gaming machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of downsizing a device.SOLUTION: Since a detection sensor 547 is disposed on the inner side of a rotating body 560 in the first direction view and the detection sensor 547 can be hidden by the rotating body 560, a separate shielding part that shields only the detection sensor 547 can be unnecessary and a rotation unit 500 can be downsized. Moreover, since the detection sensor 547 corresponding to each rotating body 560 can be provided while avoiding enlargement in the first direction view, the freedom degree of a performance can be increased. Furthermore, since the detection sensor 547 is provided on the inner side of the rotating body 560 in the first direction view, the freedom degree of a performance can be increased in which the rotating body 560 is rotated or stopped while maintaining the rotation unit 500 in a small size.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 26

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Equipped with components that form the flow area There is an amusement machine (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-159997 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional gaming machines described above, There is room for improvement in terms of optimally configuring the flow area. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, Properly configure the flow area The object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve this object, the gaming machine described in claim 1 is a gaming machine comprising a first flow-down area visible to a player and configured to allow game balls to flow down, a first component member configuring one side of the first flow-down area, a second component member configuring the other side of the first flow-down area, a second flow-down area of ​​which one side is configured to be visible to a player and allow game balls to flow down, and a third component member configuring at least a part of the other side of the second flow-down area, wherein the first flow-down area and the second flow-down area are configured continuously, and the third component member is separate from the second component member. a member fastened to the second component member, and the gaming machine is configured such that a first inclined portion is formed on the front side of the second component member above the position where the second component member and the third component member overlap in a front view, the first inclined portion being capable of displacing a gaming ball that has flowed down the first flow-down area in a predetermined manner toward the first component member, and a predetermined surface of the first component member that constitutes the one side is non-parallel to the first inclined portion, so that a gaming ball that abuts on the first inclined portion is displaced toward the predetermined surface, and a gaming ball that has flowed down the predetermined surface is displaced toward a second inclined portion formed on the third component member, a specific portion into which a predetermined portion of the third component member is fitted is provided on the second component member, the third component but The first component is not fitted to the first component. The third component member is not provided with an operating member that can come into contact with the game ball flowing down the second flow-down area. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the gaming machine of claim 1, Properly configure the flow area It is possible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of a pachinko machine. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board and the operating unit. [Figure 6]A front view of the left side performance unit. [Figure 7] 7A is a cross-sectional view of the left side production unit taken along line VIIa-VIIa in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the left side production unit taken along line VIIb-VIIb in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the game board taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the gaming machine taken along a line corresponding to line XX in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] A rear view of the right-side performance unit. [Figure 12] An exploded rear view of the right-side performance unit. [Figure 13] A disassembled front oblique view of the right-side performance unit. [Figure 14] An exploded rear oblique view of the right-side performance unit. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a first operating unit. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the first operating unit. [Figure 21] 10(a) and 10(b) are front perspective views of a composite action unit. [Figure 22] 10(a) and 10(b) are rear perspective views of the composite operation unit. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the combined action unit. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the combined action unit. [Figure 25] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotary unit. [Figure 26] FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotating left cover and the rotating body. [Figure 28] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of a rotating body and a rotating right cover portion. [Figure 29] 10(a) and 10(b) are exploded front perspective views of the composite action unit of the first action unit. [Figure 30] FIG. 2(a) is an exploded front perspective view of a portion of the configuration of the rotary unit, and FIG. 2(b) is a perspective view schematically showing a harness that constitutes the electrical wiring. [Figure 31] (a) is a top view of the guide member, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member and electrical wiring taken along line XXXIb-XXXIb in Figure 31(a), (c) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member and electrical wiring taken along line XXXIc-XXXIc in Figure 31(a), (d) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member taken along line XXXId-XXXId in Figure 31(a), and (e) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member and electrical wiring taken along line XXXIe-XXXIe in Figure 31(d). [Figure 32] 1A is a left side view of the combined action unit, FIG. 1B is a front view of the combined action unit, and FIG. 1C is a right side view of the combined action unit. [Figure 33] 1A is a left side view of the combined action unit, FIG. 1B is a front view of the combined action unit, and FIG. 1C is a right side view of the combined action unit. [Figure 34] 1A is a left side view of the combined action unit, FIG. 1B is a front view of the combined action unit, and FIG. 1C is a right side view of the combined action unit. [Figure 35] 10(a) to 10(f) are front views of the third pattern display device and the first operation unit, each showing the third pattern display device and the first operation unit in a schematic manner. [Figure 36] 10(a) and 10(b) are left side views of the detection sensor and the driven plate of the rotating right cover portion. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a second operating unit. [Figure 38] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a second operating unit. [Figure 39]FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the second operating unit. [Figure 40] FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of the second operating unit. [Figure 41] FIG. 10 is an exploded front perspective view of a second operating unit. [Figure 42] FIG. 10 is an exploded rear perspective view of the second operating unit. [Figure 43] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of a fixed base member, a displacement base member, a driving means, a transmission means, and a biasing means. [Figure 44] FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of a fixed base member, a displacement base member, a driving means, a transmission means, and a biasing means. [Figure 45] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the supported means and the connecting means. [Figure 46] FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of the supported means and the connecting means. [Figure 47] FIG. [Figure 48] FIG. [Figure 49] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second operating unit taken along a plane extending horizontally through the columnar fastening portion of the support means. FIG. [Figure 50] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 51] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 52] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 53] 10(a) to 10(c) are front views of the rotating arm member and the terminal gear. [Figure 54] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 55] FIG. 51 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second operating unit taken along the line LV-LV in FIG. 50. [Figure 56] 51 is a cross-sectional view of the second operating unit taken along line LVI-LVI in FIG. 50. [Figure 57] 52 is a cross-sectional view of the second operating unit taken along line LVII-LVII in FIG. 51. [Figure 58]53 is a cross-sectional view of the second operating unit taken along line LVIII-LVIII in FIG. 52. [Figure 59] 10(a) and 10(b) are partial cross-sectional views of the game board in the second embodiment taken along line XX in FIG. 9. [Figure 60] FIG. 10(a) is a front view of a second operating unit in a third embodiment, and FIG. 10(b) is a front perspective view of a small diameter collar. [Figure 61] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 62] An exploded front oblique view of the right-side performance unit in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 63] An exploded rear oblique view of the right-side performance unit. [Figure 64] FIG. 13 is a front view of a second operating unit in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 65] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 66] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. [Figure 67] FIG. 10 is a front view of a second operating unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 58, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "pachinko machine") 10 will be described as a first embodiment. Fig. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a front view of a game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

[0013] In the following explanation, the front side of the paper will be referred to as the front (front) side and the back side of the paper will be referred to as the rear (rear) side with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in Fig. 1. Also, with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in Fig. 1, the upper side will be referred to as the upper (upper) side, the lower side will be referred to as the lower (lower) side, the right side will be referred to as the right (right) side, and the left side will be referred to as the left (left) side. Furthermore, arrows UD, LR, and FB in the figure (see Fig. 2, for example) indicate the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-back direction of the pachinko machine 10, respectively.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, pachinko machine 10 comprises outer frame 11, an outer shell formed by wooden frames assembled into a substantially rectangular shape, and inner frame 12, which is formed to have substantially the same external shape as outer frame 11 and is supported so as to be able to open and close relative to outer frame 11. Metal hinges 18 are attached to outer frame 11 at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), in order to support inner frame 12, and inner frame 12 is supported so as to be able to open and close towards the front, with the side where hinges 18 are provided serving as the axis for opening and closing.

[0015] A game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having numerous nails and winning holes 63, 64, etc., is detachably attached to the back side of the inner frame 12. A pinball game is played by balls (game balls) flowing down the front of the game board 13. Attached to the inner frame 12 are a ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) that launches balls into the front area of ​​the game board 13, a launching rail (not shown) that guides the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a to the front area of ​​the game board 13, and the like.

[0016] On the front side of the inner frame 12, there is a front frame 14 that covers the upper front side, and a lower tray unit 15 that covers the lower side. To support the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15, metal hinges 19 are attached at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), and the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15 are supported so that they can be opened and closed toward the front, with the side where the hinges 19 are installed serving as the opening and closing axis. The locks on the inner frame 12 and the front frame 14 can be unlocked by inserting a dedicated key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a specified operation.

[0017] The front frame 14 is fitted with decorative resin parts, electrical parts, etc., and has a window 14c formed as a roughly oval opening in the approximate center. A glass unit 16 having two glass plates is disposed on the back side of the front frame 14, and the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

[0018] In the front frame 14, an upper tray 17 for storing balls is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top that protrudes toward the front, and prize balls, loan balls, etc. are discharged onto this upper tray 17. The bottom of the upper tray 17 is formed to slope downward to the right when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), and this slope guides balls dropped into the upper tray 17 to the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4). In addition, a frame button 22 is provided on the top surface of the upper tray 17. This frame button 22 is operated by the player, for example, to change the stage of the effect displayed on the third pattern display device 81 (see Figure 2) or to change the content of the super reach effect.

[0019] The front frame 14 is provided with various light-emitting devices such as lamps around its periphery (e.g., corners). These light-emitting devices change their light-emitting modes by lighting or blinking in response to changes in the game state, such as when a jackpot is hit or a predetermined reach is reached, thereby enhancing the presentation effects during play. The periphery of the window 14c is provided with illumination units 29-33 incorporating light-emitting devices such as LEDs. In the pachinko machine 10, these illumination units 29-33 function as presentation lamps, such as jackpot lamps. When a jackpot is hit or a reach presentation is being performed, the built-in LEDs cause each illumination unit 29-33 to light up or blink, thereby indicating that a jackpot is being achieved or that the player is in a reach phase just before a jackpot. Furthermore, the upper left corner of the front frame 14, as viewed from the front (see Figure 1), is provided with an indicator lamp 34 incorporating light-emitting devices such as LEDs, which can indicate when prize balls are being paid out and when an error has occurred.

[0020] Additionally, a small window 35 is formed by attaching transparent resin to the underside of the right-side illumination unit 32 from the backside so that the backside of the front frame 14 can be seen, and certificate stamps and the like affixed to the attachment space K1 (see Figure 2) on the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front of the pachinko machine 10. Additionally, in the pachinko machine 10, a plated member 36 made of chrome-plated ABS resin is attached to the area around the illumination units 29 to 33 to create a more dazzling appearance.

[0021] A ball dispensing operation unit 40 is disposed below the window 14c. The ball dispensing operation unit 40 is provided with a power display unit 41, a ball dispensing button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into a card unit (ball dispensing unit) (not shown) located on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are dispensed in accordance with the operation. Specifically, the power display unit 41 is an area where the remaining balance information of the card, etc. is displayed, and an internal LED lights up to display the remaining balance numerically as the remaining balance information. The ball dispensing button 42 is operated to obtain dispensed balls based on information recorded on a card, etc. (recording medium), and dispensed balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a remaining balance on the card, etc. The return button 43 is operated to request the return of a card, etc. inserted into the card unit. In addition, in pachinko machines where balls are directly dispensed from a ball dispensing device to the upper tray 17 without going through a card unit, i.e., in so-called cash machines, the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is not necessary, but in this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation part of the ball dispensing operation unit 40 to make the parts configuration common. It is possible to standardize pachinko machines that use card units and cash machines.

[0022] The lower tray unit 15, located below the upper tray 17, has a lower tray 50 on its left side, which is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top, for storing balls that cannot be stored in the upper tray 17. An operating handle 51 is provided on the right side of the lower tray 50, which is operated by the player to hit the ball into the front of the game board 13.

[0023] The operating handle 51 contains a touch sensor 51a for permitting the operation of the ball launching unit 112a, a launch stop switch 51b that stops the launch of balls while the switch is pressed, and a variable resistor (not shown) that detects the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51 by changes in electrical resistance. When the operating handle 51 is rotated clockwise by a player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes corresponding to the amount of rotation, launching the ball with a strength (launch strength) corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, thereby hitting the ball toward the front of the game board 13 at a distance corresponding to the player's operation. When the operating handle 51 is not being operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the launch stop switch 51b are off.

[0024] A ball ejection lever 52 is provided on the lower front portion of the lower tray 50 to be operated when ejecting balls stored in the lower tray 50 downward. This ball ejection lever 52 is always biased to the right, and by sliding it to the left against this bias, a bottom opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls fall naturally from the bottom opening and are ejected. This ball ejection lever 52 is usually operated with a box (commonly called a "senryo box") placed below the lower tray 50 to receive the balls ejected from the lower tray 50. As mentioned above, the operating handle 51 is disposed on the right side of the lower tray 50, and an ashtray 53 is attached to the left side of the lower tray 50.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling a number of nails (not shown) and windmills (not shown) for guiding balls to a base plate 60 cut into an approximately square shape when viewed from the front, as well as rails 61, 62, a general winning port 63, a first winning port 64, a second winning port 640, a variable winning device 65, a through gate 67, a variable display device unit 80, etc., and the peripheral portion of the board is attached to the back side (or front side) of the inner frame 12 (see Figure 1).

[0026] The base plate 60 is formed from a wooden plate member. The general winning opening 63, the first winning opening 64, the second winning opening 640, and the variable display unit 80 are arranged in through holes (see, for example, FIG. 5) formed in the base plate 60 by router processing, and are fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with tapping screws or the like. The base plate 60 may be made from a light-transmitting resin material. In this case, it becomes possible for the player to see the various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 from the front side.

[0027] The central front portion of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the inner frame 12 through a window portion 14c (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14. The configuration of the game board 13 will be described below mainly with reference to FIG.

[0028] An outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into a generally arcuate shape is set up on the front of the gaming board 13, and an inner rail 61, also formed from a strip-shaped metal plate like the outer rail 62, is set up inside the outer rail 62. The outer periphery of the front of the gaming board 13 is surrounded by the inner rail 61 and outer rail 62, and the front and back are surrounded by the gaming board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1), so that a gaming area where games are played based on the behavior of the ball is formed in front of the gaming board 13. The gaming area is an area (an area where winning slots and the like are arranged and where shot balls flow down) defined in front of the gaming board 13 by the two rails 61, 62 and the resin outer edge member 73 connecting the rails.

[0029] The two rails 61, 62 are provided to guide the ball launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4) to the top of the game board 13. A ball return prevention member 68 is attached to the tip (upper left in Figure 2) of the inner rail 61, preventing a ball that has been guided to the top of the game board 13 from returning into the ball guide passage. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip (upper right in Figure 2) of the outer rail 62 at a position corresponding to the maximum flight point of the ball, and a ball launched with more than a predetermined force hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back toward the center while its force is reduced.

[0030] First symbol display devices 37A and 37B, each equipped with a plurality of LEDs and a 7-segment display as light-emitting means, are disposed in the lower left portion of the game area as viewed from the front (lower left portion of FIG. 2). The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B display information according to the controls performed by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and primarily display the game status of the pachinko machine 10. In this embodiment, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B are configured to be selectively used depending on whether the ball has entered the first winning slot 64 or the second winning slot 640. Specifically, when the ball has entered the first winning slot 64, the first symbol display device 37A is activated, and when the ball has entered the second winning slot 640, the first symbol display device 37B is activated.

[0031] Furthermore, the first symbol display devices 37A, 37B use LEDs to indicate whether the pachinko machine 10 is in a probability variable, time-saving, or normal mode, whether it is fluctuating, whether the stopped symbol corresponds to a probability variable jackpot, a normal jackpot, or a missing symbol, and the number of reserved balls, and also display the number of rounds during a jackpot and errors using a 7-segment display device. The multiple LEDs are configured to emit different colors (e.g., red, green, blue), and the various game states of the pachinko machine 10 can be indicated using a small number of LEDs by combining different colors.

[0032] In this pachinko machine 10, a lottery is held when a prize is won in the first prize slot 64 or the second prize slot 640. In the lottery, the pachinko machine 10 determines whether or not a jackpot has been won (jackpot lottery), and if a jackpot has been determined, it also determines the type of jackpot. The types of jackpots that can be determined here include a 15R variable jackpot, a 4R variable jackpot, and a 15R regular jackpot. The first symbol display devices 37A, 37B not only show whether or not the result of the lottery is a jackpot as the stopped symbol after the variation has ended, but also display a symbol corresponding to the type of jackpot if a jackpot has been won.

[0033] Here, a "15R probability variable jackpot" refers to a probability variable jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15, and a "4R probability variable jackpot" refers to a probability variable jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 4. Also, a "15R normal jackpot" refers to a jackpot that transitions to a low probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15, and is in a time-saving state for a predetermined number of variations (for example, 100 variations).

[0034] Furthermore, the "high probability state" refers to a state in which the probability of a subsequent jackpot is increased as an added value after a jackpot, i.e., during a so-called probability fluctuation (probability change state). In other words, it refers to a game state in which a transition to a special game state is likely. In this embodiment, the high probability state (probability change state) includes a game state in which the probability of a second symbol (described later) is increased, making it more likely for a ball to enter the second winning slot 640. The "low probability state" refers to a state when the probability change state is not in a probability change state, in which the jackpot probability is normal, i.e., a state in which the jackpot probability is lower than during a probability change state. Furthermore, the time-saving state (time-saving state) within the "low probability state" refers to a game state in which the jackpot probability is normal, and the jackpot probability remains the same, but only the probability of a second symbol is increased, making it more likely for a ball to enter the second winning slot 640. On the other hand, the pachinko machine 10 is in a normal state when it is neither in a probability change state nor a time-saving state (a state in which neither the jackpot probability nor the probability of a second symbol is increased).

[0035] During the probability variation or time-saving mode, not only does the probability of winning the second symbol increase, but the time for which the electric device 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is opened is also changed and set to a longer time than during normal play. When the electric device 640a is in an open state (open state), the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 640 than when the electric device 640a is in a closed state (closed state). Therefore, during the probability variation or time-saving mode, the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 640, and the number of times the jackpot lottery is held can be increased.

[0036] During a probability variation or a time-saving period, instead of changing the opening time of the electric device 640a associated with the second winning slot 640, or in addition to changing the opening time, a change may be made to increase the number of times the electric device 640a opens per hit compared to normal times. Also, during a probability variation or a time-saving period, the probability of winning the second symbol may not be changed, but at least one of the time during which the electric device 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is opened and the number of times the electric device 640a opens per hit may be changed. Also, during a probability variation or a time-saving period, the time during which the electric device 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is opened and the number of times the electric device 640a opens per hit may not be changed, but only the probability of winning the second symbol may be changed to be higher compared to normal times.

[0037] The game area is provided with a plurality of general winning slots 63, through which 5 to 15 balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters the slot. A variable display device unit 80 is also provided in the center of the game area. The variable display device unit 80 includes a third symbol display device 81, which is comprised of a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply referred to as "display device") that displays a variable third symbol in synchronization with the variable display in the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, triggered by a winning (initial winning) in the first winning slot 64 and the second winning slot 640, and a second symbol display device (not shown) that is comprised of an LED that displays a variable second symbol in response to a ball passing through the through gate 67. A center frame 86 is also provided in the variable display device unit 80, surrounding the third symbol display device 81 in a front view.

[0038] The third symbol display device 81 is configured with a large liquid crystal display (LCD) of approximately 9 to 19 inches in size, and the display content is controlled by the display control device 114 (see FIG. 4), thereby displaying, for example, three symbol rows: top, middle, and bottom. Each symbol row is composed of multiple symbols (third symbols), and these third symbols are scrolled horizontally for each symbol row, so that the third symbols are variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. While the game status display associated with the control of the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4) is performed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the third symbol display device 81 of this embodiment performs decorative display corresponding to the display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B. Note that the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, reels instead of a display device.

[0039] The second symbol display device performs a variable display in which a "circle" symbol and an "x" symbol are alternately lit for a predetermined time as a display symbol (second symbol (not shown)) each time the ball passes through the through gate 67. In the pachinko machine 10, when it is detected that the ball has passed through the through gate 67, a winning lottery is held. If the result of the winning lottery is a winning lottery, the second symbol display device displays a static "circle" symbol after the second symbol is displayed in a variable manner. If the result of the winning lottery is a losing lottery, the second symbol display device displays a static "x" symbol after the third symbol is displayed in a variable manner.

[0040] The pachinko machine 10 is configured so that when the variable display on the second pattern display device stops at a predetermined pattern (in this embodiment, a "circle" pattern), the electric device 640a attached to the second winning slot 640 is activated (opened) for a predetermined period of time.

[0041] The time required for the second symbol to change is set to be shorter during a probability variation or time-saving mode than during a normal game state. As a result, the second symbol changes and changes over a shorter period of time during a probability variation or time-saving mode, allowing for more winning lotteries than during normal game states. This increases the chances of winning in the winning lottery, giving players more opportunities to open the electric device 640a of the second winning slot 640. Therefore, during a probability variation or time-saving mode, it is possible to create a state in which the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 640.

[0042] Note that, if the state is such that the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 640 during a probability variation or time-saving period by other methods, such as increasing the probability of winning or increasing the opening time or number of times that the electric device 640a opens for one win, the time it takes for the variable display of the second symbol may be kept constant regardless of the gaming state. On the other hand, if the time it takes for the variable display of the second symbol to be set shorter during a probability variation or time-saving period than during normal play, the probability of winning may be kept constant regardless of the gaming state, and the opening time or number of times that the electric device 640a opens for one win may be kept constant regardless of the gaming state.

[0043] The through gate 67 is attached to the game board 13 in the area to the right of the variable display unit 80, and is configured to allow a portion of the ball shot to the game board 13 to pass through. When the ball passes through the through gate 67, a lottery for a second symbol is held. After the lottery for a second symbol is held, a variable display is performed on the second symbol display device, and if the result of the lottery for a second symbol is a win, a "○" symbol is displayed as the stopping symbol of the variable display, and if the result of the lottery for a second symbol is a loss, an "X" symbol is displayed as the stopping symbol of the variable display.

[0044] The number of times that a ball passes through the through gate 67 can be reserved up to a maximum of four times in total, and the number of reserved balls is displayed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and is also displayed by lighting the second symbol reservation lamp (not shown). Four second symbol reservation lamps are provided, the number being the maximum number of reserved balls, and are arranged symmetrically below the third symbol display device 81.

[0045] In addition, the variable display of the second symbol may be performed by switching on and off a plurality of lamps in the second symbol display device as in this embodiment, or may be performed using a part of the first symbol display device 37A, 37B and the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, the lighting of the second symbol reservation lamp may be performed by a part of the third symbol display device 81.

[0046] Furthermore, the maximum number of balls that can be retained for passing through the through gate 67 is not limited to four, but may be set to three or less, or five or more (e.g., eight). Furthermore, the number of through gates 67 that can be installed is not limited to one, but may be, for example, two.

[0047] In addition, the installation position of the through gate 67 is not limited to the right side of the variable display unit 80, but may be, for example, on the left, right, or bottom of the variable display unit 80. In addition, since the number of reserved balls is displayed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the second symbol reserved lamp may not be illuminated.

[0048] A first winning hole 64, into which a ball can win, is disposed below the variable display unit 80. When a ball wins in this first winning hole 64, a first winning hole switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the first winning hole switch is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is held in the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37A.

[0049] On the other hand, a second winning opening 640 into which a ball can enter is disposed below the first winning opening 64 as viewed from the front. When a ball enters this second winning opening 640, a second winning opening switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the second winning opening switch is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is conducted by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37B.

[0050] Furthermore, each of the first winning slot 64 and the second winning slot 640 is also one of the winning slots from which five balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters the slot. In this embodiment, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 is the same as the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning slot 640, but the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning slot 640 may be different; for example, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 may be three, and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning slot 640 may be five.

[0051] An electric device 640a is attached to the second winning opening 640. This electric device 640a is configured to be able to open and close, and is normally in a closed state (reduced state), making it difficult for the ball to win into the second winning opening 640. On the other hand, when a "○" symbol is displayed on the second symbol display device as a result of the variable display of the second symbol, which is triggered by the passage of the ball through the through gate 67, the electric device 640a is in an open state (expanded state), making it easier for the ball to win into the second winning opening 640.

[0052] As mentioned above, during the probability variation and time-saving mode, the probability of winning the second symbol is higher than during normal play, and the time it takes for the second symbol to change is shorter, so the "○" symbol is more likely to appear in the change display of the second symbol, and the number of times that the electric device 640a is in the open state (expanded state) increases. Furthermore, during the probability variation and time-saving mode, the time that the electric device 640a is open is longer than during normal play. Therefore, during the probability variation and time-saving mode, it is possible to create an environment in which the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 640 than during normal play.

[0053] Here, the probability of winning a jackpot when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 and when a ball enters the second winning slot 640 is the same in both low and high probability states. However, the probability of a 15R probability jackpot being selected as the type of jackpot when a jackpot occurs is set higher when a ball enters the second winning slot 640 than when a ball enters the first winning slot 64. On the other hand, the first winning slot 64 does not have the electric device 640a that the second winning slot 640 has, and the ball is always able to win a prize.

[0054] Therefore, under normal circumstances, the electric device 640a associated with the second winning slot 640 is often in a closed state, making it difficult to win at the second winning slot 640. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for the first winning slot 64, which does not have the electric device 640a, by firing the ball so that it passes to the left of the variable display device unit 80 (the so-called "left shot"), thereby gaining more opportunities to win the jackpot by winning at the first winning slot 64.

[0055] On the other hand, during the special rate or time-saving period, passing the ball through the through gate 67 tends to open the electric device 640a attached to the second winning slot 640, making it easier to win at the second winning slot 640. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to shoot the ball towards the second winning slot 640 so that it passes to the right of the variable display device 80 (the so-called "right hit"), pass through the through gate 67 to open the electric device 640a, and aim for the ball to win at the second winning slot 640, resulting in a 15R special rate jackpot.

[0056] Unlike the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment, if the configuration of the game board 13 is symmetrical, it is possible to aim for the first winning slot 64 by "hitting to the right" and for the second winning slot 640 by "hitting to the left." Therefore, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment does not require the player to change the way the ball is shot between "hitting to the left" and "hitting to the right" depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in a probability variation mode, a time-saving mode, or a normal mode). Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the hassle of changing the way the ball is shot.

[0057] On the other hand, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment is configured so that a "right hit" cannot aim at the first winning slot 64, and a ball shot by a "left hit" does not pass through the through gate 67. Therefore, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment can request the player to change the way the ball is shot between "left hit" and "right hit" depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in a probability variation mode, a time-saving mode, or a normal mode). Therefore, adding a game feature that changes the way the ball is shot can prevent the game from becoming sluggish.

[0058] A variable winning device 65 (see FIG. 2) is disposed to the right of the first winning opening 64, and a specific winning opening 65a is disposed in its approximate center. In the pachinko machine 10, when a jackpot lottery held due to a winning entry into the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 640 results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (variable time) has elapsed, the first symbol display device 37A or the first symbol display device 37B is illuminated to display a jackpot stop symbol, and the stop symbol corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the third symbol display device 81, indicating the occurrence of a jackpot. The game state then transitions to a special game state (jackpot) in which balls are more likely to win. In this special game state, the specific winning opening 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds have elapsed or until 10 balls have won).

[0059] This specific winning opening 65a is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed, and after that closure, the specific winning opening 65a is opened again for a predetermined time. The opening and closing operation of this specific winning opening 65a can be repeated up to, for example, 15 times (15 rounds). The state in which this opening and closing operation is being performed is one form of a special game state that is advantageous to the player, and the player is paid out a larger number of prize balls than usual as an added gaming value (game value).

[0060] The special game state is not limited to the above-described form. A large opening that opens and closes separately from the specific winning opening 65a may be provided in the game area, and when an LED corresponding to a jackpot is lit in the first symbol display device 37A, 37B, the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time. While the specific winning opening 65a is open, a ball entering the specific winning opening 65a triggers the large opening provided separately from the specific winning opening 65a to open for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times, thereby forming a special game state. The number of specific winning openings 65a is not limited to one, and one or more (e.g., three) may be provided. The location of the opening is not limited to the right of the first winning opening 64, but may also be, for example, below the right side of the first winning opening 64, below the left side of the first winning opening 64, or to the left or right of or above the variable display unit 80.

[0061] An attachment space K1 is provided in the right corner of the lower side of the game board 13 for attaching stamps, identification labels, etc., and the stamps, etc. attached to the attachment space K1 can be seen through a small window 35 in the front frame 14 (see Figure 1).

[0062] The game board 13 is provided with an outlet 71. Balls that flow down the game area but do not win in any of the winning holes 63, 64, 65a, 640 are guided through the outlet 71 to a ball discharge path (not shown). The outlets 71 are arranged in pairs on the left and right of the second winning hole 640.

[0063] The game board 13 has many nails planted thereon to appropriately distribute and adjust the direction in which the balls fall, and is also provided with various components (apparatuses) such as windmills.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 3, the rear side of the pachinko machine 10 is mainly equipped with control board units 90, 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is a unit equipped with a main board (main control device 110), a voice lamp control board (voice lamp control device 113), and a display control board (display control device 114). The control board unit 91 is a unit equipped with a payout control board (payout control device 111), a launch control board (launch control device 112), a power supply board (power supply device 115), and a card unit connection board 116.

[0065] The back pack unit 94 is a unit consisting of the back pack 92 that forms the protective cover and the payout unit 93. In addition, each control board is equipped with an MPU as a one-chip microcomputer that controls each function, ports for communicating with various devices, a random number generator used in various lotteries, a clock pulse generating circuit used for time counting and synchronization, etc. as needed.

[0066] The main control device 110, the voice lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114, the payout control device 111 and the launch control device 112, the power supply device 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are each housed in board boxes 100 to 104. The board boxes 100 to 104 are equipped with a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and the box cover are connected to each other to house the respective control devices and boards.

[0067] Furthermore, the board box 100 (main control device 110) and the board box 102 (dispensing control device 111 and launch control device 112) have their box bases and box covers connected (connected by a crimping structure) by a sealing unit (not shown) so that they cannot be opened. A sealing seal (not shown) is attached to the connecting portion between the box base and the box cover, spanning the box base and the box cover. This sealing seal is made of a brittle material, and if an attempt is made to peel off the sealing seal to open the board box 100, 102 or to forcibly open the board box 100, 102, it will be cut into the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or sealing seal, it is possible to know whether the board box 100, 102 has been opened.

[0068] The payout unit 93 comprises a tank 130 located at the top of the back pack unit 94 and opening upward, a tank rail 131 connected to the bottom of the tank 130 and gently sloping downstream, a case rail 132 connected vertically to the downstream side of the tank rail 131, and a payout device 133 provided at the most downstream part of the case rail 132 and dispensing balls using a predetermined electrical configuration of a payout motor 216 (see Figure 4). The tank 130 is successively replenished with balls supplied from the island equipment of the gaming hall, and the payout device 133 appropriately dispenses the required number of balls. A vibrator 134 is attached to the tank rail 131 to impart vibrations to the tank rail 131.

[0069] In addition, the payout control device 111 is provided with a state restoration switch 120, the firing control device 112 is provided with a variable resistor operation knob 121, and the power supply device 115 is provided with a RAM deletion switch 122. The state restoration switch 120 is operated to resolve ball jamming (return to normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as ball jamming in the payout motor 216 (see Figure 4). The operation knob 121 is operated to adjust the firing force of the firing solenoid. The RAM deletion switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on to return the pachinko machine 10 to its initial state.

[0070] Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

[0071] The main control device 110 is equipped with an MPU 201, which is a one-chip microcomputer that is an arithmetic device. The MPU 201 contains a ROM 202 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 201, a RAM 203 that is a memory for temporarily storing various data when the control programs stored in the ROM 202 are executed, and various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit. The main control device 110 uses the MPU 201 to execute the main processes of the pachinko machine 10, such as drawing a jackpot, setting the display on the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and the third symbol display device 81, and drawing the display result on the second symbol display device.

[0072] In addition, in order to instruct sub-controllers such as the dispensing control unit 111 and the voice lamp control unit 113 to operate, various commands are sent from the main control unit 110 to the sub-controllers via a data transmission / reception circuit, but such commands are sent only in one direction from the main control unit 110 to the sub-controllers.

[0073] The RAM 203 has various areas, counters, flags, a stack area for storing the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 201 and return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 201, and a work area (working region) for storing values ​​of various flags, counters, I / O, etc. The RAM 203 is configured so that it can retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 203 is backed up.

[0074] When the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, the stack pointer and the values ​​of each register at the time of the power outage (including the time of the power outage; the same applies below) are stored in RAM 203. On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including the time of the power being turned on after the power outage is resolved; the same applies below), the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power outage based on the information stored in RAM 203. Writing to RAM 203 is executed by main processing (not shown) when the power supply is turned off, and the restoration of each value written to RAM 203 is executed in start-up processing (not shown) when the power supply is turned on. Note that, when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal SG1 is input to the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of MPU 201 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252, and when the power outage signal SG1 is input to MPU 201, NMI interrupt processing (not shown) is immediately executed as a power outage processing.

[0075] An input / output port 205 is connected to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 via a bus line 204 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 205 is connected to the payout control device 111, the sound lamp control device 113, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the second symbol display device, the second symbol hold lamp, and solenoids 209 consisting of a large opening solenoid for driving the opening / closing plate of the specific winning port 65a to open and close in the front-rear direction, and a solenoid for driving the electric role device 640a, and the like, and the MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input / output port 205.

[0076] In addition, the input / output port 205 is connected to various switches 208 consisting of a group of switches (not shown) and a group of sensors including a slide position detection sensor S and a rotation position detection sensor R, as well as a RAM erasure switch circuit 253 (described below) provided in the power supply device 115, and the MPU 201 performs various processes based on signals output from the various switches 208 and a RAM erasure signal SG2 output from the RAM erasure switch circuit 253.

[0077] The payout control device 111 controls the payout of prize balls and loan balls by driving a payout motor 216. The MPU 211, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 212 that stores control programs executed by the MPU 211, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 213 that is used as a work memory, etc.

[0078] The RAM 213 of the payout control device 111, like the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, has a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 211 are stored, and a work area (working region) in which values ​​of various flags, counters, I / O, etc. are stored. The RAM 213 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. Like the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is also configured to receive a power outage signal SG1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like. When the power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, an NMI interrupt process (not shown) is immediately executed as a power outage process.

[0079] An input / output port 215 is connected to the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 via a bus line 214 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 215 is connected to the main control device 110, payout motor 216, launch control device 112, etc. Also, although not shown, a prize ball detection switch for detecting paid-out prize balls is connected to the payout control device 111. Note that this prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111 but is not connected to the main control device 110.

[0080] When the main control device 110 issues an instruction to launch a ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a is equipped with a launch solenoid and electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and electromagnet are permitted to operate when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operating handle 51, and when the launch stop switch 51b for stopping the ball launch is off (not operated), the launch solenoid is excited in accordance with the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51, and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51.

[0081] The audio lamp control device 113 controls the output of audio from the audio output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the output of lighting and extinguishing from the lamp display device (such as the illumination units 29 to 33 and the display lamp 34) 227, and the setting of the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 performed by the display control device 114, such as variable performance (variable display) and advance notice performance. The MPU 221, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 222 that stores control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 221, and a RAM 223 used as a work memory, etc.

[0082] An input / output port 225 is connected to the MPU 221 of the audio and lamp control device 113 via a bus line 224 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, display control device 114, audio output device 226, lamp display device 227, other devices 228, frame button 22, etc. are connected to the input / output port 225. The other devices 228 include drive motors 441, 541, 731 and an electromagnetic solenoid 2086d.

[0083] The voice lamp control device 113 determines the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 based on various commands (variation pattern command, stop type command, etc.) received from the main control device 110, and notifies the display control device 114 of the determined display mode by commands (display variation pattern command, display stop type command, etc.). The voice lamp control device 113 also monitors input from the frame button 22, and when the player operates the frame button 22, instructs the display control device 114 to change the stage displayed on the third symbol display device 81 or change the performance content during a super reach. When the stage is changed, the voice lamp control device 113 transmits a back image change command including information about the changed stage to the display control device 114 so that the third symbol display device 81 displays a back image corresponding to the changed stage. Here, the back image refers to an image displayed behind the third symbol, which is the main image displayed on the third symbol display device 81. The display control device 114 displays various images on the third symbol display device 81 in accordance with the commands transmitted from the voice lamp control device 113.

[0084] Furthermore, the voice lamp control device 113 receives a command (display command) representing the display content of the third pattern display device 81 from the display control device 114. Based on the display command received from the display control device 114, the voice lamp control device 113 outputs a voice corresponding to the display content from the voice output device 226 in accordance with the display content of the third pattern display device 81, and also controls the turning on and off of the lamp display device 227 in accordance with the display content.

[0085] The display control device 114 is connected to the voice lamp control device 113 and the third pattern display device 81, and controls the display of the third pattern display device 81, such as the variable performance of the third pattern, based on commands received from the voice lamp control device 113. The display control device 114 also transmits display commands to the voice lamp control device 113 as appropriate, notifying the display content of the third pattern display device 81. The voice lamp control device 113 can match the display of the third pattern display device 81 with the voice output from the voice output device 226 by outputting voice from the voice output device 226 in accordance with the display content indicated by the display command.

[0086] The power supply device 115 includes a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each component of the pachinko machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruptions due to power outages and the like, and a RAM erasure switch circuit 253 provided with a RAM erasure switch 122 (see FIG. 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltages to each of the control devices 110-114, etc., via a power supply path (not shown). Briefly, the power supply unit 251 takes in 24-volt AC voltage supplied from an external source, generates 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as the various switches 208, solenoids such as the solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies the necessary voltages to each of the control devices 110-114, etc.

[0087] The power outage monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit for outputting a power outage signal SG1 to each NMI terminal of the MPU 201 of the main control unit 110 and the MPU 211 of the dispensing control device 111 when power is cut off due to a power outage or other reason. The power outage monitoring circuit 252 monitors the 24-volt DC stabilized voltage, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251, and if this voltage falls below 22 volts, it determines that a power outage (power outage, power interruption) has occurred and outputs the power outage signal SG1 to the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control device 111. By outputting the power outage signal SG1, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control device 111 recognize the occurrence of a power outage and execute NMI interrupt processing. Note that the power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the 5-volt voltage, which is the drive voltage of the control system, at a normal value for a sufficient time to execute NMI interrupt processing, even after the 24-volt DC stabilized voltage falls below 22 volts. Therefore, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111 can execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (not shown) normally.

[0088] The RAM clearing switch circuit 253 is a circuit for outputting a RAM clearing signal SG2 to the main control device 110 to clear the backup data when the RAM clearing switch 122 (see FIG. 3) is pressed. When the main control device 110 inputs the RAM clearing signal SG2 when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on, it clears the backup data and sends a payout initialization command to the payout control device 111 to clear the backup data in the payout control device 111.

[0089] Next, a description will be given of the structure of the game board 13 and the operation unit 300. Figure 5 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 300. Note that in the description of Figure 5, Figure 2 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0090] As described above, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling a number of nails (not shown) and windmills (not shown) for guiding balls onto a base plate 60 that has been machined into a roughly square shape when viewed from the front, as well as rails 61, 62, a general winning opening 63, a first winning opening 64, a second winning opening 640, a through gate 67, a variable winning device 65, a variable display device unit 80, a center frame 86 that is shaped so that it can be fitted from the front into a window 60a opened in the base plate 60, a left-side presentation unit 150 that is positioned at the lower left of the center frame 86 and is configured so that it can guide balls to the general winning opening 63, a right-side presentation unit 160 that is equipped with the variable winning device 65 and is shaped so that it can be fitted from the front into a small window 60b opened in the base plate 60, and a ball flow-down unit (not shown) that is configured so that balls discharged from the game area can flow down, and the peripheral portion of this unit is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12 (see Figure 1).

[0091] The center frame 86, the left side presentation unit 150 and the right side presentation unit 160 are arranged in through holes formed in the base plate 60 by router processing, and are fixed to the base plate 60 from the front side of the game board 13 by tapping screws or the like.

[0092] The base plate 60 is made of wooden plywood made by layering plywood sheets, and is configured to be able to shield various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 from the front side so that they cannot be seen by the player, except for openings such as the window section 60a and small window section 60b.

[0093] As shown in Figure 5, the left-side performance unit 150 is a unit formed from a light-transmitting resin material, and mainly comprises an upper plate portion 151 arranged along the front of the base plate 60 and formed in a plate-like shape with the same width as the inner rail 61, a lower plate portion 152 extending downward from the left end of the upper plate portion 151 in a plate-like shape with the same width as the upper plate portion 151, an opposing plate portion 153 formed in a flat plate-like shape that is connected to the rear end of the lower plate portion 152 and the rear end of the upper plate portion 151 and is arranged opposite the front of the base plate 60 in a state of face-to-face contact, a plurality of members fastened and fixed to the front side of the opposing plate portion 153, a ball guide member 154 in the shape of a bottomed semi-cylindrical cylinder with a bottom on the front side and open upward, and a plurality of protrusion portions 155 formed in a protrusion shape extending upward from the upper surface of the lower plate portion 152 at a position below the ball guide member 154.

[0094] In the portion of the base plate 60 facing the left-side performance unit 150, no openings are formed except for an opening corresponding to the general winning opening 63. This makes it possible to prevent displacement (deformation) of the opposing plate portion 153 by utilizing the rigidity of the base plate 60, and therefore makes it possible to stabilize the flow of balls down the front side of the opposing plate portion 153 regardless of the thickness of the opposing plate portion 153.

[0095] In addition, in this embodiment, the opposing plate portion 153 is disposed on the rear side of the path along which balls that have been determined not to enter the general winning opening 63 (nor the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 640) flow, deviating from the ball guide member 154. This reduces the effect of the opposing plate portion 153 on the flow pattern of balls that may enter the winning openings 63, 64, 640.

[0096] In this embodiment, although the base plate 60 is configured to be formed from a wooden plate member, it is possible for the player to see light irradiated toward the front side from an illumination device (for example, the LED member 544 of the rotation unit 500, see FIG. 25) arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 through the opening corresponding to the general winning opening 63. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform a light-emitting effect in which only the ball guide member 154 arranged corresponding to the general winning opening 63 emits light, without emitting light from the surrounding opposing plate portion 153, upper plate portion 151, etc.

[0097] That is, for example, even if the distance between the light emitting means and the ball guide member 154 is large, the light is narrowed by the opening formed in the base plate 60 at the position corresponding to the general winning opening 63, so it is possible to perform a light emitting effect in which only the ball guide member 154 is illuminated. Therefore, even without providing a light emitting means dedicated to illuminating the ball guiding member 154, it is possible to perform a light emitting effect in which the ball guiding member 154 is illuminated by making the light emitted from the LED member 544 (see FIG. 25) of the rotation unit 500, which will be described later, reach the opening formed in the base plate 60 at the position corresponding to the general winning opening 63.

[0098] This makes it possible to easily highlight a location in the game area where a player can benefit if the ball reaches the location (for example, general winning hole 63). The left side performance unit 150 will be described in detail below.

[0099] Figure 6 is a front view of the left-side performance unit 150. As shown in Figure 6, the protrusion 155 is a portion formed in a protruding shape from the upper surface of the lower plate 152 in the front-to-rear direction, and includes a first protrusion 156 disposed on the more upstream side, and a second protrusion 157 disposed on the downstream side of the first protrusion 156. The first protrusion 156 and the second protrusion 157 have different shapes (protrusion manner), but the basic concept is the same, so the shape of the first protrusion 156 will be described in detail, and the second protrusion 157 will be described with the differences from the first protrusion 156, and a detailed description will be omitted.

[0100] The first ridge portion 156 is configured with four ridges of approximately the same shape arranged in a staircase pattern. Because the ridges are formed with approximately the same shape in the front-to-rear direction, they can come into contact with the ball regardless of its front-to-rear position, thereby slowing down the ball.

[0101] Each protrusion is disposed in one of four equal left-right sections of the area vertically below ball guide member 154. That is, since the area vertically below ball guide member 154 is formed with a left-right width of approximately 16 mm, each protrusion is formed with a left-right width of approximately 4 mm.

[0102] Each protrusion is configured so that its vertical dimension gradually decreases toward the downstream side. This difference in vertical length is achieved by adjusting the vertical length of the right side 156c of the protrusion. Therefore, the top side 156a and curved portion 156b of each protrusion are identical in shape. Details of the top side 156a, curved portion 156b, and right side 156c will be described later.

[0103] As described above, the difference in the vertical length of each protrusion is created by adjusting the vertical length of the right side portion 156c of the protrusion, so the first protrusion portion 156 is formed in a stepped shape with the same step width but the vertical dimensions of each step becoming smaller as you go down.

[0104] In particular, the difference in vertical dimension between the leftmost protrusion and the adjacent protrusion to the right is greatest (approximately 0.35 mm), and the difference in vertical dimension between adjacent protrusions thereafter is about half (approximately 0.16 to 0.18 mm). The vertical dimension of each protrusion will be described later.

[0105] This configuration maximizes the deceleration effect on a ball flowing downstream from the upstream side of the first ridge portion 156 at the first ridge (the leftmost ridge) and gradually decreases with each subsequent ridge. This allows the ball to be adequately loaded at multiple locations, allowing the ball to be sufficiently decelerated without causing localized overload (stress concentration). Additionally, compared to when the deceleration effect is constant for each ridge, the deceleration effect can be more easily adapted to changes in the speed (decrease in speed) of the ball rolling on the first ridge portion 156. This avoids excessive deceleration and makes it easier to prevent the ball from stopping unintentionally.

[0106] In the second protrusion 157 described below, the difference in vertical dimension between adjacent protrusions is all equal (approximately 0.11 mm), and the leftmost protrusion is not configured to have a significantly larger vertical dimension. The vertical dimension of each protrusion will be described later. This is intended to minimize the inclination of the lower plate 152 relative to the horizontal so that it is not necessary to significantly decelerate the ball, and to prevent damage to the second protrusion 157, as will be described in detail later.

[0107] 6, the outline of the game ball B1 abutting on the curved portion 156b of the upstream protrusion and the upper side portion 156a of the downstream protrusion at the position where the vertical distance between the adjacent protrusions is smallest is shown by imaginary lines. As shown in FIG. 6, the center (center of gravity) of the game ball B1 is located to the right of the right end of the upper side portion 156a.

[0108] When the positioning of the game ball that abuts at the same two points is changed by changing the abutting protrusion, the more upstream the abutting protrusion is, the larger the vertical dimension of the upstream protrusion will be, so the game ball will be positioned further to the right, and naturally the center (center of gravity) of game ball B1 will be positioned to the right of the right end of the upper edge portion 156a.

[0109] Therefore, when the game ball B1 is placed in a state sandwiched between adjacent protrusions, the weight of the game ball is directed in the direction of rolling downstream over the multiple protrusions, thereby preventing the game ball from coming to a stop in a state sandwiched between adjacent protrusions.

[0110] A detailed description will be given of the configuration of each ridge provided on the first ridge portion 156. Each ridge has an upper side portion 156a extending from the left end at a downward incline relative to the horizontal direction, a curved portion 156b formed continuously from the right end of the upper side portion 156a, and a right side portion 156c extending downward in the vertical direction from the lower right end of the curved portion 156b.

[0111] The upper side 156a is configured as a flat surface that slopes downward relative to the horizontal when viewed from the front and extends in a planar manner from front to back, making it easier to prevent balls rolling on the upper surface from stopping unintentionally. The length of the upper side 156a when viewed from the front is 3.15 mm, the angle of inclination of the upper side 156a relative to the horizontal is approximately 7 degrees, and the angle relative to the lower plate 152 is approximately 35 degrees.

[0112] Curved portion 156b is a curved surface configured in a curved shape with a radius of approximately 1 mm when viewed from the front, and serves to assist the rolling of the ball. That is, compared to when curved portion 156b is configured as a corner, it is possible to maintain contact between the ball and the protrusion, making it easier to maintain the rolling state, and therefore maintaining the effect of decelerating the ball.

[0113] The lengths of the lower side 156c are designed to be approximately 1.42 mm, approximately 1.58 mm, approximately 1.76 mm, and approximately 2.11 mm, respectively, from the downstream side. As a result, the vertical dimensions of each protrusion are designed to be approximately 2.80 mm, approximately 2.96 mm, approximately 3.14 mm, and approximately 3.49 mm, respectively, from the downstream side.

[0114] The lower side 156c extends vertically in a front view and is configured as a flat surface that extends in a planar manner in the front-to-rear direction, thereby preventing the ball from being displaced against the slope of the lower plate 152. This makes it easier for a ball that attempts to displace in a direction away from the outlet 71 (see FIG. 2) to flow down toward the outlet 71.

[0115] The angle of the lower side portion 156c with respect to the horizontal direction is approximately 90 degrees, and the angle with respect to the lower plate portion 152 is approximately 56 degrees. In this manner, the angle of inclination of the protrusion with respect to the lower plate portion 152 on the downstream side is configured to be larger than the angle with respect to the lower plate portion 152 on the upstream side.

[0116] This reduces the change in the inclination angle of the rolling surface for balls reaching the ridge from the upstream side, causing a small deceleration effect that does not stop the ball, while increasing the change in the inclination angle of the rolling surface for balls reaching the ridge from the downstream side, effectively reducing the speed of the ball heading upstream and making it easier for the ball to flow downstream.

[0117] The second protrusions 157 are configured so that the vertical width of each protrusion is shorter than that of the first protrusions 156, and this difference is caused by varying the length of the right side 156c of the second protrusions 157. Therefore, the shape and inclination angle (i.e., approximately 7 degrees) of the upper side 156a relative to the horizontal direction, the shape of the curved portion 156b, etc. are configured similarly for each protrusion.

[0118] On the other hand, the lower plate portion 152 is configured in a curved shape with the center of the radius of curvature located on the upper right side, and the inclination angle (inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction) near the second protrusion portion 157 is smaller than the inclination angle (inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction) near the first protrusion portion 156, so the angle between each protrusion of the second protrusion portion 157 and the lower plate portion 152 is different from that described above for the first protrusion portion 156.

[0119] That is, the length of the upper side 156a of the second protrusion 157 in a front view is 3.15 mm, the angle of the upper side 156a relative to the lower plate 152 is approximately 19 degrees, and the angle of the right side 156c relative to the lower plate 152 is approximately 70 degrees. In this way, the angle of inclination of the protrusion relative to the lower plate 152 on the downstream side is greater than the angle relative to the lower plate 152 on the upstream side, which is greater than the above-mentioned numerical values ​​for the first protrusion 156.

[0120] As a result, more than the first protrusion portion 156 described above, the change in the inclination angle of the rolling surface is reduced for balls reaching the protrusion from the upstream side, causing a small deceleration effect that does not cause the ball to stop, while the change in the inclination angle of the rolling surface is increased for balls reaching the protrusion from the downstream side, effectively reducing the speed of the ball heading upstream and making it easier for the ball to flow downstream.

[0121] The lengths of the lower side 156c of the second protrusion 157 are designed to be approximately 0.16 mm, approximately 0.27 mm, approximately 0.38 mm, and approximately 0.49 mm, respectively, from the downstream side. As a result, the vertical dimensions of each protrusion are designed to be approximately 1.54 mm, approximately 1.65 mm, approximately 1.76 mm, and approximately 1.87 mm, respectively, from the downstream side.

[0122] The vertical dimension of each ridge of the second ridge portion 157 is shorter than that of the first ridge portion 156, and the difference in the vertical dimension between adjacent ridges is all equal (approximately 0.11 mm). In other words, the leftmost ridge does not have a significantly larger vertical dimension, which makes it possible to uniformly decelerate the balls rolling on the upper surface, and by taking measures to address the weakness of the left end, it is possible to improve the durability of the second ridge portion.

[0123] The left side performance unit 150 is equipped with a diffusion section 158 that has a diffusion shape that can diffuse light formed on the front end surfaces of the upper plate section 151 and the lower plate section 152. The diffusion section 158 diffuses light that reaches the left side performance unit 150 from the front side through the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1) and light that reaches it from the top, bottom, left, right, or back side, allowing the player to see linear light and improving the performance effect.

[0124] The diffusion portion 158 is also formed on the front end surfaces of the first ridge portion 156 and the second ridge portion 157, so that the diffusion portion 158 can be made wider in parts. This makes it possible to make the width of the light visible at the first ridge portion 156 and the second ridge portion 157 wider than the width of the light visible around them (places where neither the first ridge portion 156 nor the second ridge portion 157 is formed).

[0125] Furthermore, the maximum width of light visible at the diffusion portion 158 on the front side of the first protrusion 156 can be made larger than the maximum width of light visible at the diffusion portion 158 on the front side of the second protrusion 157. More specifically, the width of light visible at the diffusion portion 158 can be changed in stages in accordance with the vertical dimension of each of the above-mentioned protrusions, and the vertical dimension of the protrusion with the smallest vertical dimension among the first protrusion 156 is larger than the vertical dimension of the protrusion with the largest vertical dimension among the second protrusion 157. Therefore, the width of light visible at the diffusion portion 158 on the front side of the first protrusion 156 can be made larger than the width of light visible at the diffusion portion 158 on the front side of the second protrusion 157.

[0126] This allows the degree of attention of the player viewing the left-side performance unit 150 to be varied for each range. That is, the second protrusion 157 attracts a higher degree of attention than an area that is neither the first protrusion 156 nor the second protrusion 157, and the first protrusion 156 attracts a higher degree of attention than the second protrusion 157.

[0127] Above the first protrusion 156 and second protrusion 157, which attract a high degree of attention, a ball guide member 154 is disposed corresponding to the general winning opening 63. Since the player's basic gaming posture is to look down on the general winning opening 63 and the ball guide member 154 disposed in front of it, there is a high possibility that the first protrusion 156 and second protrusion 157, which are disposed below the ball guide member 154, will come within the player's field of vision.

[0128] Furthermore, by increasing the attention to the first protrusion 156 and the second protrusion 157 (by illuminating them with light), it becomes easier for the player to grasp the left and right positions of the general winning opening 63. This makes it easier to draw attention to the general winning opening 63 and the ball guide member 154 arranged on the front side thereof.

[0129] In other words, according to this embodiment, the attention to the general winning opening 63 and the ball guide member 154 can be improved (made more noticeable) by increasing the attention to the first protrusion portion 156 and the second protrusion portion 157 without directly making the general winning opening 63 and the ball guide member 154 shine or decorate them in a flashy manner.

[0130] Furthermore, the width of the light visible through the diffusion portion 158 is configured to change depending on the vertical dimension of each ridge, but because the vertical dimension of the ridge at the left end of the first ridge portion 156 is configured to be significantly larger, it has the effect of strongly attracting the player's gaze. This makes it possible to increase the attention-grabbing power of the ridge at the left end of the first ridge portion 156, which is the most upstream position where a ball flowing down from the upstream side of the upper plate portion 151 lands.

[0131] Furthermore, the width of the light visible through the diffusion unit 158 ​​is configured to change depending on the vertical dimension of each protrusion, so the width of the light gradually decreases as it moves downstream (to the right). This allows the light, which gradually becomes thinner toward the downstream side of the play area, to be visible through the diffusion unit 158, thereby achieving effects as a light-emitting effect, such as showing the trajectory of the ball with light or creating a sharp appearance by decorating the outer edge of the play area with light of different thicknesses (tapering light).

[0132] 6 illustrates flow-down paths L1 and L2 as main examples of the flow-down paths of the balls. Flow-down path L1 is the path that a ball that has reached the upper plate portion 151 takes after dropping from the right end of the upper plate portion 151, and the ball that has flowed down flow-down path L1 reaches (lands on) the upper surface of the lower plate portion 152 upstream of the first protrusion portion 156.

[0133] Flow path L2 is the path taken by a ball that flows over a nail (not shown) and flows down to the right without reaching the upper plate portion 151 as it flows down between a pair of ball guide members 154, and the ball that flows down flow path L2 reaches (lands on) the upper surface of the lower plate portion 152 upstream of the second protrusion portion 157.

[0134] In this way, the first protrusion portion 156 and the second protrusion portion 157 are formed in a range different from the range where the ball flowing down the ball flow paths L1, L2 reaches (lands) on the lower plate portion 152, so it is possible to prevent the impact of the ball arriving (landing) from being given to the first protrusion portion 156 or the second protrusion portion 157.

[0135] In addition, because first protrusion 156 and second protrusion 157 are disposed downstream of the ball's arrival (landing) range, the ball flowing down flow paths L1, L2 can be decelerated before reaching outlet 71. This makes it easier to prevent parts arranged along the path to outlet 71 from being damaged by the load (impact) received from the ball.

[0136] When a ball rolling on lower plate 152 begins to come into contact with first ridge 156, the repulsive force applied to the ball from first ridge 156 faces to the right rather than toward the side the ball will reach, preventing the ball from coming to a stop. However, the direction of the repulsive force depends on the shape of each ridge, and therefore varies greatly depending on the side the ball will reach.

[0137] For example, when a ball reaches (starts to contact) first protrusion 156 from the upstream side (left side), the direction of the repulsive force is perpendicular to upper side 156a, resulting in a substantially upward load F1. On the other hand, when a ball reaches (starts to contact) first protrusion 156 from the downstream side (right side), the direction of the repulsive force is perpendicular to curved portion 156b without contacting right side 156c, resulting in a substantially rightward load F2.

[0138] Therefore, for balls arriving from the upstream side, a gentle change in speed in the left-right direction can be caused, and for balls arriving from the downstream side, a drastic change in speed in the left-right direction can be caused (speed reversal).

[0139] The ball may bounce off to the left after colliding with another ball positioned near the outlet 71 or with a component positioned in front of the outlet 71. This ball is unlikely to reach the first ridge 156, but is likely to reach the second ridge 157, which is positioned lower and closer to the outlet 71.

[0140] Therefore, although the second protrusion portion 157 is formed on the underside of the ball guide member 154 at a position away from the landing position of the ball flowing down the flow paths L1 and L2, there is still a possibility that the ball that bounces back due to the circumstances described above will collide with the second protrusion portion 157, and if the second protrusion portion 157 is weak, there is a possibility that the second protrusion portion 157 will be damaged by the impact of the ball colliding with it.

[0141] In contrast, in this embodiment, the difference in vertical dimension between adjacent ridges of the second ridge portion 157 is equal (equal difference), and the leftmost ridge is not configured to have a significantly larger vertical dimension. This makes the second ridge portion 157 less susceptible to damage than when a specific ridge is configured to be excessively sharp.

[0142] Furthermore, since each protrusion is formed in a protruding shape from the upper surface of the lower plate portion 152 in the front-to-rear direction, the second protrusion portion 157 can be configured to be less susceptible to damage than if it were formed in a horn-like shape.

[0143] 7(a) is a cross-sectional view of the left side production unit 150 taken along line VIIa-VIIa in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the left side production unit 150 taken along line VIIb-VIIb in FIG.

[0144] As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the thickness of the first protrusion 156 and the second protrusion 157 are configured to be the same, and a recessed groove of a corresponding depth is formed on the opposite side of the protrusion. By making the thicknesses the same, it is possible to maintain high molding precision of the left-side performance unit 150, which is made of resin material.

[0145] As described above, the first protrusion 156 and the second protrusion 157 are formed to have the same thickness, while the diffusion portion 158 is formed to protrude downward from the first protrusion 156 and the second protrusion 157 so as to cover the recessed groove from the front side. In other words, the diffusion portion 158 is formed with a width dimension equal to or greater than the thickness of the first protrusion 156 and the second protrusion 157.

[0146] As described above, the vertical dimension of each protrusion of the first protrusion 156 is longer than that of the second protrusion 157, and therefore the recessed grooves of the first protrusion 156 are deeper than those of the second protrusion 157. Correspondingly, the width dimension (maximum value) of the diffusion section 158 is longer for the diffusion section 158 disposed on the front side of the first protrusion 156 than for the diffusion section 158 disposed on the front side of the second protrusion 157.

[0147] This allows the width of the diffusion portion 158 to be increased regardless of the thickness of the first protrusion portion 156 and the second protrusion portion 157, and therefore the width of the light visible through the diffusion portion 158 can be increased.

[0148] This increases the attention to the diffusion portion 158 and the first protrusion portion 156 and the second protrusion portion 157 connected to the upper end of the diffusion portion 158, and by looking in the direction toward the first protrusion portion 156 and the second protrusion portion 157, it is possible to know whether or not a ball has entered the general winning opening 63. This will be explained below.

[0149] 7(a), the line of sight YE1 of a player playing a game often follows a line (radial line) that points outward from the playing area toward the rear side. Therefore, the line of sight YE1 of a player looking at the protrusion 155 corresponding to the lower edge of the playing area is a direction that slopes downward toward the rear side.

[0150] A player who looks in the direction of the line of sight YE1 can see not only the protrusion 155 that intersects with the line of sight YE1, but also the light reflected by the protrusion 155. In other words, the reflected light R1 that is incident on the protrusion 155 via the opposing plate 153 and reflected along the line of sight YE1 can be seen through the protrusion 155.

[0151] Reflected light R1 is light that travels downward through ball guide member 154, is incident on (reflected by) opposing plate portion 153, and then travels to be incident on (reflected by) protrusion portion 155. In other words, the light source of reflected light R1 is disposed above ball guide member 154, and opposing plate portion 153 acts as a reflecting means (for example, a mirror), allowing reflected light R1 to reach protrusion portion 155.

[0152] In this way, the reflected light R1 is light that passes through the ball guide member 154, which is the path the ball takes to the general winning opening 63 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when viewing the protrusion 155 with the line of sight YE1, the ball is reflected on the protrusion 155, or the protrusion 155 appears dark because the ball blocks the light. This allows the player to understand whether or not the ball has entered the general winning opening 63 through changes in the reflected light R1. This allows the player to efficiently grasp beneficial information while reducing player fatigue. This will be explained below.

[0153] Conventionally, in a normal game state, a player often moves his / her eyes between the general winning opening 63 and the area around the inner rail 61. This is because the player wants to obtain information useful for the game from the flow of the balls in the game area.

[0154] First, when a ball enters the general winning opening 63, prize balls (5 to 15 balls in this embodiment) are paid out, so it can be determined that the higher the frequency of balls entering the general winning opening 63, the better the ball holding capacity of the pachinko machine 10 during play. Second, it can be determined that the higher the frequency of balls arriving near the inner rail 61, the higher the frequency of balls being discharged from the outlet 71 during play of the pachinko machine 10. At first glance, it may seem that the lower the frequency of balls arriving near the inner rail 61, the more profitable the pachinko machine 10 is for the player, but this is not necessarily the case.

[0155] It is incomplete to understand these pieces of information individually, and they must be understood comprehensively. For example, just because the frequency with which balls reach the vicinity of the inner rail 61 is low does not mean that the pachinko machine 10 is profitable for players.

[0156] Even in this case, if the frequency of balls entering the general winning slot 63 is excessively high, the frequency of balls entering the first winning slot 64 will be low, and therefore, it is considered that the frequency of jackpot lotteries on the pachinko machine 10 during play will be low. Therefore, it is expected that it will take a long time to win a jackpot, and therefore it is highly likely that the game is not suitable for players who have a short amount of time available to play (it is highly likely that it will not be profitable for the player).

[0157] From this perspective, the player needs to move his / her eyes between the general winning slot 63 and the area around the inner rail 61 to obtain information at each location. However, if the player has to move his / her eyes too many times, the player will become fatigued and may lose interest in playing the game.

[0158] In contrast, this embodiment is configured so that information from multiple locations can be obtained without moving the line of sight. That is, without moving the line of sight from line of sight YE1 which looks at the protrusion 155, the frequency of balls arriving near the inner rail 61 and the frequency of balls entering the general winning slot 63 can be grasped. This reduces fatigue of the player, prevents a decline in motivation for playing, and allows the player to efficiently grasp information that is beneficial to the player.

[0159] Note that whether or not a ball has entered the general winning opening 63 can be determined by a change in the state of the reflected light R1, so the degree of light reflection through the opposing plate portion 153 is not limited in any way, and various forms are exemplified. For example, the opposing plate portion 153 may be embossed to have a low light reflection efficiency, or may be mirror-finished or provided with a separate member with a mirror surface (a seal member or a mirror-like member) to increase the light reflection efficiency.

[0160] Furthermore, the angle between the front surface of the opposing plate portion 153 and the front surface of the base plate 60 is not limited in any way, and various embodiments are exemplified. For example, they may be parallel, or the front surface of the opposing plate portion 153 may be configured as an inclined surface. This allows for suitable correspondence to the position of the light source of the reflected light R1.

[0161] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 8, a ball that reaches (lands on) the lower plate portion 152 flows down along a flow path L3 toward the bottom of the game area.

[0162] The ball flowing down the flow path L3 hits the glass unit 16 (front side) and the base plate 60 (rear side) before reaching the front side of the outlet 71, and then passes through the outlet 71 and is discharged from the play area.

[0163] If the ball has a strong momentum, the ball may fly out to the right from the lower end of the lower plate portion 152 and collide with the movable accessory 640a. If the movable accessory 640a is damaged by this collision, it will be difficult to continue playing normally, so it is desirable to avoid the ball colliding with the movable accessory 640a.

[0164] In addition, a front design element FD1 made of a light-transmitting resin is disposed on the front side of the movable accessory 640a, and since the movable accessory 640a is covered by the front design element FD1, it is difficult to notice whether the movable accessory 640a is damaged. For this reason, it is required to prevent damage to the movable accessory 640a, and it is desirable to avoid the ball colliding with the movable accessory 640a.

[0165] In contrast, in this embodiment, a protrusion 155 is provided in the flow path L3 to decelerate the ball, so that the momentum of the ball flying out to the right from the lower end of the lower plate 152 is reduced to less than the momentum required to reach the movable accessory 640a. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the movable accessory 640a.

[0166] 8, the protrusion 155 is disposed at a position included in the left-right width of the ball guide member 154 when viewed from above. In detail, the ball guide member 154 is configured so that the sum of the left-right width of the path through which the ball passes and the left-right width of a pair of fastening portions disposed on the left and right of the path is equal to or greater than the left-right width of the protrusion 155 (approximately 16 mm).

[0167] This allows ball guide member 154 to be used as a protective member for protrusion 155. That is, when a ball falls toward protrusion 155, ball guide member 154 interferes with the ball's falling path, thereby changing the ball's falling path and making it easier to avoid (reducing the frequency of) the ball colliding with (landing on) protrusion 155.

[0168] Therefore, contact between the ball and the protrusion portion 155 can be easily limited to contact with the ball flowing down (rolling) after landing on the lower plate portion 152, so that the protrusion portion 155 can be prevented from cracking or being damaged by the collision of the ball, and the ball deceleration effect of the protrusion portion 155 can be maintained for a long period of time.

[0169] As described above, the variable display device unit 80 is provided with a center frame 86 surrounding the third symbol display device 81 in a front view, and the window portion 60a is formed to fit the size of the center frame 86. In this embodiment, however, the shape of the window portion 60a relative to the shape of the center frame 86 is characteristic. This will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

[0170] Fig. 9 is a front view of the base plate 60. In Fig. 9, lines indicating the shape of the center frame 86 in a state where it is assembled to the base plate 60 are schematically shown by imaginary lines.

[0171] That is, the center frame 86 is a member formed from a light-transmitting resin material, and comprises a flat plate portion 86a arranged opposite the front side of the base plate 60 and having through holes for passing fastening screws, a boundary wall portion 86b that protrudes like a wall from the front side of the flat plate portion 86a and forms the boundary of the playing area, and a diverting plate portion 86c that protrudes like a plate from the front side of the flat plate portion 86a at a position approximately midway between the inner rail 61 and the lower left of the boundary wall portion 86b and is arranged parallel to the adjacent boundary wall portion 86b (see Figure 5).In Figure 9, the outer edge shape and inner edge shape of the flat plate portion 86a, the shape of the boundary wall portion 86b, and the shape of the diverting plate portion 86c are shown by imaginary lines.

[0172] 9, in the range where boundary wall portion 86b forms the rolling surface (flow down surface) of the ball (the range where the normal line passing through the outer surface of the boundary wall portion faces upward), window portion 60a of base plate 60 is provided in a range that extends to the outside of boundary wall portion 86b in a front view. Therefore, light can pass through window portion 60a not only inside boundary wall portion 86b (the center side of window portion 60a) but also outside boundary wall portion 86b.

[0173] This allows the light that has passed through the window 60a to hit the ball rolling on the upper surface of the boundary wall 86b, making it possible to perform a light-emitting effect that makes the ball glow. Here, the upper surface of the boundary wall 86b is a place that is likely to be a blind spot for a player who plays while paying attention to the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 2), and it is likely to be a place where the ball is easily hidden and difficult to see, but because the state of the light that has passed through the window 60a changes depending on whether or not there is a ball, the player can easily tell whether or not there is a ball by checking the state of the light.

[0174] In this embodiment, this blind spot is utilized to improve the efficiency of the area in which the performance is performed, which will be described with reference to FIG.

[0175] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the gaming machine 13 taken along a line corresponding to line XX in Figure 9. Figure 10 shows an example of the player's eye placement when playing a game while looking directly at the third symbol display device 81. With the eye placement shown in Figure 10, the third symbol display device 81 can be viewed in a forward / backward line of sight YE2, while the boundary wall portion 86b disposed at the top of the center frame 86 is viewed in a direction such as looking up YE3.

[0176] When viewing the play area from the line of sight YE3, at least a portion of the field of view is blocked by the boundary wall 86b and the decorative portion located inside (below) it, making it difficult to see the blocked area SE1 blocked by the boundary wall 86b and the decorative portion (a blind spot). In this embodiment, an opening is intentionally formed in the base plate 60 to provide a window portion 60a at a position that overlaps the blocked area SE1 in the front-to-back direction. In other words, by not treating the blocked area SE1 as a place where patterns or figures are drawn, the blind spot is effectively utilized. This is explained below.

[0177] Conventionally, when the base plate 60 is made of wooden components, a decorative method has been adopted in which stickers with patterns or figures drawn (printed) on them are attached mainly to the area behind the gaming area to create individuality for each gaming machine.

[0178] In this case, even if patterns or figures are drawn in areas that are prone to blind spots, such as the boundary wall portion 86b and decorative parts near the wall-like portions that extend into the playing area, it is difficult to enhance the presentation effect because they are difficult for players to see.

[0179] There is also the option of not sticking stickers in areas prone to blind spots, which would reduce the sticker area and reduce the cost of sticker materials, but since players' gazes are not always fixed, if their gaze changes and they see areas where no stickers are attached and the base plate 60 (wooden plate member) is exposed, this could give the player the impression that it looks cheap and reduce their motivation to play. For this reason, the option of not sticking decorative stickers in areas prone to blind spots is not desirable, and improvements were desired.

[0180] Furthermore, when completing a pattern or figure outside of a blind spot, it is necessary to draw the pattern or figure within an even smaller area of ​​the already limited size of the play area, making it difficult to increase the degree of freedom in decorating the play area.

[0181] In contrast, in this embodiment, by providing a window portion 60a in the base plate 60 in an area that overlaps with at least a portion of the shielded area SE1, the shielded area SE1 is used as a path for light, rather than as a location for drawing figures or patterns. That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to configure so that transmitted light R2 that is irradiated from a performance means (for example, pivotally supported means 760, see FIG. 37) arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 and travels toward the front side passes through the flat plate portion 86a in the shielded area SE1.

[0182] As a result, even if the player selects not to stick a sticker with a pattern or figure on it in the shielded area SE1, the flat plate portion 86a shining when illuminated by the transmitted light R2 can be seen by the player viewing the shielded area SE1, which reduces the possibility of giving the player the impression that it is cheap, thereby preventing a decline in motivation to play.

[0183] In addition, because the line of sight YE3 and the transmitted light R2 overlap, the player can see the transmitted light R2 superimposed on the patterns and figures drawn on the sticker attached to the base plate 60. At least, the appearance of the game area seen by the line of sight YE3 can be changed depending on whether the transmitted light R2 is irradiated or not, thereby improving the degree of freedom in decorating the game area.

[0184] In this way, in this embodiment, the shielded area SE1 as a blind spot is effectively utilized, and the degree of freedom in decorating the game board 13 can be increased, resulting in an improved presentation effect of the game board 13.

[0185] In this embodiment, the boundary wall portion 86b comprises a left boundary wall portion 86b1 extending from the upper end to the lower left, and a right boundary wall portion 86b2 extending from the upper end to the lower right, each of which has a linear area that allows light to pass through and is visible within the play area, but which has different widths.

[0186] That is, on the right boundary wall 86b2 side, the distance between the outer rail 62 and the outer edge member 73 is narrow, and the path of the ball is almost constant, so the width through which light passes is also narrow (approximately 5 mm or less). In contrast, on the left boundary wall 86b1 side, the location where the ball lands varies depending on the launch strength, and the way the ball bounces after landing changes depending on whether or not it hits a nail (not shown) before landing, so the path of the ball is unlikely to be constant (variation occurs). Therefore, in this embodiment, one purpose of dealing with the variation in the path of the ball's flow is to configure the width through which light passes wide (maximum approximately 12 mm).

[0187] In particular, around the periphery of the flow diverting plate 86c, the window 60a is provided in a manner that widens to a position that overlaps both the left and right areas of the flow diverting plate 86c, and the width through which light passes is set to be equal to or greater than the diameter of the sphere (approximately 11 mm or more). This allows the transmitted light R2 to hit the sphere flowing down either the left or right side of the flow diverting plate 86c.

[0188] Thus, according to this embodiment, the shape of the window 60a is designed to make it easy for the transmitted light R2 to hit the ball rolling on the boundary wall 86b, so that the transmitted light R2 can be efficiently hit the ball flowing down the play area. Therefore, even if the ball is blocked by the boundary wall 86b and flows down through a blind spot, the appearance of the transmitted light R2 can be changed depending on whether or not the ball is present, so that the player can easily know whether or not the ball is present.

[0189] An example of the illumination mode of the transmitted light R2 will be described below. For example, when informing the player to play with a left-handed shot, light may be illuminated toward the left boundary wall portion 86b1, and when informing the player to play with a right-handed shot, light may be illuminated toward the right boundary wall portion 86b2. In this case, by looking at the boundary wall portion 86b, the player can easily determine whether to shoot the ball with a left-handed shot or a right-handed shot.

[0190] Furthermore, the irradiation mode of the transmitted light R2 is not limited in any way. For example, the irradiation mode may be continuous lighting, or may be repeated lighting and extinguishing (blinking).

[0191] Furthermore, the illumination mode for illuminating the periphery of the flow diverting plate 86c is not limited in any way. For example, the illumination mode may be such that both the left and right sides of the flow diverting plate 86c are illuminated, or the illumination mode may be such that only one of the left and right sides of the flow diverting plate 86c is illuminated.

[0192] For example, if the game area is configured so that most of the time the ball flows to the left of the diverter plate portion 86c, it is limited to when the ball's launch strength is weaker than a specific standard, and in a control mode in which transmitted light R2 is irradiated so as to illuminate only the left side of the diverter plate portion 86c, the player can easily determine whether the ball's launch strength is weaker than a specific standard by checking the brightness of this transmitted light R2.

[0193] That is, when the ball passes the left side of the diverting plate portion 86c, the transmitted light R2 is blocked by the ball, and the left side of the diverting plate portion 86c appears dark, so the brightness of the transmitted light R2 can be correlated with the fact that the ball's launch intensity is weaker than a specific standard. This reduces the stress felt by the player when adjusting (maintaining) the ball's launch intensity, compared to when the ball's landing position is used to determine the ball's launch intensity.

[0194] In this way, according to this embodiment, the blind spots blocked by the boundary wall portion 86b and the diverting plate portion 86c are configured as paths for the transmitted light R2 traveling from the back side to the front side, thereby improving the degree of freedom of the light effects in the game area. Note that the range in which the blind spots are configured is not limited to the area above the boundary wall portion 86b or the area to the left of the diverting plate portion 86c, and various embodiments are exemplified.

[0195] For example, it may be the area below a pair of plate-shaped portions extending to the lower left and right of the first winning opening 64, or the area outside the inner rail 61 or outer rail 62 (the opposite side of the playing area), or the area below the upper plate portion 151 (see Figure 5) of the left-side presentation unit 150, or the area below the ball guide member 154 (see Figure 5) that guides balls to the general winning opening 63 located on the left side of the playing area, or the area below a plate-shaped portion extending to the lower right of the general winning opening 63 (see Figure 2) located on the right side of the playing area, or the area outside the center frame 86 (the opposite side of the third pattern display device 81 when viewed from the front), or the surrounding area of ​​other plate-shaped portions protruding toward the front side of the base plate 60.

[0196] Returning to Figure 5, the explanation will be made on the right side performance unit 160. The right side performance unit 160 is a unit equipped with a variable winning device 65, and is fitted from the front side into the small window portion 60b of the base plate 60. A ball that enters the specific winning opening 65a (see Figure 2) of the variable winning device 65 flows down a flow path FL1 (see Figure 11) formed on the back side of the right side performance unit 160, and is guided to a ball discharge path not shown.

[0197] 11 is a rear view of the right-side performance unit 160. The right-side performance unit 160 includes a base member 161 that has an opening that opens toward the rear side and that constitutes the front side of the downflow path FL1, a first flow path member 162 and a second flow path member 163 that constitute the back side of the downflow path FL1, an adjustment member 165 that is arranged on the front side of the second flow path member 163 and is configured to be able to fit with the second flow path member 163, and a plurality of illumination boards 168 on which light-emitting means such as LEDs that emit light toward the front side are arranged.

[0198] A gaming ball that passes through the specific winning opening 65a and enters the flow path FL1 flows down the front side of the first flow path member 162, and then flows down the front side of the second flow path member 163. In other words, the first flow path member 162 forms the flow path FL1 upstream of the second flow path member 163.

[0199] The illuminated board 168 comprises a first illuminated board 168a arranged on the rear side of the opening and closing plate of the variable winning device 65, a second illuminated board 168b arranged on the rear side of the area outside the ball flow path, and a third illuminated board 168c fastened and fixed to the rear side of the second flow path member 163 and arranged on the rear side of the flow path FL1.

[0200] 11, the outline of each LED (light emitting means) is shown by hidden lines inside the illumination board 168. As shown in FIG. 11, the LEDs are not arranged so that they are densely or coarsely spaced in different places, but are distributed approximately evenly on the illumination board 168.

[0201] The first illumination board 168a can be used to perform a light-emitting effect that lights up the opening and closing plate of the variable winning device 65 and the opening portion that allows game balls to enter when the opening and closing plate is in the open state. The second illumination board 168b can be used to perform a light-emitting effect that lights up the front design part of the right performance unit 160, regardless of the game balls flowing down inside the right performance unit 160.

[0202] The third illumination board 168c can perform a light-emitting effect in which the light changes in relation to the gaming ball flowing down the flow path FL1. That is, when a gaming ball is placed in the second flow path member 163, the player can see the shadow created when the gaming ball blocks the light emitted from the third illumination board 168c. On the other hand, when a gaming ball is not placed in the second flow path member 163, the shadow of the gaming ball cannot be seen.

[0203] The light emitted from the third illumination board 168c passes through the second flow path member 163, the adjustment member 165, and the base member 161 in order, before passing to the front side of the right-side performance unit 160 and becoming visible to the player; however, the more members the light passes through, the more likely it is that the amount of visible light will be attenuated.

[0204] In contrast, in this embodiment, the adjustment member 165 is disposed on the front side of the lower end of the second flow path member 163 (the end of the flow path FL1 that is visible to the player), so the area where the light intensity is likely to attenuate can be limited to the vicinity of the end of the flow path FL1. This improves the presentation effect of the light irradiated from the third illumination board 168c compared to when the light intensity attenuates midway along the flow path FL1.

[0205] Furthermore, while balls passing through the flow path FL1 can be seen from the front, the player usually looks down at the right-side performance unit 160 located at the lower right of the play area. Therefore, the line connecting the player's line of sight and the third illumination board 168c (a line that slopes diagonally downward as it approaches the pachinko machine 10 from the player's eyes) is unlikely to intersect with the line connecting the adjustment member 165 and the third illumination board 168c (a line that passes through a part of the adjustment member 165 and extends in the front-to-rear direction).

[0206] This is an effect of placing the adjustment member 165 at a position away from the player's eyes (near the bottom end of the window 14c (see FIG. 2)), which reduces the possibility that the player will focus on the area where the amount of light is attenuated by the adjustment member 165. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the adjustment member 165 reducing the effect of the light that is visible to the player due to the light irradiated from the third illumination board 168c.

[0207] Fig. 12 is an exploded rear view of the right-side performance unit 160, Fig. 13 is an exploded front perspective view of the right-side performance unit 160, and Fig. 14 is an exploded rear perspective view of the right-side performance unit 160. In Fig. 12, for ease of understanding, the first flow path member 162 is assembled to the base member 161, and the second flow path member 163 and the adjustment member 165 are shown in an exploded state.

[0208] The base member 161 includes a half-formed portion 161a that is open toward the rear side and forms the front side surface of the downflow path FL1, a pair of columnar fastening portions 161b that protrude cylindrically toward the rear side and have female threads formed at their tips into which fastening screws inserted into the first flow path member 162 are screwed, a specific columnar fastening portion 161c that has a protruding length longer than the columnar fastening portions 161b and that protrudes cylindrically toward the rear side and has female threads formed at its tip into which fastening screws inserted into the second flow path member 163 are screwed, a plurality of protrusion portions 161d that protrude radially outward in the form of a thin plate at the base end side of the specific columnar fastening portion 161c, and a recessed portion 161e that is recessed from the rear side to the front side of the base member 161 in a range that includes the specific columnar fastening portion 161c.

[0209] The multiple protrusions 161d are formed at angular positions corresponding to the cutouts 165e and outer diameter recesses 165g of the adjustment member 165, and by aligning the cutouts 165e with the protrusions 161d, it is easy to align the position when assembling the adjustment member 165.

[0210] The recessed portion 161e is recessed in a shape corresponding to the plate-shaped portion 165a of the adjustment member 165 (a shape larger by the amount of adjustment width), and functions as a recess for arranging the plate-shaped portion 165a. In an assembled state (see FIG. 11) in which the plate-shaped portion 165a is disposed in the recessed portion 161e, the back surface of the plate-shaped portion 165a is disposed on the surface on which the back surface of the base member 161 is disposed (in other words, the back surface of the base member 161 and the back surface of the plate-shaped portion 165a are disposed flush with each other).

[0211] That is, although the adjustment member 165 is a member disposed on the front side of the downflow path FL1, differences in the arrangement within the recessed portion 161e do not affect the shape of the downflow path FL1. Therefore, as will be described later, even if the position of the adjustment member 165 is adjusted within an adjustment range between the adjustment member 165 and the recessed portion 161e, the shape of the downflow path FL1 can be prevented from changing due to the position adjustment.

[0212] In other words, regardless of the position of the adjustment member 165, the balls are configured to be able to flow down the flow path FL1 as long as the base member 161, the first flow path member 162, and the second flow path member 163 are assembled in a position suitable for allowing the balls to flow down. Therefore, the difficulty of assembling the right-side performance unit 160 can be reduced compared to when the adjustment member 165 is also formed with part of the flow path shape (for example, a half-pipe shape) as seen in the half-formed portions 161a, 162a, 163a.

[0213] The first flow path member 162 comprises a half-forming portion 162a that is open toward the front side and forms the rear side surface of the flow down path FL1, a pair of insertion holes 162b that are drilled so that fastening screws that are fastened to the columnar fastening portion 161b can be inserted, and a columnar fastening portion 162c that protrudes cylindrically toward the rear side and has a female thread formed at its tip into which a fastening screw that is inserted into the second flow path member 163 can be screwed.

[0214] The second flow path member 163 comprises a half-forming portion 163a that is open toward the front side and forms the back side surface of the flow-down path FL1, an insertion hole 163b through which a fastening screw that is fastened to the columnar fastening portion 162b can be inserted, an insertion hole 163c through which a fastening screw that is fastened to the specific columnar fastening portion 161c can be inserted, and a plurality of fitting protrusions 163d that are thin-diameter cylindrical and protrude from the front side end of the half-forming portion 163a toward the front side.

[0215] The adjustment member 165 is a member formed from a light-transmitting resin material, and includes a plate-like portion 165a formed in a plate shape with an outer shape slightly smaller than the outer shape of the recessed portion 161e and a thickness equivalent to the recess depth of the recessed portion 161e, a plurality of fitting holes 165b formed in the plate-like portion 165a at positions corresponding to the fitting protrusions 163d and with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the fitting protrusions 163d, and a chamfered portion 165c formed at a corner where the upper surface and back surface of the plate-like portion 165a intersect. The plate-shaped portion 165a has a dish portion 165d formed on a deep dish with an open front side at the right end thereof, a notch portion 165e tapered from the edge of the dish portion 165d toward the bottom of the dish, an adjustment hole 165f drilled in the front-to-rear direction in the center of the bottom of the dish portion 165d with an inner diameter sufficiently larger than the diameter of the specific columnar fastening portion 161c, and a plurality of outer diameter recesses 165g recessed into the adjustment hole 165f toward the outer diameter of the adjustment hole 165f.

[0216] The fitting hole 165b is configured so as to be able to fit with the fitting protrusion 163d of the second flow path member 163 in the assembled state (see FIG. 11), and this fitting can increase the rigidity of the second flow path member 163.

[0217] In more detail, it is desirable that the second flow path member 163 be formed thin not only from the viewpoint of material costs, but also in order to make it easier for players to see the light emitted from light-emitting means such as LEDs arranged in front of the third illumination board 168c (to suppress light attenuation).

[0218] On the other hand, if the second flow path member 163 is formed with a thin wall, there is a risk that the second flow path member 163 will deform outward from the flow path due to the load applied by the game balls flowing down unless countermeasures are taken. In contrast, in this embodiment, by fitting the fitting protrusion 163d of the second flow path member 163 into the fitting hole 165b, it is possible to generate resistance to the load acting outward from the flow path. This makes it possible to prevent deformation of the second flow path member 163.

[0219] The chamfered portion 165c is a processed portion for preventing the corners from colliding with the balls flowing down the flow path FL1. Therefore, it is sufficient to form the chamfered portion 165c only in the minimum number of locations (for example, the range between the pair of fitting holes 165b) that are arranged opposite the balls flowing down the flow path FL1, and by forming it in this manner, it is possible to reduce unnecessary processing costs.

[0220] By forming chamfered portion 165c at the corner positioned opposite the ball flowing down flow path FL1, even if adjustment member 165 protrudes from recessed portion 161e of base member 161 to the back side due to dimensional errors or the like, it is possible to form a surface at the collision point between the ball and adjustment member 165. This reduces the possibility of damage to adjustment member 165 and also reduces the flow resistance of the ball.

[0221] The dish portion 165d protrudes more toward the rear side than the plate-shaped portion 165a, making it easy to grasp and functioning as a handle when removing the adjustment member 165 during assembly or maintenance. During assembly, the tapered cutout portion 165e makes it easy for the cutout portion 165e to be guided by the protrusion portion 161d, facilitating alignment of the adjustment member 165. Therefore, the assembly work of inserting the specific columnar fastening portion 161c into the adjustment hole 165f can be easily performed.

[0222] With the specific columnar fastening portion 161c inserted through the adjustment hole 165f, the posture of the adjustment member 165 can be changed (adjusted) up to the upper limit of the gap dimensions between the notch portion 165e and the outer diameter recessed portion 165g and the protrusion portion 161d. The manner of adjustment will be described later.

[0223] Here, the purpose of configuring the adjustment member 165 as a variable member will be described. In this embodiment, the front side shape of the downflow path FL1 is configured using the back side shape of the base member 161 for both the upstream first flow path member 162 and the downstream second flow path member 163. This makes it possible to reduce the number of members that configure the downflow path FL1 compared to when other members that configure the front side shape of the downflow path FL1 are individually provided for the first flow path member 162 and the second flow path member 163. This allows for a reduction in material costs.

[0224] However, resin molding produces dimensional variations, so flow path members with exactly the same shape are not produced. Depending on the dimensional variations of the flow path members, it may be impossible for the balls to pass through the flow-down path FL1. Therefore, in the actual assembly process, when fastening and fixing the first flow path member 162 to the base member 161, it is confirmed that the balls can pass through the flow-down path FL1, and the first flow path member 162 is fastened and fixed at a position where the balls can pass through. After that, the second flow-down path member 163 is fastened and fixed to the columnar fastening portion 162c of the first flow path member 162 and the specific columnar fastening portion 161c of the base member 161.

[0225] In this way, it is preferable to provide a certain range of adjustment for the fixed position of the first flow path member 162 relative to the base member 161. In this embodiment, the difference between the inner diameter of the insertion hole 162b and the outer diameter of the fastening screw inserted into the insertion hole 162b can be used as the adjustment range. Regardless of this adjustment range, the second flow path member 163 is directly fastened and fixed to the first flow path member 162 near the coupling position of the flow down path FL1, making it easier to ensure the shape of the flow down path FL1.

[0226] In this case, the second flow path member 163 is also affected by the adjustment width of the first flow path member 162. Here, as described above, the rigidity of the second flow path member 163 can be improved by fitting the second flow path member 163 to the back surface of the base member 161 rather than just arranging the second flow path member 163 facing the back surface of the base member 161. However, if the fitting portion is fixedly arranged on the base member 161, the adjustment width of the first flow path member 162 may affect the positions of the fitting portion on the base member 161 side and the fitting portion on the second flow path member 163 side, which may result in assembly defects.

[0227] Taking this misalignment into consideration, the mating portion on the base member 161 side and the mating portion on the second flow path member 163 side may be fitted with a gap, but the larger the gap, the less effective it is in strengthening the rigidity of the second flow path member 163, which is not desirable.

[0228] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the fitting portion on the base member 161 side is provided on the adjustment member 165, and the adjustment member 165 is configured so that its position can be adjusted with an adjustment range that exceeds the adjustment range of the first flow path member 162. This makes it possible to offset the positional shift of the fitting portion that occurs when adjusting the position of the first flow path member 162, and avoids assembly defects.

[0229] In this case, there is no need to ensure a sufficient gap between the fitting hole 165b of the adjustment member 165 and the fitting protrusion 163d of the second flow path member 163, so by fitting them together with a small gap, the rigidity of the second flow path member 163 can be sufficiently strengthened.

[0230] 12, the difference between the dimensions of the base member 161 and the adjustment member 165 is used as the adjustment width. For example, the width wa1 of the protrusion 161d of the base member 161 is configured to be shorter than the width wa2 of the outer diameter recess 165g of the adjustment member 165, thereby ensuring the adjustment width (wa1 <wa2)。

[0231] Furthermore, for example, the width wb1 of the recessed portion 161e of the base member 161 is configured to be longer than the width wb2 of the plate-shaped portion 165a of the adjustment member 165, thereby ensuring an adjustment width (wb1>wb2).

[0232] In addition, when the second flow path member 163 is fastened and fixed, the adjustment hole 165f is supported by the specific columnar fastening portion 161c so that it cannot fall off, the mating protrusion 163b is inserted into the mating hole 165b, and the back surface of the plate-shaped portion 165a is supported so that it can abut against the front end portion of the half-formed portion 163a of the second flow path member 163, thereby fixing the adjustment member 165 between the base member 161 and the second flow path member 163.

[0233] Therefore, a dedicated fastener for fastening and fixing the adjustment member 165 is not required, and therefore the reduction in fasteners leads to a reduction in product costs and a reduction in assembly steps.

[0234] Returning to Figure 5, the operation unit 300 is disposed on the rear side of the game board 13, and various light emitting means and various operation units are disposed inside. The operation unit 300 will be described below.

[0235] 15 and 16 are front views of the operation unit 300, and Fig. 17 is a front perspective view of the operation unit 300. In Fig. 15 and 17, the state in which each movable member (each movable accessory) of the first operation unit 400 and the second operation unit 700 is arranged in a standby position is illustrated, and Fig. 16 shows the state in which each movable member (each movable accessory) of the first operation unit 400 and the second operation unit 700 is arranged in a protruding position protruding in front of the third pattern display device 81.

[0236] As shown in Figures 15, 16 and 17, the operating unit 300 has movable parts arranged above and below that displace vertically on the front side of the third pattern display device 81, and the movable parts arranged above and below have different shapes and operating modes.

[0237] The movable role objects arranged above and below are configured to be independently operable, and both are arranged in the protruding position, thereby hiding most of the display area of ​​the third pattern display device 81. In other words, when either the movable role object arranged on the upper side or the movable role object arranged on the lower side is arranged in the protruding position, the other range of the third pattern display device 81 is not hidden by the movable role object, and in addition to being able to use this range to execute a liquid crystal effect, it is also possible to execute an effect that combines the liquid crystal effect with the movable role object arranged in the protruding position.

[0238] Furthermore, as will be described in more detail later, the movable parts placed on the lower side are arranged in a row in the left-right direction (four in this embodiment), and each is configured to be able to move up and down independently. Therefore, in addition to the state in which all of the movable parts are placed in the extended position (see Figure 16), it is possible to arrange the movable parts so that only some (for example, the leftmost) are placed in the extended position, or to arrange the movable parts at different vertical heights in positions between the extended position and the standby position.

[0239] 18 is an exploded front perspective view of the operating unit 300. The operating unit 300 includes a bottom wall portion 311, an outer wall portion 312 erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall portion 311, and a rear case 310 formed in a box shape with the front side open.

[0240] The rear case 310 is formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front by forming a rectangular opening 311a in the center of the bottom wall 311. The opening 311a is formed to a size that corresponds to the outer shape (outer edge) of the display area of ​​the third pattern display device 81 (i.e., capable of dividing the display area of ​​the third pattern display device 81 when viewed from the front).

[0241] The operating unit 300 is configured as one unit by accommodating a first operating unit 400 in the internal space of the rear case 310, in which a movable prop is arranged so as to be displaceable along a path that includes the underside of the opening 311a, left and right performance units 600 arranged on both the left and right sides of the opening 311a and performing lighting performances, etc., and a second operating unit 700 in which a movable prop is arranged so as to be displaceable along a path that includes the upper side of the opening 311a.

[0242] Specifically, the first operating unit 400 is disposed below the opening 311a, and the second operating unit 700 is disposed above the opening 311a, on the bottom wall 311 of the rear case 310. Note that Fig. 18 illustrates a state in which the first operating unit 400 and the second operating unit 700 are disassembled from the rear case 310.

[0243] The left and right performance units 600 are equipped with an illumination board having light-emitting means such as LEDs inside, and the illumination board is disposed at an angle, so that the light axes of the light-emitting means are inclined inward to the left and right as they approach the player. This causes the light axes of the light-emitting means to intersect on the near side to the player, allowing the player to see the light emitted from the left and right performance units 600 in a three-dimensional manner.

[0244] The rear case 310 is provided as a flat plate extending from the front end of the outer wall portion 312 along the rear surface of the game board 13 (for example, arranged parallel to it), and is provided with a support plate portion 313 that provides surface support for the game board 13 in the assembled state (see Figure 2).

[0245] The support plate portion 313 has a positioning protrusion 313a that protrudes toward the front side and has a shape that can fit into a fitting recess (not shown) formed in the base plate 60 of the game board 13, and a plurality of insertion holes 313b that are drilled so that fastening screws that are fastened to the base plate 60 can be inserted through them.

[0246] The rear case 310 is positioned relative to the base plate 60 by fitting the positioning protrusion 313a into the fitting recess of the base plate 60, and the fastening screw is inserted into the insertion hole 313b and screwed into the base plate 60, thereby fixing the game board 13 and the operating unit 300 together, thereby improving the overall rigidity of the game board 13 and the operating unit 300.

[0247] The shape of the positioning protrusion 313a is not limited in any way, and various embodiments are exemplified. For example, the positioning protrusion 313a may have an outer shape slightly smaller than the inner shape of the fitting recess of the base plate 60 (circular or oval in this embodiment), or may have a shape (even smaller outer shape) that increases the fitting gap in consideration of ease of assembly. Furthermore, if the inner shape of the fitting recess is rectangular, it is naturally assumed that the positioning protrusion 313a will also have a rectangular shape corresponding thereto.

[0248] As shown in Figures 5 and 18, in this embodiment, many support plate portions 313 are densely arranged on the left and upper sides of the rear case 310, and fewer support plate portions 313 are formed on the right and lower sides.This is the result of a design that takes into consideration the balance between improving the overall rigidity of the game board 13 and operating unit 300 and space efficiency.

[0249] In other words, when the base plate 60 of the game board 13 is formed from plywood made by overlapping plywood as in this embodiment, the movable members arranged on the back side of the game board 13 cannot be seen through the flesh of the base plate 60, so the entire back side of the area where an opening can be formed in the base plate 60 of the game board 13 (or a recess can be formed from the side) becomes effective as an area for displaying the movable members so that they can be seen.

[0250] On the other hand, in the location where support plate 313 is formed, the internal space of rear case 310 is encroached upon inward by the area of ​​support plate 313 in a front view, and the area in which the movable member can be disposed is thereby narrowed. Therefore, if the strength problem can be resolved and maintained even if support plate 313 is omitted, omitting support plate 313 can avoid limiting the range in which the movable member can be disposed.

[0251] In this embodiment, the reason why many support plate portions 313 are arranged on the left and upper sides of the rear case 310 is that this is related to the range of the area in which a player can see a ball that has been shot into a playing area, etc. In other words, the support plate portions 313 are formed in places other than the range in which the shot ball can be seen.

[0252] To explain in more detail, in this embodiment, the ball launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) passes between the inner rail 61 and the outer rail 62, passes through the return ball prevention member 68, and is introduced into the play area (see FIG. 2), and thereafter flows down the play area. In a pinball game, the area that is thought to attract the most attention is the area where the ball passes, and other outer areas (for example, the area on the opposite side of the outer rail 62 or inner rail 61 from the third pattern display device 81) usually attract less attention.

[0253] Therefore, it is thought that players will pay less attention to the lower left and upper left areas based on the left-convex arc formed by the outer rail 62, and the upper left and upper right areas based on the upward-convex arc, which are areas that the ball cannot reach.

[0254] In addition, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned outer edge member 73 and the block-shaped member 74, which is arranged on the front side of the gaming board 13 and whose surfaces facing the outer rail 62 at the lower left and upper left of the outer rail 62 are formed in a shape that follows the outer rail 62, are made of an opaque resin material.In addition to the fact that the gaming board 13 is made of plywood, which is difficult to transmit light through, the back side of the gaming board 13 cannot be seen from the front side of the gaming board 13 through the outer edge member 73 or the block-shaped member 74, so it is thought that the player's attention will be further reduced.

[0255] In this embodiment, support plate portions 313 are preferentially disposed in locations that attract less attention or are not visible. In fact, even on the left side and upper side where many support plate portions 313 are formed, support plate portions 313 are formed near the corners of rear case 310, avoiding the central portion that forms the protruding end portion of outer rail 62.

[0256] In other words, by selecting the area where space is encroached upon by forming the support plate portion 313 from an area that is low in visibility (low in performance potential) to begin with, it is possible to ensure the rigidity of the operating unit 300 and the entire game board 13 while also ensuring a high degree of freedom in designing the area that is visible to the player who is focusing on the ball.

[0257] From this perspective, since the configuration is common to pachinko machines in that the balls launched by the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4) are rolled along the outer rail 62 and introduced into the playing area, areas where the balls do not flow down can be easily arranged in the lower left, upper left and upper right parts.

[0258] In this embodiment, the support plate 313 extending from the lower outer wall 312 is positioned rearwardly offset from the support plate portions 313 extending from the left, right, and upper outer wall portions 312. With this configuration, the positioning protrusions 313a formed on the left, right, and upper support plate portions 313 are fitted into fitting recesses formed on the rear surface of the base plate 60, while the positioning protrusion 313a formed on the lower support plate 313 is not directly fitted to the base plate 60, but is fitted into a shaped portion formed in a ball flow-down unit (not shown) disposed on the rear surface of the base plate 60. In other words, the positioning protrusion 313a disposed on the lower side of the rear case 310 is indirectly fixed to the base plate 60 via the ball flow-down unit.

[0259] Fig. 19 is a front perspective view of first operating unit 400, and Fig. 20 is a rear perspective view of first operating unit 400. First operating unit 400 is equipped with a base member 401 that is fitted into rear case 310 from the front side and fastened to be fixed, and four composite operating units 402 having substantially the same configuration are fastened to be lined up on the left and right side of the front side of base member 401.

[0260] The composite operation unit 402 is formed in a roughly dice shape and includes a rotation unit 500 configured to be rotatable about a left-right axis, and a mechanism for raising and lowering the rotation unit 500. The composite operation unit 402 will be described in detail below.

[0261] 21(a) and 21(b) are front perspective views of the combined action unit 402, and Fig. 22(a) and Fig. 22(b) are rear perspective views of the combined action unit 402. Note that Fig. 21(a) and Fig. 22(a) show a state in which the rotation unit 500 is arranged in a raised position, and Fig. 21(b) and Fig. 22(b) show a state in which the rotation unit 500 is arranged in a lowered position.

[0262] In the composite operation unit 402, the columnar member 431 guides the rotation unit 500 in the up and down direction, and the drive motor 441 generates a driving force for moving the rotation unit 500 up and down. The electrical wiring DK1 guided inside the rotation unit 500 is made up of a bundle of multiple electric wires, and is configured to hang down along the opposite left and right sides of the side where the columnar member 431 is disposed, and to be able to enter the wiring auxiliary means 460 while sagging. Each component of the composite operation unit 402 will be described below.

[0263] 23 and 24 are exploded front perspective views of the composite action unit 402. Note that in Fig. 23 and Fig. 24, the exploded state of the rotation unit 500 is omitted.

[0264] As shown in Figures 23 and 24, the composite operating unit 402 mainly comprises a support means 410 that supports the rotation unit 500, a stacking means 420 that is stacked and fixed to the support means 410, a guide means 430 that guides the movement of the support means 410 by limiting the movement direction of the stacking means 420 to one direction (in this embodiment, the up and down direction), a drive means 440 having a drive motor 441 that generates a driving force to move the support means 410, a divided base member 442 that supports the drive motor 441, a transmission means 450 that is meshed with the drive gear 441a of the drive motor 441 and is configured to be able to transmit the driving force, and a wiring auxiliary means 460 that is configured to be able to arrange (store) electrical wiring DK1 of a length that can correspond to the amount of movement of the support means 410 without it becoming tangled or pinched.

[0265] The support means 410 includes a flat plate portion 411 formed in a flat plate shape, an annular protrusion 412 protruding in a ring shape from the upper surface of the flat plate portion 411, an irregularly shaped hole 413 formed in the center of the annular protrusion 412 as a through hole that opens in the vertical direction, a front upright portion 414 formed by bending downward from the front edge of the flat plate portion 411, a left upright portion 415 which is a plate-like portion connected to the left end of the front upright portion 414 and is bent downward from the left edge of the flat plate portion 411, and a connecting plate portion 416 having a long through hole 416a drilled at the lower end of the left upright portion 415 and extending in the front-to-rear direction, through which a connecting member 454 of the transmission means 450 is inserted.

[0266] The stacking means 420 mainly comprises an end plate member 421 configured as a plate-shaped member that is approximately symmetrical from front to back, a recessed portion 422 formed as a recess at the front and rear end portions of the end plate member 421, a cylindrical guide tube portion 423 configured to be large enough to be stored in the recessed portion 422, and a right cover member 424 arranged between the end plate member 421 and the support means 410, fastened and fixed to the end plate member 421, and covering the recessed portion 422 from the right side.

[0267] The guide cylindrical portion 423 is accommodated only in the recessed portion 422 at the front end of the recessed portions 422 recessed at the front and rear ends of the end plate member 421, and is not arranged in the recessed portion 422 at the rear end (arrangement is omitted).

[0268] This minimizes the positional deviation that occurs at the front end portion farthest from the rear end portion (see Figure 34(c)) supported by the transmission means 450 when the rotation unit 500 is positioned in the lowered or raised position, just as in the case where the guide cylindrical portion 423 is arranged in both the front and rear recessed portions 422, thereby stabilizing the positioning of the rotation unit 500.

[0269] Furthermore, compared to when the guide cylindrical portion 423 is provided in both the front and rear recessed portions 422, a larger gap can be created between the recessed portion 422 and the columnar member 431 at the rear end supported by the transmission means 450, thereby reducing the resistance that occurs when the stacking means 420 moves up and down.

[0270] The right cover member 424 is provided with a pair of insertion holes 424a through which fastening screws that are fastened to the end plate member 421 are inserted, a plurality of insertion openings 424b that are formed to allow the insertion of fastening screws that are inserted through the right cover member 424 from the end plate member 421 side and fastened to the left vertical portion 415 of the support means 410, and a recessed support portion 424c that is recessed so as to be able to receive the guide tube portion 423 of the stacking means 420 in a shape that prevents it from falling off in the vertical direction.

[0271] The guide means 430 mainly comprises a pair of metal columnar members 431 arranged in front and behind so as to pass through at least one of the guide tube portion 423 or the recessed portion 422, a metal plate portion 432 arranged on the left surface of the columnar member 431 and made of a metal plate, an upper bent portion 433 bent to the right from the upper portion of the metal plate portion 432, a lower bent portion 434 bent to the right from the lower portion of the metal plate portion 432, and a rear bent portion 435 bent to the right from the rear portion of the metal plate portion 432.

[0272] Metal plate portion 432 is cut out from the top downward, forming a U-shape when viewed from the left side. This allows an assembly worker or maintenance worker to reach the front-to-rear intermediate portion of end plate member 421 (the portion between the pair of front and rear recessed portions 422) through the cut-out area, thereby improving the efficiency of assembly work or maintenance work, as will be described in detail later.

[0273] The metal plate portion 432 is disposed close to the end plate member 421 in the left-right direction, except for the central portion in the front-rear direction. As a result, even if the end plate member 421 is displaced in the left-right direction, the displacement can be restricted not only by contact with the columnar member 431 but also by contact with the metal plate portion 432.

[0274] This makes it possible to suppress left-right displacement of the stacking means 420, thereby suppressing left-right displacement of the support means 410 fastened and fixed to the stacking means 420 and the transmission means 450 connected to the support means 410.

[0275] The upper bent portion 433 and the lower bent portion 434 are through holes drilled at positions that overlap when viewed in the up-down direction, and include support holes 433a and 434a formed with a size that allows the columnar member 431 to be inserted and supported.

[0276] In the assembled state, the columnar member 431 is inserted into the support holes 433a, 434a, and its ends are formed to a length that slightly protrudes from the upper side of the upper bent portion 433 and the lower side of the lower bent portion 434 (see FIG. 21(a)). A so-called "E-ring" is fitted into a groove formed in the outer diameter direction in this slightly protruding portion, thereby preventing the columnar member 431 from slipping out of the support holes 433a, 434a.

[0277] The lower bent portion 434 stably supports the divided base member 442 while supporting it from below. In this supported state, the rear side plate portion of the divided base member 442 overlaps with the rear bent portion 435 in the front-to-rear direction, and a fastening screw inserted from the rear side through the base member 401 (see FIG. 20 ) disposed on the rear side of the divided base member 442 is fastened and fixed to the female thread portion formed in the rear bent portion 435, thereby integrally fixing the base member 401, the divided base member 442, and the guide means 430.

[0278] The drive means 440 has components separated into left and right sections by function by a partition plate 442a of the divided base member 442. That is, a configuration for transmitting driving force (transmission means 450, etc.) is arranged on the left side of the partition plate 442a, and a configuration for supplying power or a configuration to be supplied with power (such as the main body of the drive motor 441 and wiring auxiliary means 460 that houses the electrical wiring DK1) is arranged on the right side of the partition plate 442a. Note that while the electrical wiring DK1 used for power supply is not shown in Figures 23 and 24, the relationship between the electrical wiring DK1 and the wiring auxiliary means 460 and the displacement thereof will be described in detail below.

[0279] The drive motor 441 is attached to the partition plate portion 442a from the right side, and the drive gear 441a protrudes to the left side of the partition plate portion 442a through an opening formed in the partition plate portion 442a. In the assembled state (see FIG. 21), when the drive motor 441 is driven and the drive gear 441a rotates, the drive force is transmitted to the transmission means 450 via the transmission gear 451 that meshes with the drive gear 441a.

[0280] The partition plate portion 442a mainly comprises a plurality of protrusions 442b protruding leftward from the left surface in a columnar shape, a metal columnar portion 442c made of metal and fixed above the protrusions 442b at the upper end and formed in a cylindrical shape with an axis parallel to the protrusion direction of the protrusions 442b, a photocoupler type detection sensor 442d fastened and fixed in a position where the detection groove is positioned opposite the metal columnar portion 442c, and an opening 442e formed in the left-right direction.

[0281] The protruding portions 442b are configured to be able to pivotally support the transmission gear 451 and the intermediate gear 452, respectively, and have female threads formed at their protruding tips, so that the transmission gear 451 and the intermediate gear 452 can be pivotally supported so as not to fall off by fastening a flanged fastening screw into the female thread. The metal columnar portion 442c is formed with a diameter that allows the pivoting arm member 453 to be pivotally supported.

[0282] The detection sensor 442d is configured to be able to detect that the detected plate portion 453d of the rotating arm member 453 is placed in the detection groove, thereby making it possible to detect the position of the rotating arm member 453.

[0283] The opening 442e is an opening for passing the electrical wiring DK1 that has reached the gap between the divided base member 442 and the wiring auxiliary means 460 in the left-right direction and guiding it to the rear side, and will be described in detail later.

[0284] The transmission means 450 mainly comprises a transmission gear 451 that meshes with the drive gear 441a, an intermediate gear 452 that is arranged above the transmission gear 451 (opposite the drive gear 441a) and meshes with the transmission gear 451, a rotating arm member 453 having a gear portion 453a that meshes with the intermediate gear 452, and a connecting member 454 that is supported at the rotating tip of the rotating arm member 453 so that it cannot fall off.

[0285] The rotating arm member 453 is a member rotatably supported on the metal cylindrical portion 442c of the partition plate portion 442a, and comprises a gear portion 453a formed in the shape of gear teeth along an arc centered on the rotation axis, an extension arm portion 453b extending radially outward at a position axially offset from the gear portion 453a, a support hole 453c formed at the extension tip of the extension arm portion 453b in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, and a detectable plate portion 453d extending along the rotation direction from the extension arm portion 453b.

[0286] The connecting member 454 mainly comprises a cylindrical brass supported portion 454a whose tip end is inserted into the elongated through hole 416a, and a synthetic resin fitting lid portion 454b which is fitted into the base end of 454a and has a flange portion 454c which protrudes like a flange from the base end.

[0287] A well-known E-ring (not shown) is fitted into the tip of the supported portion 454a. This prevents the connecting member 454 from falling off to the left from the elongated through-hole 416a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the connecting member 454 from falling off and being lost before the stacking means 420 and the guiding means 430 are assembled to the divided base member 442 (in the middle of assembly).

[0288] In the assembled state (see Figure 22(a)), the right cover member 424 is positioned opposite the left side of the connecting member 454 (so that they overlap in the left-right direction), thereby physically preventing the connecting member 454 from falling off to the left.

[0289] The outer diameter of the fitting lid portion 454b is formed to be shorter than the vertical width of the elongated through hole 416a, and the outer diameter of the flange portion 454c is formed to be longer than the vertical width of the elongated through hole 416a. Thus, by disposing the resin fitting lid portion 454b between the elongated through hole 416a and the metal supported portion 454a, deformation of the elongated through hole 416a can be suppressed, and in addition, because the flange portion 454c is formed with dimensions that prevent it from passing through the elongated through hole 416a, it is possible to prevent the connecting member 454 from falling off to the right from the elongated through hole 416a.

[0290] The wiring auxiliary means 460 is configured in the shape of a bottomed container and is made up of two members correspondingly arranged in the left-right direction. That is, the wiring auxiliary means 460 mainly includes a left member 461 arranged opposite to the right surface of the partition plate portion 442a and fastened and fixed to the partition plate portion 442a, and a right member 468 arranged opposite to the right surface of the left member 461, having a shape that can cover the internal shape of the left member 461 when viewed in the left-right direction, and fastened and fixed to the left member 461.

[0291] The left side member 461 mainly comprises a plate-shaped opposing plate 462 that is fastened and fixed to a portion that is raised to the right at the front and rear positions of the partition plate portion 442a and is arranged opposite to it; a band-shaped extension portion 463 that extends in a band-like shape to the right from the front, rear and lower edges of the opposing plate 462; a support pillar portion 464 that protrudes in a pillar-like shape to the right near the upper end of the opposing plate 462 and has a female screw formed at the protruding tip; and a wiring support portion 465 that is configured on the diagonally upper rear side of the support pillar portion 464 so that a thin-diameter member such as a cable tie that supports the electrical wiring DK1 can be inserted through it.

[0292] As described above, the opposing plate 462 is fastened to the raised portion of the partition plate portion 442a, so that a gap is created between the opposing plate 462 and the partition plate portion 442a at the front-rear intermediate position of the partition plate portion 442a (a position other than the raised portion). This gap functions as a gap through which the electrical wiring DK1 passes.

[0293] The electrical wiring DK1 (see Figures 21 and 22), as will be described in detail later, passes through the opening 442e, the gap between the partition plate portion 442a and the wiring auxiliary means 460, the wiring support portion 465, passes from the rear side to the underside of the support pillar portion 464, and heads upward along the front side of the support pillar portion 464, where it is supported by the support means 410 and the rotating unit 500.

[0294] Therefore, the electrical wiring DK1 needs to be long enough (extra length) to accommodate the up and down movement of the support means 410 and the rotating unit 500, and when the support means 410 and the rotating unit 500 are positioned in a lowered position, this extra length of electrical wiring DK1 is stored in the wiring auxiliary means 460 in a state where it is loosely wound around the support pillar portion 464.

[0295] Here, in this embodiment, the shape of the wiring auxiliary means 460 is designed to reduce the load applied to the electric wiring DK1 that is loosely wound around the support pillar 464. That is, when the electric wiring DK1 is wound around the support pillar 464, the longer the length of the wound electric wiring DK1, the larger the maximum diameter of the electric wiring DK1 centered on the support pillar 464. Therefore, if the distance between the belt-shaped extension portion 463 and the electric wiring DK1 is short, a load may be generated as a reaction force from the belt-shaped extension portion 463 to the electric wiring DK1. However, in this embodiment, the belt-shaped extension portion 463 is disposed at a sufficient interval in the radial direction of the support pillar 464.

[0296] In particular, as will be described later, in this embodiment, the lower extension portion 519, which serves as a portion of the rotating unit 500 that supports the electrical wiring DK1 at a position close to the wiring auxiliary means 460, is disposed on the front side of the support pillar portion 464. Therefore, the excess length of the electrical wiring DK1 that is left over as the support means 410 and the rotating unit 500 move to the lowered position is disposed mainly on the front side of the support pillar portion 464.

[0297] Correspondingly, the band-shaped extension 463 is designed so that, with the support pillar 464 as the reference in the front-to-rear direction, a larger internal space can be secured forward of the support pillar 464. The band-shaped extension 463 also has, below the support pillar 464, a functional curved surface 463a which is a surface that displaces downward toward the front side and is a curved surface with the center of curvature radius located on the lower side.

[0298] The shape of the functional curved surface 463a allows it to apply a load in an obliquely upward and forward direction as a reaction force to the nearby electrical wiring DK1, which makes it easier for the electrical wiring DK1 to gather in a range forward of the support pillar 464.

[0299] In addition, the functional curved surface 463a has a curved shape that protrudes inward of the wiring auxiliary means 460, which makes it easier to secure space for arranging the drive motor 441. That is, the curved shape of the functional curved surface 463a not only stabilizes the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK1, but also allows the wiring auxiliary means 460 and the drive motor 441 to be arranged in a minimum space.

[0300] Fig. 25 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotation unit 500, and Fig. 26 is an exploded rear perspective view of the rotation unit 500. As shown in Figs. 25 and 26, the rotation unit 500 mainly includes a fixing means 510 fastened to the support means 410 (see Fig. 23) and formed in a U-shape when viewed from the front, a two-end fixing means 520 fixed inside the fixing means 510 and constituting a rotation center, a shaft forming means 530 fixed to the two-end fixing means 520 and disposed inside the U-shape of the fixing means 510, a rotating left cover part 550 disposed inside the U-shape of the fixing means 510 and on the left side of the shaft forming means 530, a rotating body 560 fastened to the rotating left cover part 550 and having an outer shape that is substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and a rotating right cover part 570 fastened to the right side of the rotating body 560 and disposed inside the U-shape of the fixing means 510.

[0301] To give an overview of the rotation unit 500, it is composed of a rotation part, mainly consisting of a rotor 560, which rotates and displaces around a left-right axis, and a fixed part, mainly consisting of a fixing means 510, which supports the rotation part.

[0302] The rotating part is composed of a rotating body 560, a rotating left plate 550, a motor gear 542 meshed with the rotating left plate 550, and a driven plate 575 of the rotating right cover part 570, and the remaining components excluding these (fixing means 510, both end fixing means 520, shaft forming means 530 excluding the motor gear 542, and posture fixing bush 571 of the rotating right cover part 570) constitute the fixed part.

[0303] The fixing means 510 mainly comprises a U-shaped metal plate 511 formed into a U-shape when viewed from the front by bending the metal plate at a right angle, left and right fixed covers 514 arranged opposite to the left and right of the U-shaped metal plate 511 and having a shape that can form a closed cross section between them, and a guide member 516 that is fastened and fixed from below the U-shaped metal plate 511 and guides the electrical wiring DK1.

[0304] In the description of the left and right fixed lids 514, the closed cross section does not necessarily mean a completely sealed (tight) cross section, but may be any type of closure suited to the purpose of this embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, the electrical wiring DK1 is passed through the closed cross section, so any opening that does not allow the electrical wiring DK1 to pass through is acceptable (for example, an opening with a diameter smaller than the thickness of the electrical wiring DK1, or an opening with a width larger than the thickness of the electrical wiring DK1 that is aligned along the longitudinal direction of the electrical wiring DK1, thereby maintaining the accommodation of the electrical wiring DK1). Details of the path of the electrical wiring DK1 will be described later.

[0305] The U-shaped metal plate 511 has female screws and positioning through holes formed at appropriate positions on the long plate portion, and is used for positioning and fastening with the left and right fixed covers 514 and guide member 516.

[0306] Both ends of the U-shaped metal plate 511 are arranged opposite each other, and the left and right sides are cut out in different shapes. That is, a substantially circular first opening 512 is formed on the left side, while a substantially gourd-shaped second opening 513 and a pair of circular holes 513a are formed on the right side.

[0307] The guide member 516 mainly comprises an irregularly shaped hole 517 drilled in the vertical direction in a roughly gourd shape at the center position in the left-right direction, a lowered bottom portion 518 configured to leave a gap with the U-shaped metal plate 511 to the right of the irregularly shaped hole 517, and a lower extension portion 519 extending downward from the right rear end portion of the lowered bottom portion 518.

[0308] The irregularly shaped hole 517 is located above the irregularly shaped hole 413 (see FIG. 23), and is formed with a size that allows the electrical wiring DK1 to be guided therethrough. The electrical wiring DK1 that passes above the irregularly shaped hole 517 is disposed between the lowered bottom portion 518 and the U-shaped metal plate 511, bends upward, is disposed between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the left and right fixed covers 514, is disposed on the inner diameter side of the right fixed bush 522 of the both-end fixing means 520, and is disposed inside the U-shaped metal plate 511. The state of the electrical wiring DK1 along its path will be described later.

[0309] The lower extension portion 519 is configured in a shape that allows the electrical wiring DK1, which moves up and down in response to the vertical movement, to be supported by a cable tie. That is, the forming portion 411a is formed in a shape that allows a cable tie to be fixed to it directly to the right of the irregularly shaped hole 413 of the flat plate portion 411. The electrical wiring DK1 is fixed to the forming portion 411a by a cable tie, and is also fixed by a cable tie to the lower extension portion 519, which is disposed on the rear side and below the forming portion 411a.

[0310] This allows the electrical wiring DK1 to be moved toward the back side, thereby preventing the electrical wiring DK1 from being displaced toward the front side and being pinched between the front upper edge of the strip-shaped extension portion 463 and the front vertical portion 414 of the support means 410 (see Figure 23).

[0311] The plate portion constituting the right side surface of the lower extension portion 519 functions as a restrictor for preventing the cable tie from rising up. That is, the cable tie is maintained in a state fixed to the U-shaped portion that projects downward at the lower end of the lower extension portion 519, and by restricting the cable tie from rising up, the fixing position of the electrical wiring DK1 to the lower extension portion 519 can be limited to the vicinity of the lower end of the lower extension portion 519.

[0312] The two-end fixing means 520 includes a left fixing bush 521 fitted into the first opening 512 of the U-shaped metal plate 511 from the left side, and a right fixing bush 522 fitted into the second opening 513 from the right side.

[0313] The left fixed bush 521 and the right fixed bush 522 have formed portions (convex portions) that fit into notches (concave portions) formed on the top and bottom of both the first opening 512 and the second opening 513, and these concave and convex portions fit together to stabilize their posture, and the axial (left-right) positioning is determined by flange-shaped portions that are formed in a flange shape with a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the first opening 512 and the second opening 513.

[0314] That is, in the assembled state (see Figure 21), the left fixed bush 521 and the right fixed bush 522 are supported by their flange-shaped portions being positioned between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the left and right fixed covers 514, and their postures are fixed by the recessed and protruding fitting.

[0315] A support hole 521a having a D-shaped cross section is formed at the rotation axis position in the left fixed bush 521. The support hole 521a is a portion that supports one end of the shaft forming means 530, and will be described in detail later.

[0316] The right fixed bush 522 mainly comprises a pair of insertion holes 523 formed to allow the insertion of fastening screws inserted into the circular hole 513a, an annular protrusion 524 having an irregular ring shape that protrudes to the left and can be fitted into the second opening 513, and an omission portion 525 in which the formation of a flange-shaped portion is omitted in approximately the lower half in order to ensure a passage path for the electrical wiring DK1.

[0317] The annular protrusion 524 is formed with a protruding length that exceeds the plate thickness of the U-shaped metal plate 511. This makes it possible to easily align the position of the protruding fastening portion 532 of the shaft configuring means 530, and details will be described later.

[0318] The shaft construction means 530 mainly comprises a right-hand shaft body portion 531 which is fastened to the U-shaped metal plate 511 by screwing a fastening screw inserted into the insertion hole 523, a left-hand shaft body portion 535 which is arranged opposite to the left side of the right-hand shaft body portion 531 and fastened to the right-hand shaft body portion 531, a drive motor 541 which is fastened to the left-hand shaft body portion 535, a motor gear 542 which is fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 541, an illumination board 543 which is arranged on the front side of the right-hand shaft body portion 531 and the left-hand shaft body portion 535, a light diffusion plate 545 which is stacked on the front side of the illumination board 543, has a light diffusion shape formed on the back side, and is positioned by being sandwiched between the right-hand shaft body portion 531 and the left-hand shaft body portion 535 from the front, rear, left, right, top and bottom, and a photocoupler type detection sensor 547 which is fastened to the right-hand shaft body portion 531 from the right side.

[0319] As described above, the shaft configuring means 530 includes multiple components (i.e., the drive motor 541, the illumination board 543, and the detection sensor 547) that require a power supply. Therefore, it is considered that a challenge is to arrange the electrical wiring DK1 compactly. In contrast, in this embodiment, all of the connection terminals 541a, 547a of the electrical wiring DK1 are gathered in the area between the opposing shaft right main body portion 531 and the shaft left main body portion 535.

[0320] That is, the connection terminal 541a of the drive motor 541 is arranged in the motor main body portion which is arranged surrounded by the right-axis main body portion 531 and the left-axis main body portion 535, the connection terminal (not shown) of the illumination board 543 is arranged on the back side facing the space between the right-axis main body portion 531 and the left-axis main body portion 535, and the connection terminal 547a of the detection sensor 547 is arranged to pass through the opening 533a of the right-axis main body portion 531 and protrude to the left side of the right-axis main body portion 531 (towards the left-axis main body portion 535).

[0321] This makes it possible to supply electricity without excess or deficiency simply by guiding the electrical wiring DK1 into the area between the opposing shaft right body portion 531 and the opposing shaft left body portion 535, so that the electrical wiring DK1 can be contained in the area between the opposing shaft right body portion 531 and the opposing shaft left body portion 535 (the area on the inner diameter side of the arc-shaped wall extended toward the opposing side).

[0322] Furthermore, the fastening directions of the shaft configuring means 530 and the U-shaped metal plate 511, the fastening between the right shaft main body portion 531 and the left shaft main body portion 535, the fastening between the left shaft main body portion 535 and the drive motor 541, and the fastening between the right shaft main body portion 531 and the detection sensor 547 are unified in the left-right direction (the direction parallel to the rotation axis). Therefore, it is possible to easily configure the radial dimension of the shaft configuring means 530 to be small.

[0323] In this way, the main functional parts can be integrated and the electrical wiring DK1 can be stored compactly by the shaft configuring means 530. Details of each component of the shaft configuring means 530 will be explained below.

[0324] The right-hand shaft main body portion 531 mainly comprises a pair of protruding fastening portions 532, one at the front and one at the rear, which protrude towards the right and have female threads formed at the protruding tips; an opening 533a, which is drilled in the left-right direction below the protruding fastening portions 532 and is large enough to allow the connection terminal 547a of the detection sensor 547 to pass through; a wiring opening 533b, which is drilled in the left-right direction above the protruding fastening portions 532 and is large enough to allow the electrical wiring DK1 (and the connector arranged at the tip) to be inserted through; and a pair of locking claw portions 534, which protrude in a claw-like manner at a position with a gap on the front side of the front plate portion of the right-hand shaft main body portion 531.

[0325] The protruding fastening portion 532 is fixed in position by loosely fitting into the annular protrusion 524 of the right fixed bush 522, and its tip abuts against the U-shaped metal plate 511, and is fastened to the U-shaped metal plate 511 by threading a fastening screw inserted through the circular hole 513a and the insertion hole 523. The protruding fastening portion 532 is also inserted into an insertion hole 572 of the position fixing bush 571, as will be described in detail later.

[0326] The locking claws 534 are parts for supporting the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545 by sandwiching them from the left and right in the assembled state (see FIG. 21). In addition, a pair of restricting protrusions 534a protruding from the front side at the upper and lower ends of the front plate portion sandwich the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545 (directly or indirectly), thereby restricting their displacement in the up and down direction.

[0327] The left shaft main body portion 535 mainly comprises a plate-like portion 536 formed in a plate shape that intersects the rotation axis (left-right axis) at a right angle, a pair of protruding fastening portions 537 that protrude cylindrically to the right from the plate-like portion 536 and have female threads formed at the protruding tips, a support portion 538 that protrudes cylindrically to the left from the plate-like portion 536 along the rotation axis, and a pair of locking claw portions 539 that protrude in a claw-like shape at positions with a gap on the front side of the front plate portion of the left shaft main body portion 535.

[0328] Protruding fastening portion 537 protrudes up to the same plane as the plane on which the right tip portion of the arc-shaped wall of left shaft main body portion 535 is disposed. In this case, the arc-shaped wall of left shaft main body portion 535 and protruding fastening portion 537 can be abutted on the same plane against a plate portion of right shaft main body portion 531 that is disposed parallel to plate-like portion 536.

[0329] This allows the right-shaft main body portion 531 to be stably positioned relative to the left-shaft main body portion 535, and a fastening screw inserted into an insertion hole formed in the right-shaft main body portion 531 can be easily screwed into the female thread at the tip of the protruding fastening portion 537, making it possible to easily fasten the right-shaft main body portion 531 to the left-shaft main body portion 535.

[0330] Support portion 538 is configured in a cylindrical shape with a diameter slightly shorter than the circular opening formed in the center of flanged gear 551 of rotating left cover portion 550, thereby rotatably supporting flanged gear 551. In addition, support portion 538 has a tip formed in a D-shape that is slightly smaller than support hole 521a, thereby being configured to be able to fit into support hole 521a.

[0331] That is, in the assembled state (see FIG. 21), the pivot support portion 538 is fitted into the support hole 521a and is supported so as not to be rotatable, and functions as a portion that pivotally supports the rotating left cover portion 550 so that it is rotatable.

[0332] The locking claw portion 539 is configured in approximately the same shape as the locking claw portion 534 of the shaft right main body portion 531, and in the assembled state (see FIG. 21), supports the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545 by sandwiching them from the left and right. At this time, by sandwiching the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545 between the front plate portion arranged with a gap on the back side and the locking claw portions 534, 539, it is possible to restrict displacement in the front-rear direction as well.

[0333] In addition, a pair of regulating protrusions 539a protruding from the front side at the upper and lower ends of the front panel clamp the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545 (directly or indirectly), thereby regulating vertical displacement.

[0334] As a result, by utilizing the ingenious shapes of the right-hand shaft main body portion 531 and the left-hand shaft main body portion 535, it is possible to fix the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545 to the right-hand shaft main body portion 531 and the left-hand shaft main body portion 535 by fastening and fixing the right-hand shaft main body portion 531 and the left-hand shaft main body portion 535 without having to prepare separate fixing means (for example, fastening screws) for fixing the illumination board 543 and the light diffusion plate 545.

[0335] The illumination board 543 is provided with a plurality of LED members 544 arranged vertically on the left end, and the LED members 544 are arranged so that their optical axes extend to the right along the surface of the illumination board 543. The plurality of LED members 544 are configured so that each LED has a different light emission color (for example, red, green, blue), and by combining these light emission colors, it is possible to create a multi-color light-emitting effect with a small number of LEDs.

[0336] The light diffusion plate 545 has a light diffusion shape formed on the rear surface, and this light diffusion shape is formed so that light can be emitted from the surface of the light diffusion plate 545 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the light diffusion plate 545. This allows the rotating body 560, which is irradiated with light that has passed through the light diffusion plate 545, to be illuminated evenly while reducing the number of LED members 544.

[0337] Detection sensor 547 is disposed inside rotating body 560 on the right side, opposite to the left side where components for transmitting driving force such as drive motor 541 and transmission gear 552 are disposed. This allows for effective use of the space inside rotating body 560 and allows for a compact arrangement.

[0338] By disposing detection sensor 547 inside rotating body 560, it is possible to easily displace detection sensor 547 in association with the vertical displacement of rotating body 560. In other words, when detection sensor 547 is disposed outside rotating body 560, a member supporting detection sensor 547 is almost always disposed outside rotating body 560, but in this case, in order to displace detection sensor 547 in association with the vertical displacement of rotating body 560, the member supporting detection sensor 547 also needs to be displaced in the same manner.

[0339] In contrast to this, in the case where the detection sensor 547 is disposed inside the rotating body 560 as in this embodiment, by disposing the detection sensor 547 on a member that constitutes the rotation shaft of the rotating body 560, the detection sensor 547 can be configured to be displaced up and down in association with the upward and downward displacement of the rotating body 560 (the upward and downward displacement of the member that constitutes the rotation shaft).

[0340] Detection sensor 547 is disposed with its detection groove facing the tangent direction of a circle centered on the rotation axis of rotor 560. This allows a configuration in which detected portion 577, which protrudes from an eccentric position on rotor 560 along the axial direction, passes through the detection groove.

[0341] The rotating left cover part 550 mainly includes a flanged gear 551 that is pivotally supported by the pivot support part 538, and a driven plate 555 that is fixed to the flanged gear 551 in the rotational direction.

[0342] The flanged gear 551 mainly comprises a transmission gear 552 arranged to be able to mesh with the motor gear 542, a stepped disc portion 553 extending radially outward from the axial end of the transmission gear 552 and formed in a stepped disc shape, and a plurality of protrusions 554 protruding from specific positions on the outer periphery of the small diameter circle of the stepped disc portion 553 (in this embodiment, positions spaced 120 degrees apart that divide the circumference into thirds) toward the outer periphery of the large diameter circle.

[0343] The driven plate 555 has an irregularly shaped opening 556 that is slightly larger than the shape that continuously connects the small diameter circle of the stepped disk portion 553 and the outer shape of the protruding portion 554 when viewed in the rotation axis direction.

[0344] By fitting the irregularly shaped opening 556 onto the small diameter circle of the stepped disk portion 553 and the protruding portion 554 , it is possible to prevent displacement of the driven plate 555 relative to the flanged gear 551 in the rotational direction.

[0345] Furthermore, the large diameter circle of the stepped disk portion 553 is larger than the irregularly shaped opening 556, so that the flanged gear 551 is restricted from passing through the irregularly shaped opening 556 to the right.

[0346] The shape of the left side surface of the flanged gear 551 is designed so that when it abuts against the protruding portion that protrudes annularly to the right from around the support hole 521a of the left fixed bush 521, a gap is created between it and the U-shaped metal plate 511.

[0347] This allows the left side surface of flanged gear 551 to rub only against the annular protruding portion of left fixed bushing 521 when rotating body 560, thereby preventing friction between flanged gear 551 and U-shaped metal plate 511. Therefore, wear of flanged gear 551 can be suppressed.

[0348] Rotating body 560 is formed from a light-transmitting resin material and has four plate-like members with different or identical patterns or figures formed on their surfaces, and is fastened and fixed to rotating left cover part 550 and rotating right cover part 570 to form an approximately cubic shape, details of which will be described later.

[0349] The rotating right cover portion 570 mainly comprises an attitude fixing bush 571 having a pair of insertion holes 572 through which the protruding fastening portion 532 of the shaft forming means 530 can be inserted, and a driven plate 575 rotatably supported by the attitude fixing bush 571.

[0350] The attitude fixing bush 571 is configured so that the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface varies, similar to the stepped disk portion 553 of the flanged gear 551. In other words, the right end portion is configured to have a larger diameter than the left end portion, thereby defining the limit position when the driven plate 575 is displaced to the right relative to the attitude fixing bush 571. This makes it possible to prevent the driven plate 575 from falling off the attitude fixing bush 571.

[0351] The driven plate 575 mainly comprises a shaft support hole 576 drilled in the center in a circular shape slightly larger than the small diameter circle of the attitude fixing bush 571, and a detection target portion 577 protruding to the left along an arc shape concentric with the central axis of the shaft support hole 576.

[0352] The driven plate 575 is disposed in the gap (see Figure 30(a)) between the right end of the arc-shaped portion located on the right side of the shaft right main body portion 531 and the flange-shaped portion of the posture fixing bush 571, thereby restricting displacement in the direction of the rotation axis (left and right direction).

[0353] Furthermore, since the driven plate 575 is supported in a manner that allows it to slide on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion of the attitude-fixing bush 571, the attitude during rotation can be stabilized compared to when it is supported by a small-diameter rotating shaft.

[0354] In the assembled state (see FIG. 21), the detectable portion 577 is disposed so as to be able to enter the detection groove of the detection sensor 547. The detection sensor 547 determines the presence or absence of the detectable portion 577 (whether the detectable portion 577 is in an orientation where it has entered the detection groove of the detection sensor 547, or whether the non-formation range of the detectable portion 577 faces the detection sensor 547 and therefore the detectable portion 577 has not entered the detectable portion 577), thereby allowing the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 to determine the orientation of the rotating body 560.

[0355] Figure 27 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotating left cover part 550 and the rotating body 560, and Figure 28 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotating body 560 and the rotating right cover part 570. In Figure 27, the opposing surfaces of the rotating left cover part 550 and the rotating body 560 are shown facing the front side, and in Figure 28, the opposing surfaces of the rotating right cover part 570 and the rotating body 560 are shown facing the front side. In other words, they are shown in an arrangement in which the rear side of the opposing surfaces is the axis and the front side is away from the axis.

[0356] Rotating body 560 is formed into a rectangular cylindrical shape by multiple (four in this embodiment) surface component members 560a to 560d having similar shapes, so surface component member 560a will be described in detail, and only the differences between the other surface component members 560b to 560d will be described, and detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[0357] The surface component 560a comprises a substantially square plate-shaped portion 561 having a decorative pattern formed on its outer surface and constituting the outer wall of the rotating body 560, and a pair of symmetrical protrusions 562 which are formed to protrude inward from the left and right ends of the plate-shaped portion 561 in a shape that is rotationally symmetrical about the center point of the plate-shaped portion 561.

[0358] The symmetrical protrusion portion 562 mainly comprises an opposing plate portion 563 arranged opposite the driven plate 555 or the driven plate 575, left and right opposing portions 564 arranged on the inside left and right of the opposing plate portion 563 and extending outward from the front and rear of the opposing plate portion 563, fastening auxiliary portions 565 arranged on the inside left and right of the left and right opposing portions 564 and ensuring the screw-in thickness, and an attitude adjustment portion 566 drilled in the opposing plate portion 563.

[0359] The plate-shaped portion 561 has different decorative patterns on the surface constituent members 560a to 560d. As a result, as the rotating body 560 rotates and the surface constituent members 560a to 560d facing the player change (periodically), the figures and patterns visible through the rotating body 560 can be changed to multiple types (four types in this embodiment).

[0360] More specifically, a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating a "△" (triangle) is formed on the surface of plate-shaped portion 561 of surface component 560a, a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating a "?" (question mark) is formed on the surface of plate-shaped portion 561 of surface component 560b, a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating an "!" (exclamation mark) is formed on the surface of plate-shaped portion 561 of surface component 560c, and a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating a "○" (circle) is formed on the surface of plate-shaped portion 561 of surface component 560d.

[0361] In the four composite action units 402 arranged side by side (see FIG. 19), a common decorative pattern is formed on the surface constituent members 560a, 560b, and 560d, while a different decorative pattern is formed on the surface constituent member 560c.

[0362] That is, a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating "H" is formed on the surface of the plate-shaped portion 561 of the surface component 560c of the composite operation unit 402 located on the far left, a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating "I" is formed on the surface of the plate-shaped portion 561 of the surface component 560c of the composite operation unit 402 located second from the left, a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating "T" is formed on the surface of the plate-shaped portion 561 of the surface component 560c of the composite operation unit 402 located third from the left, and a decorative pattern consisting of a figure indicating "!" (exclamation mark) is formed on the surface of the plate-shaped portion 561 of the surface component 560c of the composite operation unit 402 located rightmost, the uses of which will be described later.

[0363] The surface of the opposing plate portion 563 on the rotation axis side of the central portion is formed from an arc shape that forms part of the same circle with the surface constituent members 560a to 560d, and a convex portion 563a is formed on one side of the front and rear ends (the front side of the surface constituent member 560a), and a concave portion 563b is formed on the other side (the rear side of the surface constituent member 560a).

[0364] The concave portion 563b is formed in a shape that allows it to fit into the convex portion 563a when rotated 90 degrees about the left-right axis. For example, the concave portion 563b on the left side of the surface forming member 560a fits into the convex portion 563a on the lower side of the surface forming member 560b that corresponds to a state rotated 90 degrees about the left-right axis with respect to the surface forming member 560a. At the same time, the convex portion 563a on the left side of the surface forming member 560a fits into the concave portion 563b on the lower side of the surface forming member 560b.

[0365] As long as the above-described conditions are satisfied, the shapes of the convex portion 563a and the concave portion 563b can be set arbitrarily. For example, they may be angular, semicircular, or inclined. In this embodiment, the convex portion 563a is sized to allow a female screw to be formed in the convex portion 563a, thereby configuring the convex portion 563a as a location where the fastening force of the fastening screw is exerted.

[0366] In a similar manner, adjacent surface constituent members 560a to 560d can be fitted together to align them into a rectangular cylindrical shape. Left-right misalignment of surface constituent members 560a to 560d is prevented by left-right opposing portions 564.

[0367] That is, when the surface components 560a to 560d form a rectangular cylindrical shape, the left and right opposing portions 564 abut against (are arranged facing) the recessed portions 563b of the adjacent surface components 560a to 560d from the inside in the left and right direction.

[0368] For example, the right side surface that continues from the left side (outside the left-right direction of the rotating body 560) to the concave-shaped portion 563b that is arranged on the underside of the surface forming member 560d abuts against (is arranged facing) the left-right opposing portion 564 that is arranged on the front side of the surface forming member 560a. That is, after the arrangement that allows for the configuration of a rectangular cylindrical shape is achieved, the left-right position of the surface forming member 560d with respect to the surface forming member 560a can be adjusted by displacing the surface forming member 560d to the right with respect to the surface forming member 560a.

[0369] Furthermore, the left side surface that continues from the right side (outside the left-right direction of the rotating body 560) to recessed portion 563b that is arranged on the front side of surface constituent member 560a abuts against (is arranged facing) left-right opposing portion 564 that is arranged on the lower side (lower right side) of surface constituent member 560d. That is, after the arrangement that allows for the configuration of a rectangular cylindrical shape is achieved, the left-right position of surface constituent member 560d with respect to surface constituent member 560a can be adjusted by displacing surface constituent member 560d to the right with respect to surface constituent member 560a.

[0370] In this way, in this embodiment, by making the shape of the symmetrical protrusion portion 562 rotationally symmetrical about the center point of the plate-shaped portion 561, it is possible to align the left and right positions of one surface component member relative to the other surface component member by displacing the other surface component member (e.g., surface component member 560d) in one direction left or right relative to one adjacent surface component member (e.g., surface component member 560a).

[0371] The position adjustment portion 566 is formed as position adjustment portions 566a to 566d on each of the surface constituent members 560a to 560d, and is configured as a through hole of a different shape on each of the surface constituent members 560a to 560d.

[0372] That is, the posture adjustment portion 566a formed in the surface component member 560a is drilled in a circular cross section, the posture adjustment portion 566b formed in the surface component member 560b is drilled in a rectangular shape with the short side extending in the direction along which the plate-shaped portion 561 extends, the posture adjustment portion 566c formed in the surface component member 560c is drilled in a rectangular shape with the long side extending in the direction along which the plate-shaped portion 561 extends, and the posture adjustment portion 566d formed in the surface component member 560d is drilled in a regular triangular cross section.

[0373] The driven plate 555 has a plurality of fitting protrusions 555a to 555d that protrude from positions that allow insertion into the position adjustment portions 566a to 566d and have shapes that correspond to the position adjustment portions 566a to 566d.

[0374] That is, the pair of mating protrusions 555a protrude with a circular cross section, the pair of mating protrusions 555b protrude with a rectangular shape with a short side in the direction along the adjacent side of the driven plate 555, the pair of mating protrusions 555c protrude with a rectangular shape with a long side in the direction along the adjacent side of the driven plate 555, and the pair of mating protrusions 555d protrude with a regular triangular cross section.

[0375] The driven plate 575 has a plurality of fitting protrusions 575a to 575d that protrude from positions that allow insertion into the position adjustment portions 566a to 566d and have shapes that correspond to the position adjustment portions 566a to 566d.

[0376] That is, the pair of mating protrusions 575a protrude with a circular cross section, the pair of mating protrusions 575b protrude with a rectangular shape with a short side in the direction along the adjacent side of the driven plate 575, the pair of mating protrusions 575c protrude with a rectangular shape with a long side in the direction along the adjacent side of the driven plate 575, and the pair of mating protrusions 575d protrude with a regular triangular cross section.

[0377] In this way, by configuring the posture adjustment portions 566a to 566d and the mating protrusions 555a to 555d and mating protrusions 575a to 575d with corresponding shapes, the rotating left cover portion 550, the rotating body 560 and the rotating right cover portion 570 can be mated with each other at an appropriate relative angle, and can also be fastened and fixed.

[0378] In actual assembly procedures, all four surface constituent members 560a to 560d of rotating body 560 are assembled and fitted together into a rectangular cylindrical shape, and the left and right positions are adjusted, and then fitting convex fitting portions 555a to 555d of rotating left lid portion 550 are fitted into attitude adjustment portions 566a to 566d of rotating body 560, and fastening screws inserted into insertion holes formed in the four corners are threaded into the female threads of convex portion 563a, thereby fastening and fixing rotating body 560 to rotating left lid portion 550. Next, by threading in fastening screws in the same procedure, rotating right lid portion 570 can also be fastened and fixed to rotating body 560.

[0379] In this embodiment, the fitting direction and fastening direction of rotating left cover part 550 and rotating right cover part 570 to position adjustment parts 566a to 566d of rotating body 560 are designed to be both left and right directions (directions parallel to the rotation axis).

[0380] This makes it possible to remove fastening screws from the outer surface (display surface) of each of the surface components 560a-560d of the rotating body 560, thereby preventing the fastening screws from being visible on the display surface. In this case, a seal member for hiding the fastening screws is not required, and the decorative pattern can be formed using the entire region (entire area) of the outer surface (display surface) of each of the surface components 560a-560d, so the size (area, i.e., density) of the decorative pattern relative to the size (area) of each of the components 560a-560d can be increased.

[0381] Here, for example, if one surface forming member (e.g., surface forming member 560a) is fastened to the rotating left cover part 550 and then another surface forming member (e.g., surface forming member 560d) is to be assembled, the fitting convex part 555d of the rotating left cover part 550 fastened to the first surface forming member 560a will interfere with the opposing plate part 563 of the other surface forming member 560d. As a result, the concave part 563b of the other surface forming member 560d cannot slide between the left / right opposing parts 564 of the first surface forming member 560a and the driven plate 555, and assembly will not be possible.

[0382] In this manner, in this embodiment, the rotating left cover portion 550 and the rotating right cover portion 570 can be fastened and fixed only after all of the surface constituent members 560a to 560d have been combined into a rectangular cylindrical shape, thereby preventing assembly errors (for example, assembling the surface constituent members 560a to 560d in a state where any of the surface constituent members 560a to 560d is missing).

[0383] That is, in this embodiment, the mating protrusions 555a to 555d, 575a to 575d can simultaneously achieve the following effects: the rigidity of the rotating left lid portion 550, the rotating body 560, and the rotating right lid portion 570 can be strengthened by mating; the shape of the mating protrusions 555a to 555d matches the shape of the mating target posture adjustment portions 566a to 566d, so that the rotating left lid portion 550, the rotating body 560, and the rotating right lid portion 570 can be assembled in an appropriate posture; and the assembly procedure can be limited to prevent forgetting to assemble each of the surface components 560a to 560d.

[0384] 29(a) and 29(b) are exploded front perspective views of the combined operating unit 402 of the first operating unit 400. Note that Fig. 29(a) and Fig. 29(b) show perspective views viewed from different directions, in which the rotation unit 500 is positioned with its lower surface facing the front side.

[0385] The annular protrusion 412 is a C-shaped protrusion when viewed from above, having a dividing portion 412a (a slit) on the right side, and a protruding portion 516a corresponding to this dividing portion 412a is formed on the lower surface of the guide member 516.

[0386] In the assembled state (see FIG. 21 ), the protruding portion 516a is disposed on the separated portion 412a, thereby defining the posture of the rotation unit 500 relative to the support means 410. With the posture of the rotation unit 500 defined, the fastening screw inserted into the insertion hole 413a is threaded into the fastening portion 517a having the female thread, thereby fastening and fixing the guide member 516 to the support means 410.

[0387] In the assembled state (see FIG. 21), the irregularly shaped hole 413 and the irregularly shaped hole 517 communicate as a passageway for the electrical wiring DK1, but have different internal shapes that form the outer frames of the passageway. This difference in shape corresponds to the difference in the manner in which the electrical wiring DK1 (see FIG. 21) is guided from the irregularly shaped hole 413 or the irregularly shaped hole 517.

[0388] More specifically, below the irregular shaped hole 413, the electrical wiring DK1 is displaced up and down in accordance with the up and down movement of the support means 410, whereas above the irregular shaped hole 517 (on the rotation unit 500 side), it is fixed and positioned regardless of the position of the support means 410. Therefore, below the irregular shaped hole 413, it is preferable to have a configuration that can easily accommodate up and down displacement, and above the irregular shaped hole 517, it is preferable to have a configuration that can easily accommodate the path to which the electrical wiring DK1 is fixed. Below, the configuration of the electrical wiring DK1 of this embodiment from this perspective will be described.

[0389] In this embodiment, below the irregular hole 413, the electrical wiring DK1, which is composed of a bundle of multiple electric wires, is bundled into a tubular member made of a flexible resin material with a spiral cut (a so-called spiral tube), thereby forming a bundle of electric wires with a cross section that is nearly circular.

[0390] In this embodiment, the spiral tube is wound around at least the range of the electrical wiring DK1 that can enter (enter) the wiring auxiliary means 460.

[0391] By configuring the electrical wiring DK1 as a bundle of wires with a cross section that is nearly circular, it is possible to configure the electrical wiring DK1 so that, regardless of the direction in which the electrical wiring DK1 is bent as the support means 410 moves up and down, there is no significant difference in the resistance to bending of the electrical wiring DK1 and the load applied as it is bent.

[0392] In order to make it easier to arrange the electric wiring DK1 into a wire bundle having a nearly circular cross section, the front-to-back width of the irregular shaped hole 413 is shortened in both the left-to-right direction compared to the shape of the irregular shaped hole 517. This prevents the electric wires of the electric wiring DK1 from being arranged so as to spread out in the front-to-back direction, while making it easier to arrange the electric wires so as to spread out in the left-to-right direction even when there are many electric wires. Therefore, when the electric wiring DK1 is guided to the right from the irregular shaped hole 413 and fixed at the forming portion 411a with a fixing member such as a cable tie, it becomes easier to form an electric wire bundle having a narrow front-to-back width and a nearly circular cross section.

[0393] The cross-sectional shape of the bundle of electric wires of the electric wiring DK1 does not need to be circular, and various shapes are exemplified. For example, the more electric wires that make up the electric wiring DK1, the more likely the cross-section of the bundle of electric wires is to have an elliptical shape that is elongated in the left-right direction. However, even in this case, the resistance and load when the electric wiring DK1 is bent in the front-rear direction can be reduced compared to when the electric wiring DK1 is bent left-right. Bending in the front-rear direction is a type of bending that is likely to occur in this embodiment, and details will be described later.

[0394] Fig. 30(a) is an exploded front perspective view of a portion of the rotary unit 500, and Fig. 30(b) is a perspective view schematically showing a harness constituting the electrical wiring DK1. As shown in Fig. 30(b), the electrical wiring DK1 is configured such that a plurality of covered flexible electric wires are connected and fixed at approximately equal intervals to a connector serving as a connection end.

[0395] In the rotation unit 500 of this embodiment, connectors are connected to the drive motor 541, the detection sensor 547, and the illumination board 543, respectively, and a total of 16 electric wires extend from each connector.

[0396] Figure 30(a) shows the U-shaped metal plate 511, the right-side left and right fixed lids 514, the guide member 516, the end fixing means 520, the right-side shaft main body 531, the left-side shaft main body 535, the drive motor 541, the detection sensor 547, and the posture fixing bush 571 of the rotation unit 500, and the left and right fixed lids 514 and the guide member 516 are shown spaced apart from the U-shaped metal plate 511, and only the left and right fixed lids 514 are shown viewed from different directions.

[0397] 30(a) will mainly explain the guidance of the electrical wiring DK1 to the rotary unit 500. The electrical wiring DK1 that passes upward through the irregular hole 517 is routed through a gap that is long from front to back but short from top to bottom between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the lowered bottom 518, and therefore the electric wires that make up the electrical wiring DK1 are preferably arranged in a line from front to back rather than stacked up and down.

[0398] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the guide member 516 is provided with a fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b at the right end of the irregularly shaped hole 517, which is formed so as to be one step lower in a fan shape in a top view from the lowered bottom portion 518, and which adjusts the degree of spread in the front-to-rear direction of the multiple electric wires that make up the electric wiring DK1. The function of this fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b will be described with reference to FIG.

[0399] Figure 31(a) is a top view of the guide member 516, Figure 31(b) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member 516 and electrical wiring DK1 taken along line XXXIb-XXXIb in Figure 31(a), Figure 31(c) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member 516 and electrical wiring DK1 taken along line XXXIc-XXXIc in Figure 31(a), Figure 31(d) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member 516 taken along line XXXId-XXXId in Figure 31(a), and Figure 31(e) is a cross-sectional view of the guide member 516 and electrical wiring DK1 taken along line XXXIe-XXXIe in Figure 31(d).

[0400] In Figures 31(a) and 31(d), a portion of the path of each wire of the electrical wiring DK1 guided through the irregular hole 517 is schematically illustrated by imaginary lines, and in Figures 31(b), 31(c), and 31(e), an example of the arrangement of each wire of the electrical wiring DK1 is illustrated.

[0401] That is, each wire of the electrical wiring DK1 is curved so as to be positioned close to (in contact with) the lower corner where the irregular hole 517 and the sectorial adjustment portion 517b form two surfaces, and the upper corner located to the right of the lower corner where the lowered bottom portion 518 and the sectorial adjustment portion 517b form two surfaces, and in this state, dispersion (spreading) in the front-to-back direction is restricted by the front and rear wall portions of the sectorial adjustment portion 517b (see Figures 31(a) and 31(c)).

[0402] In other words, the degree of dispersion of the electrical wiring DK1 can be adjusted by adjusting the angle at which the front and rear wall portions of the sectorial adjustment portion 517b are formed. From this perspective, in this embodiment, the front and rear wall portions of the sectorial adjustment portion 517b are configured so that extension lines 517x linearly extending from the ends of the front and rear wall portions of the sectorial adjustment portion 517b in a top view form straight lines that reach the corners of the lowered bottom portion 518.

[0403] This makes it possible to maximize the degree of dispersion of the electrical wiring DK1 while the electrical wiring DK1 is arranged on one plane (the plane between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the lowered bottom portion 518) above the irregularly shaped hole 517. That is, near the right end portion of the lowered bottom portion 518, it is possible to make it easy to disperse the individual wires of the electrical wiring DK1 over the front-to-rear width of the lowered bottom portion 518 (see FIG. 31(b)).

[0404] In this embodiment, the sectorial adjustment portion 517b is designed so that the front-to-rear spacing at the left end is approximately 6.4 mm, and the front and rear inclined walls are inclined at an angle of 35 degrees (central angle 70 degrees) relative to the left-to-right direction.

[0405] 31(b), over the range from the right end of the lowered bottom portion 518 to the center of the fastening portion 516b, the individual wires of the electrical wiring DK1 are not folded vertically over one another, but can be arranged in a state in which the individual wires abut against the bottom surface of the lowered bottom portion 518. That is, a front-to-rear width (approximately 15.4 mm in this embodiment) is ensured that is equal to or greater than the dimension (approximately 11.2 mm for 16 wires in this embodiment) required for the individual wires, each with an outer diameter (approximately 0.7 mm in this embodiment), to be arranged side by side on the same plane.

[0406] This makes it possible to easily prevent compressive loads from being applied to the electrical wiring DK1 from components assembled around the electrical wiring DK1, even if the depth of the lower bottom portion 518 (the gap dimension between the lower surface of the U-shaped metal plate 511) is designed to be small (approximately 2 mm in this embodiment).

[0407] The shape of the fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b can be exemplified in various ways. For example, if the front-to-rear width is larger than the shape of this embodiment, the wires of the electrical wiring DK1 can be spread to the front-to-rear width of the lowered bottom portion 518 from near the center of the left and right of the lowered bottom portion 518, and the width of the passage for the wires can be widened, which has the advantage of reducing the load applied to the wires from the fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b even when there are a large number of wires. However, there is a disadvantage in that the wires may come close to the front and rear wall portions of the guide member 516 before reaching the right end of the lowered bottom portion 518, causing the wires to bend (bend) in the plane between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the lowered bottom portion 518.

[0408] Furthermore, for example, when the front-to-back width is smaller than the shape of this embodiment, there is an advantage in that the possibility of the electric wires curving (bending) in the plane between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the lowered bottom portion 518 can be reduced, but there is also a disadvantage in that the width of the path through which the electric wires pass becomes narrower, so when there are a large number of electric wires, the load applied to the electric wires from the fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b is likely to be large.

[0409] Therefore, the shape of the fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b in this embodiment can be said to be a preferable shape in that it can maximize the width of the passage path for the electric wire while maintaining the advantage of reducing the possibility of the electric wire curving (bending) in the plane between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the lowered bottom portion 518 (the advantage of allowing the electric wiring DK1 to reach the right end of the lowered bottom portion 518 along a straight horizontal line).

[0410] Furthermore, the extension line 517x serves as a guide for the arrangement range of each electric wire of the electric wiring DK1, and mainly serves as a guide for the outer edge of the arrangement, and is configured to intersect to the right of the center of the irregularly shaped hole 517. In other words, the extension line 517x intersects to the right of the straight line connecting the centers of the pair of upper and lower fastening portions 517a.

[0411] This allows the position where the wires of the electrical wiring DK1 are gathered below the irregularly shaped hole 517 to be positioned to the right of the center of the irregularly shaped hole 517 (see FIG. 31(e)). Therefore, as shown schematically in FIG. 31(d), even if the electrical wiring DK1 passes only through the right-hand range of the irregularly shaped hole 517 in relation to the arrangement of the forming portion 411a, the electrical wiring DK1 can be guided to the forming portion 411a (see FIG. 23) with the wires sufficiently gathered.

[0412] In this way, the irregularly shaped hole 517 is formed in a shape that can assist in the change in the degree of dispersion (state) of the electric wiring DK1 when it changes before and after passing through. Therefore, compared to when the degree of dispersion (state) of each electric wire of the electric wiring DK1 changes suddenly, it is possible to reduce the possibility of each electric wire being bent, and it is possible to reduce the load applied to the electric wiring DK1.

[0413] The guide member 516 has a plurality of fastening portions 516b each composed of a positioning pin used for fastening to the U-shaped metal plate 511 and insertion holes for inserting fastening screws fastened to the U-shaped metal plate 511.

[0414] Since the fastening portion 516b is also arranged on the lowered bottom portion 518 where the electrical wiring DK1 is arranged, the arrangement area of ​​the electrical wiring DK1 is somewhat limited, but in this embodiment, the arrangement is devised to minimize this limitation.

[0415] First, multiple fastening portions 516b are arranged on the opposite side (left side) of the lowered bottom portion 518 at a position that does not interfere with the electrical wiring DK1, and by ensuring fastening force, the number of fastening portions 516b arranged on the lowered bottom portion 518 is minimized.

[0416] It is also possible to not arrange fastening portion 516b in lowered bottom portion 518, but in that case, there is a possibility that U-shaped metal plate 511 and lowered bottom portion 518 may become misaligned due to the weight of electrical wiring DK1 fixed to lower extension portion 519, or vibrations and loads generated when rotation unit 500 moves up and down. In order to avoid this, guide member 516 may be made thick, but in that case, the thickness of guide member 516 when viewed from the front becomes large, making rotating body 560 less noticeable, which is detrimental in terms of presentation.

[0417] That is, in this embodiment, by arranging a minimum number of fastening portions 516b in the lowered bottom portion 518, the effect of ensuring the arrangement width of the electrical wiring DK1 is maintained, while by making the guide member 516 thin, the effect of enhancing the presence of the rotating body 560 when viewed from the front can be achieved.

[0418] Furthermore, by making the fastening portion 516b on the remaining side the fastening portion 516b on the side farther from the right end of the lowered bottom portion 518, it is possible to minimize the degree to which the arrangement width of the electrical wiring DK1 is reduced.

[0419] The fastening portion 516b arranged on the lowered bottom portion 518 has a positioning pin 516c, similar to the fastening portion 516b arranged on the left side of the guide member 516 (see FIG. 30(a)), but the positioning pin 516c is arranged in a location where the fastening portion 516b has already made it impossible to arrange the electrical wiring DK1. In other words, the positioning pin 516c is arranged on a straight line drawn from the irregular shaped hole 517 and overlapping with the fastening portion 516b, at a position opposite the irregular shaped hole 517 with the fastening portion 516b as the reference.

[0420] This prevents the positioning pin 516c from narrowing the arrangement range (arrangement width) of the electrical wiring DK1, so that the wiring range (arrangement width) of the electrical wiring DK1 can be secured while ensuring ease of arrangement when assembling the guide member 516 to the U-shaped metal plate 511 using the positioning pin 516c.

[0421] 30(a), the electrical wiring DK1 reaches the right end of the lowered bottom portion 518, curves upward along the left surface of the left and right fixed covers 514, and is then disposed between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the left and right fixed covers 514.

[0422] The left and right fixed covers 514 mainly comprise a main body plate portion 514a formed in the shape of a flat plate, an extended frame portion 514b extending along the outer shape of the main body plate portion 514a to a position where it is positioned opposite the front, back, top and bottom surfaces of the U-shaped metal plate 511, a space-retaining portion 514c formed to fill the corner formed by the extended frame portion 514b and the main body plate portion 514a and recessed toward the main body plate portion 514a more than the extended frame portion 514b, a fastening portion 514d formed in part of the space-retaining portion 514c and consisting of a positioning pin used to fasten to the U-shaped metal plate 511 and an insertion hole for inserting a fastening screw fastened to the U-shaped metal plate 511, and a jig hole 514e drilled in the main body plate portion 514a at the front and back positions of the fastening portion 514b.

[0423] The space securing portion 514c is formed at a position where it abuts against the U-shaped metal plate 511 in the left-right direction, thereby allowing the electrical wiring DK1 to be routed through the gap, which is the thickness of the space securing portion 514c, that is generated between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the main body plate portion 514a.

[0424] The fastening portion 514d is disposed on the front side, similar to the fastening portion 516b disposed on the lowered bottom portion 518. This makes it possible to ensure a range on the rear side in which the electrical wiring DK1 is disposed continuously from the lowered bottom portion 518 to the left and right fixed covers 514.

[0425] Here, by arranging the fastening parts 514d and 516b on the front side, it is possible to reduce the degree of degradation of presentation performance due to loosening of the fastening screws. For example, if the fastening parts 514d and 516b were arranged on the rear side, when the fastening screws loosened, the displacement of the U-shaped metal plate 511 would be large in the front part which is easily visible to the player, which may result in degradation of presentation performance.

[0426] On the other hand, if the fastening screws of the fastening parts 514d, 516b arranged on the front side become loose, the rear part where no fastening screws are arranged will be displaced more significantly relative to the U-shaped metal plate 511. However, since the rear part is difficult for the player to see, it is difficult for the player to notice that the fastening screws have loosened. Therefore, the degree of deterioration in the performance of the game can be reduced.

[0427] Furthermore, since the positioning pins of the fastening portion 514d are arranged overlapping above and below the insertion hole (in the longitudinal direction of the electrical wiring DK1), the degree to which the insertion hole and the positioning pins narrow the arrangement range of the electrical wiring DK1 can be minimized.

[0428] The jig hole 514e is an opening for inserting a jig (not shown) from the outside to adjust the position of the electrical wiring DK1 to prevent the electrical wiring DK1 from being pinched (crushed) between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the space securing portion 514c when assembling the left and right fixed covers 514 to the U-shaped metal plate 511.

[0429] From this perspective, the jig holes 514e become unnecessary after the assembly work is completed. In contrast, in this embodiment, the jig holes 514e are formed in left and right positions that are difficult for players to see, so it is possible to prevent the jig holes 514e from being seen by players and reducing the presentation effect.

[0430] The electrical wiring DK1 arranged between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the left and right fixed covers 514 passes through the inner diameter side of the right fixed bush 522 of the both-end fixing means 520 and is arranged inside the U-shaped metal plate 511. Each electric wire of the electrical wiring DK1 arranged inside the U-shaped metal plate 511 is connected to the drive motor 541, the illumination board 543, and the detection sensor 547, thereby enabling the supply of electricity.

[0431] Here, the electrical wiring DK1 passes not only inside the right fixed bush 522, but also inside the right shaft main body portion 531, the left shaft main body portion 535, and the attitude fixing bush 571. This physically prevents the electrical wiring DK1 from coming into contact with the rotating parts of the rotation unit 500 (the rotating body 560, the left rotating plate 550, the motor gear 542 meshed with the left rotating plate 550, and the driven plate 575 of the right rotating cover portion 570).

[0432] In addition, the electrical wiring DK1 passes through the inside of the right shaft body portion 531, which is arranged on the right side, opposite the left shaft body portion 535 to which the drive motor 541 is fastened and fixed, and is arranged inside the U-shaped metal plate 511, and is arranged at a position opposite the drive motor 541 with respect to the protruding fastening portion 537, i.e., between the protruding fastening portion 537 and the arc-shaped extension portion 535a which extends to the right along the outer shape of the left shaft body portion 535.

[0433] This allows the electric wiring DK1 to be arranged away from the drive motor 541, thereby preventing the electric wiring DK1 from becoming hot and being damaged by the heat emitted from the drive motor 541. Furthermore, this effect is produced by routing the electric wiring DK1 to the protruding fastening portion 537 as a fastening portion, and can be achieved without adding a separate dedicated member for arranging the electric wiring DK1 away from the drive motor 541, thereby reducing product costs.

[0434] The up and down movement of the composite operating unit 402 of the first operating unit 400 will be described with reference to Figures 32 to 34. Figures 32 to 34 show the up and down movement of the first operating unit 400 in chronological order. That is, Figure 32 shows a state in which the rotation unit 500 is disposed in a lowered position, Figure 33 shows a state in which the rotation unit 500 is disposed in an intermediate position in the range of up and down movement, and Figure 34 shows a state in which the rotation unit 500 is disposed in a raised position.

[0435] Fig. 32(a) is a left side view of the combined action unit 402, Fig. 32(b) is a front view of the combined action unit 402, and Fig. 32(c) is a right side view of the combined action unit 402. Note that in Fig. 32(a), for ease of understanding, the back side of the metal plate portion 432 is shown through a see-through view, and the outline of the metal plate portion 432 is shown by imaginary lines, and in Fig. 32(c), the right-side member 468 is not shown.

[0436] 33(a) is a left side view of the combined action unit 402, FIG. 33(b) is a front view of the combined action unit 402, and FIG. 33(c) is a right side view of the combined action unit 402. In order to facilitate understanding, FIG. 33(a) shows the inner side of the metal plate portion 432 through a see-through view, and the outline of the metal plate portion 432 is shown by imaginary lines, and in FIG. 33(c) the right-side member 468 is not shown.

[0437] 34(a) is a left side view of the combined action unit 402, FIG. 34(b) is a front view of the combined action unit 402, and FIG. 34(c) is a right side view of the combined action unit 402. In order to facilitate understanding, FIG. 34(a) shows the inner side of the metal plate portion 432 through a see-through view, and the outer shape of the metal plate portion 432 is shown by imaginary lines, and in FIG. 34(c) the right-side member 468 is not shown.

[0438] 32(a), 33(a), and 34(a), the operation of the transmission means 450 by the drive means 440 will be described. When the drive gear 441a rotates in accordance with the rotation of the drive shaft of the drive motor 441 of the drive means 440, the transmission gear 451 meshed with the drive gear 441a, the intermediate gear 452 meshed with the transmission gear 451, and the rotating arm member 453, whose gear portion 453a meshes with the intermediate gear 452, rotate simultaneously.

[0439] When the drive gear 441a is rotated clockwise when viewed from the left side from the state shown in Figure 32(a), the pivoting arm member 453 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the left side and is stopped at a position where it abuts against the rotation regulating portion 442f extending leftward from the upper end of the partition plate portion 442a of the divided base member 442, as shown in Figure 34(a).

[0440] Conversely, when the drive gear 441a is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the left side from the state shown in Figure 34(a), the pivoting arm member 453 rotates clockwise when viewed from the left side, and as shown in Figure 32(a), the detection sensor 442d is inserted into the detected plate portion 453d, thereby detecting that the pivoting arm member 453 is positioned at the rotation end position (see Figure 32(a)), and the drive of the drive motor 441 is controlled to stop.

[0441] At the end position of this movement, the connecting member 454 connected to the rotation tip of the pivoting arm member 453 abuts against the inner wall of the long through hole 416a of the support means 410 in the left-right direction (a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the displacement of the support means 410 is allowed), thereby restricting the rotation of the pivoting arm member 453, so no additional abutment portion (for example, a portion corresponding to the rotation restriction portion 442f) is intentionally provided.

[0442] As shown in Figures 32(a), 33(a) and 34(a), the detected plate portion 453d is formed in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis of the rotating arm member 453, and the detection sensor 442d is oriented so that the detection groove overlaps with the arc, and the base end side of the detection groove is positioned radially outward from the arc.

[0443] This allows the detection sensor 442d to detect the detected plate portion 453d, and even if the rotating arm member 453 rotates beyond the rotation end position (the position in Figure 32(a)), it is possible to prevent the detected plate portion 453d from colliding with the base end side portion of the detection groove of the detection sensor 442d.

[0444] As shown in FIG. 34(a), when the rotation unit 500 is in the raised position, the fastening screw insertion holes of the end plate member 421 are positioned inside the notches of the metal plate portion 432, so that the fastening screws can be turned with a screwdriver.

[0445] That is, during assembly, the stacking means 420 and the support means 410 can be fixed together by placing the rotation unit 500 in the raised position, and during maintenance, the stacking means 420 and the support means 410 can be released from the fixed state by placing the rotation unit 500 in the raised position.

[0446] The following describes the assembly sequence of the combined operating unit 402 of the first operating unit 400 and the rotation unit 500. In describing the assembly sequence, reference will be made to Figures 23, 24, 25, 26, 30(a) and 31 as appropriate.

[0447] First, the rotation unit 500 is assembled. At this time, each component of the shaft configuration means 530 is assembled and integrated with one end of the electrical wiring DK1 corresponding to the drive motor 541, the illumination board 543, and the detection sensor 547 connected. At this time, the other end of the electrical wiring DK1 is exposed to the outside through the wiring opening 533b (see Figures 25 and 30(a)).

[0448] Next, the rotating left cover part 550, the rotating body 560, and the rotating right cover part 570 are assembled and integrated into the shaft configuration means 530. At this time, the other end side of the electrical wiring DK1 is passed through the central opening of the attitude fixing bush 571 and extended to the outside (see Figures 25 and 30(a)).

[0449] When the rotating left cover part 550, the rotating body 560, and the rotating right cover part 570 are integrated, the distance between the left surface of the flanged gear 551 and the right surface of the attitude fixing bush 571 is configured to be slightly shorter than the distance between the plate parts arranged opposite each other as the tip parts of the U-shaped metal plate 511.

[0450] Therefore, the assembly of rotating left cover part 550, rotating body 560, and rotating right cover part 570 can be placed between the opposing plate parts as the tip part of U-shaped metal plate 511. At this time, protruding fastening part 532 is placed in alignment with the position of circular hole 513a.

[0451] Next, the two-end fixing means 520 are fitted from the left and right outer sides of the U-shaped metal plate 511. At this time, the other end of the electrical wiring DK1 is passed through the center opening of the right fixing bush 522 and extended to the outside (see FIG. 30(a)).

[0452] The shapes of the both end fixing means 520 and the U-shaped metal plate 511 are such that rotation of the both end fixing means 520 relative to the U-shaped metal plate 511 can be restricted (for example, recess and projection fitting), and the shapes of the both end fixing means 520 and the shaft configuring means 530 are such that rotation of the shaft configuring means 530 relative to the both end fixing means 520 (for example, fitting at a D-shaped cross section). Therefore, rotation of the shaft configuring means 530 relative to the U-shaped metal plate 511 can be restricted (see FIG. 25).

[0453] By inserting a fastening screw through the insertion hole 523 and threading the fastening screw into the protruding fastening portion 532, the shaft forming means 530 can be fastened and fixed to the U-shaped metal plate 511. This makes it possible to integrate the U-shaped metal plate 511, the both end fixing means 520, the shaft forming means 530, the rotating left cover portion 550, the rotating body 560, and the rotating right cover portion 570. Of the both end fixing means 520, the left fixed bush 521 is prevented from coming off by the left and right fixed covers 514, and therefore the provision of a fastening screw is omitted.

[0454] Next, the left and right fixed covers 514 and the guide member 516 are fastened and fixed to the U-shaped metal plate 511. At this time, the other end of the electrical wiring DK1 is exposed downward through the irregular shaped hole 517 of the guide member 516 (see FIG. 30(a)).

[0455] In order to narrow the gap between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the left and right fixed covers 514, it is preferable to distribute the multiple electric wires constituting the electrical wiring DK1 arranged between the U-shaped metal plate 511 and the left and right fixed covers 514 front to back (see Figure 31(b)).

[0456] In the assembly work of this embodiment, a dedicated jig (a rod-shaped, string-shaped, or specially shaped dedicated jig) is inserted through the jig hole 514e, so that the left and right fixed covers 514 can be assembled to the U-shaped metal plate 511 while adjusting the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK1. This reduces the difficulty of the process of assembling the multiple electric wires that make up the electrical wiring DK1 while distributing them.

[0457] When fastening and fixing the guide member 516 to the U-shaped metal plate 511, the guide member 516 is assembled to the U-shaped metal plate 511 while pulling the electrical wiring DK1 downward, so that the electrical wiring DK1 is naturally drawn into the inside of the fan-shaped adjustment portion 517b (see FIG. 31(c)). This reduces the difficulty of the assembly process while arranging the electrical wiring DK1 in an appropriate position.

[0458] When assembling the rotation unit 500, which has been assembled together using the above procedure, to the support means 410, care must be taken to ensure that the other end of the electrical wiring DK1 is protruding downward through the irregularly shaped hole 413. A spiral tube is wound around the electrical wiring DK1 that protrudes below the irregularly shaped hole 413.

[0459] The components of the composite operating unit 402 of the first operating unit 400, excluding the wiring auxiliary means 460, can be assembled separately from the rotating unit 500, so they are assembled together before assembling the rotating unit 500, and in that state the rotating unit 500 is fixed to the support means 410, and then the other end of the electrical wiring DK1 is fixed and positioned.

[0460] That is, the electrical wiring DK1 is fixed with a fixing member such as a cable tie inserted into the forming portion 411a of the support means 410, fixed to the lower extension portion 519 of the guide member 516 in a similar manner, passed under the support pillar portion 464 of the wiring auxiliary means 460, fixed with a fixing member such as a cable tie inserted into the wiring support portion 465, and passed through the opening 442e of the divided base member 442 to the back side (see Figure 23).

[0461] By fastening and fixing the left side member 461 to the divided base member 442 with the electrical wiring DK1 passing through the opening 442e, the electrical wiring DK1 can be arranged in the gap between the partition plate portion 442a and the left side member 461. According to this assembly method, compared to when the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK1 is determined with the left side member 461 fixed to the divided base member 442, the electrical wiring DK1 can be arranged in a gap that is narrower than the size of the connector at the tip of the electrical wiring DK1, and therefore the gap between the partition plate portion 442a and the left side member 461 can be designed to be narrower.

[0462] Thereafter, the right member 468 is fastened and fixed to the left member 461, thereby completing the assembly of the combined operating unit 402 of the first operating unit 400. In this manner, according to the present embodiment in which the wiring auxiliary means 460 is formed separately from the left member 461 and the right member 468 rather than being formed as a single unit, the workability of arranging the electrical wiring DK1 inside the wiring auxiliary means 460 can be improved.

[0463] Next, with reference to Figures 32(b), 32(c), 33(b), 33(c), 34(b) and 34(c), the relationship between the wiring auxiliary means 460, the electrical wiring DK1, the support means 410 that supports the electrical wiring DK1 and the guide member 516 will be explained.

[0464] 32(b), when the rotation unit 500 is in the lowered position, the front hanging portion 414 of the support means 410 abuts against and is supported by the upper end of the left side member 461 of the wiring auxiliary means 460. In other words, the wiring auxiliary means 460 also functions as a means for supporting the rotation unit 500.

[0465] In other words, while adopting a configuration in which only the left side of the rotation unit 500 is supported by the stacking means 420 and the guiding means 430 (see Figure 23), the rotation unit 500 can be supported on both the left and right sides only when the rotation unit 500 is positioned in the lowered position.

[0466] This allows the upper limit of the rotation speed of the rotating body 560 when the wobble of the rotating unit 500 is within an acceptable range to be increased when the rotating unit 500 is in the lowered position compared to other states (for example, when the rotating unit 500 is in the raised position).

[0467] As shown in Figure 32(c) , when the rotation unit 500 is in the lowered position, the lower end of the front hanging portion 414 abuts against the upper front end of the strip-shaped extension portion 463 of the wiring auxiliary means 460. This makes it possible to shield the upper opening of the wiring auxiliary means 460 from the player's line of sight (looking diagonally downward). This makes it possible to prevent the electric wiring DK1 housed in the wiring auxiliary means 460 from being seen by the player when the rotation unit 500 is in the lowered position.

[0468] The electrical wiring DK1 is fixed to the forming portion 411a (see Figure 23) with a fixing member such as a cable tie, and below that is fixed to the lower end of the lower extension portion 519 with a fixing member such as a cable tie, and the portion hanging down below is supported (housed) inside the wiring auxiliary means 460.

[0469] The length of the electrical wiring DK1 (see Figure 32(c)) housed inside the wiring auxiliary means 460 is designed to be long enough so that the portion located between the strip-shaped extension portion 463 and the support pillar portion 464 floats when the rotating unit 500 is placed in the raised position (see Figure 34(c)).

[0470] The shape of the strip-shaped extension 463 is designed to have a length such that the electrical wiring DK1 arranged in a substantially arc shape in front of the functional curved surface 463a reaches the lower extension 519 without excessive slack (see FIG. 32(a)).

[0471] In this way, by designing the electrical wiring DK1 to be long enough to avoid placing a burden on the electrical wiring DK1, the electrical wiring DK1 can be arranged with ample space inside the wiring auxiliary means 460. Furthermore, since the electrical wiring DK1 reaches the lower extension portion 519 without excessive slack, it is possible to prevent the electrical wiring DK1 from being pinched between the band-shaped extension portion 463 and the front vertical portion 414.

[0472] The spiral tube (not shown) wound around the electrical wiring DK1 is made of flexible silicone resin, but its shape makes it slightly more rigid than the electrical wiring, which helps to reduce variations in the displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 caused by the up and down movement of the rotation unit 500.

[0473] Furthermore, the electrical wiring DK1 can be supported by the rigidity of the spiral tube (the electrical wiring DK1 can be supported from below by the spiral tube), so even when the electrical wiring DK1 is suspended from the wiring support portion 465 and the lower extension portion 519, the electrical wiring DK1 can be prevented from sagging due to its own weight, thereby stabilizing the positioning of the electrical wiring DK1.

[0474] The electrical wiring DK1 supported inside the wiring auxiliary means 460 is fixed to the wiring support portion 465 with a fixing member such as a cable tie, passes between the left side member 461 and the partition plate portion 442a, and is guided rearward through the opening 442e (see FIG. 23). That is, in this embodiment, the electrical wiring DK1 is supported by and suspended from the lower extension portion 519 and the wiring support portion 465.

[0475] Of the lower extension portion 519 and the wiring support portion 465, the wiring support portion 465 is fixed, while the lower extension portion 519 is configured to be movable up and down.Since the arrangement of the electrical wiring DK1 is more likely to vary on the lower extension portion 519 side (front side), the lower extension portion 519 side (front side) is configured to ensure a larger space above the strip-shaped extension portion 463.

[0476] Specifically, the shape of the front side is lower than the shape of the back side, and is configured as an arc shape with its center inside (above) the wiring auxiliary means 460, thereby ensuring a large space in which the electrical wiring DK1 can be arranged.

[0477] As shown in FIG. 33(b), the rotating arm member 453 is arranged on the left side of the composite operating unit 402, and the electrical wiring DK1 is arranged on the right side of the composite operating unit 402, and the respective arrangement ranges are separated by a partition plate portion 442a.

[0478] Here, the partition plate portion 442a is an essential component as a portion that supports the drive motor 441 and the transmission means 450. In other words, the arrangement range of the rotating arm member 453 and the electrical wiring DK1 can be separated without adding a dedicated member, so that it is possible to reduce material costs and avoid interference between the rotating arm member 453 and the electrical wiring DK1.

[0479] 34(c), when the rotation unit 500 is in the raised position, the extension direction of the extension arm portion 453b of the rotating arm member 453 is the vertical direction starting from the rotation axis, and therefore intersects at a right angle with the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the elongated through-hole 416a in the left-right view. In other words, the line connecting the rotation axis of the rotating arm member 453 and the center of the connecting member 454 is vertical, and intersects at a right angle with the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the elongated through-hole 416a in the left-right view.

[0480] As a result, the weight of the rotation unit 500 is directed toward the rotation axis of the rotating arm member 453, and it is possible to prevent the weight from being loaded in the rotation direction of the rotating arm member 453 (a so-called dead point effect is produced), so that even if the driving force of the drive motor 441 is released with the rotation unit 500 placed in the raised position, the vertical position of the rotation unit 500 can be maintained. This makes it possible to reduce the driving time of the drive motor 441 and make it easier to suppress heat generation.

[0481] The extension direction of the extension arm portion 453b of the rotating arm member 453 and the long through hole 416a intersect at a right angle when viewed from the left and right, even when the rotation unit 500 is positioned in the lowered position (see Figure 32(a)).

[0482] As a result, when the rotation unit 500 is placed in the lowered position and then undergoes a bounding displacement (rebounding displacement), the upward load is directed toward the rotation axis of the rotating arm member 453, preventing the load from being applied in the rotation direction of the rotating arm member 453 (the so-called dead point effect occurs), making it easier to prevent a bounding displacement (rebounding displacement) from occurring even when the rotation unit 500 is moved to the lowered position at high speed.

[0483] Therefore, it is possible to partially eliminate the need for the drive motor 441 to generate a load to prevent bound displacement (rebound displacement), thereby reducing the driving time of the drive motor 441 and making it easier to suppress heat generation.

[0484] 34(c), when the rotation unit 500 is in the raised position, the connecting member 454 of the rotating arm member 453 is disposed at the rear end of the long through-hole 416a, i.e., at a position overlapping in the left-right direction with the rear columnar member 431. Therefore, the support force via the rotating arm member 453 is concentrated on the rear side of the support means 410, and the front side of the support means 410 and the rotation unit 500 are likely to wobble.

[0485] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the front columnar member 431 is configured to support the stacking means 420 via the guide tube portion 423 (see FIG. 23). This increases the area (surface area) over which the stacking means 420 is supported by the columnar member 431, thereby suppressing wobbling of the front portion of the stacking means 420, the support means 410, and the rotation unit 500.

[0486] 34(c), the electrical wiring DK1 is guided from the lower side of the support pillar 464 to the front side, and then fixed to the lower extension 519.

[0487] As shown in Figure 34(c), the lower extension portion 519 is positioned closer to the front than the support pillar portion 464, so that the portion (excess portion) hanging down from the lower extension portion 519 of the electrical wiring DK1 is positioned closer to the front of the support pillar portion 464.

[0488] This excess portion of the electrical wiring DK1 is displaced up and down as the lower extension portion 519 moves up and down. For example, when the lower extension portion 519 moves downward from the state shown in Fig. 34(c), the excess portion of the electrical wiring DK1 also moves down and begins to abut against the functional curved surface 463a of the strip-shaped extension portion 463 (see Fig. 33(c)).

[0489] As the lower extension portion 519 approaches the position of the rotary unit 500 in the lowered position, the length of the electrical wiring DK1 accommodated in the wiring auxiliary means 460 increases, and the diameter of the arc formed by the electrical wiring DK1 increases.

[0490] In this embodiment, the electrical wiring DK1 will be displaced toward the front side due to the load received from the functional curved surface 463a. To address this, the upper area of ​​the strip-shaped extension portion 463 is configured to be larger on the front side than on the back side, thereby reducing the load applied to the electrical wiring DK1 from the strip-shaped extension portion 463.

[0491] Furthermore, the electrical wiring DK1 near the functional curved surface 463a (electrical wiring DK1 near the bottom of the wiring auxiliary means 460), to which a load is applied when the electrical wiring DK1 abuts against the functional curved surface 463a, is moved toward the front side, while the electrical wiring DK1 is configured to hang down from the lower extension portion 519, which is positioned far from the front end of the wiring auxiliary means 460, before abutting against the functional curved surface 463a, thereby preventing the electrical wiring DK1 from protruding toward the front side from the front end of the wiring auxiliary means 460.

[0492] As a result, while adopting a configuration in which the front vertical portion 414 and the wiring auxiliary means 460 abut (partially close the opening of the wiring auxiliary means 460) when the rotating unit 500 is positioned in the lowered position (see Figure 32 (c)), it is possible to avoid the electrical wiring DK1 being pinched in the abutting portion (closed area).

[0493] In this embodiment, the functional curved portion 463a is configured as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the front side, so that the main direction of displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 is the front-rear direction. This makes it possible to select an appropriate shape for the wiring auxiliary means 460 from a shape that is short (narrow) in the left-right direction, where displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 is unlikely to occur, and long (wide) in the front-rear direction, where displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 is likely to occur.

[0494] By partially restricting the direction of displacement of the electrical wiring DK1 and allowing the wiring auxiliary means 460 to have a shape with a narrow width in the left-right direction, the left-right width of the composite action unit 402 can be reduced.

[0495] Therefore, even in a configuration in which multiple composite operation units 402 are arranged on the left and right sides as in this embodiment (see Figure 19), it is possible to avoid a reduction in the freedom of placement of the rotation unit 500, which plays the main role of being visible to the player as a presentation device, due to the restriction imposed by the shape of the wiring auxiliary means 460, which has the auxiliary role of accommodating the electrical wiring DK1.

[0496] Regarding misalignment of the electrical wiring DK1 in the left-right direction, first, a gap is secured between the left and right upper ends of the wiring auxiliary means 460 and the support means 410 (see Figure 32(c)), thereby preventing a pinching load from being applied to the electrical wiring DK1.

[0497] Secondly, the opposing plate 462 has an inclined portion 462a at its upper end that inclines in a direction away from the right-side member 468 as it moves upward, and the right-side member 468 has an inclined portion 468a at its upper end that inclines in a direction away from the opposing plate 462 as it moves upward, thereby making it easier for the electrical wiring DK1 to slide into the inside of the wiring auxiliary means 460.

[0498] That is, the inclined portions 462a, 468a are configured in an inverted V shape when viewed from the front, with the opening width increasing as the inclined portions 462a, 468a approach the side that receives the electrical wiring DK1, so that even if the electrical wiring DK1 is misaligned to the left or right, the electrical wiring DK1 can be easily guided into the wiring auxiliary means 460. This makes it easier to avoid a situation in which the electrical wiring DK1 gets caught on the upper edge of the wiring auxiliary means 460, is not guided by the wiring auxiliary means 460, and is pinched between the support means 410 and the wiring auxiliary means 460.

[0499] Third, the wiring support portion 465 and the lower extension portion 519, which fix the electrical wiring DK1 in a hanging manner, are designed to be aligned in the left and right positions (see FIGS. 33(b) and 34(b)). That is, by arranging the positions for fixing the electrical wiring DK1 on the same plane perpendicular to the left and right direction, it is possible to suppress left and right positional deviation of the electrical wiring DK1 caused by the vertical displacement of the rotation unit 500.

[0500] Referring to Figure 35, an example of an action presentation using the first action unit 400 will be described. Figures 35(a), 35(b), 35(c), 35(d), 35(e), and 35(f) are front views of the third pattern display device 81 and the first action unit 400, which schematically show the third pattern display device 81 and the first action unit 400.

[0501] Figures 35(a), 35(b), 35(c) and 35(d) show an example of the changes in the first operating unit 400 during play in chronological order, and Figures 35(e) and 35(f) show an example of a presentation in which multiple rotation units 500 work together to make different notifications.

[0502] In this embodiment, the turning on and off of the rotation unit 500 is controlled to correspond to the number of reserved balls that changes as a result of a ball entering the first winning opening 64 (or the second winning opening 640, the through gate 67). That is, before the ongoing change stops, the rotation units 500 light up (the LED members 544 light up) in order from the left end each time a ball enters the first winning opening 64 (or the second winning opening 640, the through gate 67) (each time the number of reserved balls increases). That is, Figure 35(a) shows a state in which there are three reserved balls.

[0503] The light color of the rotating unit 500 can be changed according to the light color of the LED member 544, and the difference in the light color may be used to indicate the difference in the probability of a big win (or small win, win, or profit that the player will obtain) of the corresponding fluctuation.

[0504] The plurality of LED members 544 are configured so that each LED emits a different light color (for example, red, green, blue), and by combining these light colors, it is possible to produce a multi-color light effect with a small number of LEDs.

[0505] When the ongoing fluctuation stops, the leftmost rotating unit 500 goes out (see FIG. 35(b)), and the pending display correspondences shift one by one to the left (see FIG. 35(c)).

[0506] As described above, the rotation unit 500 can be displaced between an elevated position and a lowered position, and can be controlled to rotate in the elevated position while partially hiding the third pattern display device 81, as shown in Figure 35(b).

[0507] This can increase the attention to the rotation unit 500. In addition, by controlling the decorative pattern arranged on the front side of the rotation unit 500 in association with the guideline of the magnitude of the corresponding variable big win expectation (or small win expectation, win expectation, or profit expectation obtained by the player), it is possible to increase the attention to the rotation unit 500.

[0508] For example, in Figure 35(b), after the third rotation unit 500 from the left rises and rotates, the surface component 560b is placed on the front side, causing the decorative pattern of "?" to be visible to the player. This notifies the player that the expected probability of a big win (or small win, win, or profit that the player will obtain) is unknown, which can attract the player's interest.

[0509] However, the manner of attracting interest is not limited to this. For example, the rotating body 560 may be rotated continuously, or the LED member 544 may be flashed at high speed.

[0510] After that, the corresponding pending displays are shifted one by one to the left, and as a result, the surface component 560a is placed on the front side of the second rotating unit 500 from the left, and the "△" decorative pattern is visible to the player. When the "△" decorative pattern is controlled so that the expectation of a big win (or the expectation of a small win, the expectation of a win, or the expectation of a profit that the player will obtain) is higher than that of the "○" decorative pattern, it is possible to increase the attention to the fluctuations corresponding to the second rotating unit 500 from the left.

[0511] The notification of the probability of a big win (or the probability of a small win, the probability of a win, or the probability of a profit that the player will obtain) may be performed by changing the color or form of the reserved display displayed on the third pattern display device 81 in accordance with the number of reserved balls. Also, the reserved display displayed on the third pattern display device 81 may be controlled to correspond to the state of the spin unit 500. Also, a presentation may be adopted in which there is a time lag between the change in the reserved display and the change in the state of the spin unit 500.

[0512] As shown in Fig. 35(c), as a result of the pending display correspondences shifting one by one to the left, the third rotating unit 500 from the left goes out and moves to the lowered position. This movement makes the hidden area of ​​the third symbol display device 81 visible, but by drawing a display that increases the player's expectations in this area (for example, a display showing "coin"), it is possible to increase the attention to the third symbol display device 81 after the rotating unit 300 moves to the lowered position.

[0513] In this way, according to this embodiment, not only is the rotation unit 500 controlled in relation to the fluctuation of the patterns and the number of reserved balls, thereby improving the player's attention, but by configuring it so that the display area of ​​the third pattern display device 81 can be partially hidden, it can also function as a blind when changing the display of the third pattern display device 81.

[0514] At this time, as a supplementary effect of improving attention to the rotation unit 500 that partially hides the third pattern display device 81, by moving the rotation unit 500 away (see FIG. 35(c)) from a state in which attention is being drawn to the rotation unit 500 arranged in front of the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 35(b)), the player's line of sight can be kept directed toward the third pattern display device 81. As a result, the player's line of sight can be guided to the third pattern display device 81, and therefore attention to the third pattern display device 81 can be improved.

[0515] If the corresponding hold display shifts two spaces to the left from the state shown in Figure 35(c), and the fluctuation corresponding to the hold shown with the decorative pattern "△" in Figure 35(c) is a jackpot, by placing multiple rotating bodies 560 in an elevated position as shown in Figure 35(d) and positioning the surface component 560c on the front side until the fluctuation stops, the player can be made to see the string "HIT!" (a string that evokes a change to a state in which the player will gain some kind of benefit, such as a jackpot).

[0516] In this case, it is preferable to light up the LED member 544 regardless of the number of reserved balls. This makes the rotation unit 500 dazzlingly illuminated, and it is possible to perform an effect that excites the player's sense of anticipation.

[0517] In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to configure a performance in which a plurality of rotating bodies 560 are individually visible, and a performance in which a plurality of rotating bodies 560 are collectively visible. Here, the performance in which a plurality of rotating bodies 560 are collectively visible is not limited to the mode shown in Fig. 35(d), and various modes are exemplified.

[0518] For example, as shown in Figure 35(e), by placing the third rotating body 560 from the left in a lowered position and placing the remaining rotating bodies 560 in an elevated position, the player can see the string "HI!" (a string that evokes a greeting).

[0519] By controlling the state shown in FIG. 35(e) to occur periodically in the standby state before the player starts playing, it is possible to attract the player's interest.

[0520] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 35(f), if only the surface component 560b of the rightmost rotating body 560 is oriented to face the front side, the character string "HIT?" can be visually recognized by the player.

[0521] In this case, the player's interest can be attracted by the sense of anticipation that it may soon change to "HIT!". Such an effect may also be used. That is, the rotating body 560 on the right side may be controlled to rotate from the state shown in Figure 35(f) to the state shown in Figure 35(d).

[0522] 36(a) and 36(b) are left side views of the detection sensor 547 and the driven plate 575 of the rotating right cover part 570. Fig. 36(a) shows a state in which the detection sensor 547 is disposed at one end of the non-forming range of the detection target part 577 (the front end in Fig. 36(a)), and Fig. 36(b) shows a state in which the detection sensor 547 is disposed at the opposite end of the non-forming range of the detection target part 577 (the rear end in Fig. 36(b)).

[0523] 36(a) and 36(b) show a rotation waiting state (stop state). That is, Fig. 36(a) shows a state in which the drive motor 541 is stopped after the rotation of the rotor 560, from the point in time when the detection target portion 577 retreats from the detection groove of the detection sensor 547, is rotated by an angle (30 degrees in this embodiment) that is half the angle α1 (60 degrees in this embodiment) of the non-forming range of the detection target portion 577, and then the drive motor 541 is stopped. Fig. 36(b) shows a state in which the drive motor 541 is stopped immediately after the detection target portion 577 enters the detection groove of the detection sensor 547 while the rotor 560 is rotating counterclockwise as viewed from the left.

[0524] 36(a) and 36(b) depends on the angle of the non-formed portion of the detected portion 577. In this embodiment, the detected portion 577 is formed so that the angle α1 of the non-formed portion is 60 degrees, and the angle difference between the states shown in FIGS. 36(a) and 36(b) is approximately 45 degrees.

[0525] This angle difference is designed to correspond to the direction of the player's line of sight, which changes as the rotation unit 500 is raised and lowered. That is, when the rotation unit 500 is placed in the raised position, the line of sight of the player looking at the rotation unit 500 is directed substantially horizontally, and therefore, stopping the rotating body 560 in the position shown in Figure 36(a) makes it easier to see the decorative pattern of the rotating body 560, and can enhance the dramatic effect of the rotating body 560.

[0526] On the other hand, when the rotating unit 500 is placed in a lowered position, the player's line of sight when looking at the rotating unit 500 is looking down, so stopping the rotating body 560 in the position shown in Figure 36(b) makes it easier to see the decorative pattern of the rotating body 560, thereby enhancing the presentation effect of the rotating body 560.

[0527] In this way, in this embodiment, the stopping posture of the rotating unit 500 is configured in multiple types in relation to the line of sight of the player viewing the rotating unit 500, so that the rotating body 560 can be stopped in a posture that makes it easy for the player to see the decorative pattern of the rotating body 560, regardless of whether the rotating unit 500 is positioned in an elevated position or a descended position.

[0528] The reason why the correspondence between the detection sensor 547 and the detected part 577 differs between the state shown in Figure 36(a) and the state shown in Figure 36(b) is due to the difference in the presentation style using the rotating body 560 (for example, the rotation speed of the rotating body 560).

[0529] In other words, the state shown in Figure 36(a) is the stopping position when the rotation unit 500 is placed in the raised position, but when the rotation unit 500 is placed in the raised position, the player's attention is fully focused on the rotation unit 500, so by slowing down the rotation speed of the rotating body 560 and allowing it to stop slowly, it is possible to increase the player's interest over a long period of time.

[0530] For example, by slowly rotating the rotating body 560 to produce the change from the state shown in Figure 35(f) to the state shown in Figure 35(d), the period during which the player's sense of anticipation is heightened can be extended, and attention to the rotating body 560 can be maintained. Therefore, even if the rotating body 560 is stopped after determining its position with the detection sensor 547 and then rotating through an angle that is half the non-forming range of the detection target portion 577 (approximately 30 degrees in this embodiment), the stopping posture of the rotating body 560 is unlikely to deviate, and the rotating body 560 can be easily stopped in the posture shown in Figure 36(a).

[0531] According to this control mode, the rotating body 560 can be stopped in the position shown in Figure 36(a) using the same control mode regardless of the rotation direction of the rotating body 560. Therefore, it is possible to select a control mode in which the rotating body 560 stops after a forward rotation or a control mode in which the rotating body 560 stops after a reverse rotation depending on the situation, making it difficult to predict the operation mode leading up to the stopping of the rotating body 560. This can increase the interest of the player.

[0532] The state shown in Figure 36(b) is the stopping position when the rotation unit 500 is placed in the lowered position, but when the rotation unit 500 is placed in the lowered position, the player's attention is often not sufficiently focused on the rotation unit 500, so it is easier to increase the player's interest by increasing the rotation speed of the rotating body 560.

[0533] In the case of high-speed rotation, if control is performed to stop the rotor 560 after determining its position with the detection sensor 547 and then rotating it through an angle that is half the non-forming range of the detection target portion 577 (approximately 30 degrees in this embodiment), there is a risk that the stopping position of the rotor 560 will be shifted. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 36(b), by stopping the drive motor 541 immediately after the detection target portion 577 enters the detection groove of the detection sensor 547, it is possible to prevent the stopping position of the rotor 560 from being shifted.

[0534] The rotation control of the rotation unit 500 is performed by rotating it from the multiple stop positions described above through rotation angles set at 90-degree intervals (90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees) and then stopping it, so that it can be stopped in a position that allows the player to view any of the faces of the face-forming members 560a to 560d.

[0535] As mentioned above, the postures shown in Figures 36(a) and 36(b) are designed to accommodate changes in the player's line of sight, but also prevent the drive motor 541 (see Figure 25) from being visible to the player in either line of sight.

[0536] In other words, since the drive motor 541 is positioned inside the rotating body 560, the rotating body 560 can block the player's line of sight regardless of the direction of the player's line of sight, preventing the drive motor 541 from being seen by the player.

[0537] 36(a) and 36(b), in the rotation unit 500, a configuration for detecting the angle of the rotating body 560 is disposed inside the rotating body 560. Therefore, decorative patterns can be applied to most of the outside of the rotating body 560, and the presentation effect of the rotating body 560 can be improved.

[0538] Furthermore, the rotating body 560 can be configured to rotate more than one revolution while omitting the placement of a blinding section (a structure for preventing the angle detection structure from being visible) that may be necessary when the structure for detecting the angle is placed outside the rotating body 560.

[0539] 37 and 38 are front perspective views of the second operation unit 700, and Fig. 39 and 40 are rear perspective views of the second operation unit 700. Fig. 37 and 39 show the standby state of the second operation unit 700 in which the displacement base member 720 and the performance means 780 are arranged in the standby position (upward terminal position), and Fig. 38 and 40 show the state in which the displacement base member 720 and the performance means 780 are arranged in the protruding position (downward terminal position) protruding in front of the third pattern display device 81.

[0540] The second operating unit 700 has the features that each movable part is displaced so as to reduce the amount of displacement of the electrical wiring DK2, DK3 that is guided to each movable part for the supply of electricity, and that it is provided with a spring cover SC1 that hides the coil spring SP1 so that it cannot be seen from the front, and that the spring cover SC1 advances inside the displacement base member 720 and the performance means 780, details of which will be described later. The coil spring SP1 is illustrated as a curved quadrangular prism.

[0541] Fig. 41 is an exploded front perspective view of the second operating unit 700, and Fig. 42 is an exploded rear perspective view of the second operating unit 700. Also, Fig. 43 is an exploded front perspective view of the fixed base member 701, the displacement base member 720, the drive means 730, the transmission means 740, and the biasing means 750, and Fig. 44 is an exploded rear perspective view of the fixed base member 701, the displacement base member 720, the drive means 730, the transmission means 740, and the biasing means 750. That is, Fig. 43 shows an enlarged portion of Fig. 41, and Fig. 44 shows an enlarged portion of Fig. 42.

[0542] 45 is an exploded front perspective view of the supported shaft means 760L, 760R and the connecting means 770, and Fig. 46 is an exploded rear perspective view of the supported shaft means 760L, 760R and the connecting means 770. That is, Fig. 45 shows an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 41, and Fig. 46 shows an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 42.

[0543] 47 is an exploded front perspective view of performance means 780, and Fig. 48 is an exploded rear perspective view of performance means 780. That is, Fig. 47 shows an enlarged portion of Fig. 41, and Fig. 48 shows an enlarged portion of Fig. 42.

[0544] 49 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second operating unit 700 taken along a plane extending horizontally and passing through the columnar fastening portion 705c of the support means 705. In the description of FIGS. 41 to 49, reference will be made to FIGS. 37 to 40 as appropriate.

[0545] As shown in FIGS. 41 to 44, the second operating unit 700 includes a fixed base member 701 that is long in the left and right directions and fastened to the bottom wall portion 311 of the rear case 310, a displacement base member 720 that is disposed on the front side of the base member 701 and is configured to be displaceable in the up and down direction relative to the fixed base member 701, a driving means 730 that generates a driving force for displacing the displacement base member 720, and a transmission means configured to be able to transmit the driving force generated by the driving means 730 to the displacement base member 720. The device mainly comprises a reaching means 740, a biasing means 750 that applies an upward biasing force to the displacement base member 720, a pair of pivotally supported means 760L, 760R that are arranged on the left and right of the displacement base member 720 and have one end (the end on the center side of the left and right) rotatably supported by a shaft, a pair of connecting means 770 that connect the other ends (the outer ends of the left and right) of the pivotally supported means 760L, 760R to the left and right ends of the fixed base member 701, and a presentation means 780 that is fastened and fixed to the front side of the displacement base member 720 and is intended to be decorative when viewed from the front.

[0546] The fixed base member 701 is made of a synthetic resin material and comprises a main body plate portion 702 formed in the shape of a long plate extending laterally, a plurality of cover support projections 703 projecting from the main body plate portion 702 toward the front side in the shape of rods of the same length and formed at the tip thereof so that the spring cover SC1 can be fastened and fixed, a spring support portion 704 extending from the main body plate portion 702 toward the front side above the cover support projection 703 at the left end, support means 705 supporting gear members such as a transmission gear 734 for transmitting driving force and an end gear 745, and a portion for supporting a rotating arm member 743 of the transmission means 740 which is approximately circular in front view and has a front side a metal slide rail 711 having a rear plate fixed to the left-right center of the main plate 702 in a position that allows it to slide up and down; a pair of cylindrical extensions 714 that extend in a cylindrical shape when viewed from the front from a position raised toward the front side of the circular extension 708; a pair of left and right upper end stoppers 717 arranged parallel to the cylindrical extension 714 above the cylindrical extension 714; and a pair of left and right lower end stoppers 719 formed with a flat surface along the radial direction of the cylindrical extension 714 behind the fore-and-aft position that supports the connecting means 770 of the cylindrical extension 714.

[0547] The support means 705 mainly comprises a columnar fastening portion 705a which protrudes from the back surface of the plate of the fixed base member 701 in the shape of a cylinder with a diameter slightly shorter than the opening of the transmission gear 734 and has a female screw formed at its tip, an annular recessed portion 705b which is recessed in the shape of a double ring from the front surface of the plate of the fixed base member 701, a columnar fastening portion 705c which protrudes from the front surface of the plate of the fixed base member 701 at the center position of the annular recessed portion 705b in the shape of a cylinder and has a female screw formed at its tip, a plurality of protrusions 705d which are formed as protrusions extending in the front-to-rear direction on the side surface of the annular recessed portion 705b, and a meshing opening 705e which is drilled in the inner surface of the outermost periphery of the annular recessed portion 705b.

[0548] The annular recess 705b is formed with a diameter and width that allow placement of the annular portion (annular portion having a gear formed on the outer periphery) of the terminal gear 745. A fastening screw is inserted into an opening drilled in the center of the terminal gear 745 and threaded into the columnar fastening portion 705c, whereby the terminal gear 745 is rotatably supported.

[0549] The protrusions 705d are arranged at eight locations at 45-degree intervals, and are formed with a protruding height that allows their tips to abut against the inner circumference of the annular portion of the terminal gear 745. This makes it possible to reduce the contact area between the annular portion of the terminal gear 745 and the annular recessed portion 705b while maintaining the function of stabilizing the rotation axis of the terminal gear 745 (stability of the support state) compared to when circles are fitted together. This makes it possible to reduce the driving force required to rotate the terminal gear 745.

[0550] The meshing opening 705e is formed from the inner circumference of the annular recessed portion 705b to the rear bottom portion. The rear bottom portion has an opening at least at a position that overlaps with a circle (the circle of the outermost diameter of the transmission gear 734) centered on the columnar fastening portion 705a in rear view. This allows the transmission gear 734 to be journaled on the columnar fastening portion 705a while protruding inside the meshing opening 705e (the inner diameter side of the annular recessed portion 705b).

[0551] In this embodiment, the gear teeth of transmission gear 734 that pass through meshing opening 705e and protrude toward the inner diameter side of annular recessed portion 705b are configured to mesh with the gear teeth of terminal gear 745. As a result, while adopting a configuration in which transmission gear 734 is attached to and axially supported by fixed base member 701 from the rear side, and terminal gear 745 is attached to and axially supported by fixed base member 701 from the front side, driving force can be transmitted by meshing transmission between transmission gear 734 and terminal gear 745.

[0552] The meshing openings 705e are formed only in locations necessary for the transmission gear 734 to protrude toward the inner diameter side of the annular recessed portion 705b, and no openings are formed in other locations. This makes it possible to prevent the strength of the fixed base member 701 near the support means 705 from becoming excessively insufficient.

[0553] The circular protruding portion 708 includes a plurality of protruding pins 709 for alignment that protrude from the front end face, and a plurality of protruding strips 710 that protrude radially outward over the length of the protrusion.

[0554] The protrusion 710 is disposed between the opposing rotating arm member 743 and the circular protrusion 708, and functions to reduce the contact area between the rotating arm member 743 and the circular protrusion 708. In this case, it is possible to reduce the frictional resistance at the pivotal support portion, which is likely to be an issue when the circular protrusion 708 is configured with a large diameter, and therefore it is possible to reduce the frictional resistance that occurs with the displacement of the rotating arm member 743 while stabilizing the pivotal support state of the rotating arm member 743. This makes it possible to reduce the driving force required to displace the second operating unit 700.

[0555] The metal slide rail 711 has multiple metal plates stacked on the front and rear, and the metal plate at the front end is connected and fixed to the displacement base member 720. That is, the displacement base member 720 is guided by the metal slide rail 711 so as to be displaced in the up and down direction.

[0556] The cylindrical protrusion 714 has an outer peripheral shape that is circular when viewed from the front, and is a part that rotatably supports the connecting means 770. The cylindrical protrusion 714 has an opening 714a that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction, a plurality of protruding pins 715 for alignment that protrude from the front end toward the front side, and a plurality of fastening portions 716 that are formed with female threads at the front end in the parts where the protruding pins 715 do not protrude.

[0557] The opening 714a serves as a passageway for the electrical wiring DK2. That is, the electrical wiring DK2 is guided to the front side through the opening 714a and fixed to the front side ends of the left and right upper stoppers 717 by fastening members for fastening the wiring, such as cable ties, to fixing shapes 718.

[0558] In this embodiment, of the left and right end upper stoppers 717, a fixing shape portion 718 shaped to allow a cable tie to be passed through is formed so as to protrude from the front end surface of the left-hand left and right end upper stopper 717, but no fixing shape portion 718 is formed on the right-hand left and right end upper stopper 717.

[0559] In this way, by forming the fixing shape portion 718 only on the left side of the left and right end upper stoppers 717, where the electrical wiring DK2 is guided, and omitting the formation on the opposite side, it is possible to simplify the shape of the fixed base member 701. Also, by not forming the fixing shape portion 718 in unnecessary locations, it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the assembly worker.

[0560] The openings 714a are arranged in pairs on the left and right, so that the electrical wiring DK2 can be guided to the front side at both the left and right ends, but in this embodiment, the electrical wiring DK2 is guided only through the left opening 714a, and the electrical wiring DK2 is not arranged in the right opening 714a.

[0561] This eliminates the need to design the right-side tubular extension 714 and the right-side connecting means 770 pivotally supported by the right-side tubular extension 714 in consideration of their relationship with the electrical wiring DK2, thereby improving the design freedom of the right-side tubular extension 714, the right-side connecting means 770 and their surrounding configurations.

[0562] Regardless of this, the electrical wiring DK2 may be configured to pass through both of the pair of left and right openings 714a to the front side and be guided to the left and right supported means 760L, 760R, respectively. In this case, the load applied to the supported means 760L, 760R via the electrical wiring DK2 can be easily made equal on the left and right, making it easier to make the displacement of the supported means 760L, 760R, which are displaced following the displacement of the displacement base member 720, symmetrical on the left and right.

[0563] The protruding pin 715 and the fastening portion 716 are formed so as to protrude toward the center of a circle (the circumscribing circle of the opening 714a) formed by connecting the surfaces that constitute the shape of the opening 714a but on which neither the protruding pin 715 nor the fastening portion 716 is disposed. That is, the inner peripheral shape of the cylindrical protruding portion 714 differs from the outer peripheral shape (circular), and is formed in such a way that the circle is recessed toward the central axis at multiple points on the circumference.

[0564] Here, for example, if the inner periphery of the cylindrical protrusion 714 is a perfect circle, the durability of the electrical wiring DK2 may be reduced. That is, since the electrical wiring DK2 inserted through the opening 714a is connected to the illumination board 764 of the pivotally supported means 760L, it may be displaced in accordance with the displacement of the pivotally supported means 760L. If this displacement causes a large degree of friction with the edge of the cylindrical protrusion 714, the coating of the electrical wiring DK2 may be damaged early, or the electrical wiring DK2 may be broken early.

[0565] As a countermeasure to this, it is possible to provide a cylindrical intermediate member (collar) that can slide between the cylindrical protrusion 714 and the electrical wiring DK2, or to wrap a separate covering member around the electrical wiring DK2, but this would increase the cost of the separate member and lead to an increase in product costs.

[0566] In contrast, by making the inner peripheral shape of the tubular protrusion 714 a shape that is concave toward the central axis at multiple points on the circle, the displacement of the electrical wiring DK2, which tends to displace along the edge of the opening 714a, can be limited at the protruding pin 715 and the fastening portion 716, thereby minimizing the degree of friction of the electrical wiring DK2 against the edge of the tubular protrusion 714.

[0567] This improvement does not require a separate member, and the problem is solved simply by devising the inner peripheral shape of the opening 714a. Therefore, it is possible to improve the durability of the electrical wiring DK2 while suppressing an increase in product costs.

[0568] Although it is possible to limit the free displacement of the electrical wiring DK2 by wrapping a spiral tube around the electrical wiring DK2, in this case, there is a risk that the rigidity of the spiral tube will increase resistance to the displacement of the second operating unit 700. In contrast, in this embodiment, the provision of the spiral tube is omitted to reduce the resistance to displacement, while limiting the free displacement of the electrical wiring DK2 by changing the posture of the supported means 760, which will be described later.

[0569] The left and right upper stoppers 717 are configured to be able to come into contact with the short-side surfaces of the connecting means 770 pivotally supported by the cylindrical protruding portion 714, and this contact defines the end of the upward displacement of the connecting means 770. This makes it possible to limit the displacement angle of the connecting means 770.

[0570] The left and right end lower stoppers 719 are configured to be able to abut against the rotational side surfaces of the arc-shaped protrusions 775 of the connecting means 770 that are journaled on the cylindrical protrusions 714, and this abutment defines the end of downward displacement of the connecting means 770. This makes it possible to limit the displacement angle of the connecting means 770.

[0571] In this way, the left and right upper end stoppers 717 and the left and right lower end stoppers 719 are configured to be able to abut against the connecting means 770 in the rotational direction of the connecting means 770, and the front and rear positions at which they abut against the connecting means 770 are different. This makes it possible to avoid accumulation of load (fatigue) due to abutment at a specific position (front and rear position) of the connecting means 770, and improves the durability of the connecting means 770.

[0572] The contact position corresponding to the displacement direction of the connecting means 770 can be selected according to the purpose. For example, in this embodiment, the upward displacement is a displacement of the performance means 780 toward the third symbol display device 81 (see FIG. 15), and since the connecting means 770 is located on the back side of the game board 13 at the terminal position of the upward displacement and is difficult for the player to see (see FIG. 2), fine adjustment of the displacement terminal position is not necessary. Therefore, it is possible to adopt the option of specifying the displacement by contacting the connecting means 770 with an external part whose design is difficult to change due to the strength and structural considerations of the connecting means 770.

[0573] In addition, during upward displacement, gravity acts in a direction that suppresses the displacement of the connecting means 770, thereby suppressing the displacement speed of the connecting means 770. Therefore, an option can be adopted in which the displacement is regulated by abutting against the thin-walled portion of the connecting means 770.

[0574] On the other hand, downward displacement is conversely a displacement of the performance means 780 toward the front side of the third pattern display device 81 (see FIG. 15), and at the terminal position of the downward displacement, the connecting means 770 and the pivotally supported means 760L, 760R, whose position is determined by the connecting means 770, are positioned on the front side of the third pattern display device 81 and are easily seen by the player (see FIG. 16), so it is thought that fine adjustment of the displacement terminal position will be necessary at the design prototype stage. Therefore, adopting the option of specifying the displacement by abutting against the arc-shaped protrusion 775, which is easy to change the design, rather than the outer shape, can minimize the design changes required for fine adjustment of the displacement terminal positions of the connecting means 770 and the pivotally supported means 760L, 760R at the design prototype stage.

[0575] That is, by changing the shape and arrangement of the arc-shaped protrusion 775, it is possible to change the displacement terminal positions of the connecting means 770 and the supported means 760L, 760R.

[0576] In addition, during downward displacement, gravity is in the same direction as the displacement of the connecting means 770, and there is a high possibility that a performance will be adopted in which the performance means 780 is displaced at high speed toward the front of the third pattern display device 81, so it is likely that the downward displacement of the connecting means 770 will be high speed, and the load at the time of contact will be large.

[0577] Therefore, since there is a possibility that the connecting means 770 may be damaged if the thin-walled portion is brought into contact with it, it is better to adopt the option of making the arc-shaped protrusion 775 long to ensure a large contact area and reduce the pressure applied to the connecting means 770, which will improve the durability of the connecting means 770.

[0578] In this way, also in this embodiment, the contact positions of the connecting means 770 and the left and right end upper stoppers 717 and the left and right end lower stoppers 719 are set according to the purpose. Therefore, if the purpose changes due to a change in the arrangement of the second operation unit 700 relative to the third pattern display device 81 or a change in the direction of displacement, it is natural that the options for the contact position of the connecting means 770 and the options to be adopted may change.

[0579] The displacement base member 720 mainly comprises a main body plate portion 721 to which the metal slide rail 711 is fastened and fixed on the back side; a protruding fastening portion 722 that protrudes in a pillar-like shape from the left-right center of the main body plate portion 721 to the front side and has a female screw at the tip of the protrusion into which a screw member for fixing the end of the coil spring SP1 can be screwed; a long opening 723 that is drilled in a left-right elongated shape in the left half of the main body plate portion 721; a pair of cylindrical extension portions 724 that protrude in a cylindrical shape when viewed from the front from the main body plate portion 721 to the front side; upper and lower stoppers 727 that protrude from the main body plate portion 721 to the front side at upper and lower positions outside the left-right direction of the cylindrical extension portions 724 and regulate the displacement angle of the supported shaft means 760L, 760R; and interference avoidance components 728 that are formed in a pair on the left and right in the lower half of the main body plate portion 721 and have one of the purposes of avoiding interference between the electrical wiring DK3 and other components.

[0580] The elongated opening 723 is an opening through which the connecting post 743b and collar C1 of the transmission means 740 are inserted, and is formed with a width and length that allow the connecting post 743b and collar C1 to be displaced.

[0581] The cylindrical extension portion 724, like the cylindrical extension portion 714 described above in the fixed base member 701, is a portion that rotatably supports the supported means 760L, 760R by having an outer peripheral shape that is circular when viewed from the front, and is equipped with an opening 724a that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction, a plurality of protruding pins 725 for alignment that protrude from the front side end toward the front side, and a plurality of fastening portions 726 that are formed with female threads at the front side end in the portion where the protruding pins 725 do not protrude.

[0582] The opening 724a serves as a passageway for the electrical wiring DK3. That is, the electrical wiring DK3 is guided in the front-rear direction through the opening 724a. The electrical wiring DK3 is connected to the pivotally supported means 760L, 760R and the performance means fixed to the displacement base member 720, as will be described in detail later.

[0583] Protruding pin 725 and fastening portion 726 are formed so as to protrude toward the center of a circle (the circumscribing circle of opening 724a) formed by connecting surfaces that constitute the shape of opening 724a but on which neither protruding pin 725 nor fastening portion 726 is disposed. That is, the inner peripheral shape of cylindrical protruding portion 724 differs from the outer peripheral shape (circular), and is shaped such that the circle is recessed toward the central axis at multiple points on the circumference.

[0584] Here, for example, if the inner periphery of the cylindrical protrusion 724 is a perfect circle, the durability of the electrical wiring DK3 may be reduced. That is, since the electrical wiring DK3 inserted through the opening 724a is connected to the illumination board 764 of the pivotally supported means 760L, it may be displaced in accordance with the displacement of the pivotally supported means 760L. If this displacement causes a large degree of friction with the edge of the cylindrical protrusion 724, the coating o...

Claims

[Claim 1] a first flow-down area that is visible to a player and is configured so that game balls can flow down; a first component member that constitutes one side of the first flow-down area; a second component that configures the other side of the first flow-down area; A second flow-down area, one side of which is constituted by the first component member, is visible to the player, and is configured so that game balls can flow down; a third component member constituting at least a portion of the other side of the second flow-down area, The first flow-down area and the second flow-down area are configured continuously, the third component is a separate member from the second component and is fastened to the second component, The gaming machine includes: Above the position where the second component and the third component overlap in a front view, a first inclined portion is formed on the front side of the second component, which is capable of displacing game balls that have flowed down the first flow-down area in a predetermined manner toward the first component, and a predetermined surface of the first component that constitutes one side is non-parallel to the first inclined portion, so that game balls that come into contact with the first inclined portion are displaced toward the predetermined surface, and game balls that have flowed down the predetermined surface are displaced toward the second inclined portion formed on the third component, a specific portion into which a predetermined portion of the third component is fitted is provided on the second component, and the third component is not fitted to the first component; A gaming machine characterized in that the third component member does not have an operating member that can come into contact with a gaming ball flowing down the second flow-down area.

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