Gaming machine

Abstract

To enhance player's interest.SOLUTION: When predetermined conditions are satisfied, a specific performance, which reports a reporting mode for indicating one selected identification information, is executed. When the specific performance execution means executes the specific performance, setting means sets specific identification information determined by identification determination means as identification information selected by the specific performance, based on determination of a specific result by determination means. Further, when a situation, where predetermined period determination means does not execute determination during a performance period, continues, interruption means interrupts the performance period. Thus a situation, where the specific performance executed during a preset performance period progresses while the determination means does not execute determination, thus suppressing a loss of a sense of expectation toward the specific performance executed during the performance period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming machine represented by a pachinko machine.

Background Art

[0002] In some amusement machines such as pachinko machines, if the result of a lottery conducted based on the fulfillment of predetermined lottery conditions is a win, the player transitions to a winning state that is advantageous to the player. In these conventional amusement machines, the game's appeal was enhanced by displaying suggestive effects that indicated whether or not the player had won after each lottery draw.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, further improvements in terms of interest are needed.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-exemplified problems and the like, and aims to improve the Regarding games interest of players. To provide a gaming machine that can do this.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] ​To achieve this objective, the gaming machine according to claim 1 includes: an entry means into which a game ball can be entered; an acquisition means capable of acquiring predetermined discrimination information based on the entry of a game ball into the entry means; a discrimination means that performs discrimination based on the fulfillment of discrimination conditions using the discrimination information acquired by the acquisition means; and a display means capable of displaying identification information, wherein when discrimination is performed by the discrimination means, the identification information for indicating the discrimination result of the discrimination means can be displayed on the display means after a dynamic display has been performed, the gaming machine has a plurality of periods as the dynamic display period in the dynamic display, which includes at least a first period and a second period that is longer than the first period, and is configured so that when the identification information for indicating a specific discrimination result is displayed on the display means, a special game that is advantageous to the player can be performed, and is configured so that during the dynamic display period, a specific performance can be performed which is a performance that can be varied to one of a plurality of performance modes and which can suggest the specific discrimination result when varied to a specific stage performance mode, and is opened during a predetermined period The system is configured such that, among the dynamic displays that are started, a specific performance that changes to a performance mode different from the performance mode shown by the specific performance after the specific performance is performed in the dynamic display period corresponding to one of the dynamic displays that is started during the predetermined period, can be performed in the dynamic display period corresponding to a dynamic display that is started later than the one of the dynamic displays, and when multiple incorrect dynamic displays, which are dynamic displays corresponding to incorrect discrimination results that are at least different from the specific discrimination result, are started during the predetermined period, the execution of the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage can be suppressed in the dynamic display period corresponding to each of the multiple incorrect dynamic displays that are started, and when one of the specific performances is performed in the dynamic display period set in the second period, the system is configured such that the specific performance that changes to a performance mode different from the performance mode shown by the one specific performance can be performed in the remaining dynamic display period after the execution of the one specific performance.The game machine is configured such that the execution of the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage can be suppressed during the dynamic display period set in the second period and corresponding to the missing dynamic display, and the game machine has at least the performance mode of the specific stage and a performance mode of a predetermined stage lower than the specific stage as the multiple performance modes, and after the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage is executed, the identification information for indicating the specific discrimination result can be stopped and displayed without the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage being executed, and the game machine is configured such that the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage can be executed without the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage being executed, and among the dynamic displays that start during the predetermined period, the dynamic displays that start after the first dynamic display and are not continuous with the first dynamic display, prescribed When the specific performance is executed during the dynamic display period corresponding to the dynamic display, Until the predetermined dynamic display is started The performance patterns that appeared during the dynamic display period corresponding to the dynamic display of item 1. This is maintained, and during the dynamic display period corresponding to the predetermined dynamic display, The system is configured such that the specific performance can be changed to a performance mode different from the performance mode that appeared during the dynamic display period corresponding to the dynamic display of item 1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The gaming machine according to claim 1 includes: an entry means into which a game ball can be entered; an acquisition means capable of acquiring predetermined discrimination information based on the entry of a game ball into the entry means; a discrimination means that performs discrimination based on the fulfillment of discrimination conditions using the discrimination information acquired by the acquisition means; and a display means capable of displaying identification information, wherein when discrimination by the discrimination means is performed, the identification information for indicating the discrimination result of the discrimination means can be displayed on the display means after a dynamic display has been performed, the gaming machine has a plurality of periods as the dynamic display period in the dynamic display, which includes at least a first period and a second period that is longer than the first period, and when the identification information for indicating a specific discrimination result is displayed on the display means, a special game advantageous to the player can be performed, and during the dynamic display period, a specific performance can be performed which is a performance that can be varied to one of a plurality of performance modes and which can suggest the specific discrimination result when varied to a specific stage performance mode, before it is started within a predetermined period The system is configured such that, among the dynamic displays, a specific performance that changes to a performance mode different from the performance mode shown by the specific performance after the specific performance is performed in the dynamic display period corresponding to one of the dynamic displays, can be performed in the dynamic display period corresponding to a dynamic display that starts later than the first dynamic display among the dynamic displays that start during the predetermined period, and when multiple incorrect dynamic displays, which are dynamic displays corresponding to incorrect discrimination results that are at least different from the specific discrimination result, are started during the predetermined period, the execution of the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage can be suppressed in the dynamic display period corresponding to each of the multiple incorrect dynamic displays that are started, and when one of the specific performances is performed in the dynamic display period set in the second period, the system is configured such that a specific performance that changes to a performance mode different from the performance mode shown by the first specific performance can be performed in the remaining dynamic display period after the execution of the first specific performance.The game machine is configured such that the execution of the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage can be suppressed during the dynamic display period set in the second period and corresponding to the missing dynamic display, and the game machine has at least the performance mode of the specific stage and a performance mode of a predetermined stage lower than the specific stage as the multiple performance modes, and after the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage is executed, the identification information for indicating the specific discrimination result can be stopped and displayed without the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage being executed, and the game machine is configured such that the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the specific stage can be executed without the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage being executed, and among the dynamic displays that start during the predetermined period, the dynamic displays that start after the first dynamic display and are not continuous with the first dynamic display, prescribed When the specific performance is executed during the dynamic display period corresponding to the dynamic display, Until the predetermined dynamic display is started The performance patterns that appeared during the dynamic display period corresponding to the dynamic display of item 1. This is maintained, and during the dynamic display period corresponding to the predetermined dynamic display, The system is configured such that the specific performance can be changed to a performance mode different from the performance mode that appeared during the dynamic display period corresponding to the dynamic display of item 1.

[0012] This will allow the players Regarding games Enhance interest Making it happen It has the effect of making it possible. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a pachinko machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a front view of the game board of a pachinko machine. [Figure 3] This is a rear view of a pachinko machine. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a pachinko machine. [Figure 5] This is a front perspective view of the disassembled operating unit. [Figure 6]It is a front perspective view of a game board and an operation unit. [Figure 7] It is a front perspective view of an operation unit. [Figure 8] It is a front view of an operation unit. [Figure 9] It is a front view of an operation unit. [Figure 10] It is a front view of an operation unit. [Figure 11] It is a front perspective view of an upper lifting unit. [Figure 12] It is a front view of an upper lifting unit. [Figure 13] It is a front view of an upper lifting unit. [Figure 14] It is a front exploded perspective view of an upper lifting unit. [Figure 15] It is a rear exploded perspective view of an upper lifting unit. [Figure 16] (a) is a front view of the first gear, (b) is a rear view of the first gear, (c) is a front view of the second gear, and (d) is a rear view of the second gear. [Figure 17] It is a front view of a lifting body and a transmission device. [Figure 18] It is a front view of a lifting body and a transmission device. [Figure 19] It is a front view of a lifting body and a transmission device. [Figure 20] It is a front view of a lifting body and a transmission device. [Figure 21] It is a front perspective view of a liquid crystal lifting unit. [Figure 22] It is a front exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal lifting unit. [Figure 23] It is an exploded front perspective view of a drive side slide member. [Figure 24] It is an exploded rear perspective view of a drive side slide member. [Figure 25] It is a rear view of a drive side slide member. [Figure 26](a) is a front perspective view of the connecting member, (b) is a front view of the connecting member in the direction of arrow XXVIb in Figure 26(a), and (c) is a rear view of the connecting member in the direction of arrow XXVIc in Figure 26(a). [Figure 27] This is a rear view of the second passage forming member and the connecting member. [Figure 28] This is a rear view of the second passage forming member and the connecting member. [Figure 29] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 30] Figure 29 is a side view of the liquid crystal lifting unit as seen from the direction of arrow XXX. [Figure 31] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 32] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 33] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 34] This is a front perspective view of the game board and left-swinging unit. [Figure 35] This is a front perspective view of the left oscillating unit. [Figure 36] This is a disassembled front perspective view of the left oscillating unit. [Figure 37] This is a rear perspective view of the disassembled left oscillating unit. [Figure 38] This is a front view of the oscillating motion unit. [Figure 39] (a) and (b) are front views of the oscillating unit. [Figure 40] This is a front view of the oscillating motion unit. [Figure 41] This is a partial front view of the LCD lifting unit and the left-swinging unit. [Figure 42] This is a partial front view of the LCD lifting unit and the left-swinging unit. [Figure 43] This is a front view of the rotating unit. [Figure 44] This is a front perspective view of the rotating unit. [Figure 45] This is a front view of the rotating unit with the guide member removed. [Figure 46] This is a front perspective view of the rotating unit with the guide member removed. [Figure 47] This is a front perspective view of the disassembled rotating unit. [Figure 48] This is a rear perspective view of the disassembled rotating unit. [Figure 49] This is a front view of the rotating unit with the rotating member, part of the pitching mechanism, and guide member removed. [Figure 50] This is a schematic front view of the guide member. [Figure 51] (a) is a front view of the one-sided rotating drive member and the other-sided rotating member, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the one-sided rotating member and the other-sided rotating member along the LIb-LIb line in Figure 51(a). [Figure 52] This is a cross-sectional view of the rotating unit, cut along a plane that includes the rotation axis of the central transmission member. [Figure 53] This is a front view of the case members and the drive mechanism. [Figure 54] (a) is a front view of the rotating member, and (b) is a side view of the rotating member as seen in the direction of arrow LIVb in Figure 54(a). [Figure 55] This is a rear view of the rotating member as seen in the direction of arrow LV in Figure 54(b). [Figure 56] (a) is a front perspective view of the divided member, and (b) is a rear perspective view of the divided member. [Figure 57] This is a front perspective view of the disassembled divided components. [Figure 58] This is a rear perspective view of the disassembled divided components. [Figure 59] (a) and (b) are top and bottom perspective views of the divided members in the state in which they are arranged in the first section. [Figure 60] (a) and (b) are top and bottom perspective views of the divided members in their configuration in the second section. [Figure 61] This is a front perspective view of the disassembled pitching mechanism. [Figure 62] This is a front perspective view of the disassembled pitching mechanism. [Figure 63]This is a front perspective view of the disassembled arm rotation mechanism. [Figure 64] This is a front view of the pitching device with the arm member of the arm rotation mechanism positioned in the holding position. [Figure 65] This is a front view of the pitching device with the arm members of the arm rotation mechanism positioned at a distanced position. [Figure 66] This is an exploded front perspective view of the retaining piece extension / retraction mechanism with the retaining piece positioned in the protruding position. [Figure 67] This is an exploded front perspective view of the retaining piece retraction / extension mechanism with the retaining piece positioned in the retracted position. [Figure 68] (a) is a front perspective view of the retaining piece extension / retraction mechanism with the retaining piece positioned in a protruding position, and (b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the retaining piece extension / retraction mechanism along the line LXVIIIb-LXVIIIb in Figure 68(a). [Figure 69] (a) is a front perspective view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism with the retaining piece positioned in the retracted position, and (b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism along the line LXIXb-LXIXb in Figure 69(a). [Figure 70] This is a front perspective view of the guide member. [Figure 71] This is a rear perspective view of the guide member. [Figure 72] This is a front view of the guide member and the rotating member. [Figure 73] (a) is a partially enlarged front view of the guide member and rotating member in the first section, and (b) is a partially enlarged front view of the guide member and rotating member in the second section. [Figure 74] (a) through (d) are state transition diagrams for each 30-degree rotation of the one-sided rotation drive member. [Figure 75] This is a state relationship diagram showing the relationship between the engagement or disengagement state and phase of the one-sided rotation drive member and the other-sided rotation drive member with respect to the divided member. [Figure 76] (a) to (c) are state transition diagrams for each unit rotation amount of the rotating member. [Figure 77]This is a magnified side view of the first section of the rotating member. [Figure 78] This is an exploded front perspective view of the left-side oscillating unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 79] (a) is a front view of the main body of the end wall member, (b) is a top view of the main body of the end wall member, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the end wall member along the line LXXIXc-LXXIXc in Figure 79(b), and (d) is a front view of the main body of the end wall member. [Figure 80] This is a front view of the left oscillating unit. [Figure 81] This is a front view of the left oscillating unit. [Figure 82] This is a front view of the left oscillating unit. [Figure 83] (a) to (c) are partial front views of the left-swinging unit and the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 84] This is a front view of the liquid crystal lifting unit in the third embodiment. [Figure 85] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 86] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 87] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 88] This is a front view of the LCD lifting unit. [Figure 89] (a) is a partial front view of the drive-side slide member in the fourth embodiment, (b) is a side view of the drive-side slide member in the direction of arrow LXXXIXb in Figure 89(a), and (c) is a partial front view of the drive-side slide member. [Figure 90] (a) is a diagram showing an example of the display mode during the display of changing symbols, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the display mode when a combination of symbols that results in a loss is displayed as stopped. [Figure 91] (a) is a diagram showing an example of the display when a winning combination of symbols is displayed, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the display during the execution of a time-saving suggestion effect. [Figure 92] (a) is a diagram showing an example of the display when a loss is announced during the time-saving suggestion sequence, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the display when a win is announced during the time-saving suggestion sequence. [Figure 93] (a) and (b) are diagrams showing examples of display patterns during the execution of the enhancement effect. [Figure 94] (a) is a diagram showing an example of the display during the execution of the roulette chance effect, and (b) is a diagram showing the state in which the thrown ball is oscillating on the holding piece. [Figure 95] (a) is a diagram showing the state in which the ball falls into a losing pocket during the roulette chance sequence, and (b) is a diagram showing the state in which the ball falls into a winning pocket. [Figure 96] (a) is a diagram showing an example of the display when an additional bonus effect is performed, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the display when the lucky number for the bonus is announced during the increase effect. [Figure 97] This is a front view of the rear LED. [Figure 98] This diagram shows the case where a portion of the rear LEDs are set to a 100% illumination state. [Figure 99] This is a front view of the rotating member when a portion of the rear LED's illumination area is set to 100% illumination. [Figure 100] (a) is a front view of the rear LEDs when the lighting state is set for each lighting area of ​​the rear LEDs, and (b) is a front view of the rotating member when the lighting state is set for each lighting area of ​​the rear LEDs. [Figure 101] (a) is a front view of the rear LED at the point when the rear LED has completed 1 / 3 of a rotation after the lighting state has been set, and (b) is a front view of the rotating member at the point when the rear LED has completed 1 / 3 of a rotation after the lighting state has been set. [Figure 102](a) is a front view of the rear LED when the lighting state of the lighting area located in the correction section is corrected, and (b) is a front view of the rotating member when the lighting state of the lighting area located in the correction section is corrected. [Figure 103] (a) is a diagram showing the case where the oscillating ball is located outside the detection range of the ball detection sensor, and (b) is a diagram showing the case where the oscillating ball is located within the detection range of the ball detection sensor. [Figure 104] (a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams regarding the control of a stepping motor. [Figure 105] This diagram shows an overview of various counters. [Figure 106] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ROM in the main control unit, (b) is a schematic diagram showing the contents of the first random number table, and (c) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first type selection table. [Figure 107] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the selection table for the type of prize used in Special Feature 1. [Figure 108] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the winning type selection table for Special Feature 2. [Figure 109] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state transitions of a pachinko machine. [Figure 110] (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the first random number table, and (b) is a block diagram showing the structure of the variation pattern selection table. [Figure 111] (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of a typical medium-jackpot table, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of a typical medium-miss table. [Figure 112] (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the jackpot table during the time-saving mode, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the detailed contents of the consecutive win table included in that jackpot table during the time-saving mode. [Figure 113](a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the time-saving bonus table, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the detailed contents of the winning streak table included in that time-saving bonus table. [Figure 114] (a) is a timing chart showing the time-dependent changes in the pattern of losing roulette chances, and (b) is a timing chart showing the time-dependent changes in the pattern of losing roulette chances when the fluctuations are interrupted during the time-saving period. [Figure 115] (a) is a timing chart showing the time-dependent changes in the winning roulette chance, and (b) is a timing chart showing the time-dependent changes in the winning roulette chance when the fluctuation is interrupted during the time-saving mode. [Figure 116] (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the game result setting table, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the state setting table. [Figure 117] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM within the main control unit. [Figure 118] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ROM in the audio lamp control device, and (b) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 119] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation scenario table, (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the upper lifting unit table, and (c) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the table for specific opening. [Figure 120] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the initial operation table. [Figure 121] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the rotation position determination table. [Figure 122] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the hit position storage area. [Figure 123](a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lighting position storage area, (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the first storage area, (c) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the second storage area, and (d) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the third storage area. [Figure 124] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the display control device. [Figure 125] (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the images displayed when the power is turned on. [Figure 126] (a) is an explanatory diagram illustrating back view A, and (b) is an explanatory diagram illustrating back view B. [Figure 127] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the displayed data table. [Figure 128] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the transfer data table. [Figure 129] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the drawing list. [Figure 130] This flowchart shows the timer interrupt processing performed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 131] This flowchart shows the special symbol variation process executed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 132] This flowchart shows the process for initiating the variation of special symbol 1, which is executed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 133] This flowchart shows the start-up prize-winning process performed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 134] This flowchart shows the process for winning the special symbol 2 prize, which is executed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 135] This flowchart shows the normal symbol variation process performed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 136] This flowchart shows the through-gate pass-through process performed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 137] This flowchart shows the NMI interrupt processing performed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 138]This flowchart shows the startup process performed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 139] This is a flowchart showing the main processing performed by the MPU within the main control unit. [Figure 140] This flowchart shows the jackpot control process executed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 141] This flowchart shows the prize-winning process executed by the MPU in the main control unit. [Figure 142] This flowchart shows the startup process performed by the MPU within the audio lamp control device. [Figure 143] This flowchart shows the state setting process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device when the lamp is turned on. [Figure 144] This flowchart shows the origin return process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 145] This flowchart shows the main processing performed by the MPU within the audio lamp control device. [Figure 146] This flowchart shows the oscillation effect processing performed by the MPU in the sound lamp control device. [Figure 147] This flowchart shows the fall control process performed by the MPU within the audio lamp control device. [Figure 148] This flowchart shows the discharge detection process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 149] This flowchart shows the performance setting process executed by the MPU in the sound lamp control device. [Figure 150] This flowchart shows the command determination process executed by the MPU within the audio lamp control device. [Figure 151] This flowchart shows the variable pattern command processing performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 152] This flowchart shows the prize information command processing executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 153] This flowchart shows the command processing related to the hit that is executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 154] This flowchart shows the disconnection determination process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 155] This flowchart shows the execution command processing performed by the MPU within the audio lamp control device. [Figure 156] This flowchart shows the initial operation process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 157] This flowchart shows the rotation setting process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 158] This flowchart shows the lighting setting process executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 159] This flowchart shows the status command processing performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 160] This flowchart shows the winning pocket allocation process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 161] This flowchart shows the special prize winning command processing executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 162] This flowchart shows the variable display setting process executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 163] This flowchart shows the display number selection process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device. [Figure 164] This flowchart shows the mechanism operation setting process executed by the MPU in the sound lamp control device. [Figure 165] This flowchart shows the main processing performed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 166] This flowchart shows the boot process executed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 167](a) is a flowchart showing command interrupt processing executed by the MPU in the display control unit, and (b) is a flowchart showing V interrupt processing executed by the MPU in the display control unit. [Figure 168] This flowchart shows the command determination process executed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 169] (a) is a flowchart showing the variable pattern command processing executed by the MPU in the display control device, and (b) is a flowchart showing the stop type command processing executed by the MPU in the display control device. [Figure 170] (a) is a flowchart showing the opening command processing executed by the MPU in the display control unit, and (b) is a flowchart showing the round number command processing executed by the MPU in the display control unit. [Figure 171] This flowchart shows the ending command processing performed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 172] (a) is a flowchart showing the back image change command processing executed by the MPU in the display control unit, and (b) is a flowchart showing the error command processing executed by the MPU in the display control unit. [Figure 173] This flowchart shows the display setting process executed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 174] This flowchart shows the warning image setting process executed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 175] This flowchart shows the pointer update process executed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 176] (a) is a flowchart showing the transfer setting process executed by the MPU in the display control unit, and (b) is a flowchart showing the resident image transfer setting process executed by the MPU in the display control unit. [Figure 177] This flowchart shows the normal image transfer setting process executed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 178] This flowchart shows the drawing process performed by the MPU within the display control unit. [Figure 179] (a) is a front perspective view of the retaining piece in the second control example, and (b) is a front view of the retaining piece in the second control example. [Figure 180] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the arrangement of each sphere detection sensor and its correspondence with the interval in the second control example. [Figure 181] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ROM in the audio lamp control device in the second control example, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the amplitude discrimination table in the second control example. [Figure 182] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the oscillation angle discrimination table in the second control example. [Figure 183] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 184] This flowchart shows the main process 2 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 185] This flowchart shows the oscillation effect processing 2 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 186] This flowchart shows the fall control process 2 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 187] This flowchart shows the amplitude discrimination process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 188] This flowchart shows the oscillation angle control process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 189] This flowchart shows the rotation setting process 2 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 190] This flowchart shows the execution command processing 2 performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 191] This flowchart shows the placement identification process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 192] This flowchart shows the rotation-specific processing performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 193] This flowchart shows the non-specific time processing performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 194] This flowchart shows the oscillation-specific processing performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the second control example. [Figure 195] (a) is a timing chart showing an example of the timing change of the performance when a winning middle variation is set during the continuous win mode in the third control example, and (b) is a timing chart showing an example of the timing change of the performance when a losing middle variation is set during the continuous win mode in the third control example. [Figure 196] (a) is a timing chart showing the timing changes in the performance pattern when, in the third control example, a short losing variation is determined twice in a row during the continuous win mode, followed by a short winning variation. (b) is a timing chart showing the timing changes in the performance pattern when, in the continuous win mode, a short losing variation is determined three times in a row. [Figure 197] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ROM in the audio lamp control device in the third control example, and (b) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the variation pattern selection table in the third control example. [Figure 198] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the jackpot table during consecutive wins in the third control example. [Figure 199] (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the table for when a winning streak is lost in the third control example, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the table for selecting the bonus area. [Figure 200] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM in the audio lamp control device in the third control example. [Figure 201]This is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the hit position storage area in the third control example. [Figure 202] This is a flowchart showing the winning pocket allocation process 3 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the third control example. [Figure 203] This flowchart shows the process of determining the overlapping position, which is performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the third control example. [Figure 204] This flowchart shows the process for the special prize winning command in Figure 2, which is executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the third control example. [Figure 205] This flowchart shows the variable display setting process 3 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the third control example. [Figure 206] This flowchart shows the variation pattern selection process performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the third control example. [Figure 207] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the variation pattern selection table in the fourth control example, (b) is a schematic diagram schematically showing the contents of the variation pattern selection table during consecutive wins in the fourth control example, (c) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the operation scenario table in the fourth control example, and (d) is a schematic diagram schematically showing the contents of the upper oscillation effect table in the fourth control example. [Figure 208] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 209] This is a flowchart showing the main process 4 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 210] This flowchart shows the rotation setting process 4 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 211] This is a flowchart showing the prize winning command processing 4 in Figure 2, which is executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 212]This flowchart shows the variable display setting process 4 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 213] This is a flowchart showing the variable pattern selection process 4 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 214] This flowchart shows the upper swing effect processing performed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fourth control example. [Figure 215] (a) and (b) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the left-swinging unit when the left-swinging effect is being performed in the fifth control example. [Figure 216] (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the pitching button press animation in the fifth control example. [Figure 217] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the left-oscillating unit table in the fifth control example, (b) is a schematic diagram schematically showing the contents of the first left-oscillating unit table in the fifth control example, and (c) is a schematic diagram schematically showing the contents of the second left-oscillating unit table in the fifth control example. [Figure 218] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 219] This flowchart shows the fall control process 5 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 220] This flowchart shows the variable display setting process 5 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 221] This flowchart shows the pre-announcement effect setting process executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 222] This flowchart shows the performance setting process 5 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 223] This flowchart shows the pitching button press animation setting process executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 224] This is a flowchart showing the winning pocket allocation process 5 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 225] This is a flowchart showing the prize winning command processing 5 in Figure 2, which is executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the fifth control example. [Figure 226] (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the display modes of the fluctuation display that are performed in "normal mode" in the sixth control example. [Figure 227] (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the display modes of the fluctuation display that are performed during the "preparation mode" in the sixth control example. [Figure 228] (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ROM in the audio lamp control device in the sixth control example, and (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of the pattern position selection table in the sixth control example. [Figure 229] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the RAM in the audio lamp control device in the sixth control example. [Figure 230] This flowchart shows the main process 6 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the sixth control example. [Figure 231] This flowchart shows the display position selection process executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the sixth control example. [Figure 232] This flowchart shows the variable display setting process 6 executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the sixth control example. [Figure 233] This flowchart shows the stop position selection process executed by the MPU in the audio lamp control device in the sixth control example. [Figure 234] This is a timing chart showing an example of the signal waveform for the lighting control command in the first control example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, with reference to Figures 1 to 88, one embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko game machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "pachinko machine") 10 will be described as the first embodiment. Figure 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, Figure 2 is a front view of the game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and Figure 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the pachinko machine 10 comprises an outer frame 11 formed by a roughly rectangular wooden frame, and an inner frame 12 formed to be approximately the same external shape as the outer frame 11 and supported by the outer frame 11 so as to be openable and closable. Metal hinges 18 are attached to the outer frame 11 at two locations, upper and lower, on the left side in a front view (see Figure 1) to support the inner frame 12, and the inner frame 12 is supported so as to be openable and closable towards the front, with the side on which the hinges 18 are provided as the axis of opening and closing.

[0022] A game board 13 (see Figure 2), which has numerous nails and prize slots 63, 64, etc., is attached to the inner frame 12 in a way that it can be detachably mounted from the back side. The ball game is played by balls (game balls) flowing down the front of this game board 13. The inner frame 12 is also fitted with a ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4) that launches balls into the front area of ​​the game board 13, and 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.

[0023] The front side of the inner frame 12 is provided with 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 to two locations, upper and lower, on the left side in a front view (see Figure 1). The side on which the hinges 19 are provided is used as the axis of opening and closing, allowing the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15 to open and close towards the front. The locking of the inner frame 12 and the locking of the front frame 14 are released by inserting a special key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a predetermined operation.

[0024] The front frame 14 is assembled with decorative resin parts and electrical components, and has a roughly oval-shaped window 14c in its approximate center. A glass unit 16 having two glass plates is arranged on the back side of the front frame 14, and the front of the game board 13 is visible from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

[0025] The front frame 14 is formed in a roughly box shape with an upper tray 17 that extends forward and has an open top surface for storing balls. Prize balls and loaned balls are discharged into this upper tray 17. The bottom surface 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 the balls placed in the upper tray 17 to the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4). A frame button 22 is also 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 animation displayed on the third symbol display device 81 (see Figure 2) or to change the content of the super reach animation.

[0026] The front frame 14 is equipped with various light-emitting means such as lamps around its periphery (for example, the corners). These light-emitting means are controlled to change their illumination pattern by lighting up or flashing in response to changes in the game state, such as during a jackpot or a predetermined reach, thereby enhancing the visual effects during gameplay. The periphery of the window section 14c is provided with illuminated sections 29-33, each containing a light-emitting means such as an LED. In the pachinko machine 10, these illuminated sections 29-33 function as display lamps such as jackpot lamps, and during jackpots or reach sequences, the built-in LEDs light up or flash, indicating that a jackpot is in progress or that the player is one step away from a jackpot. In addition, the upper left of the front frame 14 (see Figure 1) is equipped with an indicator lamp 34 that contains a light-emitting means such as an LED and can display whether a prize ball is being dispensed or an error has occurred.

[0027] Furthermore, a small window 35 is formed on the lower side of the right-side illuminated section 32 by attaching transparent resin from the back side so that the back side of the front frame 14 can be seen, and the stickers etc. that are attached 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. In addition, in the pachinko machine 10, plated members 36 made of chrome-plated ABS resin are attached to the area around the illuminated sections 29 to 33 to create a more dazzling appearance.

[0028] Below the window section 14c, a ball dispensing operation unit 40 is provided. The ball dispensing operation unit 40 is equipped with a balance display unit 41, a ball dispensing button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is operated with banknotes or cards inserted into the card unit (ball dispensing unit) (not shown) located on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are dispensed according to the operation. Specifically, the balance display unit 41 is an area where the remaining balance information of the card, etc. is displayed, and a built-in LED lights up to display the remaining balance as a number. The ball dispensing button 42 is operated to obtain dispensed balls based on the information recorded on the card, etc. (recording medium), and dispensed balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a balance on the card, etc. The return button 43 is operated when requesting the return of the card, etc. inserted into the card unit. In pachinko machines where balls are dispensed directly to the upper tray 17 from a ball dispensing device without the use of a card unit, so-called cash machines, the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is unnecessary. In this case, the component configuration can be made common by adding decorative stickers or the like to the installation area of ​​the ball dispensing operation unit 40. This allows for the commonality of pachinko machines using a card unit and cash machines.

[0029] 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 could not be stored in the upper tray 17. An operating handle 51, which is operated by the player to launch the balls onto the front of the game board 13, is provided on the right side of the lower tray 50.

[0030] The operating handle 51 contains a touch sensor 51a for allowing the ball launching unit 112a to be driven, a launch stop switch 51b for stopping ball launching while the handle is being pressed, and a variable resistor (not shown) for detecting the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51 by a change in electrical resistance. When the operating handle 51 is rotated clockwise by the player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes in accordance with the amount of rotation. The ball is then launched with a strength (launching intensity) corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, and the ball is driven onto the front of the game board 13 by 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 turned off.

[0031] A ball release lever 52 is provided at the lower front of the lower tray 50 for operating when discharging the balls stored in the lower tray 50 downwards. This ball release lever 52 is always biased forward, and by sliding it backward against this bias, a bottom opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls fall out naturally from this bottom opening and are discharged. This ball release lever 54b is usually operated with a box (commonly called a "senryobako") placed below the lower tray 50 to receive the balls discharged from the lower tray 50.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling numerous nails (not shown) and windmills for guiding balls, as well as rails 61, 62, a general prize slot 63, a first ball entry slot 64, a second ball entry slot 640a, a second variable prize device 65, a through gate 67, a variable display unit 80, etc., onto a base plate 60 that is cut into a roughly square shape when viewed from the front, and its periphery is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12 (see Figure 1). The base plate 60 is made of a light-transmitting resin material and is formed so that the various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 can be seen by the player from the front side. The general prize slot 63, the first ball entry slot 64, the second ball entry slot 640a, the second variable prize device 65, and the variable display unit 80 are arranged in through holes 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.

[0033] The central front portion of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window portion 14c (see Figure 1) of the front frame 14. The configuration of the game board 13 will be described below, mainly with reference to Figure 2.

[0034] An outer rail 62, formed by bending a strip of metal plate into a roughly arc shape, is installed on the front of the game board 13, and an arc-shaped inner rail 61, also formed from a strip of metal plate, is installed inside the outer rail 62. The outer rail 61 and outer rail 62 surround the outer perimeter of the front of the game board 13, and the front and back are surrounded by the game board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see Figure 1), thus forming a game area on the front of the game board 13 where the game is played by the movement of balls. The game area is the front of the game board 13 and is defined by the two rails 61 and 62 and the resin outer edge member 73 connecting the rails (the area where prize slots are located and the launched balls flow down).

[0035] The two rails 61 and 62 are provided to guide the balls 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 of the inner rail 61 (upper left in Figure 2) to prevent the balls that have been guided to the top of the game board 13 from returning to the ball guidance passage. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip of the outer rail 62 (upper right in Figure 2) at a position corresponding to the maximum flight distance of the ball. Balls launched with a force exceeding a predetermined amount will hit the return rubber 69, have their force reduced, and be bounced back towards the center.

[0036] In the lower left side of the game area (lower left side in Figure 2), there are two first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, each equipped with multiple LEDs and a 7-segment display, which serve as light-emitting means. The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B display information according to the various controls performed by the main control device 110 (see Figure 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 used differently depending on whether the ball enters the first ball entry slot 64 or the second ball entry slot 640a. Specifically, when the ball enters the first ball entry slot 64, the first symbol display device 37A is activated, while when the ball enters the second ball entry slot 640a, the first symbol display device 37B is activated.

[0037] Furthermore, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B use LEDs to indicate whether the pachinko machine 10 is in a probability variation mode, a time reduction mode, or a normal mode, whether or not it is in a variation mode, whether or not the stopped symbol corresponds to a probability variation jackpot, a normal jackpot, or a losing symbol, and the number of reserved balls. In addition, a 7-segment display device is used to show the number of rounds during a jackpot and to display errors. Multiple LEDs are configured so that each LED emits a different color (for example, red, green, and blue), and by combining these colors, various game states of the pachinko machine 10 can be indicated with a small number of LEDs.

[0038] In this pachinko machine 10, a lottery is held when a ball enters the first ball entry port 64 or the second ball entry port 640a. In this lottery, the pachinko machine 10 determines whether or not it is a jackpot (jackpot lottery), and if it is determined to be a jackpot, it also determines the type of jackpot. The types of jackpots that can be determined here are probability variation jackpots A to K, and normal jackpots A and B. The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B not only show whether or not the result of the lottery is a jackpot as the stopped symbols after the spin ends, but also show symbols corresponding to the type of jackpot if it is a jackpot.

[0039] Here, "Special Jackpot A-K" are all jackpots with a maximum of 2 rounds, and after the jackpot ends, the game transitions to a high-probability state for special symbols. On the other hand, "Normal Jackpot A, B" are jackpots with a maximum of 2 rounds, followed by a low-probability state for special symbols.

[0040] Furthermore, "high probability state" refers to the state in which the probability of subsequent jackpots is increased as an added value after a jackpot has ended, also known as probability variation (probability variation), or in other words, a state of play in which it is easy to transition to a special game state. In this embodiment, the high probability state (probability variation) includes a state of play in which the probability of hitting the second symbol, as described later, is increased and it is easy for balls to enter the second ball entry slot 640a. "Low probability state" refers to the time when it is not a probability variation, and the jackpot probability is in the normal state, that is, a state in which the jackpot probability is lower than when it is a probability variation. Furthermore, the time-saving state (time-saving) within the "low probability state" refers to a state of play in which the jackpot probability is in the normal state, and the jackpot probability remains the same, but only the probability of hitting the second symbol is increased, making it easy for balls to enter the second ball entry slot 640a. On the other hand, when pachinko machine 10 is in "normal mode," it means it is neither in a bonus round nor a time-saving mode (neither the probability of hitting a jackpot nor the probability of hitting the second symbol has increased).

[0041] During the bonus round or time-saving mode, not only is the probability of hitting the second symbol increased, but the time for which the electric mechanism 640b attached to the second ball entry opening 640a is open is also changed, and it is set to a longer time compared to normal mode. When the electric mechanism 640b is open (open state), it is easier for balls to enter the second ball entry opening 640a compared to when the electric mechanism 640b is closed (closed state). Therefore, during the bonus round or time-saving mode, it is easier for balls to enter the second ball entry opening 640a, and the number of times the jackpot lottery is held can be increased.

[0042] Furthermore, during the probability variation or time reduction mode, instead of changing the opening time of the electric mechanism 640b attached to the second ball entry opening 640a, or in addition to changing the opening time, the number of times the electric mechanism 640b opens per win may be increased compared to normal mode. Alternatively, during the probability variation or time reduction mode, the probability of winning with the second symbol may not be changed, but at least one of the opening time of the electric mechanism 640b attached to the second ball entry opening 640a and the number of times the electric mechanism 640b opens per win may be changed. Alternatively, during the probability variation or time reduction mode, neither the opening time of the electric mechanism 640b attached to the second ball entry opening 640a nor the number of times the electric mechanism 640b opens per win may be changed, and only the probability of winning with the second symbol may be increased compared to normal mode.

[0043] The game area is equipped with multiple general prize slots 63 from which 5 to 15 balls are dispensed as prize balls when a ball enters. A variable display unit 80 is also provided in the central part of the game area. The variable display unit 80 is equipped with a third symbol display device 81, which is composed of a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply abbreviated as "display device") that displays the changing third symbol in synchronization with the changing display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, triggered by a ball entering the first ball slot 64 and the second ball slot 640a (starting prize), and a second symbol display device 83 (not shown), which is composed of LEDs that display the changing second symbol, triggered by a ball passing through the through gate 67.

[0044] Furthermore, a center frame 86 is provided in the variable display unit 80 so as to surround the outer periphery of the third symbol display device 81. The third symbol display device 81 can be seen through an opening in the center of this center frame 86.

[0045] The third symbol display device 81 is composed of a large 9-inch liquid crystal display, and its display content is controlled by the display control device 114 (see Figure 4), so that, for example, three rows of symbols—top, middle, and bottom—are displayed. Each row of symbols consists of multiple symbols (third symbols), and these third symbols scroll horizontally for each row of symbols, so that the third symbols are variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. In this embodiment, the third symbol display device 81 displays decorative information corresponding to the display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, while the display of the game state in accordance with the control of the main control device 110 (see Figure 4) is performed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B. Alternatively, the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, reels instead of a display device.

[0046] The second symbol display device 83 performs a variable display by alternately lighting up the "○" symbol and the "×" symbol as the display symbol (second symbol (not shown)) for a predetermined time each time a ball passes through the through gate 67. In the pachinko machine 10, when it is detected that a ball has passed through the through gate 67, a winning lottery is held. If the winning lottery is successful, the second symbol display device 83 will stop displaying the "○" symbol after the variable display of the normal symbol (second symbol). If the winning lottery is unsuccessful, the second symbol display device 83 will stop displaying the "×" symbol after the variable display of the third symbol.

[0047] The pachinko machine 10 is configured such that when the variable display on the second symbol display device 83 stops at a predetermined symbol (in this embodiment, the symbol "○"), the electric mechanism 640b attached to the second ball entry opening 640a is activated (opened) for a predetermined time.

[0048] The time required for the second symbol to change is set to be shorter during the probability variation or time reduction modes than during the normal game state. As a result, during the probability variation and time reduction modes, the second symbol changes in a shorter time, allowing for more winning draws than during normal gameplay. Therefore, the chances of winning in the winning draw increase, giving the player more opportunities to open the electric mechanism 640b of the second ball entry port 640a. Thus, during the probability variation and time reduction modes, it is possible to make it easier for balls to enter the second ball entry port 640a.

[0049] Furthermore, if, during a bonus round or time-saving mode, the probability of winning is increased, or if the opening time or number of times the electric mechanism 640b opens per win is increased, or if other methods are used to make it easier for balls to enter the second ball entry point 640a during a bonus round or time-saving mode, the time required for the second symbol to change may be kept constant regardless of the game state. On the other hand, if the time required for the second symbol to change is set shorter during a bonus round or time-saving mode than during normal play, the probability of winning may be kept constant regardless of the game state, and the opening time or number of times the electric mechanism 640b opens per win may also be kept constant regardless of the game state.

[0050] The through gate 67 is installed on the game board to the right of the area below the variable display unit 80, and is configured to allow some of the balls that are launched onto the game board and flowing down the right side of the game board to pass through. When a ball passes through the through gate 67, a lottery for the second symbol win is held. After the lottery, the second symbol display device 83 displays a variable symbol. If the result of the lottery is a win, the symbol "○" is displayed as the stop symbol on the variable symbol display. If the result of the lottery is a loss, the symbol "×" is displayed as the stop symbol on the variable symbol display.

[0051] The number of times a ball passes through the through gate 67 is limited to a maximum of four times in total. The number of balls held is displayed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B described above, and is also indicated by the illumination of the second symbol hold lamps (not shown). Four second symbol hold lamps are provided, corresponding to the maximum number of balls held, and are arranged symmetrically below the third symbol display device 81.

[0052] Furthermore, the display of the second symbol variation may be performed not only by switching the illumination and de-illumination of multiple lamps in the second symbol display device 83, as in this embodiment, but also by using the first symbol display devices 37A, 37B and a part of the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, the illumination of the second symbol hold lamp may be performed by a part of the third symbol display device 81. In addition, the maximum number of balls held for passing through the through gate 67 is not limited to 4, but may be set to 3 or less, or 5 or more (for example, 8). Also, the number of through gates 67 assembled is not limited to one, but may be multiple (for example, 2). Furthermore, the assembly position of the through gates 67 is not limited to the right of the variable display device unit 80, but may be, for example, to the left of the variable display device unit 80. Also, since the number of held balls is indicated by the first symbol display devices 37A, 37B, the second symbol hold lamp may not be illuminated to indicate this.

[0053] Below the variable display unit 80 is a first ball entry opening 64 into which a ball can enter. When a ball enters this first ball entry opening 64, a first prize entry switch (not shown) located on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on. This activation of the first prize entry switch triggers a jackpot lottery in the main control device 110 (see Figure 4), and the result of the lottery is displayed on the first symbol display device 37A.

[0054] Meanwhile, a second ball entry opening 640a is provided to the right of the first ball entry opening 64 in a front view, into which a ball can enter. When a ball enters this second ball entry opening 640a, a second ball entry switch (not shown) located on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on. This activation of the second ball entry switch triggers a jackpot lottery in the main control device 110 (see Figure 4), and the result of the lottery is displayed on the first symbol display device 37B.

[0055] Furthermore, the first ball entry opening 64 and the second ball entry opening 640a are also prize entry openings from which five balls are dispensed as prize balls when a ball enters them. In this embodiment, the number of prize balls dispensed when a ball enters the first ball entry opening 64 and the number of prize balls dispensed when a ball enters the second ball entry opening 640a are set to be the same. However, the number of prize balls dispensed when a ball enters the first ball entry opening 64 and the number of prize balls dispensed when a ball enters the second ball entry opening 640a may be set to be different numbers. For example, the number of prize balls dispensed when a ball enters the first ball entry opening 64 may be set to three, and the number of prize balls dispensed when a ball enters the second ball entry opening 640a may be set to five.

[0056] The second ball entry opening 640a is equipped with an electric mechanism 640b. This electric mechanism 640b is configured to open and close, and normally the electric mechanism 640b is in a closed state (extended state), making it difficult for balls to enter the second ball entry opening 640a. On the other hand, if the second symbol is displayed on the second symbol display device 83 as a result of the second symbol change display triggered by the passage of a ball through the through gate 67, the electric mechanism 640b opens (retracted state), making it easier for balls to enter the second ball entry opening 640a.

[0057] As mentioned above, during the bonus round and time-saving mode, the probability of hitting the second symbol is higher than during normal play, and the time it takes for the second symbol to change is also shorter. As a result, the "○" symbol is more likely to be displayed during the second symbol change, and the number of times the electric mechanism 640b is in the open (retracted) state increases. Furthermore, during the bonus round and time-saving mode, the time for which the electric mechanism 640b is open is also longer than during normal play. Therefore, during the bonus round and time-saving mode, it is possible to create a condition where it is easier for balls to enter the second ball entry opening 640a compared to normal play.

[0058] Here, the probability of winning a jackpot is the same whether the ball enters the first ball entry slot 64 or the second ball entry slot 640a, regardless of whether the probability state is low or high. However, when a jackpot is won, the probability of selecting a jackpot type that awards a relatively large number of prize balls is set higher when the ball enters the second ball entry slot 640a. On the other hand, the first ball entry slot 64 does not have an electric mechanism like the second ball entry slot 640a, and balls can enter it at all times.

[0059] Therefore, under normal circumstances, the electric mechanism attached to the second ball entry opening 640a is often in a closed state, making it difficult to enter the second ball entry opening 640a. For this reason, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for the first ball entry opening 64, which does not have an electric mechanism, by launching the ball so that it passes to the left of the variable display unit 80 (so-called "left-handed shooting"), thereby increasing the chances of winning the jackpot lottery by entering the first ball entry opening 64 and aiming to win the jackpot.

[0060] On the other hand, during the probability variation or time reduction modes, passing the ball through the through gate 67 makes it easier for the electric mechanism 640b attached to the second ball entry opening 640a to open, making it easier for the ball to enter the second ball entry opening 640a. Therefore, it is advantageous for the player to aim for the second ball entry opening 640a by firing the ball so that it passes to the right of the variable display device 80 (so-called "right-handed shooting"), passing through the through gate 67 to open the electric mechanism, and aiming for a jackpot by entering the second ball entry opening 640a.

[0061] Thus, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment allows the player to change the way they shoot the balls between "left-handed shooting" and "right-handed shooting" depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in a probability variation mode, a time reduction mode, or normal mode). Therefore, by changing the way the balls are shot, the player can enjoy the game.

[0062] A first variable prize-winning device 82a is located to the upper left of the first ball entry opening 64, and a first specific prize-winning opening 82 is provided nearby. Normally, the first variable prize-winning device 82a is in a closed state (retracted state), preventing balls from entering the first specific prize-winning opening 82. On the other hand, in the event of a specific jackpot (for example, a probability variation jackpot A), the first variable prize-winning device 82a opens and closes according to a predetermined opening pattern corresponding to the type of jackpot. Two predetermined opening patterns are provided: an opening pattern (opening pattern A) which repeats opening for 0.6 seconds and closing for 0.9 seconds 20 times, and an opening pattern (opening pattern B) which opens for 0.052 seconds only once.

[0063] The opening and closing operation of the first variable prize-winning device 82a, according to a predetermined opening pattern, can be repeated up to, for example, two times (two rounds). This state in which the opening and closing operation is performed is a form of special game state that is advantageous to the player, and the player receives a larger payout of prize balls than usual as a grant of game value. In each round, even if the opening pattern is not completed, if it is detected that a predetermined number (for example, 10 balls) or more balls have entered the first specific prize-winning opening 82, the first variable prize-winning device 82a is forcibly closed and the round is set to end.

[0064] A second variable prize-winning device 65 is located to the right of the first ball entry opening 64, and a horizontally elongated rectangular second specific prize-winning opening (large opening) 65a is provided approximately in the center of the device. In the pachinko machine 10, when a jackpot lottery conducted due to a ball entering the first ball entry opening 64 or the second ball entry opening 640a results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (variation time) has elapsed, the first symbol display device 37A or the first symbol display device 37B is lit up to show the jackpot stop symbol, and the stop symbol corresponding to that jackpot is displayed on the third symbol display device 81 to indicate that a jackpot has occurred. If the type of jackpot corresponds to the type of the second specific prize-winning opening 65a, the game state transitions to a special game state (jackpot) in which balls are more likely to enter the second specific prize-winning opening 65a. In this special game state, the second specific prize slot 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds have elapsed, or until 10 balls have entered). In other words, a longer opening time is set compared to the type of jackpot in which the first variable prize device 82a is opened. Therefore, in the type of jackpot in which the second specific prize slot 65a is opened, it is often possible to enter the second specific prize slot 65a with the maximum number of balls (for example, 10 balls), allowing the player to win more prize balls. Consequently, when a jackpot is won, it is possible to make the player hope that it is a type of jackpot in which the second specific prize slot 65a is opened, thus drawing attention to the second specific prize slot 65a when a jackpot is won.

[0065] This second special prize slot 65a closes after a predetermined time has elapsed, and after it closes, it opens again for a predetermined time. This opening and closing operation of the second special prize slot 65a can be repeated up to, for example, two times (two rounds). This state in which the opening and closing operation is performed is a form of special game state that is advantageous to the player, and the player receives a larger payout of prize balls than usual as a grant of game value.

[0066] The second variable prize-winning device 65 specifically comprises a horizontally elongated rectangular opening / closing plate that covers the second specific prize-winning opening 65a, and a large opening solenoid (not shown) for driving the opening / closing plate to open and close forward around the lower edge of the opening / closing plate as an axis. Normally, the second specific prize-winning opening 65a is in a closed state where balls cannot enter or enter with difficulty. When a jackpot is hit, the large opening solenoid is driven to tilt the opening / closing plate downwards and forwards, temporarily creating an open state where balls can easily enter the second specific prize-winning opening 65a, and the device operates to alternately repeat the state between this open state and the normal closed state.

[0067] An attachment space K1 for attaching certificates, identification labels, etc., is provided in the lower right corner of the game board 13, and the certificates, etc., attached to the attachment space K1 can be viewed through the small window 35 (see Figure 1) of the front frame 14.

[0068] The game board 13 is provided with a first out-out port 71. Balls that flow down the game area and do not enter any of the prize-winning ports 63, 64, 65a, or 640 are guided through the first out-out port 71 to a ball discharge path (not shown). The first out-out port 71 is located below the first ball-entry port 64.

[0069] The game board 13 has numerous nails embedded in it to appropriately distribute and adjust the direction in which the balls fall, and is also equipped with various components (mechanisms) such as windmills.

[0070] As shown in Figure 3, the rear side of the pachinko machine 10 is mainly equipped with control board units 90 and 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is a unit in which a main board (main control device 110), an audio lamp control board (audio lamp control device 113), and a display control board (display control device 114) are mounted. The control board unit 91 is a unit in which a payout control board (payout control device 111), a launch control board (launch control device 112), a power supply board (power supply unit 115), and a card unit connection board 116 are mounted.

[0071] The back pack unit 94 is a unitized unit consisting of the back pack 92, which forms the protective cover, and the dispensing unit 93. In addition, each control board is equipped with an MPU as a single-chip microcontroller that manages each control, ports for communication with various devices, a random number generator used during various lotteries, a clock pulse generation circuit used for time counting and synchronization, etc., as needed.

[0072] The main control unit 110, the sound lamp control unit 113 and the display control unit 114, the payout control unit 111 and the launch control unit 112, the power supply unit 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are each housed in board boxes 100 to 104. Each board box 100 to 104 comprises a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and box cover are connected to each other to house each control unit and each board.

[0073] Furthermore, the circuit board box 100 (main control device 110) and the circuit board box 102 (dispensing control device 111 and launch control device 112) are indestructibly connected (connected by a crimping structure) to the box base and box cover by a sealing unit (not shown). In addition, a sealing sticker (not shown) is attached to the connection between the box base and the box cover, spanning both the box base and the box cover. This sealing sticker is made of a brittle material, and if someone tries to peel off the sealing sticker to open the circuit board boxes 100 and 102, or tries to forcibly open the circuit board boxes 100 and 102, it will be cut on the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or sealing sticker, it is possible to know whether the circuit board boxes 100 and 102 have been opened.

[0074] The dispensing unit 93 includes a tank 130 located at the top of the back pack unit 94 and opening upwards, a tank rail 131 connected below the tank 130 and gently sloping downstream, a case rail 132 connected vertically downstream of the tank rail 131, and a dispensing device 133 provided at the downstream end of the case rail 132, which dispenses balls by a predetermined electrical configuration of the dispensing motor 216 (see Figure 4). Balls supplied from the island equipment of the gaming hall are continuously replenished to the tank 130, and the required number of balls are dispensed as needed by the dispensing device 133. A vibrator 134 is attached to the tank rail 131 to add vibration to the tank rail 131.

[0075] Furthermore, the payout control device 111 is provided with a state reset switch 120, the firing control device 112 is provided with a variable resistor operating knob 121, and the power supply unit 115 is provided with a RAM erase switch 122. The state reset switch 120 is operated to clear a ball jam (return to a normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as a ball jam in the payout motor 216 (see Figure 4). The operating knob 121 is operated to adjust the firing force of the firing solenoid. The RAM erase switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on to return the pachinko machine 10 to its initial state.

[0076] Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

[0077] The main control unit 110 is equipped with an MPU 201, which is a single-chip microcontroller that acts as an arithmetic unit. The MPU 201 contains a ROM 202 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 201, a RAM 203 which is a memory for temporarily storing various data when executing the control programs stored in the ROM 202, and various other circuits such as interrupt circuits, timer circuits, and data transmission and reception circuits. The main control unit 110 uses the MPU 201 to perform the main processes of the pachinko machine 10, such as the jackpot lottery, the setting of the display on the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and the third symbol display device 81, and the lottery for the display result on the second symbol display device 83.

[0078] In addition, various commands are transmitted from the main control unit 110 to sub-control devices such as the payout control device 111 and the sound lamp control device 113 via a data transmission circuit in order to instruct them to operate. However, these commands are transmitted only in one direction from the main control unit 110 to the sub-control devices.

[0079] RAM203 has a stack area that stores various areas, counters, flags, the contents of the MPU201's internal registers, and the return address of the control program executed by the MPU201, as well as a work area (work region) that stores various flags, counters, I / O values, etc. Furthermore, RAM203 is configured to retain (back up) data even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off by a backup voltage supplied from the power supply unit 115, and all data stored in RAM203 is backed up.

[0080] When the power is cut off due to a power outage or other reason, the stack pointer and the values ​​of each register at the time of the power cutoff (including the time of the power outage; the same applies hereinafter) are stored in RAM203. On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including when the power is turned on after the power outage is resolved; the same applies hereinafter), the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power cutoff based on the information stored in RAM203. Writing to RAM203 is performed by the main process (not shown) when the power is cut off, and the restoration of each value written to RAM203 is performed in the startup process (not shown) when the power is turned on. The NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the MPU201 is 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 other reason. When this power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU201, the NMI interrupt process (not shown) as a power outage process is immediately executed.

[0081] The MPU 201 of the main control unit 110 is connected to an input / output port 205 via a bus line 204 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The solenoid 209, which includes the payout control device 111, the sound lamp control device 113, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the second symbol display device 83, the second symbol hold lamp, a large opening solenoid for driving the opening and closing plate of the second specific prize winning slot 65a to open and close forward around the lower edge as an axis, and solenoids for driving electric mechanisms, is connected to the input / output port 205. The MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input / output port 205.

[0082] Furthermore, the input / output port 205 is connected to various switches 208, which include 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 erase switch circuit 253 provided on the power supply unit 115 (described later). The MPU 201 performs various processes based on the signals output from the various switches 208 and the RAM erase signal SG2 output from the RAM erase switch circuit 253.

[0083] The payout control device 111 drives the payout motor 216 to control the payout of prize balls and loaned balls. The MPU 211, which is an arithmetic unit, has a ROM 212 that stores control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 211, and a RAM 213 that is used as work memory, etc.

[0084] The RAM 213 of the payout control device 111, like the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, has a stack area where the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and the return address of the control program executed by the MPU 211 are stored, and a work area (work region) where various flags, counters, I / O values, etc. are stored. The RAM 213 is configured to retain (back up) data even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off by a backup voltage supplied from the power supply unit 115, and all data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. In addition, similar to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is 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, etc. When the power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, an NMI interrupt process (not shown) as power outage processing is immediately executed.

[0085] The MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 is connected to an input / output port 215 via a bus line 214 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, the payout motor 216, the launch control device 112, etc., are connected to the input / output port 215. Although not shown in the diagram, the payout control device 111 is also connected to a prize ball detection switch for detecting the prize balls that have been dispensed. Note that this prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111 but not to the main control device 110.

[0086] When the main control device 110 gives an instruction to launch the ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the launch strength of the ball corresponds to the amount of rotation operation of the operation handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a includes a launch solenoid and an electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and the electromagnet are permitted to be driven when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operation handle 51, and the launch solenoid is excited corresponding to the amount of rotation operation (rotation position) of the operation handle 51 on the condition that the launch stop switch 51b for stopping the launch of the ball is off (not operated), and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the operation amount of the operation handle 51.

[0087] The voice lamp control device 113 controls the output of voice from a voice output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the output of lighting and extinguishing of a lamp display device (the lighting decoration parts 29 to 33, the display lamp 34, etc.) 227, and the setting of the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 performed by the display control device 114 such as a variable effect (variable display) and a pre-warning effect. The MPU 221 which is an arithmetic device has a ROM 222 storing a control program, fixed value data, etc. executed by the MPU 221, and a RAM 223 used as a work memory, etc.

[0088] An input / output port 225 is connected to the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 via a bus line 224 composed of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 225 is connected to the main control device 110, the display control device 114, the voice output device 226, the lamp display device 227, other devices 228, various sensors 230, the frame button 22, etc. respectively.

[0089] The sound lamp control device 113 determines the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 based on various commands (variation pattern commands, stop type commands, etc.) received from the main control device 110, and notifies the display control device 114 of the determined display mode by command (display variation pattern command, display stop type command, etc.). The sound lamp control device 113 also monitors input from the frame button 22, and if the frame button 22 is operated by the player, it instructs the display control device 114 to change the stage displayed on the third symbol display device 81 or change the content of the super reach animation. If the stage is changed, it sends a back image change command, including information about the changed stage, to the display control device 114 in order to display a back image corresponding to the changed stage on the third symbol display device 81. Here, the back image is the image displayed on the back of the third symbol, which is the main image to be displayed on the third symbol display device 81. The display control device 114 displays various images on the third symbol display device 81 according to the commands sent from the sound lamp control device 113.

[0090] Furthermore, the audio lamp control device 113 receives a command (display command) from the display control device 114 that represents the display content of the third symbol display device 81. Based on the display command received from the display control device 114, the audio lamp control device 113 outputs sound corresponding to the display content of the third symbol display device 81 from the audio output device 226, and also controls the lighting and extinguishing of the lamp display device 227 in accordance with that display content.

[0091] The display control device 114 is connected to the sound lamp control device 113 and the third symbol display device 81, and controls the display of the third symbol on the third symbol display device 81, such as the variation effect of the third symbol, based on commands received from the sound lamp control device 113. The display control device 114 also sends display commands to the sound lamp control device 113 as appropriate to notify the display content of the third symbol display device 81. The sound lamp control device 113 outputs sound from the sound output device 226 in accordance with the display content indicated by this display command, thereby synchronizing the display of the third symbol display device 81 with the sound output from the sound output device 226.

[0092] The power supply unit 115 includes a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each part of the pachinko machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruptions due to power outages, etc., and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 equipped with a RAM erase switch 122 (see Figure 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltage to each control device 110 to 114, etc., through a power supply path not shown. In general, the power supply unit 251 takes in a 24-volt AC voltage supplied from an external source and generates a 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as various switches 208, solenoids such as solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies these 12-volt voltage, 5-volt voltage and backup voltage to each control device 110 to 114, etc., as needed.

[0093] The power outage monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit that outputs a power outage signal SG1 to the NMI terminals of the MPU 201 of the main control unit 110 and the MPU 211 of the payout control unit 111 when the power supply is interrupted due to a power outage or the like. The power outage monitoring circuit 252 monitors the DC stable voltage of 24 volts, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251, and determines that a power outage (power interruption, power cutoff) has occurred when this voltage falls below 22 volts, and outputs the power outage signal SG1 to the main control unit 110 and the payout control unit 111. Upon output of the power outage signal SG1, the main control unit 110 and the payout control unit 111 recognize the occurrence of a power outage and execute NMI interrupt processing. The power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the control system's drive voltage of 5 volts at a normal value for a sufficient amount of time for the execution of NMI interrupt processing, even after the DC stable voltage of 24 volts falls below 22 volts. Therefore, the main control unit 110 and the payout control unit 111 can successfully execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (not shown).

[0094] The RAM erase switch circuit 253 is a circuit that outputs a RAM erase signal SG2 to the main control unit 110 to clear the backup data when the RAM erase switch 122 (see Figure 3) is pressed. When the main control unit 110 receives the RAM erase signal SG2 when the pachinko machine 10 is powered on, it clears the backup data and also sends a payout initialization command to the payout control unit 111 to clear the backup data.

[0095] Next, the schematic configuration of the operating unit 200 will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 10. Figure 5 is an exploded front perspective view of the operating unit 200, and Figure 6 is a front perspective view of the game board 13 and the operating unit 200. Figure 7 is a front perspective view of the operating unit 200, and Figures 8 to 10 are front views of the operating unit 200.

[0096] Figures 6 and 7 show the LCD lifting unit 400 in the lowered position, Figure 9 shows the second passage forming member 422 of the LCD lifting unit 400 connected to the first passage forming member 520 of the left swinging unit 500, and Figure 10 shows the LCD lifting unit 400 in the raised position. Figures 6 to 10 also show the upper lifting unit 300 in the raised position.

[0097] As shown in Figures 5 to 10, the operating unit 200 includes a box-shaped rear case 210, and the upper lifting unit 300, the liquid crystal lifting unit 400, the left oscillating unit 500, the rotating unit 600, and the light-emitting decorative member 700 are housed in the internal space of the rear case 210, respectively.

[0098] The rear case 210 comprises a bottom wall portion 211 which is roughly rectangular in front view, and outer wall portions 212 which are erected from the outer edges of the four sides of the bottom wall portion 211 toward the front, forming a box shape with one side open by these walls 211 and 212. The bottom wall portion 211 of the rear case 210 has a recess in the center which is roughly circular in front view, and the rotating unit 600 is housed in this recess. The liquid crystal lifting unit 400 is arranged on the front side of the rotating unit 600, and the upper lifting unit 300, left swinging unit 500 and decorative light-emitting member 700 are arranged on the upper edge, left edge and lower edge of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400, respectively.

[0099] The upper lifting unit 300 includes a plurality of lifting bodies 330 (four in this embodiment) arranged in the width direction (left-right direction in Figure 8), and each of these lifting bodies 330 is formed to be able to move independently up and down in the height direction (up and down direction in Figure 8) (see Figures 12 and 13). When the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 is in the lowered position, when the lifting bodies 330 are in the raised position, almost the entire surface of the third pattern display device 81 is visible (see Figure 8), whereas when the lifting bodies 330 are in the lowered position (see Figure 12), a part of the third pattern display device 81 is made invisible by these lifting bodies 330.

[0100] The LCD lifting unit 400 comprises a pair of guide rods 451 arranged in a vertical position with their axes aligned in the vertical direction and spaced apart at predetermined intervals in the width direction, a drive-side slide member 420 and a driven-side slide member 430 supported on the guide rods 451 at both ends so as to be slidable in the width direction, and a drive motor 441 that drives the drive-side slide member 420 up and down. The drive motor 441 drives the drive-side slide member 420 up and down, causing the driven-side slide member 430 to move along with it and move up and down.

[0101] In other words, when the drive-side slide member 420 is raised, it pushes the driven-side slide member 430 upward against the force of gravity, while when the drive-side slide member 420 is lowered, the driven-side slide member 430 is lowered by its own weight as the drive-side slide member 420 descends.

[0102] Furthermore, a second passage forming member 422 is provided on the drive-side slide member 420, and a third-side display device 81 is provided on the driven-side slide member 430. When the drive-side slide member 420 is positioned at a connecting position between the raised position and the lowered position, the second passage forming member 422 can be connected to the first passage forming member 520 of the left-swinging unit 500 (see Figure 9). Also, when the drive-side slide member 420 is positioned at the raised position, the upper area of ​​the third-side display device 81 is positioned on the rear side of the upper lifting unit 300 (see Figure 10).

[0103] The left-swinging unit 500 includes a first passage forming member 520 that swings in a direction that moves the tip up and down around the base end. When the first passage forming member 520 is swung in a direction that lifts the tip end, it is positioned in a connection position (see Figure 9), and the tip end is connected to the second passage forming member 422 of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400. Conversely, when the tip end is swung in a direction that swings it downward, it is positioned in a release position (see Figure 10), and the connection with the second passage forming member 422 of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 is released.

[0104] Balls flowing down the game area can flow into the left-oscillating unit 500. When the first passage forming member 520 is in the connected position (see Figure 9), the left-oscillating unit 500 sends the incoming balls to the second passage forming member 422 of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 via the first passage forming member 520. When the first passage forming member 520 is in the released position (see Figure 10), the incoming balls are sent to the game area via a passage described later, which is provided separately from the first passage forming member 520.

[0105] The rotating unit 600 is a performance device designed to resemble a roulette wheel. Specifically, it comprises a member (rotating member 640) that corresponds to a rotatable wheel (rotating disc), and parts (display board 646 and partition board 647) that correspond to pockets, which are formed by dividing the wheel in the circumferential direction and are colored red or black, with different numbers displayed on each. The ball B thrown from a device on the inner circumference of the wheel (throwing device 650) is designed to fall into one of the parts corresponding to the pockets.

[0106] When the LCD lifting unit 400 is in the lowered position (see Figure 8), almost the entire rotating unit 600 is obscured from view by the LCD lifting unit 400. On the other hand, when the LCD lifting unit 400 is in the connected position (see Figure 9), a part of the component corresponding to the wheel (the lower part) is exposed. When the LCD lifting unit 400 is in the raised position (see Figure 10), in addition to a part of the component corresponding to the wheel (the lower part), the ball B held on the inner circumference side of the component corresponding to the wheel and the path of the ball B from when it is thrown until it falls into the part corresponding to the pocket are exposed, and these are visible to the player.

[0107] The luminescent decorative member 700 comprises a case body formed from a light-transmitting material and a plurality of LEDs arranged inside the case body, and performs a light-emitting effect by changing the manner of light emitted from the LEDs (for example, the number of LEDs that emit light and the duration of illumination).

[0108] Next, with reference to Figures 11 to 20, the detailed configurations of the upper lifting unit 300, the liquid crystal lifting unit 400, the left-swinging unit 500, the rotating unit 600, and the light-emitting decorative member 700 will be described. First, with reference to Figures 11 to 20, the upper lifting unit 300 will be described.

[0109] Figure 11 is a front perspective view of the upper lifting unit 300, and Figures 12 and 13 are front views of the upper lifting unit 300. In Figures 11 and 12, all lifting bodies 330 arranged in the width direction (left-right direction in Figure 12) are shown in the raised position, while in Figure 13, all lifting bodies 330 are shown in the lowered position.

[0110] As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the upper lifting unit 300 has multiple (four in this embodiment) lifting bodies 330 arranged in the width direction of a horizontally elongated rectangular plate-shaped base member 310, and each lifting body 330 is configured to move up and down between an elevated position (see Figure 12) and a lowered position (see Figure 13). Next, the configuration of the drive mechanism for each lifting body 330 will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15.

[0111] Figure 14 is a front exploded perspective view of the upper lifting unit 300, and Figure 15 is a rear exploded perspective view of the upper lifting unit 300.

[0112] As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the upper lifting unit 300 mainly comprises a horizontally elongated rectangular plate-shaped base member 310, a rear cover 320 fastened and fixed to the rear side of the base member 310 with a space for housing a transmission device 350 between it and the base member 310, a lifting body 330 in which a rack 332 is housed between the base member 310 and the rear cover 320 and a circular display section 331 is positioned on the front side of the base member 310, a drive device 340 fastened and fixed to the rear cover member 320 and generating the driving force necessary for the lifting operation of the lifting body, and a transmission device 350 that transmits the driving force generated by the drive device 340 to the lifting body 330.

[0113] The cover member 310 includes a semicircular recessed portion 311 that is recessed from the front side toward the rear side, with the center of the circle positioned at the lower end, and a guide rib 312 that is protruding in a rib shape from the rear side toward a position with a slight gap in the left-right direction of the rack 332 of the lifting body 330.

[0114] The semicircular recessed portion 311 has a radius slightly larger than the outer diameter of the performance portion 331 of the lifting body 330, and is positioned so that the center of the circle of the semicircular recessed portion 311 and the center of the performance portion 331 coincide on a vertical line. As a result, when the performance portion 331 moves upward, it can move to just before the position where it would interfere with the semicircular recessed portion 311 on the front side of the base member 310, thereby ensuring a large upward movement range for the performance portion 331 while maintaining the vertical width of the base member 310.

[0115] The guide rib portion 312 is a rib-shaped portion that extends vertically and, in the assembled state (see Figure 11), protrudes to a position where it can contact the left and right sides of the rack 332 of the lifting body 330. This prevents the lifting body 330 from moving laterally (parallel movement or tilting) while it is moving up and down.

[0116] Furthermore, by configuring the semicircular recess 311 as a recess extending from the front to the back, the area that can be made invisible from the back can be increased compared to when the space penetrates in the front-to-back direction. Consequently, a larger area can be secured for arranging mechanical parts (parts that are not intended to be visible to the player, such as gears and motors).

[0117] The rear cover 320 comprises a main body 321 configured as a case with the front and bottom open, a cylindrical pivot portion 322 protruding from the main body 321 toward the front, a guide hole 323 which is an elongated hole drilled at a position offset from the pivot portion 322 in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, with its extension direction aligned with the vertical direction, and a locking portion 324 formed in the shape of a rib that extends along the radial direction of the pivot portion 322 from the bottom surrounding the protruding upper pivot portion 322.

[0118] The pivot portion 322 is the part that pivotally supports the pair of gear members 351 and 352 of the transmission device 350, and the guide hole 323 is a hole that guides the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting body 330.

[0119] The locking portion 324 is positioned vertically above and vertically below the axis of the upper pivot portion 322, and is the portion that allows the end of the locking arc portion 351c of the first gear 351 to contact in the rotational direction when the lifting body 330 is positioned in the raised or lowered position.

[0120] The lifting body 330 comprises a performance section 331 configured in the shape of a circular plate, and a rack 332 fixed to the back of the performance section 331 and extending vertically from the rear side of the performance section 331 at a position with a gap between them.

[0121] The performance unit 331 is a part in which a circular liquid crystal panel is arranged inside a circular outer frame, and performances are carried out by displaying patterns and shapes on the liquid crystal panel.

[0122] The rack 332 is provided with a slide shaft 332a that protrudes from the rear side and extends to a position where it is inserted into the guide hole 323 of the rear cover 320.

[0123] The slide shaft 332a is configured to have only one protrusion, rather than multiple protrusions. As a result, the number of guide holes 323 can be reduced to one, thus allowing for a larger travel distance for the rack 332 while suppressing the space required for the guide holes 323 in the vertical direction. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the rack 332 can contact the guide rib portion 312 in the left-right direction, so even if the connection position between the rack 332 and the guide hole 323 is only one, it is possible to prevent the rack 332 from tilting in the left-right direction. This prevents the performance section 331 from swinging in the left-right direction when the lifting body 330 moves up and down, and also prevents the gap between the second gear 352 and the rack 332 from fluctuating and deteriorating the gear relationship.

[0124] The drive unit 340 includes a drive motor 341, which is a drive source fastened and fixed to the rear cover 320, and a drive gear 342 that is rotated by the rotation of the drive shaft of the drive motor 341 and transmits driving force to the transmission unit 350.

[0125] The transmission device 350 includes a first gear 351 that is pivotally supported by the pivot support 322 and meshes with the drive gear 342, and a second gear 352 that meshes with the first gear 351 and the rack 332 and is pivotally supported by the pivot support 322.

[0126] As described above, each of the multiple (four in this embodiment) lifting bodies 330 is equipped with an independent drive motor 341. Therefore, in addition to the operation in which all the lifting bodies 330 move up and down in conjunction, each lifting body 330 can also be moved up and down individually. Since the technical concept of each lifting body 330 is the same, the following description will focus on the lifting body 330 located at the left end of Figure 11, and the descriptions of the other lifting bodies 330 will be omitted.

[0127] Next, the first gear 351 and the second gear 352 will be described with reference to Figure 16. Figure 16(a) is a front view of the first gear 351, Figure 16(b) is a rear view of the first gear 351, Figure 16(c) is a front view of the second gear 352, and Figure 16(d) is a rear view of the second gear 352.

[0128] As shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b), the first gear 351 comprises a main body 351a having a through hole through which a pivot portion 322 (see Figure 14) is inserted and gear teeth formed on its outer circumferential surface; a contact portion 351b formed radially on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 351a with an overhang length of approximately half the height of the gear teeth (an overhang length that extends to the pitch circle C1 connecting the contact points of the teeth that mesh); and a locking arc portion 351c that is convex in an arc shape centered on the axis along a direction parallel to the axis from the rear side surface of the main body 351a.

[0129] The contact portion 351b has a radial tip surface that is shaped like a circular arc with radius r centered on the central axis of the main body portion 351a, and is composed of a tooth thickness equivalent to approximately two to three gear teeth formed on the main body portion 351a (a tooth thickness in the range of approximately 45 to 60 degrees at the center of the circular arc). In other words, the length of the contact portion formed in the circumferential direction of the main body portion 351a is longer than the tooth thickness of one gear tooth, so that circumferential strength can be ensured compared to the gear teeth of the main body portion 351a.

[0130] The locking arc portion 351c is a part whose circumferential tip can contact the locking portion 324 (see Figure 14) of the rear cover 320 in the circumferential direction, and it serves to restrict the rotation angle of the first gear 351.

[0131] As shown in Figures 16(c) and 16(d), the second gear 352 is composed of two layers of gears with different tooth profiles on the front and back sides, and includes an intermediate plate 353 configured in the shape of a donut, an irregularly shaped gear portion 354 formed on the front side of the intermediate plate 353 with a partially irregular tooth profile, and a transmission gear portion 355 formed in the shape of a spur gear on the back side of the intermediate plate 353 that meshes with the rack 332 (see Figure 15).

[0132] The intermediate plate 352 is formed to extend radially outward beyond the tips of the gear teeth of the irregularly shaped gear section 354 and the transmission gear section 355. Therefore, it is possible to contact the mating member (first gear 351 or rack 332 (see Figure 15)) by overlapping in a direction parallel to the tooth surface (see Figure 17), and it is possible to suppress the movement of the mating member in a direction parallel to the tooth surface during the lifting operation of the lifting body 330.

[0133] The irregularly shaped gear portion 354 is the part that meshes with the first gear 351 in the assembled state (see Figure 11), and comprises a main body portion 354a having a through hole through which the pivot portion 322 (see Figure 14) is inserted and gear teeth formed on its outer circumferential surface, a receiving portion 354b formed as an extension on the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 354a in the part where the formation of gear teeth is omitted, and adjacent gear teeth 354c provided adjacent to one end of the receiving portion 354b (the right end in Figure 16(c)).

[0134] The receiving portion 354b is formed along the outer circumferential surface of the main body portion 354a at an angle (approximately 30 to 50 degrees) that is about two gear teeth's width away from the adjacent gear teeth 354c in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the front (the side on which the first gear 351 engages with the adjacent gear portion 354c when the lifting body 330 is moved upward), and comprises a curved wall portion 354b1 that is curved along the arc shape of radius r formed by the tip surface of the contact portion 351b when the transmission device 350 is pivotally supported by the pivot portion 322, and a connecting wall portion 354b2 that is formed between the curved wall portion 354b1 and the circumferential tooth surface of the adjacent gear teeth 354c with a tooth height of approximately half the tooth height of the adjacent gear teeth 354c (a tooth height that extends to the pitch circle C2 connecting the contact points of the meshing teeth). Therefore, the side surface of the adjacent gear tooth 354c facing the connecting wall portion 354b2 has an overhang length approximately half the radial overhang length of the side surface of the adjacent gear tooth 354c opposite the connecting wall portion 354b2, and is formed integrally with the connecting wall portion 354b2, extending radially from the connecting wall portion 354b2.

[0135] As shown in Figure 16(c), when the transmission device 350 is pivotally supported by the pivot support 322, and the second gear 352 is positioned such that the curved wall portion 354b1 is arranged along the arc shape of radius r formed by the tip surface of the contact portion 351b, the adjacent gear teeth 354c are positioned outside the arc of radius r (on the second gear 352 side) (the adjacent gear teeth 354c are formed only in a position where they do not interfere with the circle of radius r).

[0136] Next, the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting body 330 will be explained with reference to Figures 17 to 20. Since the movement paths for the upward and downward operations are the same, only the upward operation will be explained here, and the explanation of the downward operation will be omitted.

[0137] Figures 17 to 20 are front views of the lifting body 330 and the transmission device 350, illustrating the upward movement of the lifting body 330 in chronological order. Figure 17 shows the state in which the lifting body 330 is positioned in the lowered position. Figure 18 shows the state in which, from the state shown in Figure 17, the second gear 352 is rotated clockwise in a front view, causing the lifting body 330 to move upward by a predetermined distance, and the circumferential end of the contact portion 351b of the first gear 351 begins to mesh with the adjacent gear tooth 354c of the second gear 352. Figure 19 shows the state immediately after, from the state shown in Figure 18, the first gear 351 is rotated counterclockwise in a front view and the second gear 352 is rotated clockwise in a front view, causing the circumferential end face of the contact portion 351b to disengage from the adjacent gear tooth 354c. Figure 20 shows the state in which, from the state shown in Figure 19, only the first gear 351 has been rotated by a predetermined amount clockwise in a front view.

[0138] As shown in Figures 17 to 20, the lifting body 330 moves up and down when the driving force of the drive motor 341 (see Figure 14) is transmitted to the rack 332 via the drive gear 342 and the transmission device 350. More specifically, the driving force of the drive gear 342 is transmitted from the first gear 351, which is meshed with the drive gear 342, to the irregularly shaped gear portion 354 of the second gear 352, which is meshed with the first gear 351. The rotation of the second gear 352 is then transmitted to the rack, which is meshed with the transmission gear portion 355 (see Figure 16(d)) of the second gear 352, causing the lifting body 330 to move up and down.

[0139] In the lowered position shown in Figure 17, the slide shaft 332a of the rack 332 (see Figure 15) is positioned at the lower end of the guide hole 323 (see Figure 15) of the rear cover 320. This mechanically prevents the rack 332 from moving any further downward.

[0140] Furthermore, in the state shown in Figure 17, the circumferential end of the locking arc portion 351c of the first gear 351 and the lower locking portion 324 of the rear cover 320 come into contact, mechanically preventing the first gear 351 from rotating clockwise in a front view (the direction in which the rack 332 moves downward).

[0141] As a result, even if a load occurs such that the drive gear 342 rotates excessively due to a control failure of the drive motor 341 and attempts to rotate the first gear 351 further counterclockwise in a front view from the state shown in FIG. 17, the rotation of the first gear 351 is mechanically prevented, thereby preventing the load from being transmitted to the second gear 352 and avoiding a situation where the rack 332 moves downward. Thus, it is possible to prevent the slide shaft 322a (see FIG. 15) from being pressed against the lower surface of the guide hole 323 (see FIG. 15) and the slide shaft 322a or the guide hole 323 from being damaged.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 18, in the process of the lifting body 330 moving upward, the circumferential end surface of the contact portion 351b whose circumferential tooth thickness is larger than that of other gear teeth meshes with the adjacent gear tooth 354c. Therefore, the load transmitted in the reverse direction from the second gear 352 to the first gear 351 (the load due to the weight of the lifting body 330) can be received by the contact portion 351b having a greater strength compared to other gear teeth, and the durability of the first gear 351 can be improved.

[0143] Since the contact portion 351b of the first gear 351 projects to the pitch circle C1 and the connecting wall portion 354b2 of the second gear 352 projects to the pitch circle C2, in the state of FIG. 18, the contact portion 351b approaches the position where it rubs against the connecting wall portion 354b2. Therefore, the contact portion 351b and the adjacent gear tooth 354c can be made to contact each other at a portion close to the tooth root of the adjacent gear tooth 354c, and the durability of the adjacent gear tooth 354c can be improved.

[0144] In addition, since the adjacent gear tooth 354c is connected to one side surface in the circumferential direction of the connecting wall portion 354b2, the strength against the load received from the circumferential direction is improved as compared with other gear teeth. In other words, since the radial overhang length of the side surface on the connecting wall portion 354b2 side is shortened, the resistance to deformation in the direction perpendicular to the tooth width direction of the adjacent gear tooth 354c increases, and the connecting wall portion 354b2 is formed integrally with the adjacent gear tooth 354c, so that the total tooth thickness of the adjacent gear tooth 354c and the connecting wall portion 354b2 as the portion receiving the force applied to the adjacent gear tooth 354c increases, and thus the resistance to deformation in the circumferential direction of the adjacent gear tooth 354c increases. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the adjacent gear tooth 354c from being damaged when receiving the contact portion 351b of the first gear 351.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 19, in the state immediately after the lifting body 330 is disposed at the raised position, the arc-shaped tip of the contact portion 351b contacts the adjacent gear tooth 354c. In this state, since the first gear 351 and the second gear 352 are not in contact with each other in the circumferential direction of the first gear 351, the transmission of the driving force in the rotation direction of the first gear 351 to the second gear 352 is released.

[0146] Therefore, the force supporting the weight of the lifting body 330 meshed with the second gear 352 is not transmitted from the first gear 351, and the lifting body 330 starts to move in the falling direction, so that the second gear 352 starts to rotate in the direction of lowering the rack 332 (counterclockwise in FIG. 19).

[0147] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19, since the contact portion 351b is disposed within the range in the direction in which the adjacent gear tooth 354c rotates (inside the circle formed by the tip of the adjacent gear tooth 354c), when rotating the second gear 352, it is necessary to push the contact portion 351b outside the movement locus of the adjacent gear tooth 354c by the adjacent gear tooth 354c.

[0148] Since the outer circumferential shape of the contact portion 351b is an arc shape centered on the central axis of the main body portion 351a, the load applied to the outer circumferential surface of the contact portion 351b is decomposed into an axial component Fa toward the shaft side of the first gear 351 and a circumferential component Fb along the tangential direction of the contact portion 351b of the first gear 351.

[0149] The axial component Fa is not in a direction that allows the first gear 351 to rotate, and, given that the rigidity of the first gear 351 is ensured (i.e., in a structure that does not expand or contract radially), it is difficult for the axial component Fa to push the contact portion 351b outside the movement trajectory of the adjacent gear tooth 354c.

[0150] The circumferential component Fb is oriented in the direction of rotation of the first gear 351, but because the adjacent gear tooth 354c and the contact portion 351b make point contact, slippage occurs between the adjacent gear tooth 354c and the contact portion 351b, making it difficult for the first gear 351 to rotate. Therefore, it is difficult for the circumferential component Fb to push the contact portion 351b outside the movement trajectory of the adjacent gear tooth 354c.

[0151] Therefore, the adjacent gear teeth 354c prevent the contact portion 351b from being pushed outside the movement trajectory of the adjacent gear teeth 354c, thereby preventing the second gear 352 from rotating and maintaining the state of the second gear 352 and the lifting body 330.

[0152] The contact portion 351b and the curved wall portion 354b1 of the receiving portion 354b are both formed from a circular arc shape with radius r centered on the first gear 351, and as shown in Figure 19, they contact the first rotating gear 351 with surface contact along the circumferential direction, so that the rotation of the first gear 351 can be firmly supported by utilizing the entire area of ​​the curved wall portion 354b1. As a result, even if the stop of the drive motor 341 (see Figure 14) is delayed after the lifting body 330 reaches the raised position, it is possible to prevent the first gear 351 from over-rotating, and the delay in stopping the drive motor 341 can be prevented from affecting the operation of the lifting body 330.

[0153] As shown in Figure 20, the first gear 351 rotates until the locking arc portion 351c contacts the upper locking portion 324, and then stops. Between Figures 18 and 20, the circumferential end face of the contact portion 351b of the first gear 351 pushes against the side surface of the adjacent gear tooth 354c, causing the second gear 352 to rotate. This aligns the adjacent gear tooth 354c with the second gear 352, ensuring that the adjacent gear tooth 354c contacts the tooth tip surface of the contact portion 351b in the state shown in Figure 20.

[0154] From the state shown in Figure 19 to the state shown in Figure 20, the lifting body 330 is positioned in the raised position, so the rotation of the second gear 352 in the direction that moves the rack 332 upward (clockwise in Figure 20) is restricted. Therefore, even if the first gear 351 rotates counterclockwise relative to the second gear 352 in Figure 19, the second gear 352 will not rotate along with it. Thus, a state can be reliably formed in which the tooth tip surface of the contact portion 351b faces the adjacent gear tooth 354c.

[0155] As shown in Figure 20, when the lifting body 330 is positioned in the raised position, the second gear 352 is positioned such that the curved wall portion 354b1 is arranged along the arc shape of radius r formed by the tip surface of the contact portion 351b, and the adjacent gear teeth 354c are positioned outside the arc of radius r (on the second gear 352 side). Therefore, from the state shown in Figure 19, only the first gear 351 can be rotated in the same rotational direction (counterclockwise direction in Figure 19).

[0156] In this case, the tooth thickness of the contact portion 351b is made thicker than that of the other gear teeth (approximately the thickness of two to three gear teeth), so the precision of the stopping position of the first gear 351 can be made more flexible. That is, for example, even if the first gear 351 stops at an intermediate phase between the state shown in Figure 19 and the state shown in Figure 20, the relationship between the adjacent gear tooth 354c and the contact portion 351b at the contact position is similarly ensured, and the rotation of the second gear 352 can be restricted.

[0157] Furthermore, the rotation of the second gear 352 in both directions can be restricted while maintaining a flexible stopping position for the first gear 351. That is, even if the second gear 352 begins to rotate clockwise as shown in Figure 20, the curved wall portion 354b1 of the receiving portion 354b comes into contact with the tooth tip surface of the contact portion 351b, thereby restricting the rotation of the second gear 352 in the same way as when the adjacent gear teeth 354c and the contact portion 351b come into contact, as described in detail above. Consequently, when the lifting body 330 is positioned in the raised position, the rack 332 is restricted from moving in both the up and down directions, thus suppressing rattling in the lifting body 330. Restriction in both the up and down directions (especially restriction in the upward direction) is difficult to achieve with conventional crank mechanisms and can only be achieved through the gear shapes of the first gear 351 and the second gear 352 as in this embodiment.

[0158] Thus, due to the relationship between the shapes of the first gear 351 and the second gear 352, it is possible to prevent the second gear 352 from rotating when the lifting body 330 is in the raised position. Therefore, it is not necessary to continuously apply a driving force to the drive motor 341 (see Figure 14) that is greater than the weight of the lifting body 330 in order to maintain it in the raised position, and energy consumption can be reduced.

[0159] Furthermore, while it is possible to maintain the lifting body 330 in the raised position by utilizing the dead center of the crank mechanism, this presents the problem that the crank mechanism becomes larger in proportion to the distance the lifting body 330 travels. In this embodiment, the crank mechanism is unnecessary, and the rotation of the second gear 352 can be restricted by the relationship between the shapes of the first gear 351 and the second gear 352, thereby enabling miniaturization of the transmission section.

[0160] A method for releasing the restriction on the rotation of the second gear 352 will now be described. In the state shown in Figures 19 and 20, when the contact portion 351b of the first gear 351 is rotated in the opposite direction, no other member is provided that interferes with the contact portion 351b in the direction of rotation (clockwise direction in Figure 20). Therefore, rotation of the first gear 351 in the direction that lowers the lifting body 330 (clockwise direction in Figure 20) is permitted.

[0161] When the first gear 351 is rotated from the state shown in Figure 20 to the state shown in Figure 19, and then rotated further in the same direction, the restriction on the rotation direction of the second gear 352 is released (the tip surface of the contact portion 351b is separated from the adjacent gear teeth 354c), and the lifting body 330 becomes capable of downward movement. In other words, the rotational movement of the first gear 351 releases the rotational restriction on the second gear 352, and it is not necessary to have the first gear 351 perform a separate operation to release the rotational restriction on the second gear 352, thus simplifying the structure of the first gear 351.

[0162] Next, the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 will be described with reference to Figures 21 to 33. Figure 21 is a front perspective view of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400. As shown in Figure 21, the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 comprises a drive-side slide member 420 that has a circular liquid crystal portion and a display section 422a that moves up and down, and a driven-side slide member 430 that moves upward in accordance with the drive-side slide member 420 and is equipped with a third pattern display device 81. The drive-side slide member 420 and the driven-side slide member 430 are connected to a common guide rod 451 and are configured to move in the same direction.

[0163] Figure 22 is a front exploded perspective view of the LCD lifting unit 400. As shown in Figure 22, the LCD lifting unit 400 mainly comprises a base member 410 composed of a pair of long plate-shaped members, a drive-side slide member 420 configured to move up and down in the vertical direction, a driven-side slide member 430 positioned above the drive-side slide member 420 and configured to move up and down, a drive device 440 that generates a driving force for the drive-side slide member 420 to move up and down, a transmission device 450 having a pair of guide rods 451 that transmit the driving force generated from the drive device 440 to the drive-side slide member 420 and guide the movement of the drive-side slide member 420 and the driven-side slide member 430, a lower front plate member 460 that connects the lower ends of the pair of base members 410 and is connected to the drive-side slide member 420, and cover members 470 disposed on the left, right and upper front sides of the LCD lifting unit 400.

[0164] The base member 410 includes a main body member 411 configured as a vertically long and elongated plate-like member, guide rod support portions 412 configured as U-shaped concave portions that are arranged at the upper and lower end portions of the main body member 411 at positions that coincide with each other in the vertical direction and are open to the front, locking portions 413 that are arranged inside (the side closer to the other base member 410) of the vertical line drawn from the guide rod support portions 412 and extend to the front side of the main body member 411, a first shaft support portion 414 that protrudes cylindrically to the front side of the main body member 411 on the opposite side of the locking portion 413 across the vertical line drawn from the guide rod support portions 412, a lowering restriction member 415 that is pivotally supported by the first shaft support portion 414 and restricts the lowering operation of the drive-side slide member 420, a second shaft support portion 416 that is arranged below the first shaft support portion 414 and protrudes cylindrically to the front side of the main body member 411, and a raising restriction member 417 that is pivotally supported by the second shaft support portion 416 and restricts the raising operation of the driven-side slide member 430.

[0165] The guide rod support portions 412 are portions that support both ends of the guide rod 451 of the transmission device 450 and are formed with an opening width capable of accommodating the guide rod 451. In the present embodiment, when the cover member 470 is fastened and fixed to the base member 410, the opening on the front side of the guide rod support portion 412 is blocked, and the guide rod 451 is fixed to the guide rod support portion 412.

[0166] The locking portion 413 is a portion that abuts in the vertical direction against the lower side surface of the fall prevention portion 435 of the driven-side slide member 430, and from this abutting state, further restricts the driven-side slide member 430 from performing a lowering operation.

[0167] The lowering restriction member 415 and the raising restriction member 417 are members that rotate in accordance with the raising and lowering operation of the drive-side slide member 420 and serve to restrict the movement of the driven-side slide member 430. Details thereof will be described later.

[0168] The drive-side slide member 420 is a member whose left and right end portions are fastened and fixed to the rack 452 of the transmission device 450 and is moved up and down by the sliding operation of the rack 452.

[0169] The driven slide member 430 does not have an independent drive device, and is supported at both the left and right ends by the guide rod 451 so as to be slidable, and moves up and down in accordance with the up and down movement of the drive slide member 420. The driven slide member 430 mainly comprises a main body member 431 having a third pattern display device 81 and being elongated in the left-right direction, functional parts 432 arranged at both left and right ends of the main body member 431, a guide hole 433 drilled vertically in the functional part 432 through which the guide rod 451 is inserted, a hook-shaped part 434 extending upward in the left and right outward direction at the lower end of the functional part 432, and a fall prevention part 435 extending to the rear side on the inside of the guide hole 433 at the upper end of the functional part 432 (the side close to the other guide hole 433).

[0170] The hook-shaped portion 434 is the part that hooks onto the upward restricting member 417. When the driven slide member 430 is positioned in the lowered position, the upward restricting member 417 wraps around and hooks onto the engaging surface 434a, which is the upper surface of the hook-shaped portion 434 (see Figure 29), thereby preventing the driven slide member 430 from moving in the upward direction (for example, preventing it from bouncing due to the recoil of a fall). Furthermore, since the hook-shaped portion 434 is tilted upward and the engaging claw portion 417e of the upward restricting member 417 is configured parallel to that tilt, the engagement between the hook-shaped portion 434 and the upward restricting member 417 also suppresses wobbling in the lateral direction.

[0171] Furthermore, the shape of the tip of the hook-shaped portion 434 (outside the tip of the engaging claw portion 417e in the state shown in Figure 29 (the right side of Figure 29)) is such that it is positioned below the movement trajectory of the engaging claw portion 417e. Therefore, even when the engaging claw portion 417e and the hook-shaped portion 434 are engaged and exerting loads on each other, the rotational movement of the upward restricting member 417 can be performed.

[0172] The drive unit 440 includes a drive motor 441 fastened and fixed to the main body member 411 of the base member 410, and a drive gear 442 that is rotated by the driving force of the drive motor.

[0173] The transmission device 450 mainly comprises a pair of guide rods 451 fixed to a guide rod support portion 412 of a base member 410, a rack 452 that is slidably supported by the guide rods 451 and to which a drive-side slide member 420 is fastened and fixed, and which meshes with a drive gear 442 from the inside (inside the pair of drive gears 442), and a vertically elongated plate-shaped contact wall 453 that extends from near the tooth root of the rack 452 toward the front.

[0174] The contact wall 453 has the role of rotating the upward restricting member 417 toward the release side and, by receiving the biasing force of the upward restricting member 417, moves the rack 452 toward the direction away from the drive gear 442, but the details will be described later.

[0175] The lower front plate member 460 mainly comprises a main body member 461 whose left and right ends are fastened and fixed to the front side of the main body member 411 of the base member 410, and whose central part is bent in such a way that it is offset by a predetermined amount to the rear side compared to the left and right ends; a guide hole 462 drilled in the left half of the main body member 461 along the left-right direction (in such a way that it slopes upward as it approaches the outside); and a cylindrical passage portion 463 which extends above the main body member 461 and whose upper end opens to the front side.

[0176] The guide hole 462 is an elongated hole through which the slide shaft 423b of the wiring storage member 423 is slidably guided.

[0177] The cylindrical passage portion 463 is a cylindrical member through which a sphere can pass, and is the member through which a sphere flows down after passing through the second passage forming member 422 of the drive-side slide member 420 when the drive-side slide member 420 is positioned at the connection position (see Figure 31).

[0178] The detailed configuration of the drive-side slide member 420 will be described with reference to Figures 23 to 25. Figure 23 is an exploded front perspective view of the drive-side slide member 420, Figure 24 is an exploded rear perspective view of the drive-side slide member 420, and Figure 25 is a rear view of the drive-side slide member 420.

[0179] As shown in Figures 23 to 25, the drive-side slide member 420 mainly comprises a main body member 421 configured as a plate-shaped member that is elongated in the left-right direction; a second passage forming member 422, in which a disc portion having a display section 422a made of a circular liquid crystal is fastened and fixed to the center of the main body member 421 from the front side, and a groove through which a sphere can pass extends from the disc portion to the left in a front view; a wiring storage member 423, in which one end is pivotally supported at the lower left end of the second passage forming member 422 in a front view, and the other end is supported by a guide hole 462 of the lower front plate member 460; and a connecting member 424, which is pivotally supported by the second passage forming member 422 and has a passage portion that penetrates along the circumferential direction of the axis, and acts as a part that introduces a sphere into the groove portion 422b of the second passage forming member 422.

[0180] The main body member 421 mainly comprises a guide portion 421a that constitutes a part of the cylindrical portion through which the guide rod 451 (see Figure 22) is inserted, a groove portion 421b that is arranged in a manner that is open to the front and slopes downward to the left in a manner that extends from the central portion to the left in a front view, and a discharge opening 421c that is formed through the front-rear direction at the lower left end of the groove portion 421b with a size greater than or equal to the diameter of a sphere.

[0181] The guide portion 421a is a groove portion with a circular arc cross-section that is open on the rear side and extends vertically, and by closing the open portion with the rack 452 (see Figure 22) of the transmission device 450, a cylindrical portion is formed through which the guide rod 451 (see Figure 22) is inserted.

[0182] The groove 421b is a member that, together with the second passage forming member 422, forms a passage for spheres, and spheres that flow down along the groove 421b are discharged to the back side of the main body member 421 through the discharge opening 421c.

[0183] The second passage forming member 422 mainly comprises a display section 422a made of a circular liquid crystal, a pivot portion 422b that protrudes in a cylindrical shape from a disc portion disposed on the back side of the circular liquid crystal toward the back, a sensor member 422c disposed below the pivot portion 422b to detect the passage of a sphere, a groove 422d that opens toward the back side with a width that allows the sphere that has passed through the sensor member 422c to flow down and whose shape matches that of the groove portion 421b in the front-rear direction, a guide portion 422e that constitutes a cylindrical portion through which a guide rod 451 (see Figure 22) is inserted, and a receiving recess 422f recessed between the pivot portion 422b and the sensor member 422c in a shape that can accommodate a connecting member 424.

[0184] The pivot support portion 422b is the part to which the connecting member 424 is pivotally supported. When the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 is positioned at the connection location, the sphere that has flowed down the left-swinging unit 500 passes through the sensor member 422c via the connecting member 424, and then passes through the passages formed by the grooves 422d and 421b.

[0185] The wiring storage member 423 is a member that houses wiring that extends from the lower front member 460, etc. and is connected to the performance section 422a, etc. It mainly comprises a main body portion 423a, which is a rod-shaped portion with a long cross-section and a U-shape, pivotally supported at the lower left end of the second passage forming member 422 when viewed from the front, and a cylindrical slide shaft 423b that protrudes from the lower end of the main body portion 423a toward the rear side.

[0186] The main body portion 423a is a member that houses wiring in its inner portion, which is formed in a U-shape in cross-section, and is curved in a manner that is convex in the longitudinal direction away from the second passage forming member 422. This allows the wiring to slacken along the curved shape near the pivot point with the second passage forming member 422, thereby preventing the wiring from bending and breaking.

[0187] The slide shaft 423b is a rod-shaped portion that is inserted through the guide hole 462 of the lower front plate member 460.

[0188] Next, the configuration of the connecting member 424 will be described with reference to Figure 26. Figure 26(a) is a front perspective view of the connecting member 424, Figure 26(b) is a front view of the connecting member 424 in the direction of arrow XXVIb in Figure 26(a), and Figure 26(c) is a rear view of the connecting member 424 in the direction of arrow XXVIc in Figure 26(a).

[0189] As shown in Figures 26(a) to 26(c), the connecting member 424 mainly comprises a cylindrical portion 424a formed in a cylindrical shape and pivotally supported by the pivot support portion 422b, a plate-shaped upper side wall portion 424b extending radially from the cylindrical portion 424a, a curved plate-shaped lower side wall portion 424c positioned opposite the upper side wall portion 424b with a gap of a length greater than the diameter of a sphere below the upper side wall portion 424b in a front view, a connecting cover 424d that connects the rear ends of the upper side wall portion 424b and the lower side wall portion 424c and covers the space between the upper side wall portion 424b and the lower side wall portion 424c, and a torsion spring 424e that is wrapped around the cylindrical portion 424a and applies a downward biasing force (counterclockwise in Figure 25(b)) to the connecting member 424.

[0190] The upper wall portion 424b is a plate-like portion formed such that its width increases as it approaches the axis of the cylindrical portion 424a from the radial end of the cylindrical portion 424a, and its side surface is formed along a straight line in Figure 25(b).

[0191] The lower wall portion 424c is a plate-like portion that is curved along an arc centered on the axis of the cylindrical portion 424a, and is arranged with a space between it and the upper wall portion 424b that is long enough for a sphere to pass through.

[0192] The connecting cover 424d is a plate member that prevents spheres passing through the connecting member 424 from spilling out to the rear side. The open portion of the connecting member 424 on the opposite side (front side) of the connecting cover 424d is closed by the bottom of the receiving recess 422f of the second passage forming member 422 contacting it from the front side. This prevents spheres from spilling out of the open portion of the connecting member 424.

[0193] The operation of the connecting member 424 with respect to the second passage forming member 422 will be explained with reference to Figures 27 and 28. Figures 27 and 28 are rear views of the second passage forming member 422 and the connecting member 424. In Figure 27, the opening formed by the upper wall portion 424b and the lower wall portion 424c of the connecting member 424 is shown in a downward inclined state facing left and right, while in Figure 28, the opening formed by the upper wall portion 424b and the lower wall portion 424c of the connecting member 424 is shown in an upward inclined state facing diagonally upward compared to the state in Figure 27. Figure 27 corresponds to the separated state (see Figure 41) which will be described later, and Figure 28 corresponds to the connected state (see Figure 42) which will be described later.

[0194] As shown in Figures 27 and 28, the connecting member 424 is rotatable around the pivot portion 422b while housed in the receiving recess 422f of the second passage forming member 422, and the front end faces of the upper wall portion 424b and the lower wall portion 424c abut against the bottom of the receiving recess 422f of the second passage forming member 422.

[0195] The receiving recess 422f comprises a curved wall portion 422f1 formed in an arc shape centered on the pivot support portion 422b along the outer diameter of the lower wall portion 424c, in the portion that is positioned opposite to the lower wall portion 424c of the connecting member 424 in the state shown in Figure 27, and an opposing wall portion 422f2 having a curved surface that smoothly connects to the upper wall portion 424b of the connecting member 424 when the surface positioned opposite to the curved wall portion 422f1 is recessed in the direction away from the curved wall portion 422f1 and in an upward sloping state (see Figure 42).

[0196] Since the curved wall portion 422f1 makes radial contact with the lower wall portion 424c when the connecting member 424 is inclined downward, the axial radial displacement of the connecting member 424 can be suppressed.

[0197] Therefore, even if the fitting between the pivot support 422b and the cylindrical portion 424a of the connecting member 424 is loosened (resulting in a large gap, for example, a gap between 0.5 mm and 1 mm), if the connecting member 424 is in a downward-sloping state, the contact between the lower wall portion 424c and the curved wall portion 422f1 will allow the orientation of the connecting member 424 to be maintained with high precision.

[0198] On the other hand, if the fitting between the pivot support portion 422b and the cylindrical portion 424a of the connecting member 424 is loosened, the operating resistance generated in the pivot support portion is reduced, so that the connecting member 424 can be reliably maintained in a downward tilted state by the action of gravity and the biasing force of the torsion spring 424e, unless a load is generated from other members. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation in which the connecting member 424 is maintained in an upward tilted state even when no load is generated from other members.

[0199] The opposing wall portion 422f2 is the part that guides the sphere from the connecting member 424 to the sensor member 422c. In this embodiment, the surface facing the curved wall portion 422f1 is curved, which allows the sphere to be smoothly guided to the sensor member 422c.

[0200] The upward tilt state is formed when the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424 of the left-swinging unit 500 are in communication. In this state, the lower wall portion 424c is separated from the opening of the sensor member 422c, so a sphere that rolls and passes through the lower wall portion 424c of the connecting member 424 rolls along the curved wall portion 422f1, passes through the opening of the sensor member 422c, and flows down the groove portion 422d.

[0201] On the other hand, the downward tilt state is formed when the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424 of the left oscillating unit 500 are separated. In this state, the lower wall portion 424c protrudes to the inside of the opening of the sensor member 422c, and the dimension between the lower end of the lower wall portion 422c and the wall surface of the receiving recess 422f (the wall surface extending vertically upward from the sensor member 422c) which is positioned opposite to the lower end is set to be less than or equal to the diameter of the sphere, thereby preventing the sphere from passing through the connecting member 424 (the sphere from being ejected from the lower end).

[0202] Therefore, as will be described later, even if the sphere reaches the connecting member 424 in the separated state, the flow of the sphere can be halted at the connecting member 424.

[0203] Next, the lifting and lowering operation of the drive-side slide member 420 and the driven-side slide member 430 will be explained with reference to Figures 29 to 33. First, the positional relationship between the drive-side slide member 420, the driven-side slide member 430, and the base member 410 will be explained with reference to Figures 29 and 30.

[0204] Figure 29 is a front view of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400, and Figure 30 is a side view of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 viewed in the direction of arrow XXX in Figure 29. In Figures 29 and 30, the driving slide member 420 and the driven slide member 430 are shown in the lowered position, and the left and right pair of cover members within the cover member 470 are omitted from the illustration, making the transmission member 450 visible. In Figure 29, the lowering restricting member 415 and the rising restricting member 417 on the right side in the front view are partially magnified, and the outer shape of the rack 452 just before the contact wall 453 and the release projection 417c of the rising restricting member 417 come into contact is shown with dashed lines.

[0205] As shown in Figures 29 and 30, in the lowered position, the driven slide member 430 has its fall prevention portion 435 in contact with the locking portion 413 of the base member 410 from below, and its hook-shaped portion 434 in contact with the upward restricting member 417 from above. In this way, the driven slide member 430 is configured to have its movement restricted from both the up and down directions, so that the driven slide member 430 does not rattle in the vertical direction in the lowered position.

[0206] Furthermore, the upward restricting member 417 and the locking part 413 are arranged on either side of the guide rod 451 inserted through the guide hole 433, and these can come into contact with the functional part 432 of the driven slide member 430, thereby suppressing rattling of the functional part 432 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the guide rod 451 (left-right direction in Figure 29). Therefore, even if disturbances occur to the driven slide member 430, such as when it is placed in the lowered position or when the pachinko machine 10 (see Figure 1) is struck by a player, rattling of the driven slide member 430 can be suppressed, and the effect of the third symbol display device 81 can be improved.

[0207] Furthermore, since the vertical positions of the upward restricting member 417 and the locking portion 413 are offset, it is possible to suppress rattling of the functional portion 432 in an oblique direction (for example, in the direction connecting the locking portion 413 and the upward restricting member 417). Therefore, even if disturbance occurs to the driven slide member 430, such as when it is placed in the lowered position or when the pachinko machine 10 (see Figure 1) is struck by a player, rattling of the driven slide member 430 can be suppressed, and the performance effect of the third symbol display device 81 can be improved.

[0208] Furthermore, since the locking portion 413 is positioned upward compared to the upward restricting member 417, the locking portion 413 is located further away from the drive-side slide member 420, making it less likely for the locking portion 413 to obstruct the upward and downward movement of the drive-side slide member 420. Therefore, the design flexibility of the drive-side slide member 420 can be improved.

[0209] As shown in Figure 30, the downward restricting member 415 is positioned in front of the upward restricting member 417, and the height at which the contact wall 453 of the transmission device 450 is formed (the overhang length from near the tooth root of the rack 452) is set to a height just before it reaches the downward restricting member 415. Therefore, the downward restricting member 415 and the contact wall 453 do not come into contact in the rotational direction of the downward restricting member 415. In addition, since the hook-shaped portion 434 is positioned at the same position as the upward restricting member 417 in the front-rear direction, the hook-shaped portion 434 and the downward restricting member 415 do not come into contact in the vertical direction.

[0210] On the other hand, the rack 452 is provided with a protruding plate 453a that protrudes from the upper end of the contact wall 453 toward the front, and the protruding plate 453a is capable of contacting the downward restricting member 415 in the rotational direction.

[0211] Figure 31 is a front view of the LCD lifting unit 400. In Figure 31, the drive-side slide member 420 is shown in the state where it has been moved upward from the lowered position and is in the connected position, and the left and right pair of cover members within the cover member 470 are not shown. Also in Figure 31, the lowering restricting member 415 and the upward restricting member 417 on the right side in the front view are partially magnified.

[0212] With the drive-side slide member 420 positioned in the connection position, a ball can be introduced into the connecting member 424 via the left-swinging unit 500 (see Figure 42).

[0213] As shown in Figures 29 and 31, the upward restricting member 417 is a member that covers the hook-shaped portion 434 from above in the state before the upper end of the contact wall 453 comes into contact with the upward restricting member 417, and is rotatable between the engaged state shown in Figure 29 and the released state shown in Figure 31. The released state is not limited to the state shown in Figure 31, but also means the state in which the upward restricting member 417 has been rotated to a position where it is retracted from vertically above the hook-shaped portion 434.

[0214] The upward restricting member 417 comprises a cylindrical portion 417a pivotally supported by the second pivot portion 416, an extension plate 417b extending linearly in the tangential direction of the cylindrical portion 417a, a release projection 417c projecting vertically from one end (lower end) of the extension plate 417b, an engaging projection 417d projecting vertically from the other end of the extension plate 417b, and a hook-shaped portion 417d that extends parallel to the extension direction of the hook-shaped portion 434 when engaged at the protruding end. The main components are: an engaging claw portion 417e positioned above and inward from the tip of the hook-shaped portion 434 (upper left in the enlarged view of Figure 29); a separating inclined portion 417f that slopes downward on the upper side surface of the protruding end of the engaging projection 417d; and a torsion spring 417g that is wound around the cylindrical portion 417a and has one end that is locked to the main body member 411 of the base member 410, thereby biasing the upward restricting member 417 in the inward winding direction (counterclockwise direction in the enlarged view of Figure 29).

[0215] The extension plate 417b extends upward from the axis of the cylindrical portion 417a. This allows the other end of the extension plate 417b to move away from the driven slide member 430 when the release projection 417c is pushed up, thereby enabling the release operation.

[0216] In the engaged state, even if the driven slide member 430 begins to move upward, the engaging claw portion 417e firmly suppresses the movement of the driven slide member 430 by engaging with the hook-shaped portion 434 (by the engaging claw portion 417e getting between the hook-shaped portion 434 and the functional portion 432).

[0217] The release operation of the upward restricting member 417 will now be explained. First, in the state shown in Figure 29, the upper end of the contact wall 453 is in contact with the release projection 417c, while the upward restricting member 417 is maintained in an engaged state. When the rack 452 is raised from this state to the state shown in Figure 31, the end of the contact wall 453 pushes up the release projection 413c, causing the upward restricting member 417 to rotate outward (clockwise in the enlarged view of Figure 31), and the engaging projection 417d is retracted from above the hook-shaped portion 434 (released state).

[0218] In other words, the release operation of the lifting restrictor 417 can be performed solely by the lifting operation of the rack 452. Therefore, compared to, for example, a case where a separate solenoid member is provided to release the lifting restrictor 417, the drive device for releasing the lifting restrictor 417 can be shared with the drive motor 441 (see Figure 22), reducing the number of drive devices required (and thus reducing product costs). Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the lifting restrictor 417 from being operated unintentionally.

[0219] In other words, according to this embodiment, since the upward restricting member 417 is operated according to the arrangement of the rack 452, it is possible to suppress malfunctions caused by mismatched operating timing between the rack 452 and the upward restricting member 417, compared to the case where the upward restricting member 417 is operated by a separate drive source (solenoid, etc.), and when the driven slide member 430 moves upward, the upward restricting member 417 can be reliably moved to the released state. For example, it is possible to suppress excessive load being placed on the hook-shaped portion 434 and the engaging projection 417d of the upward restricting member 417 when the rack 452 moves upward while the upward restricting member 417 is engaged.

[0220] Furthermore, as the rack 452 is raised and just before the upper end of the rack 452 and the lower end of the driven slide member 430 come into contact, the upward restricting member 417 is released. As a result, simply by the rack 452 continuing its upward movement, the driven slide member 430 and the driven slide member 420 are separated, forming an engaged state (see Figure 29) to prevent rattling of the driven slide member 430. At the same time, when the driven slide member 430 and the driven slide member 420 are in contact, the system is released (see Figure 31), suppressing the driving force required to raise the driven slide member 430.

[0221] In this embodiment, if the drive-side slide member 420 pushes up the driven-side slide member 430 during its upward movement, the engagement between the driven-side slide member 430 and the engagement portion can be released by pushing up the driven-side slide member 430. However, in this case, the engagement must be such that it can be released by the upward force of the driven-side slide member 430, making a firm engagement difficult. Furthermore, in this case, there is a problem that the driven-side slide member 430 vibrates and its posture becomes unstable due to the recoil that occurs when the driven-side slide member 430 is released from the engagement portion.

[0222] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the engagement is released by rotating the upward restricting member 417 and retracting it from above the hook-shaped portion 434 of the driven slide member 430. Therefore, the force that can be applied to the driven slide member 430 in the engaged state and the force that rotates the upward restricting member 417 can be made different. Accordingly, the force required for release can be suppressed while increasing the force that suppresses the upward movement of the driven slide member 430 in the engaged state.

[0223] Furthermore, since the drive-side slide member 420 and the driven-side slide member 430 do not come into contact when the upward restricting member 417 is released, the driven-side slide member 430 is less likely to recoil, and the posture of the driven-side slide member 430 can be stabilized when released.

[0224] In the connected state shown in Figure 31, the discharge opening 421c of the drive-side slide member 420 and the cylindrical passage portion 463 of the lower front plate member 460 are connected. This makes it possible to discharge the sphere that has flowed down the second passage forming member 422 into the cylindrical passage portion 463.

[0225] Figures 32 and 33 are front views of the LCD lifting unit 400. In Figure 32, the drive-side slide member 420 moves upward from the state shown in Figure 31, and the protruding plate 453a of the transmission device 450 is about to come into contact with the lowering restricting member 415. In Figure 33, the drive-side slide member 420 moves upward from the state shown in Figure 32, and the protruding plate 453a is positioned in an elevated position, resting on the upper side of the lowering restricting member 415. In Figure 33, the area around the lowering restricting member 415 is partially magnified.

[0226] In the state shown in Figure 32, the release projection 417c of the upward restricting member 417 contacts the contact wall 453 of the transmission device 450. In this embodiment, the pair of transmission devices 450 are arranged symmetrically, and the direction in which the release projection 417c contacts the contact wall 453 is also symmetrical. Therefore, the release projection 417c acts as a guide for the drive-side slide member 420, and rattling in the left-right direction of the drive-side slide member 420 during the upward and downward movement can be suppressed.

[0227] The lifting restricting member 417 is biased in the left-right inward direction of the LCD lifting unit 400 by the torsion spring 417g, so that a load is applied to the contact wall 453 from the release projection 417c in the left-right inward direction of the LCD lifting unit 400. As a result, the drive-side slide member 420 is biased in a constant direction along the left-right direction, so that the posture of the drive-side slide member 420 during lifting operation can be stabilized.

[0228] Furthermore, when the drive-side slide member 420 is misaligned in the left-right direction, the elastic force applied from the release projection 417c to the contact wall 453 is asymmetrical in the left-right pair of upward restricting members 417, in such a manner that it returns the drive-side slide member 420 to its central position.

[0229] Specifically, on the side where the contact wall 453 moves toward the release projection 417c, the upward restricting member 417 is further rotated toward the release side, increasing the deformation of the torsion spring 417g and thus increasing the biasing force and the force pushing back the contact wall 453. On the other hand, on the side where the contact wall 453 moves toward the side away from the release projection 417c, the upward restricting member 417 is rotated in the opposite direction to the release side, decreasing the deformation of the torsion spring 417g and thus reducing the biasing force and the force pushing the contact wall 453. This makes it possible to suppress rattling in the left-right direction when the drive-side slide member 420 is raised and lowered.

[0230] Since the drive gear 442 and the lifting restraining member 417 are arranged on the same side of the rack 452, the biasing force of the torsion spring 417g acts in a direction that moves the rack 452 away from the drive gear 442. This prevents the drive-side slide member 420 from rattling in the left-right direction, bringing the rack 452 and drive gear 442 closer together and increasing the drive resistance (the spacing between the tooth surfaces of the rack 452 and drive gear 442 can be stabilized).

[0231] In other words, when the drive-side slide member 420 rattles in the left-right direction and the rack 452 moves in a direction that brings it closer to the drive gear 442, the upward restricting member 417 rotates outward (the rotational direction in which the engaging projection 417d moves outward to the left and right of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400), increasing the deformation of the torsion spring 417g and increasing the biasing force, thereby increasing the biasing force that pushes back the drive-side slide member 420. On the other hand, when the rack 452 moves away from the drive gear 442, the guide rod 451 supports the rack 452, restricting the rack 452 from moving away from the drive gear 442 beyond the gap provided in the support structure between the guide rod 451 and the rack 452. This prevents the gap between the tooth surfaces of the rack 452 and the drive gear 422 from becoming too narrow and excessive tooth resistance from occurring, and also prevents the gap between the tooth surfaces of the rack 452 and the drive gear 422 from becoming too wide and tooth misalignment from occurring.

[0232] As shown in Figure 33, when the drive-side slide member 420 and the driven-side slide member 430 are positioned in the raised position, the lower surface of the protruding plate 453a of the transmission device 450 comes into contact with the upper surface of the release projection 415c of the lowering restricting member 415 (locked state).

[0233] The protruding plate 453a has an inclined side surface 453a1 on its lower surface that slopes upward as it moves outward to the left and right.

[0234] The downward inclined member 415 mainly comprises a cylindrical portion 415a pivotally supported by the first pivot portion 414, an extension plate 415b extending linearly in the tangential direction of the cylindrical portion 415a, a release projection 415c that protrudes vertically from one end (upper end) of the extension plate 415b and has a semicircular tip, and a torsion spring 415d that is wrapped around the cylindrical portion 415a and has one end that is locked to the main body member 411 of the base member 410, thereby biasing the downward restricting member 415 in the inward winding direction (counterclockwise direction in the magnified view of Figure 33).

[0235] As shown in Figure 33, the rack 452 of the transmission device 450 is locked by the lowering restricting member 415. Therefore, the supply of driving force to the drive motor 441 (see Figure 22) can be stopped while the rack 452 is held in the raised position, thereby reducing the power consumption of the drive motor 441.

[0236] Furthermore, the rotational movement of the lowering restricting member 415 to the locked state, as shown in Figure 33, is performed when the rack 452 is raised and the protruding plate 453a overcomes the release protrusion 415c of the lowering restricting member 415. Therefore, both the driving force for raising the rack 452 and the driving force for forming the locked state of the lowering restricting member 415 can be generated by the drive motor 441 (see Figure 2). In other words, the drive motor 441 can be used for both purposes, thereby reducing product costs.

[0237] Returning to Figure 30, the positional relationship of the lowering restricting member 415, the rising restricting member 417, and the contact wall 453 in the front-rear direction will be explained. As shown in Figure 30, the lowering restricting member 415 is positioned on the front side (left side in Figure 30) compared to the rising restricting member 417, the contact wall 453 is positioned so that it can contact the rising restricting member 417 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of Figure 30, and the rear side surface of the lowering restricting member 415 is in contact with the front side surface of the contact wall 453.

[0238] Let's return to Figure 33 for explanation. The downward restricting member 415 and the contact wall 453 are in contact in the front-rear direction. That is, in the state shown in Figure 33, the contact wall 453 and the upward restricting member 417 are in contact in the left-right direction (left-right direction in Figure 33), and the contact wall 453 and the downward restricting member 415 are in contact in the front-rear direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 33). As a result, the upward restricting member 417 can suppress left-right rattle of the drive-side slide member 420, and the downward restricting member 415 can suppress rattle in the front-rear direction (parallel to the tooth surfaces of the rack 452 and drive gear 442).

[0239] Therefore, the relative movement of the rack 452 and the drive gear 442 in a direction parallel to the tooth surface can suppress a decrease in the area of ​​the tooth surface, and the rack 452 can be prevented from tipping forward when it is in the raised position.

[0240] From the state shown in Figure 33, by rotating the drive gear 442 in the direction that lowers the rack 452, when the rack 452 begins to descend, the protruding plate 453a applies a load to the release protrusion 415c, causing the lowering restricting member 415 to rotate outward (clockwise in the enlarged view of Figure 33). This releases the locking by the lowering restricting member 415, allowing the drive-side slide member 420 to move downward. In other words, the release of the locking by the lowering restricting member 415 can be performed by the driving force of the drive motor 441 (the drive source can be used for both), thus reducing product costs.

[0241] Furthermore, since the downward movement of the drive-side slide member 420 releases the lock of the downward restricting member 415, it is possible to prevent the drive source and the downward restricting member 415 from being overloaded due to a timing discrepancy in the operation, such as when the downward restricting member 415 is rotated by another drive source, causing the drive-side slide member 420 to descend before the restriction of the downward restricting member 415 is released.

[0242] In this embodiment, in a structure where both the drive-side slide member 420 and the driven-side slide member 430 are maintained in the raised position, it is possible to lock each member in the raised position by locking the driven-side slide member 430. However, in that case, the structure for connecting and separating the driven-side slide member 430 and the drive-side slide member 420 becomes more complex, and costs increase.

[0243] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the driven slide member 430 is maintained in the raised position by locking the drive slide member 420, so the configuration required to maintain the driven slide member 430 and the drive slide member 420 in the raised position can be reduced (it can be reduced to just the drive device 450 and the drive slide member 420). In addition, by making the interlocking of the driven slide member 430 with the drive slide member 420 solely by the action of gravity, the structure between the driven slide member 430 and the drive slide member 420 can be simplified.

[0244] When the rack 452 is lowered from the state shown in Figure 33, the driven slide member 430 descends on the rack 452. However, if the guide rod 451 becomes dirty, for example, and the resistance between the guide rod 451 and the guide hole 433 (see Figure 22) is large, the descending speed of the driven slide member 430 may become smaller than the descending speed of the rack 452. Even in this case, when the driven slide member 430 comes into contact with the upward restricting member 417, the hook-shaped portion 434 acts on the slanted portion 417f of the upward restricting member 417, causing the upward restricting member 417 to rotate. As a result, the weight of the driven slide member 430 can engage the upward restricting member 417 with the hook-shaped portion 434.

[0245] Next, the left-swinging unit 500 will be described with reference to Figures 34 to 42. Figure 34 is a front perspective view of the game board 13 and the left-swinging unit 500. As shown in Figure 34, the left-swinging unit 500 is arranged on the rear side of the first variable prize-winning device 82a and the first specific prize-winning opening 82 of the game board 13, and has a flow path on the inside for passing balls that have entered the first specific prize-winning opening 82. In this embodiment, a sensor member 82b is provided to detect when a ball has passed between the first variable prize-winning device 82a and the first specific prize-winning opening 82. The sensor member 82b is part of the various switches 208 (see Figure 4).

[0246] Figure 35 is a front perspective view of the left-swinging unit 500. As shown in Figure 35, the left-swinging unit 500 is configured such that the first passage forming member 520 hangs down to the lower right in a front view, and the unit performs its effects by swinging this first passage forming member 520.

[0247] Figure 36 is an exploded front perspective view of the left-swinging unit 500, and Figure 37 is an exploded rear perspective view of the left-swinging unit 500. As shown in Figures 36 and 37, the left-swinging unit 500 mainly comprises a base member 510 that forms the frame, a first passage forming member 520 that is pivotally supported on the base member 510 and swings, a drive device 530 that is fastened and fixed to the base member 510 and generates a driving force for the first passage forming member 520, a transmission device 540 that transmits the driving force of the drive device 530 to the first passage forming member 520, and a cover member 550 that covers the front side, is fastened and fixed to the base member 510 and has an introduction cylindrical portion 552 that is connected to the first specific prize winning opening 82 of the game board 13.

[0248] The base member 510 mainly comprises a main body member 511 made of an L-shaped plate when viewed from the front, a shaft support hole 512 drilled in a circular shape in the front-to-back direction at the right end of the main body member when viewed from the front, a first wall portion 513 disposed vertically above the shaft support hole 512 and configured as a flat plate with its surface facing in the front-to-back direction, a second wall portion 514 disposed from the lower left end of the first wall portion 513 at a distance of more than the width of one sphere when viewed from the front and configured as a curved plate with its surface facing left-to-right, a flow passage 515 disposed on the back side of the second wall portion 514 through which spheres that have reached the second wall portion 514 flow down, a shaft support portion 516 disposed in the lower left of the shaft support hole 512 when viewed from the front and protruding cylindrically on the front side, a locking wall portion 517 disposed around the axis of the shaft support portion 516, and a detection sensor 518 disposed above the shaft support portion 516 for detecting the phase of the transmission device.

[0249] The pivot hole 512 is a hole through which the pivot portion 521c of the first passage forming member 520 is inserted, and the first passage forming member 520 swings around the pivot hole 512.

[0250] The first wall portion 513 includes a pair of guide wall portions 513a that extend from both left and right ends toward the front.

[0251] The locking wall portion 517 comprises an arc-shaped wall portion 517a located above the pivot portion 516 and centered on the pivot portion 516, and an inclined wall portion 517b extending downward to the right in a front view.

[0252] The arc-shaped wall portion 517a is the end face of the detection sensor 518 and extends to the circumferential end face of the pivot support portion 516.

[0253] The first passage forming member 520 mainly comprises a long rod-shaped distribution base member 521 which is a member that is pivotally supported in the pivot hole 512, and a passage cover member 522 which is disposed on the front side of the distribution base member 521 and fastened and fixed to the distribution base member 521, and forms a passage between itself and the distribution base member 521 through which spheres can flow down.

[0254] The distribution base member 521 comprises a long, plate-shaped hanging plate portion 521a that forms one side of the flow path for the spheres, an intermediate plate portion 521b positioned at a distance V1 equivalent to the width of one sphere from the upper end of the hanging plate portion 521a along the extending direction of the hanging plate portion 521a, a cylindrical projection on the back side near the upper end of the hanging plate portion 521a that is inserted into the shaft support hole 512, and a plate-shaped portion extending radially from the shaft support portion 521c. The main components are: an elongated hole 521d drilled along its extension direction; a distribution projection 521e that protrudes from the end of the intermediate plate portion 521b on the hanging plate portion 521a side toward the rear side and whose width decreases as it moves toward the radially outward side of the pivot support portion 521c; and a curved wall portion 521f that extends along the left side of the distribution projection 521e in a rear view toward the front side of the gap V1 and curves along an arc shape with its center at the upper end of the hanging plate portion 521a.

[0255] The hanging plate portion 521a is configured in such a way that the lower part from the middle is bent downward compared to the upper part from the middle, and its lower end is provided with a ball feeding portion 521a1 in which the thickness of the plate on the front side is shaved off to make it thinner.

[0256] Gap V1 is the space through which the sphere that has reached the right side of the distribution projection 521e in a front view passes in the forward direction.

[0257] The passage cover member 522 mainly comprises a plate-shaped portion 522a that covers the front side of the distribution base member 521, and upper and lower wall portions 522b that extend in a plate-like manner from both short ends of the plate-shaped portion 522a toward the rear side.

[0258] The plate-shaped portion 522a is formed from a light-transmitting resin material and includes a ball-receiving portion 522a1 that is bent toward the rear side at the portion of its lower end that is positioned on the front side of the ball-feeding portion 521a1 of the distribution base member 521.

[0259] The upper and lower wall sections 522b are the parts that allow the sphere to roll through the gap V1, and, like the hanging plate section 521a, the inclination angle changes at the intermediate section, so that the sphere's flow velocity can be changed at the intermediate section.

[0260] Of the upper and lower wall portions 522b, the lower wall portion has a step on the inside of its tip. This step serves to decelerate the rolling ball by displacing it in the opposing direction of the upper and lower wall portions 522b (from one wall portion to the other).

[0261] Furthermore, when a ball reaches the lower end of the first passage forming member 520, its speed is directed towards the rear side by the ball feeding section 521a1 and the ball receiving section 522a1. This reduces the speed of the ball before discharge, thereby stabilizing the discharge of the ball.

[0262] The drive unit 530 comprises a drive motor 531 and a drive gear 532 that is pivotally rotated on the rotation shaft of the drive motor 531, with the drive gear 532 meshing with the main gear portion 541 of the transmission unit 540.

[0263] The transmission device 540 mainly comprises a main gear portion 541 that is pivotally supported by the pivot portion 516 and meshes with the drive gear 532, an eccentric projection 542 that is cylindrically projected from an eccentric position on the front side of the main gear portion 541 and is inserted into the elongated hole 521d of the first passage forming member 520, and an extended portion 543 that extends radially from the main gear portion 541 and is configured to be able to contact the locking wall portion 517 and pass through the gap of the detection sensor 518.

[0264] The cover member 550 mainly comprises a plate-shaped main body member 551 that covers the base member 510, a cylindrical introduction cylinder portion 552 that is connected to the first specific prize opening 82 at the right end of the main body member 551 in a front view and whose rear end abuts against the first wall portion 513, and a pair of guide wall portions 553 that extend downward from the left and right ends of the introduction cylinder portion 552 on the rear side surface of the main body member 551.

[0265] The guide wall portion 553 is the part that overlaps with the guide wall portion 513a of the base member 510 in the front-rear direction. The sphere that has passed through the introduction cylindrical portion 552 flows downward through the space between the guide walls 513a and 553.

[0266] The oscillating motion of the first passage forming member 520 will be explained with reference to Figures 38 to 40. Figures 38 to 40 are front views of the oscillating motion unit 500. Note that in Figures 38 to 40, the cover member 550 is not shown, and the outer shape of the first passage forming member 520 is shown in cross-section at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the hanging plate portion 521a, while the outer shape of the passage cover member is shown with dashed lines.

[0267] Furthermore, Figure 38 shows the first passage forming member 520 in the release position; Figure 39(a) shows the first passage forming member 520 swung by a predetermined amount from the state shown in Figure 38, with the distribution projection 521e positioned at the intermediate position between the pair of guide wall portions 513a; Figure 39(b) shows the first passage forming member 520 swung by a predetermined amount from the state shown in Figure 39(a), with the state just before it contacts the connecting member 424; and Figure 40 shows the first passage forming member 520 swung by a predetermined amount from the state shown in Figure 39(b), with the state in which it is positioned at the connection position.

[0268] As shown in Figures 38 to 40, the oscillating motion of the first passage forming member 520 occurs when the transmission device 540 is rotated, causing the position of the elongated hole 521d to move as the eccentric protrusion 542 moves.

[0269] As shown in Figure 38, in the release position, the direction X1 connecting the pivot support 516 and the eccentric projection 542 intersects perpendicularly with the direction X2 that coincides with the extension direction of the elongated hole 521d (the radial direction of the pivot support 521c). Therefore, the load applied to the eccentric projection 542 when the first passage forming member 520 begins to rotate is directed towards the pivot support 516, thereby suppressing the generation of a load that would rotate the transmission device 540. As a result, the posture of the transmission device 540 can be maintained without continuously applying driving force to the drive gear 532, and the power consumption of the drive motor 531 (see Figure 36) can be reduced.

[0270] Furthermore, in the release position, the extended portion 543 of the transmission device 540 is positioned in the gap of the detection sensor 518 and abuts against the end of the arc-shaped wall portion 517a. That is, the extended portion 543 serves both as a part used for detecting the phase of the transmission device 540 and as an anti-rotation member.

[0271] As shown in Figure 38, in the release position, the distribution projection 521e is positioned opposite the guide wall 513a on the right side of the base member 510 in a front view. Therefore, balls that reach the first wall 513 and pass between the guide walls 513a and 553 are distributed by the distribution projection 521e to the path on the left side in a front view and discharged outside the game area through the flow passage 515.

[0272] As shown in Figure 39(a), at an intermediate position between the release position and the connection position, the distribution projection 521e is positioned midway between the pair of guide wall portions 513a of the base member 510. Therefore, a sphere that reaches the first wall portion 513 and passes between the guide wall portions 513a and 553 is stopped from flowing down by the distribution projection 521e (it remains resting on the tip of the distribution projection 521e).

[0273] As shown in Figure 39(b), just before the first passage forming member 520 contacts the connecting member 424, the distribution projection 521e is positioned between the pair of guide wall portions 513a of the base member 510. Therefore, a ball that reaches the first wall portion 513 and passes between the guide wall portions 513a and 553 is stopped from flowing down by the distribution projection 521e (it remains on the tip of the distribution projection 521e). As a result, in the state shown in Figure 39(b), the ball passes through the first passage forming member 520 and is sent to the connecting member 424, preventing the ball from reaching the opposing wall portion 422f2.

[0274] Here, the opposing wall portion 422f2 is smoothly connected to the upper wall portion 424b of the connecting member 424 when it is tilted upward (see Figure 42). Therefore, when it is tilted downward (see Figure 41), the upper end portion protrudes to the left in a front view from the lower end portion of the upper wall portion 424b of the connecting member 424. As a result, when a ball is thrown to the connecting member 424 in a tilted downward state and collides with the upper end portion of the opposing wall portion 422f2, there is a risk that the opposing wall portion 422f2 may be damaged.

[0275] In contrast, in this embodiment, in the state shown in Figure 39(b), the introduction of the sphere into the first passage forming member 520 is prevented, so that the sphere does not collide with the opposing wall portion 422f2, and thus the opposing wall portion 422f2 does not get damaged.

[0276] As shown in Figure 40, at the connection position, the direction X1 connecting the pivot support 516 and the eccentric projection 542 intersects perpendicularly with the direction X2 that coincides with the extension direction of the elongated hole 521d (the radial direction of the pivot support 521c). Therefore, the load applied to the eccentric projection 542 when the first passage forming member 520 begins to rotate is directed towards the pivot support 516, thereby suppressing the generation of a load that would rotate the transmission device 540. As a result, the posture of the transmission device 540 can be maintained without continuously applying driving force to the drive gear 532, and the power consumption of the drive motor 531 (see Figure 36) can be reduced.

[0277] Furthermore, at the connection point, the extended portion 543 of the transmission device 540 comes into full contact with the inclined wall portion 517b. This stabilizes the phase at which the transmission device 540 stops by abutting the extended portion 543 against the inclined wall portion 517b, while improving the durability of the extended portion 543 compared to when a localized load is applied to the extended portion 543.

[0278] As shown in Figure 40, in the connected state, the distribution projection 521e is positioned opposite the guide wall 513a on the left side of the base member 510 in a front view. Therefore, a sphere that reaches the first wall 513 and passes between the guide walls 513a and 553 is distributed by the distribution projection 521e to the path on the right side in a front view, moves to the front side through the gap V1, and then rolls along the lower wall of the upper and lower wall 522b (see Figure 37) of the passage cover member 522.

[0279] Let's explain the flow of the balls in the connected state. First, a ball that enters the first specific prize opening 82 from the game area through the first variable prize entry device 82a moves back and forth toward the rear side through the introduction cylindrical part 552 (see Figure 36), and when it comes into contact with the first wall part 513, it flows down the passage formed by the guide walls 513a and 553, moves back and forth toward the front side through the gap V1 of the first passage forming member 520, and rolls on the lower wall part of the upper and lower wall parts 522b of the passage cover member 522.

[0280] In other words, the balls are sent in the front-to-back direction before they flow down inside the first passage forming member 520. Therefore, even if balls are supplied in a chain to the first specific prize opening 82, bouncing of the balls is suppressed, and the balls can flow smoothly into the first passage forming member 520. Furthermore, by causing the balls sent in the front-to-back direction to flow down along the curved wall portion 521f (see Figure 37), the direction of the balls' velocity can be changed, and the balls can flow smoothly into the first passage forming member 520.

[0281] The first passage forming member 520 has a distribution base member 521 and a passage cover member 522 whose extension direction changes at the intermediate portion. Specifically, the distribution base member 521 and the passage cover member 522 extend along a straight line Y1 from the intermediate portion to the base end side (axis support 521c side), and extend along a straight line Y2 which is inclined downward from the intermediate portion to the tip side (opposite side of the base end side) than the straight line Y1.

[0282] Therefore, the speed of the ball rolling inside the first passage forming member 520 is slower from the base end to the middle section compared to from the middle section to the tip section. As a result, it is possible to make the ball more visible to the player immediately after it is introduced into the first passage forming member 520.

[0283] Furthermore, compared to the case where the first passage forming member 520 is configured with a straight shape along the straight line Y1, the angle between the direction in which the ball is sent from the first passage forming member 520 and the direction in which the ball is introduced into the sensor member 422c (vertical direction) can be reduced at the connection position (see Figure 42). This makes it possible to stabilize the sending of the ball from the first passage forming member 520 to the second passage forming member 422.

[0284] As shown in Figures 38 to 40, the rotation of the transmission device 540 causes the first passage forming member 520 to swing, and the arrangement of the distribution protrusions 521e switches the path through which the sphere flows down.

[0285] Here, if a wall member is positioned opposite the distribution projection 521e in the rotational direction of the distribution projection 521e, and a configuration is adopted in which the distribution projection 521e approaches the wall member to a diameter less than or equal to the diameter of the sphere, there is a risk that the sphere may become jammed between the distribution projection 521e and the wall member if it remains in the rotational direction of the distribution projection 521e, potentially causing a malfunction.

[0286] In contrast, in this embodiment, at the connection position shown in Figure 40, a gap greater than the diameter of the sphere is left between the distribution projection 521e and the second wall portion 514, and no wall member is placed on the opposite side of the second wall portion 514 with the distribution projection 521e in between, leaving it open. Therefore, the situation in which the sphere becomes jammed in the rotational direction of the distribution projection 521e can not be prevented, and malfunctions can be prevented.

[0287] Referring to Figures 41 and 42, the connection of the flow path between the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 and the left-swinging unit 500 will be explained. Figures 41 and 42 are partial front views of the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 and the left-swinging unit 500. In Figures 41 and 42, the second passage forming member 422 is shown in cross-section, making the connecting member 424 visible, and the first passage forming member 520 is shown in its outer shape at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the hanging plate portion 521a, making the distribution protrusion 521e visible.

[0288] Furthermore, Figures 41 and 42 show the state in which the liquid crystal lifting unit 400 is positioned in the linked position (see Figure 31), Figure 41 shows the state in which the left swing unit 500 is positioned in the released position (see Figure 38), and Figure 42 shows the state in which the left swing unit 500 is positioned in the linked position (see Figure 40).

[0289] When the first passage forming member 520 is oscillated from the state shown in Figure 41 to the state shown in Figure 42, its tip comes into contact with the lower side surface of the upper wall portion 424b of the connecting member 424, causing the connecting member 424 to oscillate. That is, since the connecting member 424 moves in conjunction with the movement direction of the first passage forming member 520, even if, for example, the stopping position of the drive-side slide member 420 is slightly off from the ideal position, it is possible to suppress the formation of a gap between the tip of the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424. This prevents the ball from falling between the tip of the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424, and stabilizes the ball transfer from the first passage forming member 520 to the second passage forming member 422.

[0290] As the connecting member 424 is oscillated, the lower wall portion 424c on which the balls flowing down from the first passage forming member 520 roll is moved in a direction that approaches the tip of the first passage forming member 520. This narrows the gap between the rolling surfaces of the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424, preventing the balls from falling out of the gap between the rolling surfaces of the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424, thereby stabilizing the ball delivery.

[0291] Furthermore, in the state shown in Figure 42, the lower wall portion 424c is inclined downward toward the sensor member 422c which is connected to the groove portion 422d (see Figure 27). This allows the ball to roll along the downward inclination, thereby stabilizing the delivery of the ball to the second passage forming member 422.

[0292] The oscillation of the first passage forming member 520 is performed by detecting the passage of balls to the sensor member 82b (see Figure 34) and the sensor member 422c. For example, when the first passage forming member 520 is positioned at the connection position shown in Figure 42, the oscillation of the first passage forming member 520 toward the release position (see Figure 41) can be started when the number of balls detected by the sensor member 82b and the sensor member 422c matches (meaning no balls remain in the first passage forming member 520), thereby preventing balls from being ejected from the tip of the first passage forming member 520 outside the game area.

[0293] As shown in Figures 41 and 42, the driving force required for the distribution of balls by the movement of the distribution projection 521e and the operation of forming a ball flow path by swinging the first passage forming member 520 and the connecting member 424 together is shared (provided by the driving force of the drive motor 531 (see Figure 36) that operates the first passage forming member 520). Furthermore, since the states of both are synchronized, for example, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a ball is introduced into the first passage forming member 520 when the first passage forming member 520 is in the release position. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent balls from being discharged outside the game area from the tip of the first passage forming member 520.

[0294] Furthermore, the distribution projection 521e is positioned at the upper end of the distribution base member 521 and also serves as a wall portion that demarcates (forms the upper end of) the passage for spheres flowing down the front side of the hanging plate portion 521a (see Figure 36). This reduces component costs compared to when distribution is performed with other parts, and ensures that spheres distributed to the first passage forming member 520 are reliably introduced into the passage between the hanging plate portion 521a and the passage cover member 522.

[0295] Next, the rotating unit 600 will be described with reference to Figures 43 to 77. Figure 43 is a front view of the rotating unit 600, and Figure 44 is a front perspective view of the rotating unit 600. Figure 45 is a front view of the rotating unit 600 with the guide member 680 removed, and Figure 46 is a front perspective view of the rotating unit 600 with the guide member 680 removed. Furthermore, Figure 47 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotating unit 600, and Figure 48 is an exploded rear perspective view of the rotating unit 600.

[0296] As shown in Figures 43 to 48, the rotating unit 600 mainly comprises a case member 610 formed in the shape of a container with one side open, a guide member 620 covering one side of the case member 610, a drive mechanism 630 disposed between the opposing sides of the case member 610 and the guide member 620, a rotating member 640 that is rotationally driven by the driving force of the drive mechanism 630, a pitching device 650 disposed on the inner circumference of the rotating member 640, and a guide member 680 disposed on the outer circumference of the rotating member 640.

[0297] The case member 610 comprises a bottom wall portion 611 which is approximately circular in front view, and an approximately cylindrical outer wall portion 612 which is erected from the bottom wall portion 611 toward the front, forming a container shape with one side open by these walls 611 and 612. The guide member 620 is formed in the shape of a circular disc which is annular in front view, and is disposed (fixed) to the erect end of the outer wall portion 612 of the case member 610. As a result, an internal space is formed between the bottom wall portion 611 of the case member 610 and the guide member 620, and the drive mechanism 630 is disposed in this internal space.

[0298] The guide member 620 is a member for holding the rotating member 640 in a displaceable manner, and a connecting link operating groove 621 and a luffing link operating groove 622 are recessed on its front surface. These connecting link operating groove 621 and luffing link operating groove 622 are U-shaped grooves in cross-section that extend along the circumferential direction of the guide member 620, and the insertion portions 644a and 648a of the connecting link member 644 and luffing link member 648 of the rotating member 640, described later, are inserted through them, respectively.

[0299] The groove widths of the connecting link operating groove 621 and the luffing link operating groove 622 are set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameters of the insertion portions 644a and 648a of the connecting link member 644 and the luffing link member 648. Therefore, the insertion portions 644a and 648a of the connecting link member 644 and the luffing link member 648 are made slidable (guided) along the extending direction of the connecting link operating groove 621 and the luffing link operating groove 622.

[0300] When the rotating member 640 is driven to rotate, the connecting link groove 621 acts on the connecting link member 644 to increase or decrease the distance between the divided members DV (see Figure 73), while the luffing link groove 622 acts on the luffing link member 648 to raise and lower the display plate 646 and the partition plate 647 (see Figures 59 and 60). Now, with reference to Figures 49 and 50, the connecting link groove 621 and the luffing link groove 622 of the guide member 620 will be described.

[0301] Figure 49 is a front view of the rotating unit 600 with the rotating member 640, part of the pitching device 650, and the guide member 680 removed, and Figure 50 is a schematic front view of the guide member 620. In Figure 50, the shapes of the connecting link groove 621 and the undulating link groove 622 are schematically shown using dashed lines. These dashed lines are shown as lines passing through the center of the groove width of each groove 621 and 622.

[0302] As shown in Figures 49 and 50, the connecting link groove 621 consists of a large-diameter portion 621a that curves in an arc shape with radius R1 around the axis O, a small-diameter portion 621b that curves in an arc shape with radius R2 around the axis O, and a pair of connecting portions 621c that connect the large-diameter portion 621a and the small-diameter portion 621b. Note that the radius R1 of the large-diameter portion 621a is set to be larger than the radius R2 of the small-diameter portion 621b (R2 <R1)。

[0303] The undulating link groove 622 consists of a large-diameter section 622a that curves in an arc shape with radius R3 around the axis O, a small-diameter section 622b that curves in an arc shape with radius R4 around the axis O, and a pair of connecting sections 622c that connect the large-diameter section 622a and the small-diameter section 622b. Note that the radius R3 of the large-diameter section 622a is set to be larger than the radius R4 of the small-diameter section 622b (R4 <R3)。

[0304] In this embodiment, the large-diameter portion 621a and the small-diameter portion 621b of the connecting link operating groove 621, and the large-diameter portion 622a and the small-diameter portion 622b of the luffing link operating groove 622 are arranged concentrically with respect to the axis O. In this case, the axis O coincides with the center of rotation when the rotating member 640 is rotated. Therefore, when the rotating member 640 is rotated, the forces acting from the large-diameter portions 621a, 622a and the small-diameter portions 622a, 622b of the connecting link operating groove 621 and the luffing link operating groove 622 to the connecting link member 644 and the luffing link member 648, respectively, are suppressed, thereby reducing the output required of the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630.

[0305] Furthermore, the pair of connecting portions 621c of the connecting link groove 621 are positioned at 180-degree phase differences. Similarly, the pair of connecting portions 622c of the luffing link groove 622 are positioned at 180-degree phase differences. Therefore, when the rotating member 640 is rotationally driven, the force acting from one connecting portion 621c of the connecting link groove 621 to the connecting link member 644 can be canceled out by the force acting from the other connecting portion 621c to the connecting link member 644. Similarly, the force acting from one connecting portion 622c of the luffing link groove 622 to the luffing link member 648 can be canceled out by the force acting from the other connecting portion 622c to the luffing link member 648. As a result, the force acting on the rotating member 640 can be made uniform overall, thereby stabilizing the rotation of the rotating member 640 and reducing the output required of the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630.

[0306] In this embodiment, the connecting portion 621c of the connecting link groove 621 and the connecting portion 622c of the undulating link groove 622 are formed in different phases. That is, when the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 is inserted into the connecting portion 621c of the connecting link groove 621, the insertion portion 648a of the undulating link member 648 is inserted into either the large diameter portion 622a or the small diameter portion 622b of the undulating link groove 622, and when the insertion portion 648a of the undulating link member 648 is inserted into the connecting portion 622c of the undulating link groove 622, the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 is inserted into either the large diameter portion 621a or the small diameter portion 621b of the connecting link groove 621.

[0307] Since the connecting parts 621c and 622c are used to change the spacing of the dividing member DV or to displace the display panel 646 and partition panel 647, they receive relatively large reaction forces from these connecting parts 621c and 622c. By preventing the insertion parts 644a and 648a from being inserted into the connecting parts 621c and 622c simultaneously, the required driving force can be distributed. As a result, the output required for the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630 can be reduced.

[0308] Returning from Figure 43 to Figure 48, the drive mechanism 630 will be explained. The drive mechanism 630 is a mechanism for rotationally driving the rotating member 640, and mainly comprises a drive motor 631, a pinion gear 632 fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 631, a transmission gear train in which the leading gear (first transmission gear 633a) meshes with the pinion gear 632, a central transmission member 634 having a gear 634a that meshes with the last gear (second transmission gear 633b) of the transmission gear train, a one-sided distribution gear train and a other-sided distribution gear train in which the leading gears (first distribution gears 635a, 636a) mesh with the gear 634a of the central transmission member 634, and a one-sided rotary drive member 637 and a other-sided rotary drive member 638 having gears 637a, 638a that mesh with the last gears (third distribution gears 635c, 636c) of the one-sided distribution gear train and the other-sided gear train. Furthermore, second distribution gears 635b and 636b are interposed between the first distribution gears 635a and 636a and the third distribution gears 635c and 636c, respectively.

[0309] The one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary drive member 638 are members that are at the end of the transmission path (output end in the drive mechanism 630) that transmit the rotational driving force generated from the drive motor 631. They are rotated by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 631, and their rotation causes the rotating member 640 to rotate. The one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary drive member 638 will now be described with reference to Figure 51.

[0310] Figure 51(a) is a front view of the one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary member 638, and Figure 51(b) is a cross-sectional view of the one-sided rotary member 637 and the other-sided rotary member 638 along the LIb-LIb line in Figure 51(a).

[0311] Since the one-side rotation drive member 637 and the other-side rotation drive member 638 are formed to be the same shape, only the one-side rotation drive member 637 will be described, and the other-side rotation drive member 638 will only be indicated by a reference numeral in Figure 51, and its description will be omitted.

[0312] As shown in Figure 47, the one-sided rotational drive member 637 is formed in a disc shape, and engagement portions 637b are recessed at multiple locations (three locations in this embodiment) that are equally spaced in the circumferential direction on its outer edge.

[0313] The engaging portion 637b is the part that engages with the engaged portion 641 (see Figure 56) of the divided member DV of the rotating member 640, and is formed in a roughly V-shape in front view (axial view) where the width (distance between opposing surfaces) narrows from the open side toward the recessed side. As will be described later, by rotating the one-sided rotation drive member 637, the rotation is transmitted to the rotating member 640 via the engagement of the engaging portion 637b and the engaged portion 641, thereby allowing the rotating member 640 to rotate.

[0314] The one-sided rotary drive member 637 has a connecting wall 637c that partially connects the opposing inner surfaces of the engaging portion 637b. The connecting wall 637c is formed in a shape that curves in an arc when viewed from the front (axial direction) with respect to the axis of the one-sided rotary drive member 637, and connects only the inner surfaces on the open side (outer edge side of the one-sided rotary drive member 637) of the engaging portion 637b, leaving the inner surfaces on the recessed side of the engaging portion 637b unconnected.

[0315] Here, when the rotating member 640 is driven by the one-sided rotating drive member 637, the engagement and disengagement of the engaging portion 637b and the engaged portion 641 are repeatedly and intermittently performed (see Figure 74). Therefore, when the engaged portion 641 begins to engage with the engaging portion 637b, an impact load is applied, which may cause the one-sided rotating drive member 637 to break. On the other hand, if the weight of the one-sided rotating drive member 637 increases, a large output will be required for the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630.

[0316] In this case, according to this embodiment, since the connecting wall 637c is formed only on the open side of the engaging portion 637b, it is possible to effectively achieve both reinforcement against impact loads when the engaging portion 637b and the engaged portion 641 begin to engage, and weight reduction. As a result, the durability of the one-sided drive member 637 can be improved while reducing the output required for the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630.

[0317] Let's return to Figure 48 from Figure 43 for further explanation. Each component of the drive mechanism 630, except for the central transmission member 634, is arranged in the case member 610 (see Figure 53). On the other hand, the central transmission member 634 is rotatably held on the rear side of the guide member 620. Now, let's explain the structure of how the central transmission member 634 is held by the guide member 620 with reference to Figure 52.

[0318] Figure 52 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating unit 600, cut in a plane containing the rotation axis of the central transmission member 634. As shown in Figure 52, the central transmission member 634 is formed in a hat shape, circular in front view with a recessed central portion. A gear 634a is engraved on the outer circumferential surface of the central recessed portion, and a protruding portion 634b is formed as a flange extending radially outward from the outermost edge.

[0319] On the back side of the guide member 620, a pair of retaining collars 623 and 624 (see Figures 47 and 48) are arranged in a superimposed state at three locations (i.e., at 120-degree intervals) that are equally spaced in the circumferential direction, and the protruding portion 634b of the central transmission member 634 is slidably inserted between the opposing pairs of retaining collars 623 and 624. This allows the central transmission member 634 to be rotatably held by the guide member 620 via the pair of retaining collars 623 and 624.

[0320] Specifically, the radial displacement (vertical direction in Figure 52) of the central transmission member 634 relative to the guide member 620 can be restricted by bringing the outer surfaces of the pair of retaining collars 623 and 624 into contact with the outer surface of the central transmission member 634, and the axial displacement (horizontal direction in Figure 52) of the central transmission member 634 relative to the guide member 620 can be restricted by bringing the protruding portion 634b of the central transmission member 634 into contact with the opposing surfaces of the pair of retaining collars 623 and 624.

[0321] In this case, the pair of retaining collars 623 and 624 are formed with a circular shape when viewed from the front (viewed in the rotation axis direction of the central transmission member 634). Therefore, the outer surfaces of the pair of retaining collars 623 and 624 and the outer surface of the central transmission member 634 can be made to have their arc shapes tangent to each other (i.e., point contact), thereby reducing their contact area and lowering the frictional resistance when the central transmission member 634 rotates. As a result, the output required of the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630 can be reduced.

[0322] Furthermore, by adopting a structure that holds the outer edge (protruding portion 634b) of the central transmission member 634 in this manner, it is not necessary to pivotally support the central recessed portion of the central transmission member 634 against the bottom wall portion 611 of the case member 610, and the space required for the pivoting component is eliminated, thereby securing space for the pitching device 650, which will be described later.

[0323] Next, the operation of the drive mechanism 630 will be explained with reference to Figure 53. Figure 53 is a front view of the case member 610 and the drive mechanism 630, and shows a cross-sectional view of the central transmission member 634.

[0324] As shown in Figure 53, the drive mechanism 630 has a central transmission member 634 positioned concentric with the axis O, which is the rotation center of the rotating member 640. The gear 634a of the central transmission member 634 is fitted with the second transmission gear 633b and the third distribution gears 635c and 636c. The third distribution gears 635c and 636c are positioned at a 180-degree phase difference (i.e., opposite each other across the axis O).

[0325] Therefore, when the drive motor 631 is rotationally driven, its rotation is transmitted to the second transmission gear 633b via the pinion gear 632 and the first transmission gear 633a, and the central transmission member 634 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the second transmission gear 633b.

[0326] When the central transmission member 634 is rotated, the pair of first distribution gears 635a and 636a are rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the central transmission member 634, and this rotation is transmitted via the second distribution gears 635b and 636b and the third distribution gears 635c and 636c to the gears 637a and 638a (see Figure 48) of the one-side rotation drive member 637 and the other-side rotation drive member 638, causing the one-side rotation drive member 637 and the other-side rotation drive member 638 to rotate.

[0327] In this way, the central transmission gear 634 is meshed with the first distribution gear 635a and the second distribution gear 636a, so that the rotational force of the drive motor 631 rotates the central transmission gear 634, thereby allowing the one-side rotating drive member 637 and the other-side rotating drive member 638 to rotate in a synchronized manner. As a result, the drive of the rotating member 640 can be stabilized.

[0328] In this case, since the central transmission gear 634 is arranged concentrically with the axis O of the rotating member 640, the central transmission gear 634 and the one-sided and the other-sided rotational drive members 637, 638 can be arranged inward (towards the axis O direction) from the outer edge of the rotating member 640 when viewed in the direction of the axis O. That is, since the central transmission gear 634 and the one-sided and the other-sided rotational drive members 637, 638 do not protrude outward from the outer shape of the rotating member 640, the size can be reduced accordingly.

[0329] Furthermore, when the guide member 620 is disposed on the case member 610, the engaging portions 637b and 638b of the one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary drive member 638 are exposed radially outward from the outer edge of the guide member 620 (see Figure 49), and the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV of the rotating member 640 can engage with these engaging portions 637b and 638b. Therefore, by rotating the one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary drive member 638, the rotation is transmitted to the rotating member 640 via the engagement of the engaging portions 637b and 638b and the engaged portion 641, thereby allowing the rotating member 640 to rotate.

[0330] In this case, the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 are positioned at 180-degree different phases (i.e., opposite each other across the axis O). Therefore, as will be described later, the positions at which driving force is applied to the rotating member 640 (engaging positions) are spaced as far apart as possible, thereby stabilizing the rotation of the rotating member 640.

[0331] Furthermore, the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 are arranged so that the phases of their engaging portions 637b and 638b are different from each other (rotational positions). That is, when one of the engaging portions 637b or 638b is not engaged with the engaged portion 641, the other engaging portion 637b or 638b is engaged with the engaged portion 641 (avoiding the situation where both are disengaged simultaneously). Therefore, as will be described later, the transmission of driving force from the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 to the rotating member 640 can be suppressed, and the rotation of the rotating member 640 can be stabilized.

[0332] Let's return to Figures 43 through 48 for further explanation. As described above, the rotating member 640 is a ring-shaped member in front view that is rotated by the driving force of the rotating mechanism 630, and is positioned concentrically with the central transmission member 634 and the guide member 620, and is located on the front side of the guide member 620. In this embodiment, the rotating member 640 rotates counterclockwise (leftward) in front view. Now, let's explain the rotating member 640 with reference to Figures 54 through 60.

[0333] Figure 54(a) is a front view of the rotating member 640, and Figure 54(b) is a side view of the rotating member 640 in the direction of arrow LIVb in Figure 54(a). Figure 55 is a rear view of the rotating member 640 in the direction of arrow LV in Figure 54(b).

[0334] As shown in Figures 54 and 55, the rotating member 640 comprises a plurality of (30 in this embodiment) divided members DV, and these plurality of divided members DV are endlessly connected to each other along the circumferential direction, forming an annular shape when viewed from the front.

[0335] In this case, the multiple dividing members DV are formed so that the spacing between adjacent dividing members DV can be changed. That is, the rotating member 640 has a first section S1 in which the dividing members DV are connected in the circumferential direction at a first spacing, and a second section S2 in which the dividing members DV are connected in the circumferential direction at a second spacing that is narrower than the first spacing. Between the first section S1 and the second section S2, there is a section in which the spacing between the dividing members DV transitions from a first spacing in the first section S1 to a second spacing in the second section S2 (or vice versa).

[0336] Figure 56(a) is a front perspective view of the divided member DV, and Figure 56(b) is a rear perspective view of the divided member DV. Figure 57 is an exploded front perspective view of the divided member DV, and Figure 58 is an exploded rear perspective view of the divided member DV. In Figures 56 to 58, the connecting link members 644 of adjacent divided members DV are schematically shown using dashed lines to help understand the connection structure between the divided members DV.

[0337] In this embodiment, a portion of the multiple divided members DV (15 in this embodiment) have a detectable portion 641c formed on them, while the remaining divided members DV do not have the detectable portion 641c formed on them. The divided members DV on which the detectable portion 641c is formed and the divided members DV on which the detectable portion 641c is omitted have the same configuration except for the presence or absence of the detectable portion 641c. Therefore, in the following, the divided members DV on which the detectable portion 641c is formed will be described, and the description of the divided members DV on which the detectable portion 641c is omitted will be omitted.

[0338] As shown in Figures 56 to 58, the divided member DV mainly comprises an engaged portion 641, a rear-side body 642 on which the engaged portion 641 is disposed on the rear side, a front-side body 643 disposed on the front side of the rear-side body 642, a connecting link member 644 whose base end is rotatably pivoted between the rear-side body 642 and the front-side body 643, a plate holding member 645 disposed on the front side of the front-side body 643, a display plate 646 and a partition plate 647 that are displaceably held by the plate holding member 645, and a ripple link member 648 that is slidably disposed between the front-side body 643 and the plate holding member 645.

[0339] As described above, the engaged portion 641 is the part that engages with the engaged portions 637b and 638b of each rotational drive member 637 and 638 of the drive mechanism 630. It is formed in a roughly isosceles triangular shape when viewed from the front and is arranged to protrude from the rear surface of one longitudinal side (lower side in Figure 56(b)) of the rear side body 642.

[0340] On the mounting surface side of the engaged portion 641 to the rear body 642, an opposing portion 641a is formed that faces the rear surface of the rear body 642 at a predetermined distance, and the outer edge of the guide member 620 is slidably sandwiched between the opposing surface of the opposing portion 641a and the rear body 642. This prevents the splitting member DV (one side in the longitudinal direction of the rear body 642) of the guide member 620 from lifting up from the front.

[0341] Furthermore, a pair of cylindrical sliding rollers 641b are rotatably supported on the mounting surface side of the engaged portion 641 to the rear body 642. The sliding rollers 641b are positioned so that their axis of rotation is perpendicular to the rear surface of the rear body 642 (i.e., the moving plane of the divided member DV), and their outer circumferential surfaces can contact the outer circumferential surface of the outer edge of the guide member 620. This reduces the sliding resistance when the divided member DV is displaced along the circumferential direction of the guide member 620.

[0342] On the other hand, a plate-shaped detected portion 641c is formed protruding from the side of the engaged portion 641 opposite to the mounting surface to the rear-side main body 642. The detected portion 641c is a plate-shaped part that is detected by a detection sensor 684 disposed on the guide member 680, and is positioned horizontally to the back of the rear-side main body 642 (i.e., the moving plane of the divided member DV).

[0343] The rear body 642 is the part whose rear surface rests on the front surface of the guide member 620 and slides along the front surface of the guide member 620 when the rotating member 640 rotates, and is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate when viewed from the front. When the rotating member 640 is mounted on the guide member 620, the rear body 642 is positioned so that its longitudinal direction is aligned with the radial direction of the guide member 620. That is, each rear body portion 642 is arranged in a radial line centered on the axis O (see Figure 54).

[0344] The rear body 642 includes a groove-shaped opening 642a and an opening 642b for a connecting link and a raised link, which are groove-shaped openings extending linearly along the longitudinal direction; a pivot portion 642c formed on the front surface of one longitudinal side (lower side in Figure 57) which pivotally supports the base end of the connecting link member 644 between it and the front body 643 (pivot portion 643b); and a bent portion 642d projecting from the rear surface on the other longitudinal side (upper side in Figure 58).

[0345] The connecting link opening 642a is an opening through which the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 of the adjacent divided member DV is slidably inserted. By inserting the insertion portion 644a into this connecting link opening 642a, the divided member DV can be connected to an adjacent divided member DV via the connecting link member 644. Furthermore, the tip of the insertion portion 644a inserted into the connecting link opening 642a of the connecting link member 644 is inserted into the connecting link operating groove 621 of the guide member 620.

[0346] The opening width of the connecting link opening 642a is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644. Therefore, the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link 644 is slidable (guided) along the extending direction of the connecting link opening 642a.

[0347] When the divided member DV is displaced in the circumferential direction of the guide member 620, the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 receives action from the connecting link operating groove 621 of the guide member 620. As a result, the insertion portion 644a slides along the connecting link opening 642a, allowing the orientation of the connecting link member 644 to change in accordance with the action from the connecting link operating groove 621. This creates an orientation of the connecting link member 644 relative to the rear side body 642, and allows the distance between the divided members DV to be increased or decreased.

[0348] The luffing link opening 642b is an opening through which the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648 is slidably inserted, and the tip of the insertion portion 648a inserted into the luffing link opening 642b of the luffing link member 648 is inserted into the luffing link operating groove 622 of the guide member 620.

[0349] The opening width of the luffing link opening 642b is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648. Therefore, the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link 648 is slidable (guided) along the extending direction of the luffing link opening 642b.

[0350] When the divided member DV is displaced in the circumferential direction of the guide member 620, the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648 receives action from the luffing link operating groove 622 of the guide member 620, causing the insertion portion 648a to slide along the luffing link opening 642b, thereby allowing the display panel 646 and the partition panel 647 to be raised and lowered.

[0351] As described above, the pivot support portion 642c is formed on one longitudinal side (lower side in Figure 57) of the rear side body 642, so that the base end of the connecting link member 644 can be pivotally supported at a position that overlaps with the engaged portion 641 in a front view. Therefore, when the engaged portion 641 is driven by the engaged portions 637b and 638b of each rotational drive member 637 and 638, and the divided member DV is displaced along the circumferential direction of the guide member 620, that displacement can be easily transmitted to the adjacent divided member DV via the connecting link member 644.

[0352] The bent portion 642d is a part that protrudes from the other longitudinal side (upper side in Figure 58) of the rear body 642, and is bent so that its protruding tip faces the rear surface of the rear body 642 at a predetermined distance. The inner edge of the guide member 620 is slidably sandwiched between the bent portion of the protruding tip and the opposing surface of the rear body 642. This prevents the split member DV (the other longitudinal side of the rear body 642) from lifting up from the front of the guide member 620.

[0353] Furthermore, the bent portion 642d is positioned so that its base can abut against the inner circumferential surface of the inner edge of the guide member 620, and the distance between the base of the bent portion 642d and the aforementioned sliding roller 641b is set to a dimension equal to or slightly larger than the radial width of the guide member 620. This restricts the radial displacement of the dividing member DV of the guide member 620, so that the main body member DV (rear side main body 642) can be displaced in the circumferential direction of the guide member 620 while its longitudinal direction remains aligned with the radial direction of the guide member 620.

[0354] The front body 643 is a rectangular plate-shaped member formed in a front view, with substantially the same size as the rear body 642, and includes a relief link slide groove 643a, which is a groove-shaped opening extending linearly along the longitudinal direction, a pivot support portion 643b formed on the rear side of one longitudinal side (lower side in Figure 58) that pivotally supports the base end of the connecting link member 644 between it and the rear body 642 (pivot support portion 642c), and a support plate 643c that protrudes from the front and rotatably supports the partition plate 647.

[0355] The luffing link slide groove 643a is a straight groove in which the luffing link member 648 is slidably disposed, and extends parallel to the luffing link opening 642b. That is, the luffing link member 648 slides along the luffing link slide groove 643a, causing its insertion portion 648a to slide along the luffing link opening 642b.

[0356] In a front view, the rear body 642 and the front body 643 are formed such that the width dimension on the other side in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the width dimension on the one side in the longitudinal direction. That is, they are formed in a front view wedge shape such that the width dimension of the part located on the inner circumference is smaller than the width dimension of the part located on the outer circumference of the rotating member 640. Therefore, the second gap in the second section S2 can be made smaller, bringing the divided members DV closer together and reducing the space required for arranging the rotating member 640. In this embodiment, in the second section S2, the rear body 642 and the front body 643 are in circumferential contact with adjacent rear body 642 and front body 643 (see Figures 54 and 73).

[0357] The connecting link member 644 is an elongated member, with its base end rotatably supported by the pivot portions 642c and 643b of the rear body 642 and the front body 643, and a cylindrical insertion portion 644a formed at its tip. The insertion portion 644a protrudes in a position parallel to the rotation axis of the connecting link member 644 and, as described above, is inserted into the connecting link working groove 621 of the guide member 620 via the connecting link opening 642a of the rear body 642 of the adjacent divided member DV.

[0358] The diameter of the insertion portion 644a is set to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the groove width of the connecting link opening 642a and the connecting link working groove 621. Therefore, during the rotation of the rotating member 640, the positional displacement of the dividing member DV relative to the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link 644 can be minimized, and the spacing between the dividing members DV can be easily maintained at a constant level. As a result, positional variations of the detected portion 641c can be suppressed, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the detection sensor 684 (see Figure 71).

[0359] Furthermore, the base end of the connecting link member 644, which is rotatably supported on the rear body 642 and the front body 643 (i.e., the pivot points 642c and 643b of each body 642 and 643), is positioned closer to the engaged portion 641 than the opening 642a for the connecting link. In this embodiment, the base end of the connecting link member 644 is positioned to overlap the engaged portion 641 when viewed from the front (viewed in the direction of the axis O of the rotating member 640).

[0360] As a result, the engaging portions 637b and 638b of the one-sided and the other-sided rotation drive members 637 and 638 engage with the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV, and when the divided member DV is moved along the circumferential direction of the guide member 620 by the rotation of the one-sided and the other-sided rotation drive members 637 and 638, the displacement of the divided member DV can be easily transmitted to the adjacent divided member DV via the connecting link member 644. As a result, the displacement (rotation) of the rotating member 640 can be stabilized.

[0361] The luffing link member 648 is a member that is slidably held in the luffing link slide groove 643a of the front side body 643, and has a cylindrical insertion portion 648a formed on the rear side and an operating groove 648b formed on the front side. The insertion portion 648a protrudes in a position parallel to the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644, and as described above, is inserted into the luffing link operating groove 622 of the guide member 620 via the luffing link opening 642b of the rear side body 642.

[0362] The working groove 648b is a portion that acts on the acted portion 646d of the display plate 646 when the luffing link member 648 is slidably displaced, thereby causing the display plate 646 and the partition plate 647 to luff. It is formed as a groove that extends linearly along the sliding direction of the luffing link member 648, and the acted portion 646d of the display plate 646 is slidably inserted between the opposing surfaces of the groove.

[0363] The display panel 646 comprises a plate portion 646a formed in the shape of a rectangular plate when viewed from the front, a shaft portion 646b and a connecting shaft 646c formed on one side of the plate portion 646a, and a plate-shaped actuated portion 646d inserted between the opposing surfaces of the working groove 648b of the luffing link member 648. Since the actuated portion 646d is formed bent in a roughly S-shape when viewed from the front, when the luffing link member 648 is displaced by sliding, the actuated portion 646d is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the sliding displacement, and the display panel 646 can be rotated with the shaft portion 646b as the center of rotation.

[0364] The partition plate 647 comprises a plate-shaped plate portion 647a formed in a trapezoidal shape when viewed from the front, a pair of shaft portions 647b formed on one side of the plate portion 647a, and a shaft support portion 647c formed on the same side as the pair of shaft portions 647b, which rotatably supports the connecting shaft 646c of the display plate 646.

[0365] As described above, the rotating unit 600 is a performance device that mimics a roulette wheel, in which a wheel with multiple pockets arranged in a circumferential direction is rotated and a thrown ball is dropped into one of the pockets. The space enclosed by the display panel 646 and partition panel 647 of one divided member DV and the partition panel 647 of the adjacent divided member DV is considered a pocket, and the display panel 646 (panel portion 646a) is colored red or black and displays different numbers (1 to 29) on each.

[0366] In this embodiment, the display panel 646 is colored green and displays a predetermined mark (star shape). Furthermore, the rotating member 640 is such that only the display panel 646 located in the first section S1 is visible to the player. That is, the display panel 646 located in the second section S2 is obscured by other members arranged on its front side and is not visible to the player.

[0367] The plate holding member 645 includes a pivot portion 645a that rotatably pivots the shaft portion 646b of the display plate 646, and a pivot portion 645b that rotatably pivots the shaft portion 647b of the partition plate 647. Through pivoting by these pivot portions 645a and 645b, the display plate 646 and the partition plate 647 are rotatably supported on the upper side (front side) of the front body 643.

[0368] In this case, the display panel 646 and the partition panel 647 are connected by a connecting shaft 646c and a pivot support 647c. Therefore, when the display panel 646 rotates around the shaft 646b as a center of rotation due to the sliding displacement of the luffing link member 648, that rotation is transmitted to the partition panel 647 via the connecting shaft 646c and pivot support 647c, causing the partition panel 647 to rotate around the shaft 647b. The rotation of the display panel 646 and the partition panel 647 will be explained with reference to Figures 59 and 60.

[0369] Figures 59(a) and 59(b) are top and bottom perspective views of the divided member DV in its configuration in the first section S1, and Figures 60(a) and 60(b) are top and bottom perspective views of the divided member DV in its configuration in the second section S2. Note that, for ease of understanding, Figures 59 and 60 show some of the components in a transparent state, and the connecting link member 644, the detected part 641c, and the bent part 642d are omitted from the illustration.

[0370] As shown in Figure 59, when the divided member DV is positioned in the first section S1, the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648 is inserted into the small diameter portion 622b (see Figure 50) of the luffing link operating groove 622 of the guide member 620. As a result, the luffing link member 648 is slidably displaced to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the rear side body 642 and the front side body 643 (i.e., the inner circumference side of the guide member 620 and the rotating member 640, the axis O side), so that the plate portion 646a of the display plate 646 is positioned horizontally, while the plate portion 647a of the partition plate 647 is positioned upright.

[0371] The horizontal position is the position in which the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is parallel to the back surface of the rear side main body 642 (i.e., the moving plane of the dividing member DV), and the upright position is the position in which the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 is perpendicular to the back surface of the rear side main body 642 (i.e., the moving plane of the dividing member DV).

[0372] As shown in Figure 60, when the divided member DV is positioned in the second section S2, the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648 is inserted into the large diameter portion 622a (see Figure 50) of the luffing link operating groove 622 of the guide member 620. As a result, the luffing link member 648 is displaced to one side in the longitudinal direction of the rear body 642 and the front body 643 (i.e., the outer circumference side of the guide member 620 and the rotating member 640, opposite to the axis O), and as a result, the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is lifted from a horizontal position toward the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 and positioned in an inclined position, and the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 is tilted from an upright position toward the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 and positioned in an inclined position.

[0373] Thus, in this embodiment, the display panel 646 and the partition panel 647 are connected by the connecting shaft 646c and the pivot support 647c. As the luffing link member 648 slides, the display panel 646 is rotated, which in turn causes the partition panel 647 to rotate via the connecting shaft 646c and the pivot support 647c.

[0374] This eliminates the need to provide separate luffing link grooves and luffing link members for the mechanism that rotates the display panel 646 and the mechanism that rotates the partition panel 647, allowing the luffing link grooves and luffing link members to be common to both mechanisms. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, the structure can be simplified, and product costs can be reduced.

[0375] In this embodiment, the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is heavier than the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647. Therefore, when changing from the state shown in Figure 60 (i.e., the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is lifted upward and the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 is tilted downward) to the state shown in Figure 59 (i.e., the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is in a horizontal position and the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 is in an upright position), the rotational action due to the weight of the display panel 646 (plate portion 646a) can be used to reliably and quickly form the state shown in Figure 59.

[0376] In other words, since the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is lifted upward, it rotates under its own weight in a direction that causes it to tilt downward, thereby forming a horizontal position. At the same time, the rotation (weight) of the display panel 646 is transmitted to the partition panel 647 via the connecting shaft 646c and the pivot portion 647c, thereby lifting the partition panel 647 and forming an upright position. Therefore, even if rotation is hindered by the accumulation of dirt or dust, the state shown in Figure 59 can be reliably and quickly formed.

[0377] In particular, in this embodiment, the overhang length of the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 from the shaft portion 646b is set to be greater than the overhang length of the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 from the shaft portion 647b. As a result, the center of gravity of the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is moved away from the shaft portion 646b, while the center of gravity of the plate portion 647a of the partition panel 647 is brought closer to the shaft portion 647b. Consequently, the state shown in Figure 59 can be formed more reliably and quickly by utilizing the weight of the display panel 646.

[0378] Let's return to Figures 43 through 48 for explanation. The pitching device 650 is a device for pitching ball B to the rotating member 640, and is housed in the central recess of the central transmission member 634 of the drive mechanism 630 and is positioned on the inner circumference side of the rotating member 640. Now, let's explain the pitching device 650 with reference to Figures 61 through 69.

[0379] Figures 61 and 62 are exploded front perspective views of the pitching device 650. In Figure 62, the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 is shown attached to the case body 651, and the passage member 655 is not shown.

[0380] As shown in Figures 61 and 62, the pitching device 650 mainly comprises a case body 651 formed in the shape of a container with an open front, an arm rotation mechanism 660 and a retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 disposed inside the case body 651, a passage member 655 disposed on the front side of the case body 651, and a sphere B formed in the shape of a sphere from a translucent material.

[0381] The case body 651 comprises a bottom wall portion 651a which is approximately circular in front view, an approximately cylindrical outer wall portion 651b which is erected from the bottom wall portion 651a toward the front, and an overhanging wall portion 651c which is formed by projecting radially outward in a flange-like manner from the outer peripheral surface of the outer wall portion 651b. The overhanging wall portion 651c is fastened and fixed to the rear side of the guide member 620 so that the erected tip (opening) of the outer wall portion 651b is positioned to approximately coincide with the front of the rotating member 640 (plate portion 646a of the display panel 646).

[0382] A ball-holding portion 652 is provided on the front surface of the bottom wall portion 651a. The ball-holding portion 652 has a spherical recess formed on its front surface, the size of which corresponds to the outer diameter of the ball B, and this recess is the holding position (initial position) of the ball B. That is, when the ball B is placed in the ball-holding portion 652, the ball B is held between the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion 651b and the arm member 664 of the arm rotation mechanism 660 (see Figure 44).

[0383] In this case, the pitching device 650 is positioned with the retaining piece 677 of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 in its lowest position. When the arm member 664 of the arm rotation mechanism 660 rotates, the ball B rolls along the inner circumferential surface (inner circumferential passage 651c1) of the outer wall portion 651b and is held on the retaining piece 677 of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 in its protruding position (see Figure 68). The arm rotation mechanism 660 will now be described with reference to Figures 63 to 65.

[0384] Figure 63 is an exploded front perspective view of the arm rotation mechanism 660. Figure 64 is a front view of the pitching device 660 with the arm member 664 of the arm rotation mechanism 660 in the holding position, and Figure 65 is a front view of the pitching device 660 with the arm member 664 of the arm rotation mechanism 660 in the separated position. In Figures 64 and 65, the front case 662 of the arm rotation mechanism 660 is shown removed for ease of understanding.

[0385] As shown in Figures 63 to 65, the arm rotation mechanism 660 comprises a rear case 661 disposed on the bottom wall portion 651a of the case body 651, a front case 662 disposed in front of the rear case 661, a crank member 663 and an arm member 664 rotatably held between the opposing surfaces of the rear case 661 and the front case 662, and a drive motor 665 and a pinion gear 666 for driving the crank member 663 and the arm member 664.

[0386] The rear case 661 has shafts 661a and 661b protruding from it, with a crank member 663 rotatably supported on shaft 661a and an arm member 664 rotatably supported on shaft 661b. The crank member 663 has a gear 663a engraved on its outer surface, into which a pinion gear 676 meshes, and a pin portion 663b protrudes at an eccentric position from the center of rotation (shaft 661a). The arm member 664 has a sliding groove 664a extending linearly through which the pin portion 663b of the crank member 663 is slidably inserted, and a curved portion 664b with a front view shape that is half the shape of an annular ring is formed at a position opposite the sliding groove 664a with respect to the center of rotation (shaft 661b).

[0387] Therefore, by rotating the drive motor 665 in the forward or reverse direction, the crank member 663 is rotated via the rotation of the pinion gear 666 fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 655, and the pin portion 663b of the crank member 663 acts on the sliding groove 664a of the arm member 664, thereby allowing the arm member 664 to rotate in one direction or the other with the axis 661b as the center of rotation.

[0388] In other words, the arm member 664 is rotatable (oscillates) between a holding position (see Figure 64) in which the curved shape of the curved portion 664b is aligned with the outer circumference of the ball holding portion 652 to hold the ball B in the ball holding portion 652, and a separated position (see Figure 65) in which the curved portion 664b is separated from the ball holding portion 652 to drop the ball B from the ball holding portion 652 into the inner circumferential passage 651c1.

[0389] In this embodiment, a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the curved portion 664b (a range of approximately 90 degrees in central angle on the side spaced away from the shaft 661b (downward side)) is formed by a cantilever plate 664c. The cantilever plate 664c is a plate-like body that curves along the inner circumferential surface of the curved portion 664b, and a shaft 664c1 provided at its base end is rotatably supported on the curved portion 664b, while the cantilever plate 664c is maintained in an upward (radially inward) position by the elastic force of the leaf spring 667a of the limit switch 667 disposed on the rear side (outer circumferential surface side) of the tip end.

[0390] Therefore, when the arm member 664 is positioned in the holding position, if the ball B is held in the ball holding part 652, the weight of the ball B pushes down the cantilever plate 664c around the axis 664c1 as the center of rotation, turning on the limit switch 667. On the other hand, if the ball B is not held in the ball holding part 652, the cantilever plate 664c is raised as described above, turning off the limit switch 667. As a result, the presence or absence of ball B in the ball holding part 652 can be detected.

[0391] In this case, the curved portion 664b of the arm member 664 and the recess in the ball-holding portion 652 are formed to a size that allows the ball B to be displaced when the arm member 664 is positioned in the holding position. That is, the inner diameter of the curved portion 664b and the inner diameter of the recess in the ball-holding portion 652 are made larger than the diameter of the ball. Therefore, when the pachinko machine 10 is struck or shaken by a player and an external force (vibration) is input, the ball B can be displaced in accordance with the input of that vibration. That is, the displacement (vibration) of the ball B can displace the cantilever plate 664c in accordance with that vibration, and the limit switch 667 can be turned on or off. As a result, by monitoring the state of the limit switch 667, the input of an external force to the pachinko machine 10 can be detected using the arm rotation mechanism 660.

[0392] Let us refer back to Figures 61 and 62 for further explanation. As described above, when the arm member 664 of the arm rotation mechanism 660 is rotated to the separated position, the sphere B rolls along the inner circumferential surface (inner circumferential passage 651c1) of the outer wall portion 651b and is held on the retaining piece 677 in the protruding position of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 (see Figure 68). The retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 is formed such that the retaining piece 677 can retract between a protruding position and a retracted position, and when the retaining piece 677 is retracted to the retracted position, the sphere B is thrown onto one of the multiple divided members DV (display plate 646) of the rotating member 640. Now, let us explain the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 with reference to Figures 66 to 69.

[0393] Figure 66 is an exploded front perspective view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 with the retaining piece 677 in the protruding position, and Figure 67 is an exploded front perspective view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 with the retaining piece 677 in the retracted position.

[0394] Figure 68(a) is a front perspective view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 with the retaining piece 677 in the protruding position, and Figure 68(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 along the line LXVIIIb-LXVIIIb in Figure 68(a). Figure 69(a) is a front perspective view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 with the retaining piece 677 in the retracted position, and Figure 69(b) is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 along the line LXIXb-LXIXb in Figure 69(a).

[0395] As shown in Figures 66 to 69, the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 comprises a rear case 671 formed in an arc shape along the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion 651b of the case body 651 and disposed on the bottom wall portion 651a of the case body 651, a front case 672 disposed in front of the rear case 671, a slide member 673 held between the opposing surfaces of the rear case 671 and the front case 672 so as to be slidable, a drive motor 675 and a pinion gear 676 for driving the slide member 673, and a retaining piece 677 that extends and retracts in accordance with the sliding displacement of the slide member 673.

[0396] The rear case 671 is provided with two pairs of roller members 674 arranged opposite each other at a predetermined distance apart, and holds a slide member 673 between the opposing roller members 674 in a slidable position. The rear case 671 is also provided with a sliding base 671a, which is a rectangular plate shape in top view and is formed to protrude from one end (lower portion) in the circumferential direction toward the front, and the upper surface of the sliding base 671a and the lower surface (outer peripheral surface) of the front base 672 guide the sliding displacement (protrusion toward the front and recession toward the rear) of the holding piece 677.

[0397] A pin portion 673a protrudes from one end (lower portion) in the circumferential direction of the slide member 673, and a rack gear 673b, into which a pinion gear 676 meshes, is engraved along the inner circumferential surface of the other end (information portion) in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, a sliding groove 677a is bent in a roughly Z shape and extends from the retaining piece 677, through which the pin portion 673a of the slide member 673 is slidably inserted. That is, one end (right side in Figure 66) of the sliding groove 677a is offset to the front side compared to the other end (left side in Figure 66).

[0398] Therefore, by rotating the drive motor 675 in the forward or reverse direction, the pinion gear 676 fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 675 is rotated, causing the slide member 673 to slide via the rack gear 673b. By causing the pin portion 673a of the slide member 673 to act on the sliding groove 677a of the retaining piece 677, the retaining piece 677 can be made to protrude to the front or retract to the rear. In other words, the retaining piece 677 is capable of sliding between a protruding position where it protrudes to the front (see Figure 68) and a retracted position where it is retracted to the rear (see Figure 69).

[0399] Here, the upper surface of the retaining piece 677 has a curved surface 677b located on the back side (right side in Figures 68(b) and 69(b)) and curved concentrically with the inner circumferential surface of the outer wall portion 651b of the case body 651 (i.e., the inner circumferential passage 651c1), and smoothly connected to the inner circumferential passage 651c1 in the circumferential direction; an upward inclined surface 677c connected to the edge of the curved surface 677b and inclined upward as it approaches the front side (left side in Figures 68(b) and 69(b)); and a downward inclined surface 677d connected to the edge of the upward inclined surface 677c and inclined downward as it approaches the front side.

[0400] Therefore, when the retaining piece 677 is positioned in a protruding position (see Figures 68(a) and 68(b)), the upward inclination of the upward inclined surface 677c restricts the sphere B that falls from the sphere holding portion 652, rolls along the inner circumferential passage 651c1, and reaches the curved surface 677b of the retaining piece 677 from rolling toward the front side (left side in Figure 68(b)), thereby allowing it to be held on the retaining piece 677 (curved surface 677b).

[0401] On the other hand, when the retaining piece 677 is retracted from this protruding position toward the rear and positioned in the retracted position (see Figures 69(a) and 69(b)), the sphere B, whose movement toward the rear (right side in Figure 69(b)) is restricted by the front of the front case 672, moves over the upward inclined surface 677c and onto the downward inclined surface 677d as the retaining piece 677 is displaced in the direction of retraction (towards the rear). This allows the sphere B to roll along the downward inclination of the downward inclined surface 677d and be thrown toward the front (divided member DV of the rotating member 640).

[0402] Furthermore, since the curved surface 677b smoothly connects to the inner circumferential passage 651c1 on both sides in the circumferential direction, the ball B that has fallen from the ball holding part 652 and rolled along one of the inner circumferential passages 651c1 can be allowed to pass over the curved surface 677b of the holding piece 677 and roll to the other inner circumferential passage 651c1. In other words, the ball B can be made to reciprocate between the inner circumferential passage 651c1 on one side in the circumferential direction and the inner circumferential passage 651c1 on the other side in the circumferential direction via the curved surface 677b. Also, since the curved surface 677b of the holding piece 677 is located below the inner circumferential passage 651c1, when the momentum of the ball B is lost and its rolling motion is stopped, the ball B can be positioned on the curved surface 677b.

[0403] Let's return to Figure 61 for explanation. As described above, a passage member 655 is provided on the front side of the case body 651. The passage member 655 is located on the front side of the retaining piece 677 of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 and includes a ball-throwing passage 655a, which is the passage for sending the thrown ball B onto the dividing member DV (display panel 646) of the rotating member 640 when the retaining piece 677 is retracted (retracted to the retraction position), and a return passage 655b, which is the passage for returning the ball B sent from the dividing member DV of the rotating member 640 to the ball-holding section 652.

[0404] The ball-throwing passage 655a includes a groove 655a1 with a roughly U-shaped cross-section that extends to the front and has a width dimension substantially the same as the downward inclined surface 677d of the retaining piece 677 of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670; a front portion 655a2 that extends from the groove 655a1 to the front side edge and is substantially flush with the display plate 646 of the dividing member DV of the rotating member 640; and a pair of opposing portions 655a3 that are erected on both sides in the width direction of the front portion 655a2 and face each other at a distance substantially the same as the opposing distance of the partition plates 647 of the dividing member DV of the rotating member 640.

[0405] Therefore, when the retaining piece 677 of the retaining piece retraction mechanism 670 is retracted to the retracted position, the ball B that rolls along the downward inclined surface 677d of the retaining piece 677 is received by the groove 655a1 and rolled along the extending direction of the groove 655a1, thereby enabling the ball B to be thrown while suppressing rattling.

[0406] Furthermore, since the front portion 655a2 is flush with the display plate 646 of the divided member DV, and the distance between the opposing portions 655a3 is approximately the same as the distance between the opposing partition plates 647 of the divided member DV, the thrown ball B can be smoothly placed on the display plate 646 of the divided member DV. When the ball B is thrown, the rotating member 640 stops at a phase (rotation position) in which the partition plates 647 of the divided member DV coincide with the opposing portions 655a3, based on the detection result from the detection sensor 684 described later.

[0407] The return passage 655b includes a rolling surface 655b1 that receives the ball B sent from the divided member DV of the rotating member 640 on the upstream side and causes it to roll downstream, and an erected portion 655b2 that is erected downstream of the rolling surface 655b1 and is formed in a curved shape to direct the rolling direction of the ball B toward the rear side.

[0408] In a front view of the pitching device 650, the rolling portion 655b1 is positioned on the inner circumferential edge of the rotating member 640 on its upstream side and on the front side of the ball holding portion 652b on its downstream side. Furthermore, the rolling portion 655b1 is formed with a downward inclination from the upstream side to the downstream side, and with the downstream side also inclined downward toward the ball holding portion 652.

[0409] The sphere B, which is placed on the divided member DV of the rotating member 640 and transported circumferentially as the rotating member 640 rotates, is pushed radially inward by the action of the partition plate 647 and the return guide 681b of the guide member 680 (described later), and is sent to the upstream side of the return passage 655b. Thereupon, the sphere B is rolled downstream on the rolling part 655b1, guided by the upright part 655b2, and falls into the sphere holding part 652.

[0410] Let's return to Figures 48 from Figure 43 for further explanation. As described above, a guide member 680 is provided on the outer circumference of the rotating member 640. The guide member 680 is provided along the lower portion of the rotating member 640 and guides the sphere B on the dividing member DV of the rotating member 640 during transport accompanying the rotation of the rotating member 640 (i.e., supports the sphere B from below), and also holds a detection sensor 684 for detecting the phase (rotational position) of the rotating member 640. Here, the guide member 680 will be explained with reference to Figures 70 and 71.

[0411] Figure 70 is a front perspective view of the guide member 680, and Figure 71 is a rear perspective view of the guide member 680. As shown in Figure 70, the guide member 680 mainly comprises a base 681 disposed on the case member 610, a plate-shaped transparent plate 682 disposed on the front side of the base 681, a cantilever plate 683 disposed on the rear side of the transparent plate 682, and a plurality (six in this embodiment) of detection sensors 684 disposed on the base 681.

[0412] The base portion 681 is a member formed in the shape of a ring divided at a central angle of approximately 120 degrees (i.e., a shape that curves in an arc shape when viewed from the front), and a guide surface 681a is formed on its inner circumferential surface. The guide surface 681a is positioned on the outer circumferential surface side of the rotating member 640 and faces the sphere B which is positioned on the dividing member DV (i.e., the space surrounded by the display plate 646 and the partition plate 647). In other words, it is positioned on the dividing member DV of the rotating member 640 and supports the sphere B which is transported as the rotating member 640 rotates from below.

[0413] Furthermore, a return guide 681b is formed on the inner circumferential surface side of the base portion 681, connected to the downstream side of the guide surface 681a (right side in Figure 70). The return guide 681b is a part that sends the sphere B, which is transported as the rotating member 640 rotates, to the return passage 655b of the passage member 655. It is formed with a smaller width dimension than the guide surface 681a and is formed in a shape that protrudes radially inward, so that it is positioned facing the dividing member DV (display plate 646) of the rotating member 640 (see Figures 43 and 44).

[0414] Therefore, when the sphere B, which is placed on the divided member DV of the rotating member 640, is transported circumferentially as the rotating member 640 rotates, the sphere B is pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the return guide 681b by the partition plate 647 (plate portion 647a) of the divided member DV. Therefore, when the rotating member 640 rotates further, the sphere B is pushed radially inward by the action of the partition plate 647 and the return guide 681b and transported to the upstream side of the return passage 655b.

[0415] Here, even if the formation of the return guide 681b is omitted, if the rotating member 640 is rotated to a position where the partition plate 647 (plate portion 647a) is inclined downward toward the return passage 655b, the ball B can be dropped into the return passage 655b along the downward inclination of the partition plate 647. However, in this case, the ball B is transported upward before it can begin to roll under its own weight, so the position at which the ball B falls is higher, and because the ball B falls after rolling along the downward inclination of the partition plate 647, the force with which the ball B falls is greater. Therefore, there is a risk of damaging the return passage 655b.

[0416] In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the return guide 681b is provided, which lowers the landing position of the ball B when it falls into the return passage 655b, and also reduces the ball's speed as it slides along the return guide 681b while being sent to the return passage 655b. As a result, damage to the return passage 655b can be suppressed.

[0417] The transparent plate 682 is a portion that faces the dividing member DV (display plate 646) of the rotating member 640 at a predetermined distance (a distance that can hold the ball B), and a part of the upper edge portion in the center in the width direction extends upward to a position that faces the ball-throwing passage 655a (front portion 655a2) of the passage member 655. This prevents the ball B thrown from the throwing device 650 to the dividing member DV of the rotating member 640 from flying out to the outside.

[0418] Furthermore, the perforated plate 682 is formed to be large enough (width dimension) to partially face not only the dividing member DV into which the ball B is thrown (i.e., the dividing member DV that is in the same phase as the front portion 655a2 of the ball-throwing passage 655a), but also the dividing member DV adjacent to the downstream side of that dividing member DV (downstream side in the direction of transport of the ball B). This makes it easier to converge the erratic movement of the ball B thrown from the ball-throwing passage 655a between the perforated plate 682 and the ball B, and to stably transport the ball B to the return guide 681b.

[0419] On the other hand, the transparent plate 682 is sized (width dimension) to face the dividing member DV into which the ball B is thrown and the dividing member DV adjacent to the downstream side of that dividing member DV, but does not face the dividing member DV located downstream of the dividing member DV into which the ball B is thrown and the adjacent dividing member DV. In other words, the ball B can be exposed between the edge of the transparent plate 682 on the downstream side in the direction of transport of the ball B (right side in Figure 70) and the return guide 681b, making it easier for the player to see the transport of the ball B.

[0420] Furthermore, since the transparent plate 682 is entirely made of a light-transmitting material, the player can see through it to the components and ball B located on its back side. Thus, the player can visually observe the entire sequence of events in which the thrown ball B passes through the ball-throwing passage 655a, falls between the display plate 647 and the transparent plate 682 of the divided member DV, and is transported by the rotation of the rotating member 640 while being supported by the guide surface 681a.

[0421] The cantilever plate 683 is a member that, together with the guide surface 681a, forms the inner circumferential surface of the base 681, and is formed as a plate-like body that curves along the guide surface 681a (i.e., the inner circumferential surface of the base 681). The cantilever plate 683 is rotatably supported on the base 681 by an axis 685 at one end in the circumferential direction, and its other end in the circumferential direction is maintained in an upward (radially inward) position by the elastic force of a leaf spring of a limit switch (not shown) disposed on the base 681.

[0422] When the other end of the cantilever plate 683 is lifted upward, the limit switch is off. When a ball B is thrown from the pitching device 650 to the divided member DV of the rotating member 640, the weight of the ball B pushes the cantilever plate 683 down around the axis 685 as the center of rotation, turning on the limit switch. This allows detection that the ball B thrown from the pitching device 650 has been placed in the correct position (divided member DV of the rotating member 640).

[0423] On the other hand, as the rotating member 640 rotates, the sphere B is transported, and when the weight of the sphere B acting on the cantilever plate 683 falls below a predetermined value, the cantilever plate 683 returns to the lifted position as described above, and the limit switch is turned off.

[0424] The detection sensor 684 is a sensor device for detecting the phase (rotational position) of the rotating member 640. It is formed as a non-contact type sensor with a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit arranged opposite each other, and its detection area (the space opposite the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit) is positioned on the movement trajectory of the detected part 641c of the divided member DV in the first section S1 (see Figure 54), and is arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The spacing between the detection sensors 684 is set to be the same as the spacing between the divided member DV (detected part 641c) in the first section S1 (the first spacing).

[0425] Therefore, multiple (six in this embodiment) circumferentially adjacent segmented members DV can be positioned at locations corresponding to the detection sensor 684, and each time the rotating member 640 is rotated by a predetermined amount (i.e., the amount of rotation corresponding to the first interval), the segmented members DV detected by each detection sensor 684 can be shifted in the circumferential direction.

[0426] In this case, as described above, a portion of the multiple divided members DV (15 in this embodiment) have a detectable portion 641c formed on them, while the remaining divided members DV do not have a detectable portion 641c. Therefore, in a detection sensor 684 where a divided member DV with a detectable portion 641c is located, the light received by the light receiving unit from the light emitting unit is blocked by the detectable portion 641c, and the detection signal is turned on. On the other hand, in a detection sensor 684 where a divided member DV without a detectable portion 641c is located, the light received by the light receiving unit from the light emitting unit is able to receive the light, and the detection signal is turned off (see Figure 76). As a result, as will be described later, the phase (rotation position) of the rotating member 640 can be detected based on the combination of detection results of each detection sensor 684.

[0427] In this embodiment, since two detection results (on / off) are obtained by each of the six detection sensors 684 based on the presence or absence of the detectable portion 641c of the divided member DV, 64 (= 2 to the power of 6) combinations can be formed. In this case, since there are 30 divided members DV, as will be described later, it is always possible to determine which of these divided members DV is located at the reference position based on the detection results of the detection sensors 684.

[0428] Next, the operation of the rotating unit 200 will be described with reference to Figures 72 to 77. First, the operation of the change in the spacing between the divided members DV when the rotating member 640 is rotated will be described with reference to Figures 72 and 73.

[0429] Figure 72 is a front view of the guide member 620 and the rotating member 640. Figure 73(a) is a partially enlarged front view of the guide member 620 and the rotating member 640 in the first section S1, and Figure 73(b) is a partially enlarged front view of the guide member 620 and the rotating member 640 in the second section S2.

[0430] Furthermore, in order to simplify the drawings and facilitate understanding, Figures 72 and 73 only show the rear side main body 642, connecting link member 644, and luffing link member 648 of the components of the divided member DV, and Figure 73 shows the state in which hatching is applied to the connecting link operating groove 621 and the luffing link operating groove 622.

[0431] As shown in Figure 72, the rotating member 640 is a member formed to be rotatable with the axis O as the center of rotation (i.e., along the circumferential direction of the guide member 620), and is formed in an endless manner by connecting a plurality of segmented members DV in the circumferential direction. That is, the base end of the connecting link member 644 of each segmented member DV is rotatably supported on the rear side body 642, while the insertion portion 644a on the tip side of the connecting link member 644 is inserted into the connecting link operating groove 621 through the connecting link opening 642a in the rear side body 642 of the adjacent segmented member DV.

[0432] As described above, the rear body 642 of the divided member DV has a sliding roller 641b on one longitudinal side and a bent portion 642 on the other longitudinal side that abuts against the outer and inner surfaces of the guide member 620. Therefore, when the guide member 620 is moved in the circumferential direction, the orientation relative to the guide member 620 is maintained such that the axis O is located on the extension of the longitudinal direction of the rear body 642 (i.e., the orientation is such that it is a radial straight line with the axis O as the center). In other words, only movement while maintaining that orientation is permitted.

[0433] In this case, since the large-diameter portion 621a of the connecting link groove 621 is formed closer to the base end side (the side that is rotatably supported) of the connecting link member 644 than the small-diameter portion 621b, when the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 is inserted into the large-diameter portion 621a of the connecting link groove 621 (see Figure 73(a)), the connecting link member 644 can be tilted with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rear-side body 642, thereby separating the rear-side bodies 642 from each other. That is, the distance between the divided members DV (rear-side bodies 642) in the first section S1 can be made into a large distance (first distance).

[0434] On the other hand, since the small-diameter portion 621b of the connecting link working groove 621 is formed further from the base end side (the side that is rotatably supported) of the connecting link member 644 than the large-diameter portion 621a, when the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 is inserted into the small-diameter portion 621b of the connecting link working groove 621 (see Figure 73(b)), the connecting link member 644 can be positioned along the longitudinal direction of the rear-side body 642, allowing the rear-side bodies 642 to be brought closer together. In other words, the distance between the divided members DV (rear-side bodies 642) in the second section S2 can be made small (second distance).

[0435] Here, the rotating member 640 is a performance device formed to resemble a roulette wheel, as described above, and identification information such as numbers and marks is displayed on the display board 646 (board portion 646a). In other words, the performance is carried out by allowing the player to see the identification information displayed on the display board 646. Therefore, considering the visibility for the player, it is preferable that the display board 646 (display of identification information) be large, and in order to ensure a variety of performance effects, it is preferable that there be many display boards 646 (types of identification information).

[0436] In this case, considering the visibility for the player, it is necessary to ensure that the display of identification information (i.e., the plate portion 646a of the display board 646) is of a certain size or larger. However, if the number of display pieces of identification information (the number of display boards 646) is increased while maintaining that size, the diameter of the rotating member 640 will increase, and it will no longer fit in the predetermined installation space. On the other hand, if the diameter of the rotating member 640 is reduced in order to fit in the predetermined space, the number of display pieces of identification information (the number of display boards 646) will decrease, and it will not be possible to ensure a variety of effects.

[0437] In contrast, according to this embodiment, a first section S1 in which the divided members DV are connected circumferentially at a first interval, and a second section S2 in which the divided members DV are connected circumferentially at a second interval that is narrower than the first interval in the first section S1, can be formed on the rotating member 640, while, as described above, the display board 646 (plate portion 646a) located in the first section S1 is made visible to the player (the display board 646 located in the second section S2 is shielded by other members).

[0438] Therefore, compared to the case where multiple segmented members DV are all connected at the first interval, the circumferential length of the rotating member 640 can be shortened, the space required for arranging the rotating member 640 can be reduced, and the number of identification information displays (i.e., the number of display panels 646) can be increased while ensuring a certain minimum size for the display of identification information (i.e., the display panel 646). As a result, it becomes impossible to ensure the player's visibility and the variety of the performance effects.

[0439] In this case, as described above, in the first section S1, the plate portion 646a of the display board 646 is positioned horizontally (parallel to the moving plane of the divided member DV), making it easier for the player to see the identification information displayed on the display board 646.

[0440] On the other hand, in the second section S2, as described above, the plate portion 646a of the display panel 646 is positioned with its tip raised compared to the horizontal position in the first section S1. This suppresses interference with adjacent dividing members DV, allowing the dividing members DV to be placed closer together. In other words, the distance between the dividing members DV in the second section S2 (the second distance) can be narrowed. As a result, the circumferential length of the rotating member 640 can be shortened, reducing the space required for its installation.

[0441] In particular, according to this embodiment, the display panel 646 is displaceable (rotatable) on the upper surface of the front body 643, and in the second section S2, the plate portion 646a can be raised above the upper surface of the adjacent dividing member DV (plate holding member 645) (i.e., to a position where there is no interference) (see Figure 54). Therefore, the dividing members DV can be brought closer together to a position where the rear body 642 and the front body 643 come into contact with each other. In other words, the second gap in the second section S2 can be made narrower. As a result, the circumferential length of the rotating member 640 can be shortened, and the space required for arranging the rotating member can be reduced.

[0442] Next, the driving operation of the rotating member 640 by the drive mechanism 630 will be explained with reference to Figures 74 and 75. Figures 74(a) to 74(d) are state transition diagrams for each 30-degree rotation of the one-sided rotating drive member 637, and show the one-sided rotating drive member 637 as viewed from the front.

[0443] Figures 74(b), 74(c), and 74(d) correspond to the state rotated 30, 60, and 90 degrees from Figure 74(a), respectively. In addition, Figures 74(a) to 74(d) show the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV in a cross-sectional view, and the movement trajectory of the engaged portion 641 is illustrated using a dashed line.

[0444] Here, the one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary drive member 638 are formed to be the same shape as described above. In the driving operation of the rotary member 640 by these, only the driving operation by the one-sided rotary drive member 637 will be described, and the explanation of the driving operation by the other-sided rotary drive member 638 will be omitted.

[0445] As shown in Figures 74(a) to 74(d), the one-sided rotation drive member 637 is positioned so that the movement trajectory of its engaging portion 637b partially overlaps with the movement trajectory of the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV. In the overlapping portion, the engaging portion 637b is engaged with the engaged portion 641 and is rotatable. The circular shape of the movement trajectory of the engaging portion 637b is an inscribed circle with a smaller diameter than the circular shape of the movement trajectory of the engaged portion 641.

[0446] When the one-sided rotating drive member 637 is rotated by the driving force of the drive motor 631 (see Figure 53), that rotation is transmitted to the divided member DV via the engagement of the engaging portion 637b and the engaged portion 641. The divided member DV moves along the circumferential direction of the guide member 620, and this movement is transmitted to adjacent divided member DVs via each connecting link member 644, thereby causing the rotating member 640 to rotate in the circumferential direction.

[0447] In this case, as described above, the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV is formed on one longitudinal side of the rear side body 642 (see Figures 57 and 58). That is, the engaged portion 641 is arranged on the outer circumference of the annularly formed rotating member 640. Therefore, the amount of rotation of the rotating member 640 relative to the unit rotation amount of the one-side rotation drive member 637 can be reduced (the amount of rotation of the one-side rotation drive member 637 required to rotate the rotating member 640 by a unit rotation amount can be increased). Consequently, the apparent reduction ratio can be reduced. In other words, since the driving force is applied to a position far from the axis O of the rotating member 640, the rotational torque acting on the rotating member 640 can be increased. As a result, the rotational drive of the rotating member 640 (especially rotational drive from a stationary state) can be stabilized, and the output required of the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630 can be reduced.

[0448] Here, the drive mechanism 630 includes a one-sided rotation drive member 637 and a other-sided rotation drive member 638, which are arranged at different positions along the circumferential direction of the rotating member 640 (see Figure 53). As a result, the driving force applied from the drive mechanism 630 to the rotating member 640 can be distributed to different positions along the circumferential direction of the rotating member 640, thereby suppressing the uneven distribution of driving force to some of the multiple segmented members DV. In other words, even if the rotating member 640 is formed by endlessly connecting multiple segmented members DV in the circumferential direction, as described above, the displacement (rotation) of such rotating member 640 can be stabilized.

[0449] In particular, according to this embodiment, the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 are positioned with a phase difference of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the rotating member 640 (see Figure 53). As a result, driving force from each rotation drive member 637 and 638 can be applied to the two most spaced-out points of the rotating member 640 (multiple divided members DV), thereby stabilizing the displacement (rotation) of the rotating member 640.

[0450] In this case, there are three states in which the divided member DV can be positioned: a first state in which the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644 pivotally supported by the divided member DV is inserted into the large diameter portion 621a of the connecting link operating groove 621 of the guide member 620; a second state in which it is inserted into the small diameter portion 621b; and a third state in which it is inserted into the connecting portion 621c. In this embodiment, the one-sided rotational drive member 637 and the other-sided rotational drive member 638 are positioned to be able to apply driving force to the divided member DV in the third state (i.e., the engaging portions 637b and 638b can be engaged with the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV in the third state).

[0451] This allows a driving force to be applied to a segmented member DV that is in a state where the distance between it and an adjacent segmented member DV is transitioning from a first distance to a second distance (or vice versa). Since such segmented member DV receives a relatively large reaction force from the connection portion 621c, it tends to become a part that hinders the rotation of the entire rotating member 640, in which multiple segmented member DVs are endlessly connected (the movement of each segmented member DV in the circumferential direction). However, by directly driving the segmented member DV that receives a relatively large reaction force from the connection portion 621c with the one-side rotational drive member 637 and the other-side rotational drive member 638, the entire rotating member 640, in which multiple segmented member DVs are endlessly connected, can be stably displaced (rotated).

[0452] Furthermore, the period during which driving force is transmitted from the one-sided rotational drive member 637 and the other-sided rotational drive member 638 to the divided member DV does not need to perfectly coincide with the period during which the divided member DV is in the third state described above; it is sufficient if the period during which the former driving force is transmitted and the latter period during which the divided member DV is in the third state overlap at least partially.

[0453] In this embodiment, as described above, the connecting portion 621c of the connecting link operating groove 621 and the connecting portion 622c of the luffing link operating groove 622 are formed at positions where they are in different phases. That is, when the divided member DV is in the third state described above, the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648 disposed on the divided member DV is inserted into the large diameter portion 622a or the small diameter portion 622b of the luffing link operating groove 622.

[0454] Therefore, when the divided member DV is moved in the circumferential direction of the guide member 620, the insertion portion 644a of the connecting link member 644, which is pivotally supported by the divided member DV, passes through the connection portion 621c of the connecting link operating groove 621, and then the insertion portion 648a of the luffing link member 648 passes through the connection portion 622c of the luffing link operating groove 622 (or vice versa).

[0455] As a result, the reaction force is not received simultaneously from both the connecting portion 621c of the connecting link working groove 621 and the connecting portion 622c of the luffing link working groove 622, and the timing of the reaction force can be made to differ. Consequently, the required driving force can be distributed, and the output required of the drive motor 631 of the drive mechanism 630 can be reduced accordingly.

[0456] Here, the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 are arranged with their phases (rotational positions of the engaging portions 637b and 638b) different from each other, thereby stabilizing the displacement (rotation) of the rotating member 640. The phase relationship between the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 will now be explained with reference to Figure 75.

[0457] Figure 75 is a state relationship diagram showing the relationship between the engagement or disengagement state and phase of the one-side rotation drive member 637 and the other-side rotation drive member 638 with respect to the divided member DV. In Figure 75, the upper state relationship diagram corresponds to the one-side rotation drive member 637, and the lower state relationship diagram corresponds to the other-side rotation drive member 638. In Figure 75, the horizontal axis represents the phase, and the vertical axis represents the engagement or disengagement state.

[0458] As shown in the upper part of Figure 75, if we define the phase at which the first engaging portion 637b of the three engaging portions 637b formed on the one-side rotation drive member 637 begins to engage with the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV as 0° (reference position), then the first engaging portion 637b of the one-side rotation drive member 637 engages with the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV and transmits driving force to the divided member DV until its phase reaches approximately 100° (i.e., until it rotates 100° from the reference position), while the engagement is released between approximately 100° and 120°, and the transmission of driving force to the divided member DV is released.

[0459] Subsequently, the second and third engaging portions 637b, among the three engaging portions 637b formed on the one-sided rotation drive member 637, repeat the same engagement and disengagement states as the first engaging portion 637b (i.e., engagement for a rotation angle of approximately 100° and disengagement for a rotation angle of approximately 20°).

[0460] As shown in the lower part of Figure 75, the other side rotation drive member 638 also has three engagement portions 638b formed thereon, and each of them repeats the same engagement and disengagement states as in the case of the one side rotation drive member 637 described above (i.e., engagement for a rotation angle of approximately 100° and disengagement for a rotation angle of approximately 20°).

[0461] In this embodiment, as described above, the one-sided rotation drive member 637 and the other-sided rotation drive member 638 are arranged so that their phases (the rotational positions of their respective engaging portions 637b and 638b) are different. Specifically, the phase at which the first engaging portion 638b of the three engaging portions 638b formed on the other-sided rotation drive member 638 begins to engage with the engaged portion 641 of the divided member DV is set to a phase approximately 40° later than the phase (reference position) at which the first engaging portion 637b of the one-sided rotation drive member 637 begins to engage.

[0462] As a result, while the engagement with the divided member DV is disengaged (i.e., the transmission of driving force is disengaged) in either the one-sided rotary drive member 637 or the other-sided rotary drive member 638, the phase (rotational position) of the engagement portions 637b and 638b of each other is set so that the other-sided rotary drive member 637 or the other-sided rotary drive member 638 engages with the divided member DV. This prevents a state in which the engagement with the divided member DV is disengaged in both the one-sided rotary drive member 637 and the other-sided rotary drive member 638 simultaneously. As a result, the transmission of driving force from the drive mechanism 630 to the rotating member 640 is suppressed, and the displacement of the rotating member 640 can be stabilized.

[0463] In other words, as described above, in a configuration in which a rotating member 640 is formed by endlessly connecting multiple segmented members DV, if the transmission of driving force from the drive mechanism 630 to the rotating member 640 is intermittent, the spacing between the segmented members DV tends to increase or decrease due to the transmission and release of that driving force. As a result, the overall posture of the rotating member 640 becomes unstable, and its displacement (rotation) becomes unstable.

[0464] In contrast, according to this embodiment, even if either the one-sided rotation drive member 637...

Claims

[Claim 1] A means by which game balls can be entered, An acquisition means capable of obtaining predetermined discrimination information based on the fact that a game ball has entered the ball entry means, A discrimination means that uses the discrimination information obtained by the acquisition means to perform discrimination based on the fulfillment of the discrimination conditions, It has a display means capable of displaying identification information, In a gaming machine configured such that, when the determination by the determination means is performed, the identification information for indicating the determination result of the determination means can be displayed on the display means after a dynamic display has been performed, The gaming machine is, The dynamic display period in the aforementioned dynamic display includes at least a first period and a second period that is longer than the first period, When the identification information for indicating a specific discrimination result is displayed on the display means, the system is configured such that a special bonus game advantageous to the player can be executed. During the dynamic display period, the system is configured to execute a specific performance, which is a performance that can be varied to one of multiple performance modes, and which can suggest the specific discrimination result when varied to a specific performance mode. Among the dynamic displays that start within a predetermined period, the specific performance that changes to a different performance mode from the performance mode shown by the specific performance after the specific performance is performed in the dynamic display period corresponding to one of the dynamic displays that starts within the predetermined period is configured to be performed in the dynamic display period corresponding to a dynamic display that starts later than the first dynamic display. When multiple "out-of-bounds" dynamic displays, which correspond to out-of-bounds discrimination results that are at least different from the aforementioned specific discrimination result, are initiated during the predetermined period, the execution of the specific performance, which is variable to the performance mode of the specific stage, can be suppressed during the dynamic display period corresponding to each of the multiple initiated out-of-bounds dynamic displays. If the 1 specified performance is performed during the dynamic display period set in at least the second period, the system is configured such that the 1 specified performance can be varied to a different performance mode from the one revealed by the 1 specified performance during the remaining dynamic display period after the 1 specified performance has been performed. The system is configured such that the execution of the specific performance, which varies to the performance mode of the specific stage, can be suppressed during the dynamic display period set in the second period and corresponding to the off-dynamic display. The gaming machine is, The aforementioned multi-stage performance modes include at least the performance mode for a specific stage and the performance mode for a predetermined stage lower than the specific stage. After the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage is performed, the system is configured such that the identification information for indicating the specific discrimination result can be stopped and displayed without the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage being performed again. The system is configured such that the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage is not performed, and the specific performance that changes to the performance mode of the predetermined stage is not performed. The gaming machine is configured such that, when the specific performance is performed during a dynamic display period corresponding to a predetermined dynamic display that starts later than the first dynamic display and is not continuous with the first dynamic display, the performance mode displayed during the dynamic display period corresponding to the first dynamic display is maintained until the predetermined dynamic display starts, and the specific performance can be performed during the dynamic display period corresponding to the predetermined dynamic display to change to a performance mode different from the performance mode displayed during the dynamic display period corresponding to the first dynamic display.

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