member 512 and the pre-ball receiving member 511, the post-ball receiving member 512 and the pre-ball receiving member 511 can be easily removed, and the illegal ball B' that is blocking the out ball sensor 505 can be easily removed.

[0282] Alternatively, the ball jamming elimination mechanism 530 may be configured so that the portion above the out ball sensor 505 in the front ball receiving member 511, which is sandwiched between the front ball receiving plate 510 and the rear ball receiving member 512, can be slid upward and removed. In this case, under normal conditions, the game board 5 is positioned above the circulating ball path unit 500, and gravity prevents the slidable portion of the front ball receiving member 511 from detaching upward. If the out ball sensor 505 is blocked by a stray ball B', opening the door frame 3 relative to the main body frame 4 and removing the game board 5 from the main body frame 4 reveals the upper part of the circulating ball path unit 500. By sliding the slidable portion of the front ball receiving member 511 upward and removing it, the stray ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505 can be easily removed.

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

[0284] The ball lifting unit 550 is for sending the game ball B, which has been discharged from the game board 5 or the foul unit 470 and circulated through the circulating ball path unit 500, to the ball launching unit 450 via the ball sending unit 600. The ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401.

[0285] The ball lifting unit 550 is equipped with a ball lifting mechanism 560 for lifting game balls B, a ball lifting inlet passage 551 that supplies game balls B sent from the circulating ball path unit 500 to the ball lifting mechanism 560, a ball lifting outlet passage 552 that supplies game balls B lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 to the ball sending unit 600, a lifting inlet sensor 553 that is provided in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 and detects game balls B in circulation, and a lifting outlet sensor 554 that is provided in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 and detects game balls B in circulation.

[0286] The ball lifting unit 550 also includes a ball lifting inlet earth metal plate 555 that is arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the game ball B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551, a ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 that is arranged so as to be able to come into 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 polishing mechanism 580 for polishing the game ball B that has been lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560.

[0287] First, the ball lifting mechanism 560 of the ball lifting unit 550 comprises a lifting spiral shaft 561 extending vertically and having a spiral lifting groove 561a on its outer circumferential surface, a shaft gear 562 attached to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561, a motor gear 563 meshing with the shaft gear 562 and rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the lifting spiral shaft 561, a lifting motor 564 having the motor gear 563 attached to its rotating shaft for rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561, a lifting motor index 565 having a detection portion 565a extending flange-like from the lower end of the shaft gear 562 and cut out in part of the circumferential direction, and a lifting motor index sensor 566 capable of detecting the detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565.

[0288] The ball lifting mechanism 560 also includes a motor base metal plate 567 to which a lifting motor 564 is attached and which rotatably supports the motor gear 563, a lifting mechanism base 568 attached to one side of the motor base metal plate 567 and which rotatably supports the lifting spiral shaft 561, and a lifting mechanism cover 569 attached to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0289] The lifting spiral shaft 561 has a spiral lifting groove 561a formed on its outer periphery, deep enough to accommodate game balls B in a single row. The lifting groove 561a is formed so that the lifting spiral shaft 561 can lift game balls B by rotating clockwise when viewed from above in its axial direction (see FIG. 32(c)). The spiral pitch of the lifting groove 561a is 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 the lifting spiral shaft 561 is inclined relative to the vertical so that the upper end is located to the right of the lower end when viewed from the front. This allows the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 to be positioned farther to the right from the ball sending unit, thereby relatively lengthening the length of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 and increasing the storage capacity of game balls B. In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the lifting spiral shaft 561 is inclined at an angle of 12 degrees to the vertical.

[0290] The shaft gear 562 is a spur gear. The motor gear 563 is a worm gear. As a result, 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 prevented by the motor gear 563, which is made of a worm gear meshed with the shaft gear 562. The lifting motor 564 is a DC motor.

[0291] The lifting motor index 565 is integrally molded with the shaft gear 562 in a flange-like shape. The detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is provided so that a 45-degree angle range is cut out around the entire circumference. The lifting motor index sensor 566 is a photosensor. The lifting motor index sensor 566 receives light at the detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565, and blocks light and does not receive light at portions other than the detection portion 565a. This makes it possible to detect the rotational position of the lifting spiral shaft 561 via the lifting motor index 565.

[0292] As will be described in detail later, the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates once when the rotation shaft of the lifting motor 564 rotates 32 times via the shaft gear 562 and the motor gear 563. The lifting motor index sensor 566 reaches the detection unit 565a and enters the light-receiving state when the lifting motor 564 rotates 28 times after being positioned at a location other than the detection unit 565a and entering the non-light-receiving state. After entering the light-receiving state, the lifting motor 564 rotates another four times after entering the light-receiving state and moving away from the detection unit 565a and entering the non-light-receiving state. In this embodiment, the origin is the position where the lifting motor 564 rotates two times after reaching the detection unit 565a and entering the light-receiving state. In other words, the center of the detection unit 565a is the origin of rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0293] The motor base metal plate 567 has a lifting motor 564 attached to its left end when viewed from the front, and rotatably supports the right end of the motor gear 563 at its right end. The motor base metal plate 567 has an upper end attached to a lifting mechanism base 568 and a lower end attached to a lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0294] The lifting mechanism base 568 cooperates with the lifting mechanism cover 569 to house the lifting spiral shaft 561 and rotatably support the lifting spiral shaft 561. The lifting mechanism base 568 has a ball polishing opening 568a that is large enough that the game ball B cannot pass through and penetrates from front to back so that the lifting spiral shaft 561 faces forward. This ball polishing opening 568a is provided so that a portion 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 beyond the ball polishing opening 568a comes into contact with the polishing cloth 582 of the ball polishing mechanism 580, thereby polishing the game ball B.

[0295] The lifting mechanism base 568 is provided with a downstream portion of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 near the lower end and to the right of the lifting spiral shaft 561 when viewed from the front. The portion of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 opens toward the rear at the upstream end and slopes downward toward the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 on the left. In addition, a lifting inlet sensor 553 is attached to the lifting mechanism base 568 at a position to the right of the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 when viewed from the front.

[0296] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism base 568 is provided with an upstream portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 near its upper end. The portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 slopes downward from the front of the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 to the left as viewed from the front, then slopes downward toward the rear, with its downstream end opening toward the rear. The ball lifting outlet passage 552 slopes downward toward the left from the portion of the lifting mechanism base 568 that opens toward the rear, then slopes downward toward the front, with its front end opening toward the front. This portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 is formed by the lifting mechanism base 568 and the lifting mechanism cover 569 working together.

[0297] Further, a grinding motor base 586 to which a grinding motor 588 of the grinding mechanism 580 is attached is attached to the lifting mechanism base 568 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending vertically.

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

[0299] Lifting mechanism cover 569 has a portion upstream of the portion of ball lifting inlet passage 551 that is provided on lifting mechanism base 568. The portion of ball lifting inlet passage 551 that is provided on lifting mechanism base 568 has a downstream end that opens forward at a position on the right side when viewed from the front near the lower end of lifting spiral shaft 561, extends rearward, bends leftward, passes behind lifting spiral shaft 561, and then extends diagonally forward, with its upstream end opening to the left. Attached to this lifting mechanism cover 569, behind the lower end of lifting spiral shaft 561, is ball lifting inlet earth metal plate 555 that is arranged so as to be able to come into contact with game ball B flowing through ball lifting inlet passage 551.

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

[0301] Also, a lifting outlet sensor 554 is attached to the lifting mechanism cover 569 near the left end of the portion extending to the left in a front view of the ball lifting outlet passage 552. Furthermore, a ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 is attached to the lifting mechanism cover 569 at a portion upstream of the lifting outlet sensor 554 in the portion extending to the left in the ball lifting outlet passage 552, the ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 being arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the game ball B flowing through the ball lifting outlet passage 552.

[0302] Next, the ball lifting inlet passage 551 of the ball lifting unit 550 has an opening (inlet) at its upstream end facing left near the bottom of the left side of the ball lifting unit 550. This opening is arranged 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 slopes downward from the left end inlet toward the right, extends to the right of the lifting spiral shaft 561 to bypass the rear of the lifting spiral shaft 561, then turns back toward the front and extends left to near the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561. Then, near the lifting spiral shaft 561, it bends in a crank shape to wrap around to the front side 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 arranged so that the opening at its upstream end faces the ball discharge port 500d, which forms the opening at the downstream end of the ball storage passage 504 in the circulating ball path unit 500, and game balls B that have circulated through the ball storage passage 504 are handed over and circulated.

[0304] The ball lifting inlet passage 551 has a lifting inlet sensor 553 at a location that slopes downward toward the left near the downstream end where it meets the lifting spiral shaft 561, and a ball lifting inlet earth metal plate 555 is attached to a location behind the lifting spiral shaft 561.

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

[0306] The ball lifting outlet passage 552 is arranged so that the opening at the downstream end faces the ball supply port of the ball sending unit described later, and can supply game balls B to the ball sending unit 600.

[0307] Ball lifting outlet passage 552 has lifting outlet sensor 554 near the left end of the section extending leftward near the rear end of ball lifting unit 550, and ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 attached upstream (to the right) of that. An opening large enough not to impede the flow of game balls B is provided in the bottom wall of the section of ball lifting outlet passage 552 where ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 is provided, and dust, dirt, etc. can be discharged to the outside through this opening.

[0308] The lifting entrance sensor 553 detects the presence or absence of the game ball B to be lifted when the lifting motor 564 is driven to rotate the lifting spiral shaft 561 and lift the game ball B. Details will be described later, but when the lifting entrance sensor 553 does not detect the game ball B, the lifting motor 564 is not driven.

[0309] The lifting outlet sensor 554 detects the presence or absence of game balls B supplied to the ball sending unit. Details will be described later, but when the lifting inlet sensor 553 detects game balls B and the lifting outlet sensor 554 does not detect game balls B, and a predetermined condition is met (here, the launch subtraction sensor 454 subtracts a predetermined number (e.g., three) of game balls B), the lifting motor 564 is driven to rotate the lifting spiral shaft 561, and a predetermined number of game balls B are lifted.

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

[0311] Ball lifting inlet earth metal plate 555 removes static electricity from game ball B supplied from circulating ball path unit 500 to ball lifting inlet passage 551. Ball lifting inlet earth metal plate 555 is located upstream of lifting inlet sensor 553. This allows static electricity from game ball B passing through lifting inlet sensor 553 to be removed in advance, preventing false detection by lifting inlet sensor 553 and malfunction of frame control board 640 due to static electricity from game ball B.

[0312] The ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 removes static electricity from the game ball B that has been lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 and polished by the ball polishing mechanism 580. The ball lifting outlet earth metal plate 556 is provided upstream of the lifting outlet sensor 554. This allows the static electricity of the game ball B that passes through the lifting outlet sensor 554 to be removed in advance, preventing false detection by the lifting outlet sensor 554 and failure of the frame control board 640 due to static electricity from the game ball B.

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

[0314] The ball polishing mechanism 580 is attached to the front side of the ball lifting mechanism 560. The ball polishing mechanism 580 comprises a ball polishing cassette 581 having a vertically elongated rectangular box-like external shape, an endless belt-like polishing cloth 582 partially exposed to the outside at the rear surface of the ball polishing cassette 581, a sheet-like ball polishing sponge 583 provided between the exposed portion of the polishing cloth 582 and the rear surface of the ball polishing cassette 581, a ball polishing feed gear 584 supported rotatably around a left-right axis at the bottom inside the ball polishing cassette 581, and a ball polishing driven gear 585 meshing with the ball polishing feed gear 584 across the polishing cloth 582 and supported rotatably around a left-right axis.

[0315] The polishing mechanism 580 is made up of a flat polishing motor base 586 that extends vertically to the left of the polishing cassette 581 with a constant depth from front to back and has its rear end rotatably attached to the lifting mechanism base 568, a gear cover 587 attached to the left surface of the polishing motor base 586, a polishing motor 588 that is attached to the left surface of the gear cover 587 and has a rotating shaft that protrudes between the gear cover 587 and the polishing motor base 586, a spur gear-shaped motor gear 589 attached to the rotating shaft of the polishing motor 588, and a gear meshing with the motor gear 589. The transmission gear 590 has a large-diameter gear portion 590a in the shape of a spur gear that is mated with the large-diameter gear portion 590a, and a small-diameter gear portion 590b in the shape of a spur gear that rotates integrally with the large-diameter gear portion 590a, and is rotatably supported between the motor base 586 and the gear cover 587; a transmission gear 591 in the shape of a spur gear that is mated with the small-diameter gear portion 590b of the transmission gear 590 and is rotatably supported between the motor base 586 and the gear cover 587; and a rotary connecting portion 592 that rotates integrally with the transmission gear 591, passes through the motor base 586, and protrudes to the right.

[0316] Furthermore, the ball polishing mechanism 580 abuts against the front surface of the ball polishing cassette 581, and is equipped with a flat cassette pressing piece 593 whose left end is engaged with the front end of the ball polishing motor base 586 and whose right end is attached to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, and a Nylatch 594 which detachably attaches the right end of the cassette pressing piece 593 to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0317] The ball polishing cassette 581 of the ball polishing mechanism 580 is formed in a hollow box shape, and has slits at both the upper and lower edges of the rear surface to allow the polishing cloth 582 to pass through. The ball polishing cassette 581 is detachably attached from the front to the lifting mechanism base 568 of the ball lifting mechanism 560 so as to close the ball polishing opening 568a.

[0318] The polishing cloth 582 is formed in the shape of an endless loop belt with a constant width on both sides. As shown in Figure 32(a), the polishing cloth 582 is stored in the polishing cassette 581 in a serpentine state, and a portion of the polishing cloth 582 is exposed behind the rear surface of the polishing cassette 581 through slits at the top and bottom of the polishing cassette 581.

[0319] The ball polishing sponge 583 is provided between the rear surface of the ball polishing cassette 581 and the rear-exposed portion of the polishing cloth 582, and is attached to the rear surface of the ball polishing cassette 581. The inner surface of the polishing cloth 582 contacts the rear surface of the ball polishing sponge 583. When assembled to the ball lifting unit 550, the ball polishing sponge 583 elastically presses the polishing cloth 582 against the game ball B exposed forward from the ball polishing port 568a of the ball lifting mechanism 560, allowing the polishing cloth 582 to come into contact with a wider area of ​​the spherical surface of the game ball B. The ball polishing sponge 583 is attached to the ball polishing cassette 581 so that it can be replaced.

[0320] The ball-finishing feed gear 584 is arranged so that its axis coincides with the axis of the transmission gear 591 (rotational connecting portion 592) when the ball-finishing cassette 581 is attached, and the left end of the rotating shaft is connected to the rotational connecting portion 592 and rotates integrally with the transmission gear 591.

[0321] The spherical driven gear 585 is meshed with the spherical feed gear 584 so that there is a gap between them that allows the polishing cloth 582 to fit in, and when the spherical feed gear 584 rotates, it rotates in the opposite direction and can feed the polishing cloth 582 that is sandwiched between it and the spherical feed gear 584.

[0322] The polishing motor base 586 extends vertically along the left side of the polishing cassette 581, and its rear end is rotatably attached to the lifting mechanism base 568 around an axis extending in the vertical direction. This allows the front end of the polishing motor base 586 to rotate in a direction away from the polishing cassette 581. The polishing motor base 586 has a locking hole 586a that penetrates from side to side at a position above the center in the vertical direction on the front edge. A locking hook 593a provided at the left end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is inserted into and locked into this locking hole 586a.

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

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

[0325] The Nylatch 594 can be locked by pressing the operating portion 594a, and can be unlocked by pulling it toward you.

[0326] The ball lifting unit 550 of this embodiment is attached to the rear side of the base wall 401b of the main body frame base 401 when assembled to the main body frame 4. When assembling this ball lifting unit 550 to the main body frame base 401 of the main body frame 4, the ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j provided on the rear surface of the base wall 401b with the ball polishing cassette 581 and cassette pressing piece 593 of the ball lifting mechanism 580 removed from the ball lifting mechanism 560. At this time, the front end of the ball polishing motor base 586 protruding forward from the lifting mechanism base 568 protrudes forward of the base wall 401b through the portion of the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j that penetrates from front to back. In this state, ball polishing port 568a of lifting mechanism base 568 of ball lifting mechanism 560 is located at the through-hole in ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j on the rear surface of base wall portion 401b, and game ball B being lifted up to lifting spiral shaft 561 can be seen from the front of base wall portion 401b (main body frame 4) through ball polishing port 568a (see FIG. 31). In other words, by opening door frame 3 relative to main body frame 4 and removing ball polishing cassette 581, it is possible to check lifting spiral shaft 561 and game ball B being lifted up to lifting spiral shaft 561 from the front.

[0327] After the ball lifting mechanism 560 side of the ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b, the ball polishing cassette 581 is placed in front of the lifting mechanism base 568 from the front of the base wall portion 401b with the exposed surface of the polishing cloth 582 facing backward so as to close the ball polishing opening 568a from the front. At this time, the ball polishing motor base 586 is rotated so that its tip side is away from the ball polishing cassette 581.

[0328] Next, the locking hook 593a at the left end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is inserted into the locking hole 586a at the front end of the polishing motor base 586 to lock it, and the cassette pressing piece 593 is pushed rearward to press the polishing cassette 581 rearward. As a result, the polishing motor base 586 rotates so that it is parallel to the left side of the polishing cassette 581, and the rotational coupling part 592 protruding from the right side of the polishing motor base 586 engages with the left end of the polishing feed gear 584 supported by the polishing cassette 581. Then, by pressing and locking the operating part 594a of the Nylatch 594, the right end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is attached to the front surface of the base wall part 401b, and the installation of the polishing cassette 581 is completed.

[0329] When removing the ball polishing cassette 581, the operation portion 594a of the Nylatch 594 is pulled forward to release the lock, and then the ball polishing cassette 581 can be removed by performing the above steps in reverse.

[0330] In the ball lifting unit 550 of this embodiment, when 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 game balls B that have circulated through the serpentine ball storage passage 504 are supplied. The game balls B supplied to the ball lifting inlet passage 551 come into contact with the ball lifting inlet earth metal plate 555 to remove static electricity, and are 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 polishing port 568a, whose front end penetrates forward, and the front end of the game ball B comes into contact with the polishing cloth 582 of the ball polishing mechanism 580, and movement in the left-right direction is restricted by the vertically elongated ball polishing port 568a.

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

[0332] When game ball B reaches the upper end of lifting spiral shaft 561, it enters ball lifting exit passage 552, comes into contact with ball lifting exit earth metal plate 556, is detected by lifting exit sensor 554, and is sent to the ball sending unit from the downstream end of ball lifting exit passage 552. At this time, even if game ball B is polished by polishing cloth 582 as it is lifted by ball lifting mechanism 560 and becomes statically charged, the static electricity is removed by contact with ball lifting exit earth metal plate 556 located upstream of lifting exit sensor 554, and no malfunctions due to static electricity from the ball polishing will occur in lifting exit sensor 554, frame control board 640, etc.

[0333] On the other hand, in the polishing mechanism 580, with the polishing cassette 581 attached, when the polishing motor 588 rotates the polishing feed gear 584 clockwise as viewed from the right side, the portion of the polishing cloth 582 exposed to the outside from the rear surface of the polishing cassette 581 passes through the slit on the bottom of the polishing cassette 581 and is accommodated within the polishing cassette 581. At this time, the exposed portion of the polishing cloth 582 is pulled downward, so that the portion of the polishing cloth 582 accommodated within the polishing cassette 581 is advanced from the outside through the slit on the top of the polishing cassette 581.

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

[0335] In this way, according to the ball lifting unit 550 of this embodiment, the game balls B discharged from the circulating ball path unit 500 can be supplied to the ball sending unit 600 while polishing the game balls B.

[0336] [4-6. Ball sending unit] The ball sending unit 600 in the main body frame 4 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 33 to 35. Figure 33(a) is a perspective view of the ball sending unit in the main body frame as seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball sending unit in the main body frame as seen from the back. Figure 34(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball sending unit as seen from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball sending unit as seen from the back. Figure 35 is a front cross-sectional view of the ball sending unit cut at the location of the pre-launch sensor.

[0337] The ball sending unit 600 is for supplying the game balls B lifted by the ball lifting unit 550 one by one to the ball launching unit 450. The ball sending unit 600 is attached to the ball sending unit mounting portion 401k provided on the rear side of the base wall portion 401b of the main body frame base 401. The ball sending 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 attached detachably upward.

[0338] The ball sending unit 600 is equipped with a ball supply port 601 that opens at the rear and allows game ball B supplied from the ball lifting unit 550 to enter, a ball sending outlet 602 that opens at the front and is used to send game ball B to the ball launch pad 452b of the ball launching unit 450, a ball sending passage 603 that connects the ball supply port 601 and the ball sending outlet 602 and allows game ball B to flow through, a pre-launch sensor 604 that can detect game ball B flowing through the ball sending passage 603, a ball sending movable member 605 that releases game balls B detected by the pre-launch sensor 604 one by one from the ball sending outlet 602, a ball sending solenoid 606 that moves the ball sending movable member 605 to send game ball B to the ball launching unit 450, and a ball sending relay board 607 that relays the connection between the ball sending solenoid 606, the pre-launch sensor 604, and the frame control board 640.

[0339] The ball sending unit 600 also includes a transmission member 608 that transmits the forward and backward movement of the plunger in the ball sending solenoid 606 to move the ball sending movable member 605, a box-shaped unit base 609 that is open to the rear and has a pre-launch sensor 604, ball sending solenoid 606, etc. installed inside, 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 sending unit 600 is provided by penetrating the unit cover 610 that constitutes the rear surface of the ball sending unit 600, and is provided in the area from the center to the upper right when viewed from the front. The ball supply port 601 is formed in a size that allows game balls B to pass through one at a time.

[0341] The ball sending outlet 602 penetrates the unit base 609 that constitutes the front side of the ball sending unit 600 from front to back, and is located in a position lower than the center when viewed from the front. The ball sending outlet 602 is formed to a size that allows game balls B to pass through one at a time.

[0342] Ball sending passage 603 connects ball supply inlet 601 and ball sending outlet 602, and extends lower to the left from ball supply inlet 601 to a portion above ball sending outlet 602, and then extends downward to the portion of ball sending outlet 602. A pre-launch sensor 604 is provided near the left end of the portion of ball sending passage 603 that extends to the left. In addition, ball receiving portion 605a of ball sending movable member 605 is located in a portion of ball sending passage 603 that extends up and down behind ball sending outlet 602.

[0343] The pre-launch sensor 604 is provided near the left end of the ball transport passage 603, which extends lower to the left. In other words, the pre-launch sensor 604 is provided immediately upstream of the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball transport movable member 605. The pre-launch sensor 604 detects the game ball B in a non-contact manner, for example, by detecting a change in induced current.

[0344] The ball sending movable member 605 is movable by the drive of the ball sending solenoid 606, thereby releasing the game balls B in the ball sending passage 603 one by one from the ball sending outlet 602 and supplying them to the ball launching unit 450. The ball sending movable member 605 has a ball receiving portion 605a that is U-shaped and open to the right and front and rear, with the bottom wall sloping forward and capable of accommodating only one game ball B, a shaft portion 605b that extends leftward from the left end of the ball receiving portion 605a, a bearing portion 605c that penetrates front and rear at the left end of the shaft portion 605b and into which a first shaft pin 610a of the unit cover 610 is inserted so as to be rotatable relative to the shaft portion 605a, and a movable gear portion 605d that is fan-shaped and provided to the right on the same axis as the bearing portion 605c.

[0345] The ball sending solenoid 606 moves the ball sending movable member 605 to supply the game balls B in the ball sending passage 603 one by one from the ball sending outlet 602 to the ball launching unit 450. The ball sending solenoid 606 is located in the upper left corner as viewed from the front, between the unit base 609 and the unit cover 610, with the magnetic pole part that generates magnetic force when current is applied facing downward.

[0346] The ball sending relay board 607 is used to relay the connection between the pre-launch sensor 604 and ball sending solenoid 606 and the frame control board 640. The ball sending relay board 607 is located between the unit base 609 and the unit cover 610, in the upper right corner when viewed from the front.

[0347] The transmission member 608 transmits the forward and backward movement of the plunger of the ball-transporting solenoid 606 so as to move the ball-transporting movable member 605. The transmission member 608 has a sheet metal holding portion 608b to which a magnetically attachable sheet metal 608a is attached to the magnetic pole portion of the ball-transporting solenoid 606, a shaft portion 608c extending to the right from the sheet metal holding portion 608b, a bearing portion 608d that penetrates the right end of the shaft portion 608c from front to back and into which a second shaft pin 610b of the unit cover 610 is inserted so as to be able to rotate relative to the shaft portion 608c, and a drive gear portion 608e that is provided coaxially with the bearing portion 608d in a fan-shaped configuration to the left and meshes with a movable gear portion 605d of the ball-transporting movable member 605.

[0348] The unit base 609 is formed in a box shape that is open to the rear, and has a ball delivery port 602 that penetrates from front to back at a position near the lower center of the front. The unit base 609 cooperates with the unit cover 610 to form a ball delivery passage 603, and also holds a pre-launch sensor 604, a ball delivery movable member 605, a ball delivery solenoid 606, a ball delivery relay board 607, and a transmission member 608.

[0349] Unit base 609 has knob portion 609a, which is recessed downward near the center of the left-right direction on the top surface, and elastic claw 609b, which is provided in the lower right corner of the front surface. Knob portion 609a is formed so that an operator can grasp it from above, and is used when removing ball sending unit 600 upward from main body frame base 401 of main body frame 4. Elastic claw 609b is designed to engage with a locking hole in ball sending unit mounting portion 401k when ball sending unit 600 is attached to ball sending unit mounting portion 401k of main body frame base 401, preventing it from being removed upward.

[0350] When removing the ball sending unit 600 from the main frame base 401, the elastic claw 609b, which passes through the locking hole in the base wall portion 401b and faces forward, is pressed backward to elastically deform it, and the knob portion 609a on the top surface is grasped and pulled up, allowing the ball sending unit 600 to be removed upward from the ball sending unit mounting portion 401k of the main frame base 401.

[0351] The unit cover 610 has a ball supply port 601 extending 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-transport passage 603 and holds a pre-launch sensor 604, a ball-transport movable member 605, a ball-transport solenoid 606, a ball-transport relay board 607, and a transmission member 608. The unit cover 610 has a first and second axle pins 610a and 610b protruding forward in a cylindrical shape near the lower left corner when viewed from the front. The first axle pin 610a is inserted into a bearing portion 605c of the ball-transport movable member 605 to rotatably support the ball-transport movable member 605. The second axle pin 610b is inserted into a bearing portion 608d of the transmission member 608 to rotatably support the transmission member 608.

[0352] In the assembled state of the ball-feeding unit 600 of this embodiment, the first shaft pin 610a is inserted into the bearing portion 605c of the ball-feeding movable member 605, and the second shaft pin 610b is inserted into the bearing portion 608d of the transmission member 608, so that the movable gear portion 605d of the ball-feeding movable member 605 and the drive gear portion 608e of the transmission member 608 are meshed with each other. In this state, the ball receiving portion 605a at the right end of the ball-feeding movable member 605 is located in a portion extending vertically behind the ball-feeding opening 602 in the ball-feeding passage 603, and when the ball-feeding movable member 605 rotates around the bearing portion 605c, the ball receiving portion 605a moves vertically in the portion extending vertically in the ball-feeding passage 603.

[0353] In the normal state of the ball sending unit 600, the ball sending solenoid 606 is de-energized (OFF). Therefore, the metal plate 608a of the transmission member 608 is moved downward away from the magnetic pole of the ball sending solenoid 606 due to gravity. In this state, the underside of the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball sending movable member 605 abuts against the bottom wall at the downstream end of the ball sending passage 603, and the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a is aligned with the ball sending outlet 602, while the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a is not aligned with the ball sending passage 603. Therefore, a game ball B flowing from upstream toward the ball receiving portion 605a abuts against the upper 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 in the ball receiving portion 605a rolls forward due to the inclination of the bottom wall of the ball receiving portion 605a and is released forward from the ball discharge opening 602.

[0354] In this normal state, when the ball sending solenoid 606 is energized (ON), the magnetic force generated in the magnetic pole portion of the ball sending solenoid 606 attracts the metal plate 608a of the transmission member 608 to the upper magnetic pole portion, causing the transmission member 608 to rotate clockwise around its bearing portion 608d. When the transmission member 608 rotates clockwise, the movable gear portion 605d of the ball sending movable member 605, which is engaged with the drive gear portion 608e of the transmission member 608, causes the ball sending movable member 605 to rotate counterclockwise around its bearing portion 605c, causing the ball receiving portion 605a to move upward.

[0355] When the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball-transporting movable member 605 moves upward, the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a does not coincide with the ball discharge port 602, and the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a coincides with the ball discharge passage 603, and the game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 605a from the ball discharge passage 603. In this state, because the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a does not coincide with the ball discharge port 602, the game ball B received by the ball receiving portion 605a does not roll forward and is not released from the ball discharge port 602. Furthermore, because 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, game balls B upstream of it will not be received by the ball receiving portion 605a.

[0356] Thereafter, when the power supply to the ball sending solenoid 606 is stopped (OFF), the attraction of the magnetic pole portion of the ball sending solenoid 606 to the metal plate 608a of the transmission member 608 is released. At this time, because the game ball B is received in the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball sending movable member 605, the ball sending movable member 605 rotates clockwise about its bearing portion 605c so that the ball receiving portion 605a moves downward due to the weight of the game ball B, and the transmission member 608 rotates counterclockwise about its bearing portion 608d via the drive gear portion 608e meshing with the movable gear portion 605d of the ball sending movable member 605, returning to the normal state.

[0357] Then, when the ball sending unit 600 returns to its normal state, the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball sending movable member 605 coincides with the ball sending outlet 602, so that the game ball B received in the ball receiving portion 605a rolls forward and is released from the ball sending outlet 602 to the ball launching unit 450.

[0358] In this way, according to the ball sending unit 600 of this embodiment, by turning the ball sending solenoid 606 ON and OFF, the game balls B can be sent one by one to the ball launching unit 450.

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

[0360] Ball receiving tray 620 is attached by being inserted from the front into tray insertion recess 401f in main body frame base 401. When ball receiving tray 620 is attached to main body frame base 401, it is locked by locking claw 401n of main body frame base 401 and will not slip out forward. To remove ball receiving tray 620, locking claw 401n is elastically deformed to the left, which releases the lock and allows it to be pulled out forward.

[0361] When attaching ball receiving tray 620 to tray insertion recess 401f of main body frame base 401, ball receiving tray 620 is inserted into tray insertion recess 401f by moving it rearward from the front of tray insertion recess 401f. Because the front end of locking claw 401n is inclined like an arrowhead, when the rear end of ball receiving tray 620 abuts against locking claw 401n from the front, the arrowhead-like inclination causes locking claw 401n to elastically deform to the left, allowing ball receiving tray 620 to be inserted into tray insertion recess 401f. When the front end of ball receiving tray 620 reaches locking claw 401n and is no longer in contact with the front end of locking claw 401n, locking claw 401n returns to its original state, locking the front end of ball receiving tray 620 and preventing ball receiving tray 620 from sliding forward.

[0362] This ball receiving tray 620 is placed on the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f, which is inclined so that the front end is lower, so that when game balls B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500 accumulate and become heavy, the inclination of the bottom wall causes the tray to slide forward, but this is prevented by the engagement of the locking claws 401n. Then, when the engagement of the locking claws 401n is released, the weight of the accumulated game balls B causes the ball receiving tray 620 to automatically slide forward, allowing the ball receiving tray 620 to be easily removed from the tray insertion recess 401f.

[0363] [4-8. Frame board unit] The frame board unit 630 in the main body frame 4 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The frame control board 640, which will be described in detail later, is used to display the number of balls held on the ball number display unit 140, process the settlement by operating the counting button switch 180, control the ball launching unit 450, ball lifting unit 550, ball sending unit 600, etc., and manage (monitor) the game balls B in the circulating ball path unit 500, etc.

[0364] The frame substrate unit 630 is openably and closably attached to the rear portion of 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] The frame board unit 630 also includes a unit base 670 that is attached to the rear of the main frame base unit 400 so as to be able to open and close, a frame control board box 671 that is attached to the rear of the unit base 670 and houses the frame control board 640, a power supply board box 672 that is attached 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 attached to the unit base 670 to the left of the frame control board box 671 when viewed from the front 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 frame base unit 400 so that it cannot be opened or closed.

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

[0367] The frame control board 640 has a RAM clear switch 641 for erasing information stored in RAM, a ball removal switch 642 used to remove the enclosed game ball B from the ball removal port 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500 to the outside (ball receiving tray 620), and a ball number memory / display clear switch 643 for clearing the number of balls the player has stored in RAM etc. and clearing the display on the ball number display unit 140 of the door frame 3 (see Figure 38).

[0368] The frame control board 640 is connected via two-way communication to a main control board 1310 (described later) provided on the game board 5, and is also connected via two-way communication to a game ball lending device connection terminal board 665. 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 frame control board 640 is connected to the door frame 3's ball count display unit 140, firing stop switch 161, handle touch sensor 162, handle rotation sensor 163, and counting button switch 180.

[0370] In addition, the frame control board 640 is connected to the door opening switch 407 of the main frame 4, the frame opening switch 408, the launch solenoid 453, the launch subtraction sensor 454, the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the foul ball sensor 507, the insufficient circulating ball sensor 521, the excessive circulating ball sensor 522, the lifting inlet sensor 553, the lifting outlet sensor 554, the lifting motor 564, the lifting motor index sensor 566, the ball motor 588, the launch front sensor 604, and the ball sending solenoid 606.

[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 serves to relay connections between the frame control board 640 and various relay boards provided on the door frame 3 side and the game board 5 side.

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

[0374] The unit base 670 is formed long in both the left and right directions, and has at its left end a hinge shaft 670a that is journaled on the frame substrate unit journal portion 404d provided on the rear surface of the main body frame speaker box 404 of the main body frame base unit 400, and at its right end two Nylatches 674 are attached with their operating portions 674a facing rearward.

[0375] Unit base 670 has a rear surface portion 670b extending rightward from the left end by a length that is ¼ of the entire length in the left-right direction in a plan view, a connecting portion 670c extending forward a short distance from the right end of rear surface portion 670b, and a front surface portion 670d extending from the front end of connecting portion 670c to the right end. As a result, unit base 670 has a step in the front-to-rear direction between rear surface portion 670b and front surface portion 670d.

[0376] An interface board box 673 is detachably attached to the rear side of a rear surface portion 670b of the unit base 670. Meanwhile, a power supply board box 672 is detachably attached to the rear side of a front surface portion 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 (usage state) of frame base plate unit 630 of this embodiment, hinge shaft 670a provided at the left end of unit base 670 is pivotally supported by frame base plate unit pivot support portion 404d of main body frame base unit 400, and Nylatch 674 attached to the right end of unit base 670 is attached to the rear surface of base wall portion 401b of main body frame base 401. In this state, frame base plate unit 630 covers the rear of circulating ball path unit 500 and ball lifting unit 550 attached to the rear side of base wall portion 401b, making them inaccessible.

[0378] 10, in the normal state, the front surface 670d of the unit base 670 in the frame substrate unit 630, the power supply substrate box 672, and the frame control substrate box 671 are positioned above the box extension portion 404c in the main body frame speaker box 404. In this case, since the front surface 670d and the power supply substrate box 672 are formed shorter in the vertical direction than the frame control substrate box 671, a space capable of accommodating wiring and the like is formed between the power supply substrate box 672 and the box extension portion 404c.

[0379] When the operating part 674a of the Nylatch 674 is pulled backward from the normal position to release the lock, the right end of the unit base 670 is released, and the frame substrate unit 630 can be opened backward by rotating the hinge around the hinge shaft 670a on the left end. By opening this frame substrate unit 630 backward, the circulating ball path unit 500 and the ball lifting unit 550 attached to the rear side of the base wall part 401b appear, making it possible to approach them.

[0380] [4-9. Lock unit] The lock unit 680 in the main body frame 4 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The lock unit 680 is attached from the rear along the right edge of the main body frame base 401 in the main body frame base unit 400 when viewed from the front. The lock unit 680 is used to lock the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4, and the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4.

[0381] The lock unit 680 has a cylindrical lock cylinder 681 that passes through the cylinder insertion port 401m of the main frame base 401 from the rear and has its front end protruding forward, a keyhole 682 provided on the front end surface of the lock cylinder 681, a door frame lock claw 683 that unlocks the door frame 3 and the main frame 4 when a key corresponding to the keyhole 682 is inserted and the keyhole 682 is rotated in a predetermined direction, and an outer frame lock claw 684 that unlocks the main frame 4 and the outer frame 2 when a key corresponding to the keyhole 682 is inserted and the keyhole 682 is rotated in a direction determined from the above.

[0382] [5. Brief explanation of the game board] The game board 5 of the pachinko machine 1 has the same board configuration as the game board 5 shown in Figure 75 (described later) and will be briefly described here with reference to Figure 3. The game board 5 has prize openings such as a general prize opening 2001, a first start opening 2003, a second start opening 2004, and a special prize opening 2005 within a play area 5a into which a game ball B is shot, and which award a special prize when the game ball B is received. A player operates a handle 160 to receive the game ball B and enjoys shooting the game ball B into the prize opening. The game board 5 is detachably attached from the front to the game board insertion portion 401a of the main frame 4. When assembled in the pachinko machine 1, the game board 5 is visible to the player through the game window 101 of the door frame 3, and has a game area 5a into which the game ball B is shot by the player operating the handle 160.

[0383] The game board 5 comprises a front component 1000 that defines the outer periphery of the game area 5a and has an outline that is roughly rectangular when viewed from the front, a plate-shaped game panel 1100 that is attached to the rear side of the front component 1000 and defines the rear end of the game area 5a, and a plurality of obstacle nails (not shown) that are planted in a predetermined gauge arrangement within the game area 5a on the front side of the game panel 1100 so that they can come into contact with the game ball B.

[0384] The front component 1000 of the game board 5 is formed entirely transparent. The front component 1000 has an approximately square outer shape in a front view and an approximately circular inner shape that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction, with the inner periphery of the inner shape defining the outer periphery of the game area 5a. The front component 1000 includes an outer rail 1001 that extends in an arc shape from the lower end toward the left of the center in the front view to the upper right, passing the upper end of the center in the front view, in a clockwise circumferential direction; an inner rail 1002 that is disposed inside the front component 1000 and extends in an arc shape from the lower center in the front view to the upper left of the front view; and an out guide portion 1003 that is formed at the lowest position of the game area 5a on the right side of the lower end of the inner rail 1002 in a front view and slopes downward toward the rear.

[0385] The front component 1000 also includes a lower right rail 1004 that slopes linearly from the right end of the out guide section 1003 when viewed from the front to near the right edge of the front component 1000, with the right end being slightly higher; a right rail 1005 that extends from the right end of the lower right rail 1004 along the right edge of the front component 1000 to below the upper end of the outer rail 1001, with the upper part curved inward of the front component 1000; and a collision stop section 1006 that connects the upper end of the right rail 1005 to the upper end of the outer rail 1001 and against which the game ball B rolling along the outer rail 1001 comes into contact.

[0386] In addition, the component 1000 is rotatably supported on the upper end of the inner rail 1002, and is equipped with a backflow prevention member 1007 which can rotate only between a closed position in which it extends 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 in which it rotates clockwise when viewed from the front to open the space between it and the outer rail 1001, and which is biased by a spring (not shown) to return to the closed position.

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

[0388] The game board 5 is provided with a main control board 1310 which is located behind the game panel 1100 and controls the game content which is played by shooting the game ball B into the game area 5a, and a function display unit 1400 which displays the game status based on a control signal from the main control board 1310 and is attached to the upper left corner of the component 1000 so as to be visible to the player.

[0389] The game board 5 also includes a peripheral control board 1510 provided behind the game panel 1100, a performance display device 1600 located in the center of the game area 5a behind the game panel 1100 when viewed from the front and capable of displaying a predetermined performance image, a front unit 2000 attached to the front of the game panel 1100, and a back unit 3000 attached to the rear of the game panel 1100.

[0390] The game board 5 (front unit 2000) is equipped with a plurality of general winning openings 2001 which are always open and can accept game balls B that have been shot into the game area 5a, a gate 2010 which is provided at a predetermined position within the game area 5a and through which game balls B can pass, a first starting opening 2003 and a second starting opening 2004 which are provided at a predetermined position within the game area 5a and through which a lottery is held for a first special pattern and a second special pattern when game balls B are accepted, and a large winning opening 2005 which can accept game balls B depending on the results of the lottery for the special patterns that are drawn when game balls B are accepted into the first starting opening 2003 or the second starting opening 2004.

[0391] The first starting opening 2003 is provided below the frame-shaped center device 2500 provided in the center of the gaming area 5a and directly above the outlet 1008. The second starting opening 2004 is provided in the attacca unit 2400, and opens and closes to allow the gaming ball B to be received depending on the result of the lottery for the normal symbol drawn when the gaming ball B passes through the gate 2010.

[0392] The big prize opening 2005 is provided in an attacca unit 2400 attached to the lower right corner of the gaming area 5a.

[0393] The game board 5 also has a general prize opening sensor 3001 that detects game ball B received in the general prize opening 2001, a gate sensor 2011 that detects game ball B passing through the gate 2010, a first start opening sensor 2101 that detects game ball B received in the first start opening 2003, a second start opening sensor 2401 that detects game ball B received in the second start opening 2004, and a special prize opening sensor 2402 that detects game ball B received in the special prize opening 2005 (see Figure 38).

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

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

[0396] The main control board 1310 receives detection signals of the game ball B from the general winning opening sensor 3001, the gate sensor 2011, the first starting opening sensor 2101, the second starting opening sensor 2401, the special winning opening sensor 2402, etc. The main control board 1310 also outputs drive signals to a starting opening solenoid 2412 for opening and closing the second starting opening 2004, an attacca solenoid 2414 for opening and closing the special winning opening 2005, etc.

[0397] When a game ball B received in the general prize opening 2001 is detected by the general prize opening sensor 3001, the main control board 1310 outputs a predetermined number of prize ball commands (e.g., 10). This is no different from conventional pachinko machines, so the software of the main control board 1310 does not need to be modified. When this prize ball command is received, the frame control board 640 interprets it as a ball count addition signal. Furthermore, when a game ball B received in the first start opening 2003 is detected by the first start opening sensor 2101, a predetermined number of prize ball commands (e.g., 1) are output. Furthermore, when a game ball B received in the second start opening 2004 is detected by the second start opening sensor 2401, a predetermined number of prize ball commands (e.g., 1) are output. Furthermore, when a game ball B received in the special prize opening 2005 is detected by the special prize opening sensor 2402, a predetermined number of prize ball commands (e.g., 10 or 13) are output.

[0398] In addition, the main control board 1310 outputs signals such as the lottery results for normal symbols and special symbols to the peripheral control board 1510.

[0399] The function display unit 1400 uses a plurality of LEDs based on signals from the main control board 1310 to display the game status (game situation), the lottery results for normal symbols, the lottery results for special symbols, and the like.

[0400] Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the function display unit 1400 is equipped with a status indicator consisting of three LEDs that displays the game status, a normal pattern indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the lottery results for the normal pattern that is drawn when game ball B passes through gate 2010, and a normal hold indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of reserved normal patterns that are drawn when game ball B passes through gate 2010.

[0401] The function display unit 1400 also includes a first special pattern display consisting of eight LEDs that displays the drawing result of the first special pattern drawn by receiving game ball B into the first starting port 2003, a first special reserve number display consisting of two LEDs that displays the reserve number related to receiving game ball B into the first starting port 2003, a second special pattern display consisting of eight LEDs that displays the drawing result of the second special pattern drawn by receiving game ball B into the second starting port 2004, and a second special reserve number display consisting of two LEDs that displays the reserve number related to receiving game ball B into the second starting port 2004.

[0402] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 is equipped with a round display consisting of five LEDs that displays the number of times (number of rounds) the opening and closing pattern of the large prize opening 2005 is repeated when the lottery result for the special pattern (first special pattern or second special pattern) is a "win" or the like.

[0403] This functional display unit 1400 can display the number of reserved items, designs, etc. by turning on, off, blinking, etc. the provided LEDs as appropriate.

[0404] The peripheral control board 1510 is attached to the rear side of the performance display device 1600. Based on signals sent from the main control board 1310, the peripheral control board 1510 causes the performance display device 1600 to display performance images and execute light-emitting performances, moving performances, etc.

[0405] [6. Flow of the game ball] Next, the flow of game balls B in the pachinko machine 1 will be explained mainly with reference to Figures 36 and 37. Figure 36 is an explanatory diagram showing various paths for game balls on the rear side of the main body frame from the rear. Figure 37 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows the flow of game balls in the main body frame.

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

[0407] The multiple sensors for detecting game balls B circulating on the circulation path R are arranged in the following order from the upstream side: safe ball sensor 506, out ball sensor 505, foul ball sensor 507, circulating ball excess sensor 522, circulating ball shortage sensor 521, lifting inlet sensor 553, lifting outlet sensor 554, launch pre-sensor 604, and launch subtraction sensor 454. Based on signals from these various sensors, various control processes, which will be 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, out ball sensor 505, foul ball sensor 507, and excess circulating ball sensor 522 are in the OFF (non-detecting) state, and the insufficient circulating ball sensor 521, lift-up inlet sensor 553, lift-up outlet sensor 554, pre-launch sensor 604, and launch subtraction sensor 454 are in the ON (detecting) state.

[0409] A large number of game balls B are stored in a line within the circulation path R in the main body frame 4. The leading end of the lined-up game balls B is located on the ball launch pad 452b of the launch unit cover 452 in the ball launch unit 450, and the trailing end is located within the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 504 of the circulation ball path unit 500, upstream of the ball removal shutter 515.

[0410] In the circulation path R, in the portion between the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 in the ball lifting unit 550 and the lifting outlet sensor 554, a specific number (for example, four) of game balls B that is less than the predetermined number (for example, five) of game balls B are lined up along the length of the line. This is to ensure that even if one game ball B is lifted when the lifting spiral shaft 561 is returned to the origin, there is enough space to receive the lifted game ball B.

[0411] Furthermore, in the circulation path R, a predetermined number (for example, 10) of sensors are arranged between the pre-launch sensor 604 and the lift-up exit sensor 554. This prevents the game balls B from running out of launching balls B until they are lifted up and replenished by the rotation of the lift-up spiral shaft 561, even if the game balls B continue to be launched in the ball launching unit 450 after the detection of the game balls B in the lift-up exit sensor 554 turns OFF (non-detection).

[0412] Then, when the player operates the handle 160 to activate the launch solenoid 453 of the ball launching unit 450, the game ball B placed on the ball launch pad 452b in the launching unit cover 452 is launched, and the detection of the game ball B is turned off by the launch subtraction sensor 454. This causes the number of balls the player has to carry to be subtracted by one (the ball carrying subtraction process described below). After that, the ball sending solenoid 606 of the ball sending unit 600 is energized for a predetermined time, the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball sending movable member 605 moves up and down, and one game ball B is placed on the ball launch pad 452b, and the launch subtraction sensor 454 turns on.

[0413] As the player operates the handle 160 to launch game balls B one by one, the number of game balls B stored between the pre-launch sensor 604 and the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 (ball lifting outlet passage 552) decreases by one, and eventually the detection of the game balls B becomes non-detection (OFF) at the lifting outlet sensor 554. Then, when a predetermined number of game balls B (for example, three) have been launched after the lifting outlet sensor 554 becomes non-detection, the lifting motor 564 of the ball lifting unit 550 starts rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561, which rotates three times to supply three game balls B to the ball lifting outlet passage 552, and then stops (lifting motor operation processing, described below).

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

[0415] A game ball B that is launched from the ball launching unit 450 and shot into the game area 5a of the game board 5 is received by either the outlet 1008 or a prize port (general prize port 2001, first start port 2003, second start port 2004, large prize port 2005). The game ball B received by the outlet 1008 of the game board 5 is discharged downward from the game board 5 and handed over to the out ball receiving port 500a of the circulation ball path unit 500. The game ball B handed over to the out ball receiving port 500a passes through the out ball passage 501, where it is detected by the out ball sensor 505 and sent to the ball storage passage 504.

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

[0417] When game ball B is detected by the out ball sensor 505, the number of out balls is counted, and when game ball B is detected by the safe ball sensor 506, the number of safe balls is counted. This makes it possible to calculate an accurate ball payout rate for game ball B. The calculated ball payout rate is displayed on a display unit (not shown) provided on the main control board 1310. This ball payout rate changes depending on the game status, so it is calculated as the ball payout rate within a predetermined period (for example, per unit time, per predetermined time, per day, etc.) as follows: "(number of balls added due to winning within a predetermined period - number of safe balls within a predetermined period) ÷ number of out balls within a predetermined period = ball payout rate within a predetermined period."

[0418] Incidentally, game ball B that was launched from ball launching unit 450 (ball launching pad 452b) but did not land in game area 5a of game board 5 is collected by foul unit 470 as a foul ball and then handed over to foul ball receiving port 500c of circulating ball path unit 500. Game ball B handed over to foul ball receiving port 500c then flows through foul ball path 503, where it is detected by foul ball sensor 507 and sent to ball storage path 504. When game ball B is detected by foul ball sensor 507, the number of balls the player has is increased by one (ball addition process described below).

[0419] In this way, in the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment, the game ball B is sealed inside without being discharged to the outside or supplied from the outside, and by circulating inside, the player does not come into contact with 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 Figures 38 to 49. Figure 38 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the pachinko machine. Figure 39 is a flowchart showing the launch permission process. Figure 40 is a flowchart showing the retained ball subtraction process, and Figure 41 is a flowchart showing the retained ball addition process using foul balls. Figure 42 is a flowchart showing the launch control process. Figure 43 is a flowchart showing the prize ball process. Figure 44 is a flowchart showing the lift motor operation process, Figure 45 is a table showing the relationship between the lift inlet sensor and the lift outlet sensor and the operation of the lift motor, and Figure 46 is a graph showing the relationship between the launch operation of the game ball and the operation of the ball lift unit. Figure 47 is a graph showing the operation of the ball lift mechanism in the ball lift unit. Figure 48(a) is a flowchart showing the security process, and Figure 48(b) is a flowchart showing the security process of an embodiment different from Figure 48(a). Figure 49 is a table showing the relationship between the circulating ball shortage sensor, the circulating ball excess sensor, and 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 Figure 38, the main control configuration 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 in hand, 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] The frame control board 640 receives signals from the launch stop switch 161, handle touch sensor 162, handle rotation sensor 163, counting button switch 180, door open switch 407, frame open switch 408, launch subtraction sensor 454, out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, insufficient circulating ball sensor 521, excessive circulating ball sensor 522, lifting inlet sensor 553, lifting outlet sensor 554, lifting motor index sensor 566, pre-launch sensor 604, RAM clear switch 641, ball removal switch 642, ball count memory / display clear switch 643, etc.

[0423] In addition, the frame control board 640 outputs signals to the ball count display unit 140, the launch solenoid 453, the lifting motor 564, the ball motor 588, the ball sending solenoid 606, etc.

[0424] Furthermore, the frame control board 640 receives signals from the game ball dispensing device 8 and outputs signals via the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665. The frame control board 640 also receives signals from the main control board 1310 and outputs signals.

[0425] Signals from the general winning opening sensor 3001, gate sensor 2011, first starting opening sensor 2101, second starting opening sensor 2401, large winning opening sensor 2402, etc. are input to the main control board 1310. In addition, the main control board 1310 outputs signals to the starting opening solenoid 2412, the attacca solenoid 2414, the peripheral control board 1510, etc.

[0426] 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 are input to the game ball lending device 8 from the ball lending button switch 8a, the return button switch, the frame control board 640, etc. The game ball lending device 8 also outputs signals to the display unit, the frame control board 640, etc.

[0427] [7-1. Launch Permission Processing] The launch permission process will be described with reference to Figure 39. The launch permission process is a process for determining whether or not gaming ball B should be launched. When the launch permission process is started, first in step S101, it is confirmed whether or not the player is touching the handle 160, and if the player has touched 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 (NO) in step S101, the process proceeds to step S107, where the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF and the process ends.

[0428] In step S102, it is confirmed whether the firing stop switch 161 is OFF, and if the firing stop switch 161 is OFF, the process proceeds to the next step S103 as YES. On the other hand, if the firing stop switch 161 is OFF in step S102, the process proceeds to step S107 as NO, the frame control firing permission signal is turned OFF, and the process ends.

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

[0430] In step S104, the presence or absence of main control launch permission from the main control board 1310 is confirmed, and if main control launch permission is present, the process proceeds to the next step S105 as YES. On the other hand, if main control launch permission is not present in step S104, the process 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 confirmed whether the number of balls the player has is greater than 0, and if the number of balls is greater than 0, the process proceeds to the next step S106 as YES, the frame control firing permission signal is turned ON, and the process ends. On the other hand, if the number of balls is less than 0 (0 balls) in step S105, the process proceeds to step S107 as NO, the frame control firing permission signal is turned OFF, and the process ends.

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

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

[0434] Then, in step S111, when the game ball B is shot and the shot subtraction sensor 454 changes from ON to OFF, the result is YES and the process proceeds to the next step S112, where one ball is subtracted from the number of balls held and the process ends.

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

[0436] In this way, when game ball B is launched from ball launching unit 450 through the owned ball subtraction process, the number of balls the player has is reduced by one.

[0437] [7-3. Ball count processing] The ball possession addition process due to a foul will be explained with reference to Figure 41. When a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the number of balls the player possesses is subtracted by the ball possession subtraction process. However, if the launched game ball B is not hit into the play area 5a of the game board 5, no game is played with that game ball B, and so leaving the number of balls subtracted reduces the player's interest. Therefore, the ball possession addition process adds game balls B (foul balls) that were not hit into the play area 5a to the number of balls the player possesses.

[0438] In the ball count addition process, in step S121, it is determined whether the foul ball sensor 507 of the circulation ball path unit 500 has changed from OFF to ON by detecting game ball B (foul ball), and if the foul ball sensor 507 has turned ON, the process proceeds to the next step S122 as YES, adds one ball to the number of balls held, and ends the process.

[0439] On the other hand, in step S121, if the foul ball sensor 507 does not turn ON and remains OFF, the process ends without adding to the number of balls possessed.

[0440] In this way, by the ball counting process, if the game ball B is not hit into the game area 5a of the game board 5 despite being launched from the ball launching unit 450, the foul ball is added to the number of balls in hand, thereby preventing the player from being at a disadvantage.

[0441] [7-4. Launch control processing] The launch control process will be described with reference to Figure 42 etc. The launch control process determines whether or not to actually launch the gaming ball B by driving the launch solenoid 453 after the player rotates the handle 160 after the frame control launch permission signal has turned ON in the launch permission process. The launch control process first determines whether or not frame control launch permission is present (ON / OFF) in step S131, and if frame control launch permission is present (ON), the process proceeds to the next step S132 as YES. On the other hand, if frame control launch permission is not present (OFF) in step S131, the process ends as NO, without driving the launch solenoid 453.

[0442] In step S132, it is determined whether the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON or not, and if the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON (there is game ball B on the ball launch pad 452b), the result is YES and the process proceeds to the next step S133, where the launch solenoid 453 is turned ON to strike game ball B with a strength according to the rotation angle of the handle 160, and the process ends.

[0443] On the other hand, in step S132, if the launch subtraction sensor 454 is not ON (OFF), the process proceeds to the next step S134 as NO. If the launch subtraction sensor 454 is OFF, the game ball B is not placed on the ball launch pad 452b, and the processes from step S134 onwards are performed.

[0444] In step S134, it is determined whether the pre-launch sensor 604 is ON, and if the pre-launch sensor 604 is not ON (if the game ball B is not detected), the process proceeds to the next step S135 as NO, an error display indicating "out of shot balls" is turned ON, and the process returns to step S134, repeating until the pre-launch sensor 604 is turned ON. The error display is displayed, for example, on the display screen of the effect display device.

[0445] The error may be indicated by lighting up a notification lamp or by displaying an image on an effect display device. Alternatively, an error signal may be output to the hall computer (HOLCON) of the game hall via the game ball lending device 8, and a notification lamp provided in the game hall may be turned on.

[0446] In step S134, if the pre-launch sensor 604 detects game ball B and is ON, the process proceeds to the next step S136 as YES, where the ball sending solenoid 606 is turned ON (energized) to move the ball sending movable member 605. As a result, the game ball B detected by the pre-launch sensor 604 is delivered to the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball sending movable member 605, and when the ball sending solenoid 606 turns OFF after a predetermined short time, the game ball B delivered to the ball receiving portion 605a is supplied to the ball launching pad 452b. At this time, if there is a game ball B upstream (ball lifting exit passage 552) of the game ball B sent to the ball launching pad 452b by the ball sending movable member 605, that game ball B will move downstream and the pre-launch sensor 604 will turn ON.

[0447] In step S136, when the ball sending solenoid 606 is turned ON, the process proceeds to the next step S137, where it is again determined whether the launch subtraction sensor 454 is ON. If the launch subtraction sensor 454 is not ON, the process returns to step S134 as NO, and the above flow is repeated until the launch subtraction sensor 454 is turned ON.

[0448] Then, in step S137, if the firing subtraction sensor 454 is ON, the process proceeds to the next step S138 as YES, the error display of "out of firing balls" is turned OFF, and then the process proceeds to step S133, the firing solenoid 453 is turned ON, and the game ball B is struck with a strength according to the rotation angle of the handle 160, and the process ends.

[0449] In this way, the launch control process can confirm that game ball B is placed on ball launch pad 452b in ball launch unit 450 before launching game ball B.

[0450] [7-5. Handling prize balls] The prize ball processing will be explained with reference to Fig. 43 etc. In the prize ball processing, when a game ball B is received in a prize opening such as the general prize opening 2001, the first start opening 2003, the second start opening 2004, the big prize opening 2005, etc. provided on the game board 5, a predetermined number of prize balls corresponding to the prize opening are awarded as a special bonus, and the prize balls are added to the number of balls the player has.

[0451] In the prize ball processing, when a signal (prize ball signal) output from the main control board 1310 as a result of game ball B being received in a prize opening on the game board 5 is input to the frame control board 640, the input prize ball signal is analyzed in step S141. The prize ball signal output from the main control board 1310 may be the number of prize balls or the type of prize opening into which game ball B has been received.

[0452] Then, when the prize ball signal is analyzed in step S141, the number of prize balls corresponding to the analyzed prize ball signal is added to the number of balls the player has in the following step S142, and the process ends.

[0453] In this way, by the prize ball process, the number of game balls B (number of prize balls) according to the winning slot into which the game ball B has entered on the game board 5 can be added to the number of waiting balls of the player.

[0454] [7-6. Lifting motor operation processing] The lifting motor operation process will be described with reference to Figures 44 to 47. In the lifting motor operation process, when the game balls B in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 decrease as a result of the game balls B being launched by the ball launching unit 450, the game balls B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 are lifted by the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 of the ball lifting unit 550 and supplied to the ball lifting outlet passage 552.

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

[0456] The lifting motor index 565 has a detection portion 565a that is arranged by cutting out a portion of the circumference of a disk (flange-shaped), and when the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 causes the detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565 to be positioned at the position of the lifting motor index sensor 566, the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns ON, and the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns OFF in areas other than the detection portion 565a.

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

[0458] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that the lift-up outlet sensor 554 has been ON for 80 ms or more, the process returns to step S203 as YES, and is repeated until the lift-up outlet sensor 554 is no longer ON for 80 ms or more (until the lift-up outlet sensor 554 turns OFF). In other words, the process is repeated until the rear end of the row of multiple game balls B in the ball lift-up outlet passage 552 decreases due to the launch of the game balls B and becomes downstream of the lift-up outlet sensor 554, and when the lift-up outlet sensor 554 turns OFF, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0459] In step S204, it is determined whether the lifting inlet sensor 553 has been ON for 80 ms or more, and if it is determined that the lifting inlet sensor 553 has not been ON for 80 ms or more (the lifting inlet sensor 553 is OFF), the process proceeds to step S205 as NO, turns on the error display indicating "bulb out at lifting inlet", and returns to step S204. This notifies the user that a bulb has run out in the bulb lifting inlet passage 551, and prompts the user to resolve the bulb outage.

[0460] In step S204, if it is determined that the lifting inlet sensor 553 has been ON for 80 ms or more, the process proceeds to the next step S206 as YES, and the error display indicating "out of balls at lifting inlet" is turned OFF. After that, in the following step S207, after 1800 ms has elapsed, the lifting motor 564 is started to operate and the lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotated. This starts the lifting of the game ball B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551. The lifting spiral shaft 561 discharges one game ball B per rotation.

[0461] 46, the start of operation of the lift motor 564 is in other words, as shown in Fig. 46, the lift inlet sensor 553 is ON (continuously ON) for 80 ms or more, the lift motor 564 is stopped, the lift outlet sensor 554 is ON (continuously ON) for 80 ms or more, and the launch front sensor 604 is ON (continuously ON) for 80 ms or more, and in this state, the game balls B are continuously launched at predetermined time intervals (here, 600 ms) by operating the handle 160. Then, when the lift outlet sensor 554 turns OFF, the operation of the lift motor 564 starts after the lapse of time t1 (here, 1800 ms), and the discharge of the game balls B from the upper end of the lift spiral shaft 561 to the ball lift outlet passage 552 side (lift device ball discharge) begins.

[0462] In this embodiment, when three game balls B are launched after the lift outlet sensor 554 turns OFF, the lift motor 564 is activated and the lift spiral shaft 561 starts to rotate. The time interval at which game balls B are ejected by the rotation of the lift spiral shaft 561 is set to be shorter than the time interval at which game balls B are continuously launched. This ensures that the supply of game balls B to the ball launch unit 450 does not fail to keep up with the launch of game balls B.

[0463] As shown in FIG. 46, the ball polishing motor 588 provided in the ball lifting unit 550 is controlled independently of the operation of the lifting motor 564, and operates so that the polishing cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm every time 1,000 game balls B are fired.

[0464] As shown in FIG. 45, the lifting motor 564 does not operate but remains stopped unless the lifting inlet sensor 553 is ON and the lifting outlet sensor 554 is OFF.

[0465] Returning to the explanation of the lifting motor operation processing, when the operation of the lifting motor 564 is started in step S207, the retry counter 2 is cleared in the following step S208, and it is determined in the following step S209 whether the lifting motor index 565 (lifting motor index sensor 566) has turned ON again within 600 ms after turning OFF.

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

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

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

[0469] In this lifting motor operation process, if it is determined in step S202 that the lifting motor index 565 is not ON (the lifting motor index sensor 566 is OFF), the process proceeds to the next step S212 as NO, where 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, the answer is YES and the lifting motor origin return process is executed in the next step S213, and then "1" is added to the retry counter 1 in step S214 and the process returns to step S202.

[0471] In the lifting motor origin return process in 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, and after the lifting motor index sensor 566 is in the OFF state and reaches the detection unit 565a, it turns ON, and the lifting motor 564 rotates twice and stops, and the lifting motor 564 (lifting motor index 565) returns to the origin.

[0472] More specifically, due to the gear ratio between the shaft gear 562 and the motor gear 563, the lifting motor index 565 (lifting spiral shaft 561) is configured to rotate once for every 32 rotations of the lifting motor 564. The circumferential length of the detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is formed to be a length corresponding to four rotations of the lifting motor 564, and therefore the position at which the lifting motor 564 rotates twice after the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns ON and stops is located at the center of the detection portion 565a. In other words, the center of the detection portion 565a of 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 origin return process is executed, the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates approximately one revolution, and one game ball B is ejected into the ball lifting outlet passage 552. However, since the ball lifting outlet passage 552 has a predetermined number of spaces for accommodating game balls B, the ejection of game balls B from the lifting spiral shaft 561 is not hindered, and the lifting motor 564 can be returned to the origin.

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

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

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

[0477] The ball jamming release process in step S218 stops the lifting motor 564 without monitoring the ON / OFF of the lifting outlet sensor 554, then rotates the lifting motor 564 in the reverse direction, and after a predetermined time (e.g., 100 ms) has elapsed, stops the lifting motor 564 and operates the lifting motor 564 again (forward rotation).

[0478] In this way, when the game ball B is launched by the lifting motor operation process and the number of game balls B in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 decreases, the lifting motor 564 is operated to rotate the lifting spiral shaft 561, lifting the game ball B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 from the lower end and ejecting it from the upper end to supply it to the ball lifting outlet passage 552.

[0479] The operating time of the lifting motor 564 and the number of game balls B ejected are examples, and any appropriate time and number may be used.

[0480] [7-7. Security Processing] The security processing will be explained with reference to Figure 48 etc. The security processing is intended to monitor whether or not there is any fraudulent activity. As shown in Figure 48(a), the security processing clears the contradiction counter in step S301, and then in step S302, calculates the number of balls retrieved within a specified time in the circulation ball path unit 500. The number of retrieved balls is calculated as the sum of the number of out balls, the number of safe balls and the number of foul balls.

[0481] Once the number of recovered balls has been calculated in step S302, the process proceeds to the next step S303, where it is determined whether the number of shot balls measured by the shot subtraction sensor 454 is the same as the number of recovered balls, and if it is determined that they are the same, it returns to step S302 as YES. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of shot balls is not the same as the number of recovered balls, it proceeds to the next step S304 as NO, it adds "1" to the discrepancy counter, and it proceeds to the next step S305.

[0482] In step S305, it is determined whether the contradiction counter is greater than n (for example, 50), and if it is determined that it is less than n, it determines NO and returns to step S302. On the other hand, if it is determined that the contradiction counter is greater than n, it determines YES and proceeds to the next step S306, where an error display indicating that fraud is occurring is turned ON, and then in the following step S307, a game stop process is executed to end the process.

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

[0484] In addition, the game stopping process in step S307 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 game play on the main control board 1310 side, etc.

[0485] The security process may be as 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 shot subtraction sensor 454 is equal to or greater than the number of foul balls detected by 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 it is less than n, it determines NO and returns to step S312. On the other hand, if it is determined that the contradiction counter is greater than n, it determines YES and proceeds to the next step S315, where an error display indicating that fraud 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 of the main body frame 4.

[0489] In addition, the game stopping process 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 game play on the main control board 1310 side, etc.

[0490] In this way, it is possible to determine whether or not there has been any cheating 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. Enclosed ball amount detection process] The enclosed ball quantity detection process will be explained with reference to Figure 49 etc. The enclosed ball quantity detection process detects whether the quantity (number of balls) of enclosed game balls B is appropriate. The enclosed ball quantity detection process determines whether the quantity of game balls B is appropriate by combining the ON / OFF of the insufficient circulating ball sensor 521 and the ON / OFF of the excess circulating ball sensor 522. The insufficient circulating ball sensor 521 and the excess circulating ball sensor 522 are turned ON when the detection of game balls B continues for a predetermined time (e.g., 80 ms) or more.

[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, if the rearmost end of the line of game balls B is located between the low circulating ball sensor 521 and the excess circulating ball sensor 522, the low circulating ball sensor 521 will be ON and the excess circulating ball sensor 522 will be OFF. In such a combination, the amount of game balls B is determined to be appropriate, and no related error will be reported.

[0493] On the other hand, if the rearmost end of the game balls B lined up 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 will be OFF and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 will be OFF. In such a combination, it is determined that the amount of game balls B is insufficient, and an error message indicating "insufficient game balls" will be displayed.

[0494] Furthermore, if the rearmost end of game balls B lined up in a row in ball storage passage 504 is located upstream of circulating ball excess sensor 522, beyond circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and circulating ball excess sensor 522, then circulating ball shortage sensor 521 will be ON and circulating ball excess sensor 522 will be ON. In such a combination, it is determined that the amount of game balls B is excessive, and an error message indicating "excess game balls" will be displayed.

[0495] Depending on the environment (game hall) in which the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment is installed, it may be installed together with pachinko machines that use conventional iron balls SB as game balls, and there is a risk that the iron balls SB may get mixed in when the game balls B are replenished or replaced during maintenance of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment. If an iron ball SB gets mixed in the pachinko machine 1, the strong magnet 516 is provided in the ball removal shutter 515 of the ball storage passage 504 in the circulation route R, and the mixed iron ball B is magnetically attracted by the magnet 516 and comes to a standstill on the ball removal shutter 515.

[0496] When the ball launching unit 450 continues to launch game balls B while the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the ball ejection shutter 515, the game balls B downstream of the ball ejection shutter 515 in the ball storage passage 504 are lifted by the ball lifting unit 550 and reduced, and eventually the low circulating ball sensor 521 turns OFF. Meanwhile, the game balls B launched from the ball launching unit 450 are collected by the out ball receiving port 500a and safe ball receiving port 500b of the circulating ball path unit 500, the foul unit 470, etc., and supplied to the upstream side of the ball storage passage 504, where they accumulate upstream of the ball ejection shutter 515 (iron ball SB), and eventually the excess circulating ball sensor 522 turns ON. In this way, when the low circulating ball sensor 521 turns OFF and the excess circulating ball sensor 522 turns ON, it is determined that the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the ball ejection shutter 515, and an error message indicating "iron ball contamination" is issued.

[0497] In addition, if a ball jam occurs between the low circulating ball sensor 521 and the high circulating ball sensor 522, the same combination as above will be generated, and an error will be displayed indicating that ``iron balls have been mixed in.''

[0498] The error notification may be provided by lighting up a notification lamp, or by displaying an image on an effect display device. Alternatively, an error signal may be output to the hall computer (HOLCON) of the gaming hall via the game ball dispensing device 8, and a notification lamp provided on the gaming hall side may be turned on.

[0499] In this way, the enclosed ball amount detection process makes it possible to appropriately manage the amount of enclosed game balls B and to detect the presence of iron balls SB.

[0500] [7-9. Ball Removal Handling] The ball removal process will now be explained. The ball removal process is performed in the circulating ball path unit 500 when the ball removal shutter 515 opens the ball removal opening 513p and removes the game ball B into the ball receiving tray 620. The ball removal process is performed by opening the door frame 3 relative to the main body frame 4, turning the door open switch 407 OFF, pulling the ball removal shutter 515 forward to open the ball removal opening 513p, and turning on the ball removal switch 642 provided on the frame control board 640.

[0501] During the ball removal process, the ON / OFF of the lifting inlet sensor 553 is disabled, the launch solenoid 453 in the ball launching unit 450 repeatedly turns ON / OFF at predetermined time intervals, and the lifting motor 564 remains operating.

[0502] At this time, even if the launch solenoid 453 is turned ON and the game ball B is launched, the door frame 3 is open so that the foul shutter 471 is in the closed position, and the game ball B is sent to the circulation ball path unit 500 as a foul ball without being shot out from the foul unit 470.

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

[0504] In this way, the enclosed game ball B can be removed by the ball removal process. When inserting a game ball B, it is possible to insert it through the out port 1008 of the game board 5, or to remove the game board 5 from the main body frame 4 and insert (refill) it through the out ball receiving port 500a or the safe ball receiving port 500b that open upward.

[0505] [8. Overall structure of the game board] The overall configuration of the game board 5 in the pachinko machine 1 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 50 to 56. Figure 50 is a front view of the game board, with the transparent center gadget and other parts rendered opaque. Figure 51 is a perspective view of the game board in Figure 50, seen from the front right; Figure 52 is a perspective view of the game board in Figure 50, seen from the front left; and Figure 53 is a perspective view of the game board in Figure 50, seen from the rear. Figure 54 is an exploded perspective view of the game board, disassembled into its main components, seen from the front; and Figure 55 is an exploded perspective view of the game board, disassembled into its main components, seen from the rear. Figure 56 is a front view of the game board, with the front unit cut parallel to the surface of the game panel, to show the play area in which game balls circulate.

[0506] The game board 5 of the pachinko machine 1 has a game area 5a into which a game ball B is shot by a player operating a handle 160. The game area 5a is provided with a general prize opening 2001, a normal prize opening 2002, a first start opening 2003, a second start opening 2004, a big prize opening 2005, a special prize opening 2006, and a second V prize opening 2008, which grant a predetermined benefit to a player by receiving or passing through the game ball B (for example, adding a predetermined number of balls to the player's possession). This game board 5 is intended for entertaining players to operate the handle 160 and circulate the game balls B within the game area 5a so that the game balls B can be accepted by the general winning port 2001, the normal winning port 2002, the first starting port 2003, the second starting port 2004, the large winning port 2005, and the special winning port 2006 within the game area 5a.

[0507] The game board 5 comprises a front component 1000 that defines the outer periphery of the game area 5a and has a generally rectangular external shape when viewed from the front, a plate-shaped game panel 1100 that is attached to the rear side of the front component 1000 and defines the rear end of the game area 5a, a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 (see Figure 65) that detect magnetic fields that act illegally within the game area 5a, and a vibration sensor 1040 (see Figure 65, etc.) that detects vibrations acting on the game board 5 (pachinko machine 1). A plurality of obstacle nails that come into contact with the game ball B are planted in a predetermined gauge arrangement in a portion of the front surface of the game panel 1100 that is within the game area 5a.

[0508] The game board 5 also includes a board holder 1200 attached to the rear lower part of the game panel 1100, and a main control unit 1300 attached to the rear surface of the board holder 1200 and having a main control board 1310 (see Figure 65, etc.) that controls the game content played by shooting a game ball B into the game area 5a.

[0509] The game board 5 also includes a function display unit 1400 that displays the game status 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 that is located on the rear side of the game panel 1100, a performance display device 1600 that is located in the center of the game area 5a when viewed from the front and is capable of displaying predetermined performance images, a panel relay board (not shown) that is located on the rear side of the game panel 1100 and relays the connection between the main control board 1310 and the peripheral control board 1510, a front unit 2000 that is attached to the front of the game panel 1100, and a back unit 3000 that is attached to the rear side of the game panel 1100.

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

[0511] The front unit 2000 has a plurality of (three in this case) general winning openings 2001 that are always open and can receive the game ball B that has been shot into the game area 5a, a regular winning opening 2002 that is provided at a predetermined position in the game area 5a and is always open and can receive the game ball B, a first starting opening 2003 that is provided in the center in the left-right direction below the center device 2500 and is always open and can receive the game ball B, and a lottery is held when the game ball B is received by the regular winning opening 2002. The game board 5 is provided with a second starting opening 2004 which can receive a game ball B depending on the result of a lottery for a normal symbol to be drawn, a large prize opening 2005 or a special prize opening 2006 which can receive a game ball B depending on the result of a lottery for a first special symbol to be drawn by receiving the game ball B into the first starting opening 2003 or a second special symbol to be drawn by receiving the game ball B into the second starting opening 2004, and a first V prize opening 2007 and a second V prize opening 2008 which can receive the game ball B received into the special prize opening 2006. The game board 5 also has a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 (see FIG. 65) which detect magnetic fields acting illicitly within the game area 5a.

[0512] The front unit 2000 is provided with an outlet 2020, which is provided at the most downstream position within the play area 5a and is always open to receive the game ball B, and which discharges the received game ball B outside the play area 5a without returning it, and two sub-outlets 2021, which are provided upstream of the outlet 2020 within the play area 5a and are always open to receive the game ball B, and which discharge the received game ball B outside the play area 5a without returning it. Two outlets 2020 are provided on the left and right sides with the first start opening 2003 in between. The two sub-outlets 2021 are provided at a position to the left of the center of the play area 5a in the left-right direction and at a position to the right of the center of the play area 5a in the left-right direction, respectively.

[0513] Furthermore, the front unit 2000 includes a start port unit 2100 which is attached directly above the lower end of the game area 5a in the center of the left-right direction within the game area 5a and has a first start port 2003 and an outlet port 2020, a side unit 2200 which is provided along the inner rail 1002 on the left side of the start port unit 2100 as viewed from the front and has three general winning ports 2001 and one sub-out port 2021, and an upper left side unit 2300 which is provided slightly above the left side of the side unit 2200 as viewed from the front. The game area 5a is provided with an attacca unit 2400, which is located to the right of the start port unit 2100 and has a second start port 2004, a large prize port 2005 and one sub-out port 2021; a frame-shaped center device 2500, which is located slightly above the center when viewed from the front within the game area 5a and has a device prize port 2006, a first V prize port 2007 and a second V prize port 2008; and a normal prize port unit 2600, which is located above the right end of the attacca unit 2400 and has a normal prize port 2002.

[0514] The center device 2500 comprises a frame-shaped main unit 2510 having a device winning slot 2006 and a first V winning slot 2007, and a lottery device 2550 provided at the bottom within the frame of the main unit 2510 and having a second V winning slot 2008.

[0515] The back unit 3000 comprises a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 that detect magnetic fields acting illicitly within the game area 5a, a vibration sensor 1040 that detects vibrations acting on the game board 5 (pachinko machine 1), a back box 3010 that is attached to the rear surface of the panel holder 1120 in the game panel 1100 and is box-shaped with an open front and a square opening 3010a in the rear wall, a lock slider 3020 that detachably attaches the performance display device 1600 to the rear wall of the back box 3010, and a back board unit 3040 that is positioned behind the performance display device 1600 and attached to the rear wall of the back box 3010.

[0516] The back unit 3000 also includes a back ball guide unit 3100 which is located at the bottom near the front end of the back box 3010 and through which game balls B guided to the rear of the game panel 1100 circulate, a back decoration unit 3200 which is located behind the back ball guide unit 3100 within the back box 3010, a back front performance unit 3300 which is located to the left and above the back ball guide unit 3100 near the front end within the back box 3010, and a back rear performance unit 3400 which is located behind the back front performance unit 3300 within the back box 3010.

[0517] [8-1. Front components] The front component 1000 of the game board 5 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The front component 1000 is formed to be entirely transparent. The front component 1000 has an approximately square outer shape in a front view and an approximately circular inner shape that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction, with the inner periphery of the inner shape defining the outer periphery of the play area 5a. The front component 1000 includes an outer rail 1001 that extends in an arc shape from the lower end toward the left of the center in the front view to the upper right, passing the upper end of the center in the front view, and extending diagonally upward to the right. An inner rail 1002 is disposed inside the front component 1000 and extends in an arc shape from the lower center in the front view to the upper left of the front view. An out guide portion 1003 is formed at the lowest position of the play area 5a on the right side of the lower end of the inner rail 1002 in a front view and slopes downward toward the rear.

[0518] The front component 1000 also includes a lower right rail 1004 that slopes linearly from the right end of the out guide section 1003 when viewed from the front to near the right edge of the front component 1000, with the right end being slightly higher; a right rail 1005 that extends from the right end of the lower right rail 1004 along the right edge of the front component 1000 to below the upper end of the outer rail 1001, with the upper part curved inward of the front component 1000; and a collision stop section 1006 that connects the upper end of the right rail 1005 to the upper end of the outer rail 1001 and against which the game ball B rolling along the outer rail 1001 comes into contact.

[0519] In addition, the component 1000 is rotatably supported on the upper end of the inner rail 1002, and is equipped with a backflow prevention member 1007 which can rotate only between a closed position in which it extends 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 in which it rotates clockwise when viewed from the front to open the space between it and the outer rail 1001, and which is biased by a spring (not shown) to return to the closed position.

[0520] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is provided with an outlet 1008 that penetrates from front to back at the rear end of the outlet guide part 1003, at the lower center in the left-right direction when viewed from the front within the frame. This outlet 1008 is closed from the front by the starting port unit 2100.

[0521] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is provided with security recesses 1009 recessed rearward from the front end at the outside of the portions near the portions extending substantially perpendicularly from the lower ends of the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002, the underside of the out guide portion 1003 and the lower right rail 1004, and the outside of the right rail 1005. When the game board 5 is attached to the main body frame 4 and the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main body frame 4, a rear projection (not shown) projecting rearward of the security cover (not shown) on the door frame 3 is inserted into this security recess 1009. As a result, the area between the security cover and the game board 5 (front component 1000) is bent in a complex manner by the rear protrusion of the security cover and the security recess 1009 of the front component 1000, so that even if an attempt is made to insert an illegal tool such as piano wire into the game area 5a through the gap between the security cover and the front component 1000 from below the front of the game board 5, the attempt will be blocked by the rear protrusion and the security recess 1009, preventing the illegal tool from entering the game area 5a.

[0522] Furthermore, the component 1000 has a notch 1010 cut upward from the bottom end at the bottom left corner when viewed from the front. This notch 1010 coincides with a notch 1122 in the game panel 1100. When the component 1000 is attached to the main body frame of a pachinko machine that pays out game balls to a player, this notch 1010 penetrates the notch 1010 and the notch 1122 so that the front end openings of the lower normal payout passage and the lower full payout passage of the lower full ball passage unit face forward to supply game balls to the upper tray and the lower tray of the door frame.

[0523] Furthermore, the component 1000 has a function display unit mounting portion 1011 formed in the upper left corner when viewed from the front, to which the function display unit 1400 is attached, and a stamp attachment portion 1012 formed in the lower right corner.

[0524] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is formed to be almost entirely transparent, so that the game panel 1100 and the rear unit 3000, etc., arranged on the rear side, can be seen from the front.

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

[0526] The panel board 1110 of the game panel 1100 is formed from a synthetic resin board such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, polyarylate resin, or 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 game panel, which is about 20 mm, and the minimum thickness required to sufficiently support nails planted on the front surface and the attachment of the front unit 2000 is about 10 mm. In this embodiment, the panel board 1110 is formed from a transparent synthetic resin board.

[0527] The panel plate 1110 is at its lowest position within the play area 5a, and the position corresponding to the outlet 1008 of the previous component 1000 is recessed upward from the bottom end. That is, in this embodiment, the outlet 1008 of the panel plate 1110 is not hole-shaped, but is formed as a notch that opens downward from the panel plate 1110. Note that the outlet 1008 may also be formed as a hole. Furthermore, the panel plate 1110 is formed with a plurality of openings 1112 that penetrate from front to back and for attaching the front unit 2000. In this embodiment, the openings 1112 are formed as holes, but they may also be formed as notches that open outward from the outer periphery of the panel plate 1110.

[0528] The panel plate 1110 also has, although not shown, a plurality of positioning holes formed as round holes and short elongated holes penetrating from front to back, and a plurality of engagement steps formed with a thin plate thickness that are spaced apart in the left-right direction at the upper and lower edges. The positioning holes are used to position the panel with the panel holder 1120 by inserting protruding pins (not shown) of the panel holder 1120. The engagement steps are used to engage with engagement claws (not shown) or engagement pieces (not shown) of the panel holder 1120, thereby allowing the panel plate 1110 to be detachably attached to the panel holder 1120.

[0529] In the panel board 1110, a large opening 1112 for attaching the center role device 2500 is offset above the center in a front view. This makes the panel board 1110 frame-shaped, and the width perpendicular to the direction of circulation of the game balls B (the circumferential direction of the frame) in a front view is wide enough to line up multiple game balls B on the left, right and lower sides excluding the side above the center, and narrow enough to line up multiple game balls B on the upper side.

[0530] The panel holder 1120 of the gaming panel 1100 has a size that is large enough to encompass the panel board 1110, and has a substantially rectangular outer shape, and is formed to be thicker than the panel board 1110 (in this embodiment, about 38 mm, the same thickness as a wooden gaming panel). This is to enable the gaming panel 1100 to be attached to the main body frame 4 of the same pachinko machine 1 (gaming machine) and used for play, regardless of whether it is a wooden gaming panel or a transparent synthetic resin gaming panel 1100.

[0531] The panel holder 1120 is made of a transparent synthetic resin (for example, a thermoplastic synthetic resin). The panel holder 1120 has a holding step (not shown) that is recessed from the front side to the rear side and has approximately the same size as the panel board 1110, and a through hole 1121 that penetrates the holding step in the front-to-rear direction and has a size approximately equal to that of the play area 5a.

[0532] The panel holder 1120 also has a notch 1122 cut upward from the bottom end at the bottom left corner when viewed from the front. This notch 1122 is formed to match the notch 1010 of the previous component 1000. When the panel holder 1120 is attached to the main body frame of a pachinko machine that pays out game balls to players, this notch 1122 passes through the notch 1010 and the notch 1122 to allow the front end openings of the lower normal payout passage and the lower full payout passage of the lower full ball passage unit to face forward, thereby supplying game balls to the upper tray and lower tray of the door frame.

[0533] Furthermore, the panel holder 1120 is formed with an out recess 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 out recess 1123 has an upper portion that communicates with the out port 1008.

[0534] Furthermore, although not shown, the panel holder 1120 is equipped with a plurality of protruding pins that protrude forward from the holding step and are inserted into a plurality of positioning holes in the panel plate 1110, three engagement claws that are positioned outside the holding step and elastically engage with engagement step portions on the upper and lower left inclined portions of the panel plate 1110, and a pair of engagement pieces that protrude upward from the lower outside of the holding step and respectively engage with two engagement step portions on the lower edge of the panel plate 1110. The panel holder 1120 can detachably attach the panel plate 1110 while it is housed in the holding step by engaging the engagement step portions on the lower edge of the panel plate 1110 with the engagement pieces from an obliquely upper front position and then moving the upper part of the panel plate 1110 backward to elastically engage the engagement step portions on the upper and lower left inclined portions with the engagement claws. At this time, protruding pins of the panel holder 1120 are inserted into positioning holes of the panel board 1110 , and the panel board 1110 is positioned at a predetermined position relative to the panel holder 1120 .

[0535] This game panel 1100 is formed transparently together with the front component 1000 attached to the front side, so when assembled to the game board 5, the boundaries of the game area 5a are less clearly visible, giving the player a sense of openness, and making the game area 5a appear larger (wider) to the player, even though the actual size of the game area 5a does not change.

[0536] Furthermore, since the game panel 1100 is made transparent along with the front component 1000, light from the effect display device 1600, front unit 2000, back unit 3000, etc. can be made to appear to be emitting light by reflecting or refracting it forward (towards the player), thereby further enhancing the overall decorativeness of the game board 5.

[0537] [8-3. Substrate holder] The board holder 1200 in the gaming board 5 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The board holder 1200 is formed in a horizontally long box shape that is open at the top and front, and the bottom surface is inclined so that it becomes lower toward the center in the left-right direction. The board holder 1200 has an ejection section 1201 that is cut out from the front end toward the rear in the center in the left-right direction of the bottom surface. When assembled to the gaming board 5, this board holder 1200 covers the lower part of the back unit 3000 attached to the rear of the gaming panel 1100 from the bottom and rear, and a main control board box 1320 of the main control unit 1300 is attached to the rear surface.

[0538] When the substrate holder 1200 is assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the discharge section 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. As a result, game balls B discharged to the rear side of the game panel 1100 through the out port 2020 or the sub-out port 2021 are discharged to the out ball receiving port 500a in the circulating ball path unit 500, and by being received in the out ball receiving port 500a, they flow through the out ball passage 501 and are detected (counted) one by one by the out ball sensor 505. On the other hand, game balls B that are received in prize ports such as general prize port 2001, normal prize port 2002, first start port 2003, second start port 2004, large prize port 2005, and special prize port 2006 and discharged downward from the front unit 2000 and back unit 3000 are discharged to the safe ball receiving port 500b in the circulation ball path unit 500, and by being received in the safe ball receiving port 500b, they flow through the safe ball passage 502 and are detected (counted) one by one by the safe ball sensor 506.

[0539] [8-4. Main control board unit] The main control unit 1300 in the game board 5 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 53 to 55. 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 Figure 65) that controls the game content and the granting of benefits to players, and a main control board box 1320 that houses the main control board 1310 and is attached to the board holder 1200.

[0540] Main control board box 1320 is composed of board base 1330, which is attached to board holder 1200 and has main control board 1310 attached to its rear surface, and board cover 1340, which is attached to board base 1330 so as to cover main control board 1310 from behind. Board base 1330 and board cover 1340 are made of transparent polycarbonate. Main control board 1310 is housed in the internal space formed by board base 1330 and board cover 1340. Because board base 1330 and board cover 1340 are made of transparent polycarbonate, it is possible to check the condition of the front and back sides of main control board 1310 (whether or not tampering has occurred or whether or not an illegal IC is installed) from outside main control board box 1320.

[0541] Furthermore, main control board box 1320 is provided with multiple sealing mechanisms 1350 corresponding to board base 1330 and board cover 1340, respectively, and when main control board box 1320 is closed using one sealing mechanism 1350, that sealing mechanism 1350 must be destroyed in order to open main control board box 1320, leaving traces of the opening and closing of main control board box 1320. Therefore, by looking at the traces of opening and closing, unauthorized opening and closing of main control board box 1320 can be discovered, providing an increased deterrent against unauthorized acts on main control board 1310.

[0542] The main control board 1310 of the main control unit 1300 is connected to the interface board 660, the out ball sensor 505, the peripheral control board 1510, etc. In addition, the main control board 1310 is connected to the function display unit 1400, general prize opening sensor 3001, normal prize opening sensor 3002, first start opening sensor 2101, second start opening sensor 2401, large prize opening sensor 2402, special prize opening sensor 2501, first V prize opening sensor 2502, second V prize opening sensor 2503, losing opening sensor 2504, start opening solenoid 2412, attacca solenoid 2414, special prize opening solenoid 2516, first distribution solenoid 2534, second distribution solenoid 2544, lottery loop solenoid 2558, striking piece drive motor 2561, gutter swing drive motor 2564, swing piece solenoid 2565, magnetic sensor 1030, vibration sensor 1040, etc.

[0543] The main control board 1310 also has a base monitor (not shown) consisting of four 7-segment LEDs. The base monitor can be seen from behind through the transparent board cover 1340. This base monitor displays the number of game balls B that are launched by the ball launching unit 450, shot into the game area 5a, ejected downward from the game board 5, and counted by being detected by the out ball sensor 505 provided in the circulating ball path unit 500 of the main body frame 4. The base monitor of this embodiment displays the number of game balls B (the number of balls that returned to the game hall) counted by the out ball sensor 505 after 100 shots are launched as a percentage.

[0544] [8-5. Function display unit] The function display unit 1400 on the gaming board 5 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figure 50 etc. The function display unit 1400 is attached to the upper left corner of the front component 1000 outside the gaming area 5a. When assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the function display unit 1400 can be seen from the front (player side) through the gaming window 101 of the door frame 3. This function display unit 1400 uses multiple LEDs based on control signals from the main control board 1310 to display the gaming status (game situation), the results of the lottery for normal symbols, the results of the lottery for special symbols, etc.

[0545] Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the function display unit 1400 is equipped with a status indicator consisting of three LEDs that displays the game status, a normal pattern indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the lottery results for the normal pattern drawn when game ball B is received into the normal winning port 2002, and a normal hold indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of holds related to the reception of game ball B into the normal winning port 2002.

[0546] The function display unit 1400 also includes a first special pattern display consisting of eight LEDs that displays the drawing result of the first special pattern drawn by receiving game ball B into the first starting port 2003, a first special reserve number display consisting of two LEDs that displays the reserve number related to receiving game ball B into the first starting port 2003, a second special pattern display consisting of eight LEDs that displays the drawing result of the second special pattern drawn by receiving game ball B into the second starting port 2004, and a second special reserve number display consisting of two LEDs that displays the reserve number related to receiving game ball B into the second starting port 2004.

[0547] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 is equipped with a round display consisting of five LEDs that displays the number of times (number of rounds) the opening and closing pattern of the large prize opening 2005 is repeated when the lottery result for the first special pattern or the lottery result for the second special pattern is a "win" or the like.

[0548] This functional display unit 1400 can display the number of reserved items, designs, etc. by turning on, off, blinking, etc. the provided LEDs as appropriate.

[0549] [8-6. Peripheral Control Unit] The peripheral control unit 1500 in the gaming board 5 will be described mainly with reference to Figure 53 etc. The peripheral control unit 1500 is provided behind the effect display device 1600, which is provided on the rear side of the rear box 3010 of the rear unit 3000. More specifically, the peripheral control unit 1500 is attached to the rear surface of a liquid crystal spacer 1610, which attaches the effect display device 1600 to the rear surface of the rear box 3010. The peripheral control unit 1500 includes a peripheral control board 1510 (see Figure 65) that controls the effects presented to the player based on control signals from the main control board 1310, and a peripheral control board box 1520 that houses the peripheral control board 1510. The peripheral control board 1510 includes a peripheral control unit 1511 for controlling light-emitting effects, sound effects, moving effects, etc., and an effect display control unit 1512 for controlling effect images.

[0550] The peripheral control board 1510 of the peripheral control unit 1500 is connected to the main control board 1310, the performance operation unit 250, various decorative boards on the door frame 3 side, the performance display device 1600, etc. (See Figure 65.) The peripheral control unit 1500 is attached to the rear of the performance display device 1600, details of which will be described later.

[0551] [8-7. Production display device] The effect display device 1600 on the gaming board 5 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55, etc. The effect display device 1600 is disposed in the center of the gaming area 5a when viewed from the front, and is attached to the rear side of the gaming panel 1100 via the rear box 3010 of the rear unit 3000. The effect display device 1600 is attached to the front of a liquid crystal spacer 1610 that is attached to the rear wall of the rear box 3010. Because the liquid crystal spacer 1610 is detachable from the rear box 3010, the effect display device 1600 can be attached and detached from the rear box 3010 via the liquid crystal spacer 1610. When the gaming board 5 is assembled, the effect display device 1600 can be seen from the front (player's side) through the transparent gaming panel 1100 and the frame of the frame-shaped center role device 2500.

[0552] The performance display device 1600 is a 15-inch full-color liquid crystal display device with a white LED backlight, and is attached in a landscape orientation to the front of the liquid crystal spacer 1610. The performance display device 1600 is connected to the peripheral control board 1510 and can display predetermined still images and videos.

[0553] The performance display device 1600 is mounted offset (eccentric) with its center positioned lower and right of the center of the liquid crystal spacer 1610 so that spaces are created above and to the left of the liquid crystal spacer 1610.

[0554] The liquid crystal spacer 1610 is formed in the shape of a transparent flat plate and is the same size as a 19-inch liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal spacer 1610 has two upper fixing pieces 1611 protruding upward from the upper end surface and one lower fixing piece 1612 protruding downward from the lower end surface. With the liquid crystal screen of the performance display device 1600 facing forward, this liquid crystal spacer 1610 is attached to the rear box 3010 by inserting the two upper fixing pieces 1611 from diagonally behind the rear box 3010 into two fixing grooves 3010c opening into the upper inner surface of an opening 3010a of the rear box 3010 (described later), and then moving the lower fixing piece 1612 forward to insert the lower fixing piece 1612 into the opening of the lock slider 3020, and sliding the lock slider 3020 to the left when viewed from behind.

[0555] [8-8. Overall structure of the table unit] The front unit 2000 of the gaming board 5 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The front unit 2000 is attached to the gaming panel 1100 from the front, with i...

Claims

[Claim 1] In a gaming machine having a decorative substrate on the front surface of which are mounted LEDs capable of lighting decoration in a plurality of light colors, The decorative substrate is contained in a decorative unit formed 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 side wall that covers the decorative substrate from the side, The side wall of the decorative unit is provided with a first opening and a second opening formed by cutting out a part of either the cover member or the base member, or both, that constitute the decorative unit; The first opening provided in the side wall of the decorative unit is formed to have the same shape and size as the second opening provided in the side wall of the decorative unit, The first opening and the second opening are respectively positioned on opposing short sides of the decorative substrate included in the decorative unit, and when the decorative substrate is viewed from the side, the LEDs of the decorative substrate on which the LEDs are mounted overlap with a portion of the space on the front side of the decorative substrate; When the first opening provided in the decorative unit is located at an upper position, the second opening is located below the first opening across the decorative substrate. A gaming machine characterized by:

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