Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of presenting impactful performance by making it easy to secure a rear space of a ball entrance unit.SOLUTION: In a Pachinko machine 1 which has a plurality of general winning ports 2001 where game balls can enter and is provided with a side unit 2800 fitted to a front surface of a panel plate 1110 on whose front surface game balls can flow, a side unit 2800 is provided with: a first constituting member 2811 which has positioning projections 2811c inserted in positioning holes 1113 of the panel plate 1110 and mounting holes 2811d to be fitted to the panel plate 1110 and is fitted so as to close openings 1112 going through the panel plate 1110 from a front side; and a second constituting member 2812 which is provided on a rear side of the first constituting member 2811 that has a ball passage 2812a where game balls entering the general winning ports 2001 can flow along a plate surface of the panel plate 1110 in the openings 1112 in plate thickness of the panel plate 1110.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 76

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in gaming machines such as pachinko machines, as means for performing an effect capable of attracting the attention of players, the effect device is enlarged, the movable range of the effect device is widened, or the effect device is brightly decorated with light emission.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a side lamp, as an example of a lighting device, which has a circuit board on which LEDs are mounted inside. LEDs are electronic components that generate a lot of heat when emitting light, and the rise in internal temperature can lead to thermal destruction of the LEDs themselves, so there was room for improvement in order to create a spectacular lighting decoration.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Enabling luminous decoration with multiple light colors In a gaming machine including a decorative substrate on which LEDs are mounted on the front side surface, the decorative substrate has a cover portion located on the front side of the decorative substrate And so a base portion located on the back side of the decorative substrate, and It is contained within a decorative unit composed of a combination of these elements. whereas, the Decorative unit is, encompass the decorative substrate The first and second openings are located on the side of the structure. and has, The first opening and the second opening is, The decorative substrate enclosed within the decorative unit is provided at positions opposite to the LED, with the LED in between. when the decorative substrate is viewed from the side, a part of the front side of the decorative substrate on which the LEDs are mounted overlaps, The LED of the decorative substrate and the and at least the front side surface of the decorative substrate on which the LEDs are mounted is covered with a white resist. Space which is characterized in that. is covered with a white resist. is characterized by the above.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] In a gaming machine equipped with a circuit board on which heat-generating components are mounted, The substrate is located between a first member located on the front side of the substrate and a second member located on the back side of the substrate. The first member and the second member, with the substrate positioned between them, have a contact portion where the outer edge of the first member and the outer edge of the second member touch each other, and a non-contact portion where they do not touch each other. The substrate is fixed to either the first member or the second member. characterized by being something 。

Effect of the Invention

[0054] Thus, according to the present invention The goal is to reduce the impact of heat generated by heat-generating components. it is possible to provide a gaming machine that enables this.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0055] [Figure 1] It is a front view of a pachinko machine which is an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a front perspective view of a pachinko machine shown in a state where the upper side is tilted forward. [Figure 3] It is a front view of a pachinko machine shown in a state where the door frame is removed. [Figure 4] It is a front view of a pachinko machine shown in a state where the door frame and the game board are removed. [Figure 5] It is a rear view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 seen obliquely from the front. [Figure 7] It is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 disassembled by main components and seen from the front. [Figure 8] It is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 disassembled by main components and seen from the back. [Figure 9] It is a plan view of the pachinko machine of FIG. 4 cut at the upper and lower centers. [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view cut along line A-A in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] It is a front view of the main part showing the firing unit and the far unit etc. in cross section in the front view of FIG. 3. [Figure 12] It is an exploded perspective view of the main body frame base unit in the main body frame, viewed from the front after being decomposed by each main component. [Figure 13] It is an exploded perspective view of the main body frame base unit in the main body frame, viewed from the rear after being decomposed by each main component. [Figure 14] (a) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main body frame, viewed from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main body frame, viewed from the rear. [Figure 15] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit, viewed from the front after being decomposed, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit, viewed from the rear after being decomposed. [Figure 16] (a) is a perspective view of the launching unit cover of the ball launching unit, viewed from the left rear, and (b) is an explanatory view of the ball launching unit showing only the launching unit cover in cross-section in the front view. [Figure 17] (a) is a perspective view of the fairing unit in the main body frame, viewed from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the fairing unit in the main body frame, viewed from the rear. [Figure 18] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the fairing unit, viewed from the front after being decomposed, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the fairing unit, viewed from the rear after being decomposed. [Figure 19] (a) is an explanatory view showing the state where the fairing shutter is closed in the side cross-section of the fairing unit, and (b) is an explanatory view showing the state where the fairing shutter is opened in the side cross-section of the fairing unit. [Figure 20] (a) is a perspective view of the circulating ball path unit in the main body frame, viewed from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the circulating ball path unit in the main body frame, viewed from the rear. [Figure 21] It is an exploded perspective view of the circulating ball path unit, viewed from the front after being decomposed. [Figure 22] It is an exploded perspective view of the circulating ball path unit, viewed from the rear after being decomposed. [Figure 23](a) is a plan view showing only the sphere meandering member and sphere release shutter in the circulating sphere path unit, and (b) is a front perspective view showing only the sphere meandering member and sphere release shutter in the circulating sphere path unit. [Figure 24] (a1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball release shutter and ball meandering member in the closed position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross-section; (a2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball release shutter portion in (a1) from the bottom; (b1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball release shutter and ball meandering member in the open position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross-section; and (b2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball release shutter portion in (b1) from the bottom. [Figure 25] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross-section of the ball release shutter with the iron ball magnetically attached to it in the closed position, along with the ball meandering member and the ball release tray; (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross-section of the ball release shutter with the iron ball magnetically attached to it in the open position, along with the ball meandering member and the ball release tray; and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross-section of the ball release shutter with the ball meandering member and the ball release tray, after sliding the ball release shutter from the state in (b) to the closed position, with the iron ball magnetically attached to its lower surface. [Figure 26] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a front cross-section of the circulating ball path unit cut at the out-ball sensor location, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a front cross-section of the circulating ball path unit cut at the safe-ball sensor location. [Figure 27] (a) is a front perspective view showing the lower part of the main frame along with the outer frame with the meandering cover of the circulating sphere path unit removed, and (b) is a rear perspective view showing the lower part of the main frame along with the outer frame with the meandering cover of the circulating sphere path unit removed. [Figure 28] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the main part of the rear cross-section cut at the location of the out-of-ball sensor in the circulating ball path unit attached to the main frame, with the cover member of the ball release mechanism closed, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing (a) with the cover member open. [Figure 29](a) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame, seen from the front left; (b) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame, seen from the front right; and (c) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame, seen from the rear. [Figure 30] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit, disassembled into its main components and viewed from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit, disassembled into its main components and viewed from the rear. [Figure 31] This is a front view showing a close-up of the main parts with the Kuma cassette removed from the ball lifting unit attached to the main frame. [Figure 32] (a) is a right side view showing the ball lifting mechanism and the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit, (b) is a rear view showing the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism, and (c) is a top view of the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism as seen from arrow A in (b). [Figure 33] (a) is a perspective view of the ball-throwing unit in the main frame, seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball-throwing unit in the main frame, seen from the rear. [Figure 34] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball-throwing unit as seen from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball-throwing unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 35] This is a front cross-sectional view of the ball-throwing unit, cut at the pre-launch sensor. [Figure 36] This is an explanatory diagram showing the various pathways for the game balls on the rear side of the main frame, viewed from the back. [Figure 37] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the flow of game balls within the main frame. [Figure 38] This is a block diagram that shows the control configuration of a pachinko machine in general terms. [Figure 39] This is a flowchart showing the launch authorization process. [Figure 40] This is a flowchart showing the process of subtracting the number of balls held. [Figure 41] This is a graph showing the process of adding balls to your hand due to foul balls. [Figure 42] This is a flowchart showing the launch control process. [Figure 43]This is a flowchart showing how prize balls are processed. [Figure 44] This is a flowchart showing the operation process of the lifting motor. [Figure 45] This table shows the relationship between the lifting inlet sensor, lifting outlet sensor, and the operation of the lifting motor. [Figure 46] This graph shows the relationship between the launching action of the game ball and the operation of the ball lifting unit. [Figure 47] This graph shows the operation of the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit. [Figure 48] (a) is a flowchart showing the security process, and (b) is a flowchart showing the security process in a different embodiment from (a). [Figure 49] This table shows the relationship between the circulating ball under-sensor, the circulating ball over-sensor, and error notification. [Figure 50] This is a front view of the game board, showing the transparent center piece and other elements in an opaque form. [Figure 51] Figure 50 is a perspective view of the game board as seen from the front right. [Figure 52] Figure 50 is a perspective view of the game board seen from the front left. [Figure 53] Figure 50 is a perspective view of the game board from the rear. [Figure 54] This is a disassembled perspective view of the game board, showing it broken down into its main components and viewed from the front. [Figure 55] This is a disassembled perspective view of the game board, showing it from the rear after being broken down into its main components. [Figure 56] This is a front view of the game board, showing the game area through which the game balls circulate, with the front unit cut parallel to the surface of the game panel. [Figure 57] (a) is a front view of the lottery mechanism in the center mechanism, and (b) is a perspective view of the lottery mechanism from above and in front. [Figure 58] This is a side cross-sectional view of the lottery mechanism in the center of the main mechanism, cut in the middle horizontally. [Figure 59](a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross-section of a state in which the game balls cannot loop in the lottery mechanism, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross-section of a state in which the game balls can loop in the lottery mechanism. [Figure 60] This is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of game balls in a lottery mechanism. [Figure 61] This is a front view of the game board in its normal state. [Figure 62] This is a front view of the game board showing the rear front lifting decorative unit of the rear front performance unit in a state where it has been lowered from the standby position to the performance position, compared to the normal state. [Figure 63] This is a front view of the game board showing the rear lifting decorative element of the rear performance unit moved from its retracted position to its appearance position, compared to its normal state. [Figure 64] This is a front view of the game board showing the game in a state where the front-rear lifting decorative unit of the front-rear performance unit is lowered from the standby position to the performance position, and the rear-rear lifting decorative unit of the rear-rear performance unit is moved from the retracted position to the appearance position, compared to the normal state. [Figure 65] This is a block diagram that shows the control configuration of a pachinko machine in general terms. [Figure 66] This is an explanatory diagram showing the center component of the first embodiment, cut in the middle of the vertical direction while attached to the game panel, along with the previous component members. [Figure 67] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the decorative element of the center piece as a front view, separated into a front decorative element and a rear decorative element, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the decorative element consisting of the front decorative element and the rear decorative element as a front view. [Figure 68] This is an explanatory diagram showing the center frame of the central component in Figure 66 with its rear end facing downwards and placed on a base. [Figure 69] This is an explanatory diagram showing a partial cross-section of a center component equipped with a center frame to which a different decorative element is attached compared to Figure 66. [Figure 70] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the main part of the center component of the second embodiment as seen from inside the frame, (b) is a cross-sectional view of (a) cut along line AA, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the center component of (a) with the center frame placed on a base with the rear end facing downwards. [Figure 71] This is a front view showing a game board equipped with the center feature of the third embodiment, with the rear part of the game panel omitted. [Figure 72] Figure 71 is a disassembled perspective view of the center component and game panel, seen from the front. [Figure 73] Figure 71 is a disassembled perspective view of the center component, seen from the front. [Figure 74] (a) to (g) are explanatory diagrams showing various joining patterns between the first frame and the second frame in the center component of the third embodiment. [Figure 75] (a) is a front view showing the main part of the game board equipped with the side unit of the second embodiment, and (b) is a perspective view of (a) from the front. [Figure 76] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the game board in Figure 75, showing the side unit separated from the game panel; (b) is an exploded perspective view of the side unit in (a) shown from the front; (c) is an exploded perspective view of the side unit in (b) seen from the rear; and (d) is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the game panel and the side unit in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 77] Figure 76 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross-sectional view of the relationship between the side unit and the game panel. [Figure 78] This is an explanatory diagram showing a side unit with a different configuration from the side unit in Figure 75, along with a game panel, in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 79] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a side unit of a different form from the side unit shown in Figure 77, along with the game panel, in a vertical cross-section, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of the LED board and board cover of the side unit in (a) in a perspective view. [Figure 80] This is an explanatory diagram showing a side unit with a different configuration from the side unit shown in Figure 79, along with the game panel, in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 81] This is an explanatory diagram showing a different form of side unit together with the game panel in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 82]This is an explanatory diagram showing a different form of side unit together with the game panel in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 83] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a cross-section of a side unit of yet another form together with the game panel, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing (a) in a longitudinal section. [Figure 84] (a) is a front view showing the main part of the game board where the side unit of the third embodiment is installed, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the out-out area in (a), and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing (b) in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 85] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the out-port area of ​​a game board equipped with a side unit having a different shape of finger grip than that shown in Figure 84, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing (a) in a longitudinal cross-section. [Figure 86] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a game panel where the opening for the side unit and the output opening are continuously connected. [Figure 87] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface is located behind the LED substrate, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface is located behind the LED substrate in a different configuration than (a), (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface is located so as to overlap the LED substrate, and (d) is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the non-contact surface is located around the entire circumference of the unit cover. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0056] [1. Overall structure of a pachinko machine] A pachinko machine 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine, which is one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the pachinko machine, shown with the upper side tilted forward.

[0057] The pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment is used by being installed in island facilities in amusement halls. This pachinko machine 1 is a so-called sealed-type or managed-type amusement machine in which a large number (for example, 40 to 60) of game balls B are sealed inside without being discharged to the outside or supplied from the outside, and circulate within the machine so that players do not come into contact with the game balls B. In this pachinko machine 1, the number of balls a player has is recorded and handled as ball data.

[0058] The game ball B enclosed in pachinko machine 1 has the same diameter (hereinafter also referred to as diameter D; diameter D = 11 mm) as the game balls used in conventional pachinko machines, but is made of a non-magnetic stainless steel such as SUS304. This prevents game ball B from rusting even if it is enclosed in pachinko machine 1 for a long period of time, and distinguishes it from conventional magnetic game balls (iron ball SB).

[0059] The pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment comprises a frame-shaped outer frame 2 installed on an island (not shown) in a gaming hall, a door frame 3 that can open and close the front of the outer frame 2, a main body frame 4 that can open and close the door frame 3 and is also attached to the outer frame 2 in an open and closed manner, and a game board 5 that can be detachably attached to the main body frame 4 from the front and is visible to the player through the door frame 3, and has a game area 5a where the player puts game balls B into.

[0060] [2. Outer frame] The outer frame 2 of the pachinko machine 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Figure 3 is a front view of the pachinko machine with the door frame removed. Figure 4 is a front view of the pachinko machine with the door frame and game board removed. Figure 5 is a rear view of the pachinko machine in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine in Figure 4 taken from the front at an angle. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine in Figure 4, taken from the front after disassembling it into its main components. Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine in Figure 4, taken from the rear after disassembling it into its main components. Figure 9 is a plan view of the pachinko machine in Figure 4, cut in the center vertically. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Figure 9.

[0061] The outer frame 2 is attached to island equipment in a gaming hall (not shown) and can be attached to the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed forward and is detachable. The outer frame 2 comprises an outer frame body 10 which is formed as a vertically elongated frame, an outer frame assembly fitting 20 to which the outer frame body 10 is assembled, an outer frame hinge mechanism 30 which supports the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed, an outer frame lock fitting (not shown) for locking the main frame 4 in the closed position, a fascia plate 45 which is attached to the lower frame body 14 of the outer frame body 10, and a sliding plate 46 which is attached to the upper surface of the fascia plate 45.

[0062] The outer frame body 10 of the outer frame 2 comprises a left frame body 11 and a right frame body 12 that extend vertically and are spaced apart from each other to the left and right, an upper frame body 13 that connects the upper ends of the left frame body 11 and the right frame body 12, and a lower frame body 14 that connects the lower ends of the left frame body 11 and the right frame body 12. The left frame body 11 and the right frame body 12 are each formed from an extruded metal profile such as an aluminum alloy. The upper frame body 13 and the lower frame body 14 are formed from wood. The left frame body 11, the right frame body 12, the upper frame body 13, and the lower frame body 14 have the same dimensions in the front-to-back direction.

[0063] The outer frame assembly fittings 20 of the outer frame 2 include an upper left fitting (not shown) connecting the left frame body 11 and the upper frame body 13, an upper right fitting (not shown) connecting the right frame body 12 and the upper frame body 13, a lower left fitting 23 connecting the left frame body 11 and the lower frame body 14, and a lower right fitting (not shown) connecting the right frame body 12 and the lower frame body 14.

[0064] The outer frame hinge mechanism 30 includes an upper outer frame hinge body 31 provided at the upper left end of the outer frame body 10, and a lower outer frame hinge body 35 provided at the lower left end of the outer frame body 10.

[0065] The upper outer frame hinge body 31 of the outer frame hinge mechanism 30 is attached to the upper left end surface of the upper frame body 13, with its front end protruding forward from the outer frame body 10. The upper outer frame hinge body 31 has a bearing groove 31a that penetrates vertically and is open on one side in the portion that protrudes forward from the outer frame body 10, and a locking member 32 provided on the lower surface of the portion that protrudes forward from the outer frame body 10, which can open and close the open portion of the bearing groove 31a.

[0066] The bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 allows the main frame hinge shaft 411a of the main frame upper hinge body 411 on the main frame 4 to be supported by inserting it into the open portion of the bearing groove 31a. In its normal state, the locking member 32 of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 is in a locked position, closing the open portion of the bearing groove 31a by the biasing force of an elastic piece (not shown). When the locking member 32 is moved to the released position against the biasing force of the elastic piece, the bearing groove 31a is opened to the side, allowing the main frame hinge shaft 411a to be inserted into the bearing groove 31a from the side, or the main frame hinge shaft 411a inserted into the bearing groove 31a to be removed from the bearing groove 31a.

[0067] The lower outer frame hinge body 35 of the outer frame hinge mechanism 30 is attached to the upper left end surface of the skirting board 45 at the portion that overlaps with the lower frame body 14 (the upper portion), and its front end protrudes forward from the outer frame body 10. The lower outer frame hinge body 35 has a hinge shaft 35a that protrudes upward from the portion that protrudes forward from the outer frame body 10. By inserting the hinge shaft 35a of the lower outer frame hinge body 35 into the outer frame shaft hole (not shown) of the lower main frame hinge body 412 in the main frame 4, the lower main frame hinge body 412 can be rotatably supported.

[0068] The outer frame hinge mechanism 30 supports the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed by pivoting the main frame hinge shaft 411a of the main frame upper hinge body 411 in the bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31, and inserting the hinge shaft 35a of the outer frame lower hinge body 35 into the outer frame shaft hole of the main frame lower hinge body 412.

[0069] The outer frame lock fittings for the outer frame 2 are provided in two, spaced vertically apart, on the inner surface (left side) of the right frame body 12. The outer frame lock fittings engage with the outer frame lock claws 684 of the lock unit 680 on the main frame 4, thereby locking the main frame 4 to the outer frame 2 in a closed state, preventing it from being opened.

[0070] The fascia board 45 of the outer frame 2 is attached to the lower frame body 14, with its front end protruding forward from the lower frame body 14. The fascia board 45 is made of synthetic resin. Two sliding plates 46 are provided on the upper surface of the fascia board 45, spaced apart on the left and right. The sliding plates 46 come into contact with the lower end surface of the main frame 4 when the main frame 4 is closed against the outer frame 2. The sliding plates 46 are made of a low-friction material with low frictional resistance, making the main frame 4 slide easily and facilitating opening and closing.

[0071] [3. Door frame] The door frame 3 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The door frame 3 is formed in a rectangular shape that extends vertically when viewed from the front, and is approximately the same size as the inside of the outer frame 2. It is attached to the inside of the outer frame 2 from the front via the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable. The door frame 3 includes a door frame body 100 which is provided to the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable and has a game window 101 that, when closed, faces forward to the game area 5a of the game board 5 attached to the main body frame 4; a transparent glass 120 which is detachably attached to the rear side of the door frame body 100 and closes the game window 101; a ball count display unit 140 which displays the number of balls the player has; a handle 160 which the player operates to shoot game balls B into the game area 5a of the game board 5; a cylindrical handle cover 170 which surrounds the outer circumference of the handle 160; and a counting button switch 180 which can be operated by the player.

[0072] Furthermore, the door frame 3 includes a door frame panel 190 that extends from the lower end at a constant height across the entire width in the left-right direction on the front of the door frame body 100, a shelf unit 200 that protrudes forward in the area between the game window 101 and the door frame panel 190 on the front of the door frame body 100, and a performance operation unit 250 that is located in the left-right center of the shelf unit 200 and can be operated by the player. The ball count display unit 140 and the counting button switch 180 are located on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200 (the upper surface of the shelf section 201).

[0073] Furthermore, the door frame 3 comprises a door frame top unit 300 located above the game window 101 on the front of the door frame body 100, a door frame left side unit 320 located to the left of the game window 101 on the front of the door frame body 100, and a door frame right side unit 340 located to the right of the game window 101 on the front of the door frame body 100.

[0074] The door frame body 100 has a door frame hinge mechanism 110 for attaching it to the main frame 4 so that it can be opened and closed. The door frame hinge mechanism 110 has an upper door frame hinge body (not shown) provided at the upper left end of the door frame body 100 and a lower door frame hinge body 112 provided at the lower left end of the door frame body 100. The upper door frame hinge body has an upper door frame hinge shaft (not shown) that protrudes upward. The door frame hinge mechanism 110 can support the door frame 3 so that it can be opened and closed relative to the main frame 4 by inserting the upper door frame hinge shaft of the upper door frame hinge body into the upper shaft hole 411b for the door frame of the upper main frame hinge body 411 (described later) from below, and inserting the lower door frame hinge shaft 112a of the lower door frame hinge body 112 into the lower shaft hole 412b for the door frame of the lower main frame hinge body 412 (described later) from above.

[0075] The ball count display unit 140 is composed of a 6-digit 7-segment LED. The ball count display unit 140 is located on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200, to the left of the center in the left-right direction.

[0076] The handle 160 is located at the lower right corner of the front surface of the door frame body 100, that is, near the right end between the game window 101 and the door frame panel 190 on the front surface of the door frame body 100. The handle 160 is mounted so that it can be rotated by the player with its axis of rotation facing the front-to-back direction. The handle 160 is formed in a shape similar to a car steering wheel and has a central hub portion 160a, a plurality (three in this case) of spoke portions 160b extending outward from the hub portion 160a, and an annular ring portion 160c connecting the ends of the spoke portions 160b.

[0077] The ring portion 160c of the handle 160 is located slightly forward from the front end of the cylindrical handle cover 170, and is positioned so that the player cannot grip the ring portion 160c. Therefore, when the player rotates the handle 160, they mainly operate it while gripping the hub portion 160a with their fingers passing between the spoke portions 160b. In this state, the player's fingers are inserted into the cylinder of the handle cover 170. As a result, when the player operates the handle 160, air vibrations (wind) caused by the drive of the main frame speaker 403 are released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4, and the wind is sent to the player's fingers gripping the handle 160 through the duct grille 191 of the door frame panel 190 and the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, which can surprise the player and allow them to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0078] The handle 160 is equipped with a firing stop switch 161 that can be pressed by the player, a handle touch sensor 162 that detects changes in the electrostatic capacitance of the handle 160, and a handle rotation sensor 163 that detects the rotation angle of the handle 160 (see Figure 35).

[0079] When the player presses the launch stop switch 161, the frame control board 640 stops the drive of the launch solenoid 453. Therefore, if the player presses the launch stop switch 161 while rotating the handle 160, the launch of the game ball B can be temporarily stopped without having to reverse the rotation of the handle 160. After that, if the player releases the pressure on the launch stop switch 161 while keeping the rotation of the handle 160 in place, the game ball B can be launched into the game area 5a again with the same force as before the launch stop switch 161 was pressed (the force corresponding to the rotation of the handle 160).

[0080] The handle touch sensor 162 detects static electricity acting on the handle 160. When a player touches the handle 160, the sensor detects the static electricity acting from the player and detects the player's contact (touch) with the handle 160. When the handle touch sensor 162 detects the player's contact, and the player rotates the handle 160, the detection by the handle rotation sensor 163 is received, and the drive of the launch solenoid is controlled with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160, allowing the game ball B to be launched.

[0081] Therefore, even if a player attempts to rotate the handle 160 in some way without touching the handle 160 to launch the game ball B into the game area 5a, the handle touch sensor 162 does not detect the player's contact, so the launch solenoid 453 is not driven, and the game ball B cannot be launched. This prevents players from rotating the handle 160 in a way that is not intended, thereby reducing the load (burden) on the gaming hall where the pachinko machine 1 is installed.

[0082] The handle rotation sensor 163 is a variable resistor, and when the handle 160 is rotated, the detection shaft rotates and the internal resistance changes according to the rotation angle of the detection shaft. Therefore, when the handle 160 is rotated and the internal resistance of the handle rotation sensor 163 is changed, the driving force of the launch solenoid 453 in the ball launching unit 450 (described later) changes according to that internal resistance, and the game ball B can be launched into the game area 5a with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160.

[0083] The handle cover 170 extends backward from the rear of the annular portion of the handle 160, widening in diameter, and is formed in a conical shape. Openings 171 communicating with the interior are provided on the right and lower outer surfaces of the handle cover 170. Below the opening 171 on the lower surface of the handle cover 170 is the duct grille 191 of the door frame panel 190. As a result, when a player operates the handle 160, air vibrations (wind) caused by the drive of the main frame speaker 403 are released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4, and wind is sent to the player's fingers gripping the handle 160 through the duct grille 191 of the door frame panel 190 and the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, which can surprise the player and allow them to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0084] The counting button switch 180 is located on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200, to the right of the center in the left-right direction. As will be described in detail later, when the counting button switch 180 is pressed while there are balls in the player's possession, the player can send the balls to the game ball dispensing device 8 for settlement.

[0085] The door frame fascia 190 extends to the left and right at a constant height and with a length equal to the width of the door frame body 100 in the left-right direction, and is attached to the lower end of the front of the door frame body 100. The door frame fascia 190 penetrates from front to back near its right end and has a duct grille 191 located in front of the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4, which will be described later.

[0086] The duct grille 191 is formed in a grid pattern consisting of vertical and horizontal bars. The horizontal bars of the duct grille 191 are in the shape of strips with a constant width in the front-to-back direction, and are installed at an angle so that the front end is positioned higher than the rear end. This duct grille 191 is installed below (directly below) the handle 160. As a result, when a player operates the handle 160, air vibrations (wind) caused by the drive of the main frame speaker 403 are released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e of the main frame 4, and this wind is guided diagonally upward and forward by the horizontal bars of the duct grille 191, and the wind is sent to the player's fingers holding the handle 160 through the opening 171 of the handle cover 170, which can surprise the player and allow them to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0087] The shelf unit 200 is located on the front of the door frame body 100, between the game window 101 and the door frame fascia 190. A spherical performance control unit 250 is located in the center of the shelf unit 200 in the left-right direction. The shelf unit 200 has a shelf section 201 that bulges forward in a shelf shape from its upper end along the lower end of the game window 101, a tray section 202 that bulges forward from the left side of the center in the left-right direction at the lower end, a speaker grille 203 located between the shelf section 201 and the tray section 202, and a setting adjustment button 204 consisting of four push buttons arranged front-to-back and left-to-right on the upper surface of the shelf section 201.

[0088] The shelf section 201 has a smooth upper surface. The shelf section 201 has a semi-tubular front end decorative section 201a that is formed to be continuous with the lower ends of the left side unit 320 and the right side unit 340 of the door frame at its front edge. The semi-tubular front end decorative section 201a is provided to be connected to both the left and right sides of the spherical performance operation unit 250. On the upper surface of the shelf section 201, a ball count display section 140 is provided to the left of the center in the left-right direction, a counting button switch 180 is provided to the right of the center in the left-right direction, and a setting adjustment button 204 is provided in front of and to the left of the counting button switch 180.

[0089] The tray portion 202 is formed in a shallow, dish-like shape. This makes it convenient for players to place their hands (fingers) on the tray portion 202 or to place small items such as pouches, mobile phones, wallets, or car keys on it.

[0090] The speaker grille 203 is located in front of the main frame speaker 403 in the main frame 4, which will be described later, and is formed of perforated metal having multiple through holes.

[0091] The performance control unit 250 is located in the center of the shelf unit 200 in the left-right direction, with its front end protruding forward of the shelf unit 200 and its upper end protruding upward of the shelf unit 200. The performance control unit 250 is formed in a spherical shape. The performance control unit 250 has a circular first performance button 251 located near the center of its upper surface, and an annular second performance button 252 located around the first performance button 251. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the first performance button 251 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the second performance button 252 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The first performance button 251 and the second performance button 252 are located coaxially, and their axes are inclined to move forward as they move upward.

[0092] The first and second performance buttons 251 and 252 are designed to move upward (pop up) in response to player-participation performances. The first performance button 251 can be pressed at any time, while the second performance button 252 can only be pressed when it has popped up.

[0093] Although not shown in the diagram, a vibrator (vibration device) is installed inside the first performance button 251.

[0094] The door frame top unit 300 is located on the front of the door frame body 100, above the game window 101, and is positioned so that both ends in the left-right direction are sandwiched between the upper ends of the left door frame side unit 320 and the right door frame side unit 340. The door frame top unit 300 protrudes forward like an overhang. The door frame top unit 300 is equipped with a semi-tubular door frame top decorative body 301 that extends left and right along its front edge and is translucent. In a plan view, the door frame top decorative body 301 is curved in the front-back direction so that its left-right center is located furthest forward.

[0095] The door frame top unit 300, although not shown in the illustration, includes a door frame top decorative circuit board on which multiple LEDs are mounted for illuminating the door frame top decorative element 301, and a door frame top speaker that outputs sounds such as voice, music, and sound effects.

[0096] The left side unit 320 of the door frame is located on the front of the main door frame 100, to the left of the game window 101, and extends vertically from near the top of the main door frame 100 to near the speaker grille 203, below the shelf portion 201 of the shelf unit 200. The left side unit 320 extends along its entire vertical length and is equipped with a translucent, semi-tubular left side decorative element 321. The left side decorative element 321 curves to the right near its lower end.

[0097] The left side unit 320 of the door frame, although not shown in the illustration, has a left side decorative circuit board on which multiple LEDs are mounted for illuminating the left side decorative element 321 of the door frame.

[0098] The right side unit 340 of the door frame is located to the right of the game window 101 on the front of the main door frame 100, and extends vertically from near the top of the main door frame 100 to the handle cover 170 below the shelf section 201 of the shelf unit 200. The right side unit 340 of the door frame protrudes further forward than the left side unit 320 of the door frame and is formed in a vertically elongated partition shape.

[0099] The right side unit of the door frame 340 includes a semi-tubular door frame right side decorative body 341 that extends vertically along its front end and is translucent; a translucent door frame right side left side decorative body (not shown) located behind the door frame right side decorative body 341 and forming the left side; a translucent door frame right side decorative body (not shown) located behind the door frame right side decorative body 341 and forming the right side; and a door frame right side decorative substrate (not shown) on which multiple LEDs are mounted to illuminate the door frame right side decorative body 341, the door frame right side left side decorative body, and the door frame right side right side decorative body. The door frame right side decorative body 341 is curved to the left near its lower end.

[0100] Furthermore, the right side unit 340 of the door frame extends forward and backward near its lower end and has an opening 342 through which the keyhole 682 of the lock unit 680 faces forward.

[0101] [3-1. Counting button switch] The counting button switch 180 is located on the upper surface of the shelf unit 200, to the right of the center in the left-right direction. When the counting button switch 180 is pressed while there are balls remaining (number of balls > 0), the balls are sent to the game ball dispensing device 8 for settlement. As will be described in detail later, the counting button switch 180 can send balls one by one or in predetermined numbers (for example, every 250 balls) depending on the pressing time. The number of balls sent to the game ball dispensing device 8 is sent to the management server 9 via the communication network, and an IC card storing that number of balls is ejected from the game ball dispensing device 8.

[0102] Here, the game ball dispensing device 8 is installed adjacent to the pachinko machine 1 in the island equipment of the gaming hall (also referred to as a "sand"). The game ball dispensing device 8 is equipped with, although not shown in detail in the illustration, an input slot for inserting cash or prepaid cards, a card slot for inserting / removing IC cards, a ball dispensing button switch 8a, a return button switch, a display unit that shows the amount inserted and the number of balls counted, etc. When cash or the like is inserted into the input slot and the ball dispensing button switch 8a is pressed, a predetermined number of game balls B are dispensed within the range of the inserted amount. In this embodiment, the number of game balls B dispensed is transmitted as digital data to the frame control board and also transmitted to the management server 9 via the communication network for management.

[0103] To elaborate on the counting button switch 180, if a player has balls and "short-presses" the counting button switch 180 (for example, a single press duration of less than 500ms), one game ball B is counted from the player's balls. If the counting button switch 180 is "long-pressed" (for example, a single press duration of 500ms or more), 250 game balls B are counted at predetermined time intervals (for example, 300ms) while the button is long-pressed until the number of balls falls below 250. Once the number of balls falls below 250 while the button is long-pressed, game balls B are counted one at a time. Alternatively, if the counting button switch 180 is "long-pressed" (for example, a single press duration of 500ms or more), the entire number of balls held may be counted unconditionally, even if the button is not continuously pressed.

[0104] When the counting button switch 180 is pressed, the number of balls displayed on the ball count display unit 140 is subtracted and displayed, and the number of balls counted is displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the game ball dispensing device 8.

[0105] [4. Main frame] The main frame 4 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 11. Figure 11 is a front view of the main parts, showing the launch unit and foul unit in cross-section in the front view of Figure 3. The main frame 4 is formed in the shape of a box frame with an open front, and the game board 5 is detachably housed inside from the front. The main frame 4 is attached to a frame-shaped outer frame 2, which is attached to the island equipment of the gaming hall, at the top and bottom of the front left side of the main frame 4 so as to be openable and closable, and a door frame 3 is attached so as to be openable and closable so as to close the open front side.

[0106] The main frame 4 comprises a frame-shaped main frame base unit 400 that is openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 2, a ball launching unit 450 for launching game balls B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, a foul unit 470 for collecting game balls B that were launched by the ball launching unit 450 but did not land in the game area 5a, a circulating ball path unit 500 for sending game balls B discharged from the game board 5 and game balls B collected by the foul unit 470 to the ball launching unit 450, a ball lifting unit 550 for moving game balls B upward from the downstream end of the circulating ball path unit 500, and a ball delivery unit 600 for sending the game balls B lifted by the ball lifting unit 550 one by one to the ball launching unit 450.

[0107] Furthermore, the main frame 4 includes a ball receiving tray 620 for receiving game balls B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500, a frame board unit 630 having a frame control board 640 for controlling the ball launching unit 450 and the ball lifting unit 550, and a locking unit 680 for locking the space between the outer frame 2 and the main frame 4 and between the door frame 3 and the main frame 4.

[0108] [4-1. Main frame base unit] The main frame base unit 400 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of the main frame base unit in the main frame, disassembled into its main components and viewed from the front, and Figure 13 is an exploded perspective view of the main frame base unit in the main frame, disassembled into its main components and viewed from the rear. The main frame base unit 400 is supported on the outer frame 2 so as to be able to open and close forward, and is also capable of supporting the door frame 3 so as to be able to open and close forward. The main frame base unit 400 is fitted with a ball launching unit 450, a foul unit 470, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, a ball delivery unit 600, a ball receiving tray 620, a frame base plate unit 630, a lock unit 680, etc.

[0109] The main frame base unit 400 is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape and includes a main frame base 401 which is penetrating from front to back and has a game board insertion section 401a into which the game board 5 is inserted from the front, and a base wall section 401b provided below the game board insertion section 401a, and a side reinforcing plate 402 which reinforces the left side of the main frame base 401.

[0110] Furthermore, the main frame base unit 400 includes a main frame speaker 403 attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, a box-shaped main frame speaker box 404 attached to the base wall portion 401b so as to cover the main frame speaker 403 from the rear and with the front open, and a rear cover 405 provided so as to be able to open and close the game board insertion portion 401a of the main frame base 401 from the rear.

[0111] Furthermore, the main frame base unit 400 includes a game board locking member 406 attached to the main frame base 401, a door opening switch 407 and a frame opening switch 408 attached to the main frame base 401, and a main frame hinge mechanism 410 attached to the main frame base 401.

[0112] The main frame base 401 is a vertically elongated rectangle in front view and is made of synthetic resin. The main frame base 401 includes a game board insertion section 401a that penetrates from front to back for approximately two-thirds of its total height from near the top end downwards, a base wall section 401b provided below the game board insertion section 401a, a game board regulating section 401c that protrudes upward (into the game board insertion section 401a) near the center in the left-right direction on the upper end surface of the base wall section 401b, a main frame speaker opening 401d that penetrates from front to back near the left end of the base wall section 401b and faces forward through the main frame speaker 403, and a bass reflex duct 401e that penetrates from front to back at the lower right corner of the base wall section 401b.

[0113] Furthermore, the main frame base 401 includes a tray insertion recess 401f in the lower center of the base wall portion 401b, recessed from the front to the rear, into which the ball receiving tray 620 is inserted, and a ball storage passage insertion opening 401g that penetrates from front to back above the tray insertion recess 401f in the base wall portion 401b, into which the ball meandering member 513 and meandering cover 514 of the circulating ball path unit 500 are inserted.

[0114] Furthermore, the main frame base 401 includes a foul unit mounting section 401h and a ball launching unit mounting section 401i, which are provided side by side on the left and right above the ball storage passage insertion opening 401g on the front surface of the base wall section 401b; a ball lifting unit mounting section 401j, which is vertically elongated and opens to the right of the ball launching unit mounting section 401i on the base wall section 401b; a ball delivery unit mounting section 401k, which is provided on the rear surface of the base wall section 401b in the area behind the ball launching unit mounting section 401i; a circulating ball path unit mounting section 401l, which is provided on the rear surface of the base wall section 401b; and a cylinder insertion opening 401m, which penetrates from front to back near the upper right corner of the base wall section 401b and through which the lock cylinder 681 of the lock unit 680 is inserted.

[0115] Furthermore, the main frame base 401 is equipped with a locking claw 401n that protrudes forward from the left end of the tray insertion recess 401f and elastically locks to the front end of the ball receiving tray 620 inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f, thereby restricting the forward movement of the ball receiving tray 620.

[0116] The game board insertion section 401a of the main frame base 401 allows the game board 5 to be inserted detachably from the front. The game board 5 is placed on the upper end surface of the base wall section 401b. The front of the base wall section 401b is fitted with a door opening switch 407, a ball launching unit 450, a foul unit 470, and a ball receiving tray 620. The rear of the base wall section 401b is fitted with a main frame speaker 403, a main frame speaker box 404, a frame opening switch 408, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, and a ball delivery unit 600.

[0117] The game board restrictor section 401c restricts the movement of the game board 5 in the left-right and rearward directions when the game board 5 is inserted into the game board insertion section 401a. The main frame speaker opening 401d is formed in a grid shape as shown in the figure, and is positioned behind the speaker grille 203 of the door frame 3 when the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main frame 4. The main frame speaker 403 is mounted on the rear surface of the base wall section 401b so as to close the main frame speaker opening 401d from the rear.

[0118] The bass reflex duct 401e is formed as a long, elongated cylindrical shape and is provided in two, side by side. As will be described in detail later, the bass reflex duct 401e communicates with the enclosure 404a of the main frame speaker 403, which is composed of the base wall 401b and the main frame speaker box 404, and is intended to invert the phase of the sound output from the main frame speaker 403 to the rear and release it forward. In this embodiment, the cylindrical bass reflex duct 401e makes it possible to resonate and amplify the low-frequency range of the sound output from the main frame speaker 403, thereby producing a deeper bass sound. This bass reflex duct 401e is provided so as to be located behind the duct grille 191 of the door frame 3 when the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main frame 4.

[0119] The tray insertion recess 401f can support the ball receiving tray 620 in a removable manner from the front. The bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f is sloped so that the front end is lower (see Figure 10). This allows game balls B to be discharged forward even if they spill into the tray insertion recess 401f when the ball receiving tray 620 is not inserted into it. In addition, because the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f is sloped so that the front end is lower, the ball receiving tray 620 placed on it can be easily slid forward.

[0120] The ball storage passage inlet 401g is provided so that the front portion of the ball meandering member 513 and meandering cover 514 of the circulating ball path unit 500, which is attached to the rear surface of the base wall 401b, penetrates through it and protrudes forward. The foul unit mounting portion 401h is provided near the upper end of the base wall 401b and to the right of the main frame speaker opening 401d. The ball launching unit mounting portion 401i is provided to the right of the foul unit mounting portion 401h. The ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j is provided in the area between the upper end of the base wall 401b and the bass reflex duct 401e.

[0121] The ball-feeding unit mounting section 401k is provided on the rear surface of the base wall section 401b such that the upper surface of the ball-feeding unit 600 faces upward (into the game board insertion section 401a), and is designed to allow the ball-feeding unit 600 to be attached and detached from above. When the ball-feeding unit 600 is attached to the ball-feeding unit mounting section 401k, the elastic claw 609b of the ball-feeding unit 600 penetrates the locking hole in the base wall section 401b and faces forward to the right of the ball-launching unit 450. In this state, by pressing the elastic claw 609b backward to elastically deform it, and by grasping and pulling up the knob section 609a provided on the upper surface of the ball-feeding unit 600, the ball-feeding unit 600 can be removed upward.

[0122] The circulating ball path unit mounting section 401l is located in the central left-right portion of the rear surface of the base wall section 401b, above the box extension section 404c of the main frame speaker box 404, which will be described later. The cylinder insertion port 401m is located near the upper end of the base wall section 401b, to the right of the ball lifting unit mounting section 401j.

[0123] The side reinforcing plate 402 is formed in a U-shape in plan view, opening to the right, and is attached to the left side of the main frame base 401. The side reinforcing plate 402 is formed from an extruded metal profile such as aluminum alloy. The side reinforcing plate 402 has two left position regulating members 402a provided vertically spaced apart. The left position regulating members 402a are for positioning the left edge of the game board 5.

[0124] The main frame speaker 403 is mounted on the rear side of the base wall 401b so as to close the main frame speaker opening 401d of the main frame base 401 from the rear. The main frame speaker 403 is a cone-type speaker that primarily outputs low frequencies.

[0125] The main frame speaker box 404 is formed in a box shape that is open to the front and is attached to the rear side of the base wall 401b so as to cover the main frame speaker 403 from the rear. By being attached to the base wall 401b, the main frame speaker box 404 forms the enclosure 404a of the main frame speaker 403.

[0126] The main frame speaker box 404 includes a box body portion 404b located behind the main frame speaker 403, a box extension portion 404c connected to the lower end of the box body portion 404b and extending to the right in a front view, and a frame substrate unit pivot support portion 404d provided on the rear surface of the box body portion 404b. The box extension portion 404c of the main frame speaker box 404 extends to the right to near the right end of the main frame base 401 so as to cover the rear of the bass reflex duct 401e, and a portion of it extends further rearward than the box body portion 404b.

[0127] The enclosure 404a consists of a box body 404b and a box extension 404c, and communicates with the outside through a bass reflex duct 401e. In other words, the bass reflex duct 401e, the main frame speaker 403, and the main frame speaker box 404 constitute a phase-inverting bass reflex speaker.

[0128] More specifically, the main frame speaker 403 outputs predetermined sounds forward and backward. The sound output forward from the main frame speaker 403 is released to the front of the pachinko machine 1 through the main frame speaker opening 401d and the speaker grille 203.

[0129] On the other hand, the sound output from the main frame speaker 403 to the rear causes the air inside the main frame speaker box 404 (enclosure 404a) to vibrate. Since this enclosure 404a is open to the front (outside) by a cylindrical bass reflex duct 401e, the sound is released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e. At this time, because the bass reflex duct 401e is formed in a cylindrical shape of a predetermined length, the low-frequency range is amplified by resonance caused by the vibration of the air column inside it, and the sound is released forward in a phase-inverted state.

[0130] As a result, the sound output from the main unit speaker 403 to the front and the sound output to the rear do not cancel each other out and attenuate, but instead resonate with each other and amplify each other. This allows the main unit speaker 403 to produce a loud sound with deep bass even with a small diameter, allowing players to hear a sound with rich bass.

[0131] Since the bass reflex duct 401e is located behind the duct grille 191 below the handle 160 in the door frame 3, when air vibrations (wind) caused by the operation of the main frame speaker 403 are released forward from the bass reflex duct 401e, the wind is guided diagonally upward and forward by the horizontal grille of the duct grille 191 and sent into the handle cover 170 through the opening 171 of the handle cover 170. Therefore, when the main frame speaker 403 is driven (sound is output) while the player is operating the handle 160, wind is sent to the player's fingers holding the handle 160 via the bass reflex duct 401e and the duct grille 191, which can surprise the player and allow them to experience an unprecedented effect.

[0132] The box extension 404c of the main frame speaker box 404 is formed with a depth in the front-to-back direction that is longer than the height in the up-to-down direction, and its rear end is provided to protrude slightly behind the rear end of the frame board unit 630 (see Figure 10). When assembled to the main frame 4, the box extension 404c covers the bottom of the frame board unit 630 (unit base 670 and power supply board box 672) so that a gap is formed between it and the frame board unit 630. This prevents the various wires connected to the frame board unit 630 from hanging down.

[0133] The box extension section 404c is sloped so that its top surface is lower towards the rear. This allows debris and game balls B that fall from above to be guided to the rear and discharged. The box extension section 404c is also sloped so that its bottom surface is higher towards the rear. This prevents the box extension section 404c from coming into contact with the lower frame 14 of the main frame 4 when closing the main frame 4 to the outer frame 2.

[0134] When assembled to the main frame 4, the main frame speaker box 404 supports the rear end of the tray insertion recess 401f in the main frame base 401 by suspending it. As a result, when the game balls B discharged from the circulating ball path unit 500 are received by the ball receiving tray 620, even if a load (the weight of multiple game balls B) is applied to the tray insertion recess 401f from above via the ball receiving tray 620, the tray insertion recess 401f will not deform.

[0135] The back cover 405 is provided to the main frame base 401 so as to cover the rear of the game board 5, which is attached to the main frame 4 when assembled with the pachinko machine 1, and is designed to open and close. The back cover 405 is made of transparent synthetic resin. In a front view, the left side of the back cover 405 is rotatably supported relative to the main frame base 401, and the right side is detachably locked to the main frame base 401 by an elastic locking claw.

[0136] The game board locking member 406 is mounted on the front surface of the main frame base 401 (base wall portion 401b) so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the front-rear direction. By rotating the game board locking member 406 to the locked position with the game board 5 inserted into the game board insertion portion 401a, the lower end of the game board 5 can be prevented from moving forward.

[0137] The door open switch 407 is for detecting the opening and closing of the door frame 3 relative to the main frame 4. The door open switch 407 is mounted below the cylinder insertion opening 401m in the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0138] The frame release switch 408 is for detecting the opening and closing of the main frame 4 relative to the outer frame 2. The frame release switch 408 is mounted below the door release switch 407 on the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0139] The main frame hinge mechanism 410 includes an upper main frame hinge body 411 attached to the upper left edge of the main frame base 401, and a lower main frame hinge body 412 attached to the lower left edge of the main frame base 401.

[0140] The main frame upper hinge body 411 includes a main frame hinge shaft 411a that protrudes upward in a cylindrical shape and is inserted into the bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 in the outer frame 2, and an upper shaft hole 411b for the door frame, which is provided adjacent to the main frame hinge shaft 411a and into which the door frame upper hinge shaft of the door frame upper hinge body in the door frame 3 is inserted from below.

[0141] The main frame lower hinge body 412 includes an outer frame shaft hole (not shown) into which the hinge shaft 35a of the outer frame lower hinge body 35 in the outer frame 2 is inserted from below, and a door frame lower shaft hole 412b into which the door frame lower hinge shaft 112a of the door frame lower hinge body 112 in the door frame 3 is inserted from above.

[0142] The main frame hinge mechanism 410 is supported so that the main frame 4 can be opened and closed relative to the outer frame 2 by inserting the main frame hinge shaft 411a of the main frame upper hinge body 411 into the bearing groove 31a of the outer frame upper hinge body 31 on the outer frame 2, and inserting the hinge shaft 35a of the outer frame lower hinge body 35 on the outer frame 2 into the outer frame shaft hole of the main frame lower hinge body 412.

[0143] Furthermore, the main frame hinge mechanism 410 supports the door frame 3 so that it can be opened and closed by inserting the upper hinge shaft of the upper hinge body in the door frame 3 into the upper shaft hole 411b for the door frame of the upper hinge body 411 from below, and inserting the lower hinge shaft 112a of the lower hinge body 112 in the door frame 3 into the lower shaft hole 412b for the door frame of the lower hinge body 412 from above.

[0144] [4-2. Ball Launching Unit] The ball launching unit 450 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 14 to 16. Figure 14(a) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main frame from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball launching unit in the main frame from the rear. Figure 15(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit disassembled and viewed from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching unit disassembled and viewed from the rear. Figure 16(a) is a perspective view of the launching unit cover of the ball launching unit viewed from the left rear, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of the ball launching unit showing only the launching unit cover in cross-section in a front view.

[0145] The ball launching unit 450 is for launching game balls B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, and has a ball inlet 450a for receiving game balls B sent from the ball delivery unit 600, a ball launching port 450b for releasing the launched game balls B to the outside, and a ball discharge port 450c for discharging the game balls B. The ball launching unit 450 can drive the game balls B with a force corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160 at the lower right corner of the front of the door frame 3. The ball launching unit 450 is attached to a ball launching unit mounting part 401i located to the right of the center in the left-right direction on the upper part of the front of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0146] The ball inlet 450a of the ball launching unit 450 is located on the rear and is a square opening large enough for one game ball B to pass through. When assembled on the main frame 4, this ball inlet 450a is located in front of the ball outlet 602 of the ball delivery unit 600 and communicates with the ball outlet 602. The ball launching port 450b is located on the left edge of the top surface and opens diagonally so that the left edge is lower. When assembled on the main frame 4, this ball launching port 450b communicates with the upper part of the foul right opening 470b of the foul unit 470. The ball discharge port 450c is located on the left side. When assembled on the main frame 4, this ball discharge port 450c communicates with the lower part of the foul right opening 470b of the foul unit 470.

[0147] The ball launching unit 450 comprises a flat unit base 451, a launching unit cover 452 mounted to cover the front side of the unit base 451, a launching solenoid 453 mounted on the rear side of the unit base 451 such that its rotating shaft 453a protrudes forward of the unit base 451, a launching subtraction sensor 454 capable of detecting whether or not a game ball B has been launched, a launching hammer 455 mounted on the rotating shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453, a nut 456 attaching the launching hammer 455 to the rotating shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453, an annular spacer 457 inserted into the rotating shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453, two contact rubbers 458 that can contact the launching hammer 455, and a contact rubber holder 459 holding one of the contact rubbers 458.

[0148] The unit base 451 of the ball launching unit 450 is formed from a metal plate such as an iron plate. The unit base 451 is provided with a ball inlet 450a, which penetrates in a square shape from the center upwards when viewed from the front.

[0149] The launch unit cover 452 is formed by injection molding using an opaque synthetic resin with low light transmittance. The launch unit cover 452 includes a flat front plate 452a provided at a distance forward from the unit base 451, a ball launch platform 452b provided behind the front plate 452a and directly below the ball inlet 450a of the unit base 451, which is inclined so that the left end is higher, and a detection port 452c that penetrates the ball launch platform 452b vertically.

[0150] Furthermore, the launch unit cover 452 includes a launch platform upper wall portion 452d located at the rear of the front plate 452a, in the upper right of the front view of the ball launch platform 452b, which forms a gap between it and the ball launch platform 452b that prevents the game ball B from passing through, and a sensor lower mounting portion 452e and a sensor upper mounting portion 452f provided at the rear of the front plate 452a, sandwiching the ball launch platform 452b and the launch platform upper wall portion 452d.

[0151] Furthermore, the launch unit cover 452 includes a guide wall portion 452g provided to the left of the ball launch platform 452b at the rear of the front plate 452a and along the inclined extension of the ball launch platform 452b, and an ejection guide wall portion 452h extending downward from the left end of the ball launch platform 452b at the rear of the front plate 452a and then becoming lower to the left.

[0152] The ball launcher 452b is on which the game ball B supplied through the ball inlet 450a is placed. The ball launcher 452b is inclined such that the left end is higher when viewed from the front. The ball launcher 452b is concave in a certain cross-sectional shape (trapezoidal) so as to narrow downwards along the direction of the inclination. The ball launcher 452b is formed so that only one game ball B is placed on it, with a length in the direction of inclination (launching direction) slightly longer than the diameter of the game ball B, and in contact with the two inclined surfaces of the trapezoidal concave shape. In this embodiment, the ball launcher 452b is inclined at an angle of approximately 27 degrees with respect to the horizontal.

[0153] The detection port 452c is located at the bottom of the trapezoidal recessed portion of the ball launcher 452b. The launcher upper wall portion 452d is located above the inclined lower end of the ball launcher 452b. The launcher upper wall portion 452d is provided to form a gap between itself and the ball launcher 452b that prevents the game ball B from passing through, but allows the tip of the launch hammer 455 to pass through. As a result, the game ball B supplied to the ball launcher 452b is placed on the ball launcher 452b with its movement restricted to the downstream side (to the right in this case) in the inclined direction of the ball launcher 452b by contacting the left end of the launcher upper wall portion 452d.

[0154] The lower sensor mounting section 452e and the upper sensor mounting section 452f are to which the light-emitting section 454a and the light-receiving section 454b, which constitute the emission / subtraction sensor 454, are attached, respectively.

[0155] The upper surface of the guide wall 452g constitutes the bottom surface of the ball launching port 450b. The upper surface of the guide wall 452g is inclined at the same angle as the inclination of the ball launching platform 452b and is provided at a location to the left of the ball launching platform 452b that is longer than the diameter of the game ball B. In this embodiment, since the ball launching platform 452b is made as short as possible, when the game ball B on the ball launching platform 452b is struck by the launching hammer 455, the launching direction of the game ball B is difficult to determine, and there is a risk that it will not be properly driven between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5. However, because the guide wall 452g is provided, the game ball B launched from the ball launching platform 452b bounces off the upper surface of the guide wall 452g, causing it to fly outward from the ball launching port 450b and be driven between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002.

[0156] Furthermore, because the guide wall 452g is positioned away from the ball launcher 452b, even if the force with which the game ball B is hit causes the game ball B to try to return towards the ball launcher 452b at the guide wall 452g, it will flow down onto the lower discharge guide wall 452h through the space between the guide wall 452g and the ball launcher 452b, and will not return to the ball launcher 452b.

[0157] The discharge guide wall 452h forms a ball discharge port 450c with the guide wall 452g. The discharge guide wall 452h is inclined so that the left end is lower, guiding the game ball B that has flowed down between the ball launching platform 452b and the guide wall 452g to the left, allowing it to be discharged from the ball discharge port 450c at the left end toward the foul unit 470. As a result, game balls B that were struck by the launching hammer 455 at the ball launching platform 452b but were not launched from the ball launching port 450b are guided by the discharge guide wall 452h and discharged from the ball discharge port 450c toward the foul unit 470.

[0158] The launch solenoid 453 is composed of a rotary solenoid having a rotating shaft 453a that extends forward and backward.

[0159] The launch / subtraction sensor 454 can detect the presence or absence of game balls B on the ball launching platform 452b. The launch / subtraction sensor 454 consists of a light-emitting unit 454a that emits detection light and a light-receiving unit 454b that receives the detection light, which are attached to the lower sensor mounting part 452e and the upper sensor mounting part 452f of the launching unit cover 452, respectively. The detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit 454a is received by the light-receiving unit 454b through a detection port 452c provided at the bottom of the ball launching platform 452b. In this case, if game balls B are placed on the ball launching platform 452b, the detection light is blocked by the game balls B and the light-receiving unit 454b does not receive the detection light. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of game balls B on the ball launching platform 452b.

[0160] The launch subtraction sensor 454, as will be described in detail later, detects when a game ball B is launched from the ball launcher 452b and subtracts one ball from the player's remaining ball count.

[0161] The launching hammer 455 is used to strike and launch the game ball B. The launching hammer 455 is attached to the rotating shaft 453a of the launching solenoid 453 and rotates (moves) together with the rotating shaft 453a. The tip of the launching hammer 455 is positioned to pass between the ball launching platform 452b and the upper wall portion 452d of the launching platform so that it can contact the game ball B placed on the ball launching platform 452b.

[0162] The nut 456 is screwed onto the rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453. The spacer 457 into which the rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453 is inserted. The rotating shaft 453a of the firing solenoid 453 is inserted from the rear, through the spacer 457 and then the firing hammer 455. The firing hammer 455 is then attached by screwing the nut 456 onto the tip that protrudes forward from the firing hammer 455 and tightening it.

[0163] The rubber 458 is attached to the unit base 451 to restrict the range of rotation (rotation range) of the launch hammer 455. The rubber 458, which is located at the rotation end of the launch hammer 455 in the direction in which it strikes the game ball B (in this case, counterclockwise), is attached to the unit base 451 via the rubber holder 459.

[0164] According to the ball launching unit 450 of this embodiment, only one game ball B is placed on the ball launching platform 452b, and the launch countdown sensor 454 detects when a game ball B has been launched from the ball launching platform 452b, so that the launch of each game ball B can be reliably detected.

[0165] Furthermore, in the ball launching unit 450, the unit base 451 is made of a metal plate, and the launching unit cover 452 is made of an opaque synthetic resin with low light transmittance, which prevents the launch subtraction sensor 454, which is a photosensor, from making false detections due to light from the outside.

[0166] Furthermore, according to the ball launching unit 450, since it detects the launch of game ball B, when a player stops playing and settles their account, there is no need to automatically empty-fire game ball B, which is placed on the ball launching stand 452b, to turn it into a foul ball in order to return it to the player.

[0167] [4-3. Foul Unit] The foul unit 470 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 17 to 19. Figure 17(a) is a perspective view of the foul unit in the main frame from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the foul unit in the main frame from the rear. Figure 18(a) is an exploded perspective view of the foul unit from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the foul unit from the rear. Figure 19(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the foul shutter closed in a side cross-section of the foul unit, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the foul shutter open in a side cross-section of the foul unit.

[0168] The foul unit 470 is for collecting game balls B that were launched by the ball launching unit 450 and hit between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 on the game board 5 but did not hit the game area 5a, and game balls B that were launched by the ball launching unit 450 but did not reach the game board 5 (between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002) due to insufficient launch force. The foul unit 470 has a foul upper opening 470a that is open on the top surface, a foul right opening 470b that is open on the right side surface, and a foul ball outlet 470c that is in communication with the foul upper opening 470a and the foul right opening 470b and is open towards the rear at its lower end.

[0169] The foul unit 470 is attached to a foul unit mounting portion 401h located in the middle left-right portion of the upper front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401. When assembled on the main frame 4, the upper end of the foul unit 470 is at approximately the same height as the upper end of the base wall portion 401b, and the right foul opening 470b is closed by the ball launch port 450b and ball discharge port 450c of the ball launch unit 450. In other words, when assembled on the main frame 4, the right foul opening 470b is in communication with the ball launch port 450b and the ball discharge port 450c. The upper foul opening 470a and the right foul opening 470b are formed by the unit base 472 and the front cover 473, which will be described later, and the ball discharge port 450c is formed on the unit base 472.

[0170] The foul unit 470 includes a foul shutter 471 that can open and close the foul upper opening 470a so that the game ball B cannot pass through, a unit base 472 attached to the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, a front cover 473 attached to the front side of the unit base 472, a rear cover 474 attached to the rear side of the unit base 472 so as to cover the rear of the foul shutter 471, a spring 475 that biases the foul shutter 471 forward, and a foul ball grounding plate 476 provided between the unit base 472 and the front cover 473.

[0171] The foul shutter 471 is supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction by the cooperation of the unit base 472 and the front cover 473. The foul shutter 471 has a long, strip-shaped shutter section 471a, two forward projections 471b that protrude forward from both the left and right ends of the shutter section 471a, and a flat rear wall section 471c that extends downward from the rear end edge of the shutter section 471a.

[0172] The foul shutter 471 can close the foul upper opening 470a by the shutter portion 471a so that the game ball B cannot pass through. The two forward protrusions 471b are provided so that their front ends protrude forward of the front cover 473 and are provided so that the rear surface of the door frame body 100 in the door frame 3 can come into contact with them. The front end of the spring 475 comes into contact with the rear surface of the rear wall portion 471c.

[0173] The unit base 472 has a flat, T-shaped main body portion 472a that is long from left to right and has a portion that extends downward near the right end, a shutter insertion opening 472b that penetrates from front to back and extends from left to right near the upper end of the main body portion 472a, and a plurality of rear support openings 472c that are provided along the lower edge to the left of the portion that extends downward on the main body portion 472a and penetrate from front to back.

[0174] The unit base 472 is provided with a foul ball outlet 470c that penetrates from front to back and extends rearward in a rectangular tubular shape near the lower end of the portion of the main body 472a that extends downward. The cylindrical foul ball outlet 470c is inclined to be lower towards the rear.

[0175] The main body portion 472a is inclined such that the lower edge of the portion to the left of the portion extending downward is lower to the right. The shutter insertion opening 472b is sized to allow the shutter portion 471a and the forward projection portion 471b of the foul shutter 471 to be inserted. Multiple rear support openings 472c are provided to the left and right so that each is lower to the right, and are arranged in a row along the inclined lower edge of the main body portion 472a. The rear support openings 472c are provided so that the support piece 476a of the foul ball grounding sheet metal 476 is inserted with a gap.

[0176] The front cover 473 comprises a flat, T-shaped front plate 473a that is long from left to right and has a portion that extends downward near the right end; a left wall portion 473b that extends rearward from the left edge of the front plate 473a; a lower wall portion 473c that extends to the right along the lower edge of the front plate 473a from the lower end of the left wall portion 473b and also extends rearward; a hanging wall portion 473d that extends downward along the left edge of the portion that extends downward on the front plate 473a from the right end of the lower wall portion 473c and also extends rearward; a bottom wall portion 473e that extends to the right along the lower edge of the portion that extends downward on the front plate 473a from the lower end of the hanging wall portion 473d and also extends rearward; and a right wall portion 473f that extends rearward from the upper right end of the front plate 473a.

[0177] The upper and right edges of the front panel 473a constitute the front edges of the foul upper opening 470a and the foul right opening 470b. The right edge of the upper end of the left wall section 473b constitutes the left edge of the foul upper opening 470a, and the left edge of the upper end of the right wall section 473f constitutes the right edge of the foul upper opening 470a. The lower edge of the right wall section 473f constitutes the upper edge of the foul right opening 470b, and the right edge of the bottom wall section 473e constitutes the lower edge of the foul right opening 470b.

[0178] The front cover 473 has a lower wall portion 473c located below the upper foul opening 470a, which guides the game ball B that has flowed down through the upper foul opening 470a to the right, and then allows it to flow down along the hanging wall portion 473d onto the bottom wall portion 473e. This bottom wall portion 473e is inclined such that the part in front of the foul ball outlet 470c is lower towards the rear, and the part to the right of that part is inclined such that it is higher towards the right. Therefore, the game ball B that has flowed down onto the bottom wall portion 473e is guided to the rear and discharged to the rear from the foul ball outlet 470c. In addition, since the right edge of the bottom wall portion 473e constitutes the lower edge of the right foul opening 470b, the game ball B that enters from the right foul opening 470b will flow down onto the bottom wall portion 473e, be guided by the bottom wall portion 473e, and discharged to the rear from the foul ball outlet 470c.

[0179] Furthermore, the front cover 473 has multiple front support openings 473g arranged in a row from left to right along the lower wall portion 473c on the front plate 473a, and which penetrate from front to back. The multiple front support openings 473g are provided so as to face the rear support openings 472c of the unit base 472. The front support openings 473g are also provided so that the support piece 476a of the foul ball grounding sheet metal 476 is inserted with a gap between them.

[0180] The rear cover 474 is formed in a box shape with an open front. The rear part of the foul shutter 471 is inserted into the interior of the rear cover 474, and a spring 475 is also positioned inside. The rear end of the spring 475 abuts against the front surface of the rear wall of the rear cover 474.

[0181] Two springs 475 are provided, spaced apart on the left and right, and are arranged inside the box-shaped rear cover 474. The front end of each spring 475 abuts against the rear surface of the rear wall portion 471c of the foul shutter 471, while the rear end abuts against the front surface of the rear wall of the rear cover 474. The springs 475 bias the foul shutter 471 forward.

[0182] The foul ball grounding plate 476 is made of a metal plate such as an iron plate and is ultimately connected to the ground of the game hall via a grounding wire (not shown). The foul ball grounding plate 476 is formed in the shape of a long strip from left to right, with multiple support pieces 476a extending outward from the front and rear long sides. The foul ball grounding plate 476 is placed on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 473c of the front cover 473, and the multiple support pieces 476a are inserted with some play into the rear support opening 472c of the unit base 472 and the front support opening 473g of the front cover 473.

[0183] As a result, the game ball B that has flowed down from the upper foul opening 470a toward the lower wall portion 473c is guided to the right after the static electricity accumulated in contact with the foul ball grounding plate 476 is removed. At this time, since the support piece 476a is loosely fitted into the rear support opening 472c and the front support opening 473g, the foul ball grounding plate 476 vibrates when the game ball B makes contact with it, and this vibration causes dust and debris on the foul ball grounding plate 476 to be discharged to the outside through the gaps in the rear support opening 472c and the front support opening 473g into which it is loosely fitted. In addition, this foul ball grounding plate 476 also serves as reinforcement against the falling game ball B.

[0184] When assembled into the pachinko machine 1, the foul unit 470 is attached to the foul unit mounting section 401h located on the upper part of the front surface of the base wall section 401b of the main frame 4, near the center in the left-right direction. In this state, the ball launching unit 450 is attached adjacent to the right side of the foul unit 470.

[0185] As shown in Figure 11, the foul upper opening 470a of the foul unit 470 is located near the upper end of the base wall portion 401b and is also located on the axis of the launch direction of the game ball B in the ball launching unit 450. In other words, the foul upper opening 470a is provided in the area between the lower end opening between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5 and the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450.

[0186] On the other hand, the right foul opening 470b of the foul unit 470 has its upper part communicating with the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450, and its lower part communicating with the ball discharge port 450c of the ball launching unit 450. Therefore, the upper foul opening 470a and the right foul opening 470b are provided in the area between the lower end opening between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5 and the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450. As a result, the game ball B launched from the ball launching port 450b of the ball launching unit 450 enters the foul unit 470 through the right foul opening 470b, and then enters the area between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 of the game board 5 through the upper foul opening 470a.

[0187] In this embodiment, when the door frame 3 is opened forward relative to the main frame 4, the foul unit 470 slides forward due to the biasing force of the spring 475, as shown in Figure 19(a), and the shutter portion 471a of the foul shutter 471 protrudes between the front surface of the unit base 472 and the front plate 473a of the front cover 473, closing the foul upper opening 470a so that the game ball B cannot pass through. In other words, the foul shutter 471 is in the closed position. In this state, the rear wall portion 471c of the foul shutter 471 is in contact with the rear surface of the main body portion 472a of the unit base 472, and it cannot slide any further forward.

[0188] When the foul shutter 471 is in the closed position and a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the launched game ball B enters the foul unit 470 through the right foul opening 470b, then contacts the lower surface of the shutter portion 471a of the foul shutter 471, and flows down inside the foul unit 470 without being launched upward through the upper foul opening 470a. The game ball B that has flowed down inside the foul unit 470 is guided by the lower wall portion 473c (foul ball grounding sheet metal 476), the hanging wall portion 473d, the bottom wall portion 473e, etc., and is supplied to the circulating ball path unit 500 from the rear foul ball outlet 470c. As a result, even if a game ball B is launched when the door frame 3 is open, the game ball B will not leak out of the foul unit 470 to the outside.

[0189] Furthermore, when the door frame 3 is opened relative to the main frame 4, the door open switch 407 is turned OFF, so the firing of game balls B from the ball firing unit 450 may be stopped when the door open switch 407 is turned OFF. Alternatively, instead of stopping the firing of game balls B when the door frame 3 is opened, the game may be temporarily paused by the main control board 1310, and the game may be resumed when the door frame 3 is closed.

[0190] Furthermore, when the main frame 4 is opened relative to the outer frame 2 (frame release switch 408 is OFF), the door frame 3 is closed and no game balls B leak out, so the launching of game balls B from the ball launching unit 450 may not be stopped. Alternatively, the same process as when the door frame 3 is opened may be performed when the main frame 4 is opened.

[0191] When the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main frame 4, the rear surface of the door frame 3 abuts against the front ends of the two forward protrusions 471b of the foul shutter 471, causing the foul shutter 471 to slide backward against the biasing force of the spring 475 (see Figure 19(b)). In this state, the shutter portion 471a of the foul shutter 471 is located behind the front surface of the unit base 472, and the foul upper opening 470a is open, allowing the game ball B to pass through. In other words, the foul shutter 471 is in the open position.

[0192] When the foul shutter 471 is in the open position and a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the launched game ball B enters the foul unit 470 through the right foul opening 470b, then passes through the upper foul opening 470a and is launched towards the upper game board 5 side (between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002). As the launched game ball B passes over the backflow prevention member 1007 provided at the upper end of the inner rail 1002, the game ball B is driven into the game area 5a.

[0193] Furthermore, game balls B launched from the ball launching unit 450 but that do not pass the backflow prevention member 1007 at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 (game balls B that were not hit into the game area) flow down between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 and enter through the foul upper opening 470a as foul balls, and are collected by the foul unit 470. The game balls B collected through the foul upper opening 470a flow down onto the foul ball grounding plate 476 placed on the upper surface of the lower wall portion 473c, and static electricity is removed by the foul ball grounding plate 476. At this time, since the foul ball grounding plate 476 is loosely fitted, it vibrates when the game ball B comes into contact with it, and this vibration causes dust and debris on the foul ball grounding plate 476 to be discharged outside the foul unit 470 through the rear support opening 472c and the front support opening 473g.

[0194] The game ball B that flows down onto the foul ball grounding sheet metal 476 (lower wall portion 473c) is guided to the right by its inclination, flows down along the hanging wall portion 473d onto the bottom wall portion 473e, and is guided backward by the inclination of the bottom wall portion 473e, and the foul ball outlet 470c is discharged to the ball circulation path unit 500.

[0195] Furthermore, the foul unit 470 receives the game balls B discharged from the ball discharge port 450c of the ball launching unit 450 at the lower part of the foul right opening 470b. The game balls B that enter the foul unit 470 from the lower part of the foul right opening 470b flow down onto the bottom wall 473e and are guided backward by the slope of the bottom wall 473e, and the foul ball outlet 470c discharges to the ball circulation path unit 500.

[0196] Thus, the foul unit 470 can collect game balls B that were launched from the ball launching unit 450 but did not land in the game area 5a of the game board 5 without leaking to the outside, and supply them to the ball circulation unit 500. As will be described in detail later, the ball circulation unit 500 detects the game balls B supplied from the foul ball outlet 470c using the foul ball sensor 507. When the foul ball sensor 507 detects a game ball B, it adds 1 to the player's ball count.

[0197] Furthermore, in the foul unit 470, the unit base 472, front cover 473, rear cover 474, etc., are made of transparent synthetic resin, allowing the inside to be seen from the outside, making it easier to detect ball jams inside.

[0198] [4-3a. Second Embodiment of the Foul Unit] Next, a second embodiment of the foul unit 470 will be described. The foul unit 470 of the second embodiment is the same as the foul unit 470 described above, except that the opening and closing mechanism of the foul shutter 471 is different. The foul unit 470 of the second embodiment is provided with an electric actuator such as a motor or solenoid for opening and closing the foul shutter 471, although this is not shown in the figures.

[0199] In this embodiment, when the door frame 3 is opened relative to the main frame 4, the door open switch 407 is turned OFF, and the foul shutter 471 slides to the closed position by the electric actuator. As a result, even if a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450 with the door frame 3 open, the game ball B will not fly out from the foul upper opening 470a.

[0200] Then, when the door frame 3 is closed and the door open switch 407 is turned ON, the electric actuator slides the foul shutter 471 to the open position, allowing the game balls B launched from the ball launching unit 450 to be driven through the foul upper opening 470a towards the game board 5.

[0201] Furthermore, even when the frame release switch 408 is turned OFF by opening the main frame 4 relative to the outer frame 2, the foul shutter 471 may be slid to the closed position by the electric actuator. In this case, if the opening and closing process of the foul shutter 471 by the frame release switch 408 is the same as the opening and closing process by the door release switch 407 described above, the configuration of the software can be simplified.

[0202] Alternatively, an opening switch (not shown) capable of detecting the opening of both the door frame 3 and the main frame 4 may be provided, and the foul shutter 471 may be opened and closed by an electric actuator, thereby simplifying the opening and closing mechanism.

[0203] [4-4. Circulatory Sphere Pathway Unit] The circulating sphere path unit 500 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 20 to 27. Figure 20(a) is a perspective view of the circulating sphere path unit in the main frame viewed from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the circulating sphere path unit in the main frame viewed from the rear. Figure 21 is an exploded perspective view of the circulating sphere path unit as seen from the front, and Figure 22 is an exploded perspective view of the circulating sphere path unit as seen from the rear. Figure 23(a) is a plan view showing only the sphere meandering member and sphere release shutter in the circulating sphere path unit, and (b) is a perspective view from the front showing only the sphere meandering member and sphere release shutter in the circulating sphere path unit. Figure 24(a1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball release shutter and ball meandering member in the closed position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross-section; (a2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball release shutter portion in (a1) from the bottom; (b1) is an explanatory diagram showing the ball release shutter and ball meandering member in the open position together with the ball receiving tray in a side cross-section; and (b2) is an explanatory diagram showing only the ball release shutter portion in (b1) from the bottom.

[0204] Furthermore, Figure 25(a) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross-section of the ball serpentine member and ball serpentine tray together with the iron ball magnetically attached to the ball release shutter in the closed position, (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross-section of the ball serpentine member and ball serpentine tray together with the iron ball magnetically attached to the ball release shutter in the open position, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing a side cross-section of the ball serpentine member and ball serpentine tray together with the iron ball magnetically attached to the lower surface after sliding the ball release shutter to the closed position from the state in (b). Figure 26(a) is an explanatory diagram showing a front cross-section of the circulating ball path unit cut at the out ball sensor, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a front cross-section of the circulating ball path unit cut at the safe ball sensor. Figure 27(a) is a front perspective view showing an enlarged view of the lower part of the main frame together with the outer frame with the serpentine cover of the circulating ball path unit removed, and (b) is a rear perspective view showing an enlarged view of the lower part of the main frame together with the outer frame with the serpentine cover of the circulating ball path unit removed.

[0205] The ball circulation path unit 500 stores multiple game balls B discharged from the game board 5 and game balls B recovered by the foul unit 470, and sends the stored game balls B to the ball launch unit 450 via the ball lifting unit 550. The ball circulation path unit 500 is attached to the ball circulation path unit mounting section 401l provided on the rear surface of the base wall section 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0206] The ball circulation path unit 500 has an out ball receiving opening 500a that is long to the left and right and opens upward, a safe ball receiving opening 500b that is located behind the out ball receiving opening 500a and is long to the left and right and opens upward, a foul ball receiving opening 500c that opens at the front, and a ball discharge opening 500d that opens to the right near the lower end. The out ball receiving opening 500a and the safe ball receiving opening 500b are formed with a depth in the front-to-back direction that is slightly wider than the diameter of the game ball B, and are formed so that multiple game balls B can pass through in the left-to-right direction. The foul ball receiving opening 500c and the ball discharge opening 500d are formed to be large enough for one game ball B to pass through at a time.

[0207] Out ball receiving port 500a receives game balls B (out balls) that have been received into the out ports of the game board 5. Safe ball receiving port 500b receives game balls B (safe balls) that have been received into the general prize ports, start ports, big prize ports, etc. of the game board 5. Foul ball receiving port 500c receives game balls B (foul balls) that have been discharged from the foul ball outlet 470c of the foul unit 470. Ball discharge port 500d discharges the game balls B that have been received in the out ball receiving port 500a, safe ball receiving port 500b, and foul ball receiving port 500c and stored inside, and hands them over to the ball lifting unit 550.

[0208] Furthermore, the ball circulation path unit 500 includes an out ball passage 501 through which game balls B received at the out ball receiving port 500a flow, a safe ball passage 502 through which game balls B received at the safe ball receiving port 500b flow, a foul ball passage 503 through which game balls B received at the foul ball receiving port 500c flow, and a ball storage passage 504 that communicates with the downstream ends of the out ball passage 501, the safe ball passage 502, and the foul ball passage 503, with the downstream end being a ball discharge port 500d.

[0209] Furthermore, the circulating ball path unit 500 includes an out ball sensor 505 that detects each game ball B (out ball) circulating in the out ball passage 501, a safe ball sensor 506 that detects each game ball B (safe ball) circulating in the safe ball passage 502, and a foul ball sensor 507 that detects each game ball B (foul ball) circulating in the foul ball passage 503. The safe ball sensor 506 is equivalent to a sensor for all winning slots in conventional pachinko machines, and can be used to determine fraudulent entries by comparing it with the total number of winning balls in all winning slots.

[0210] The circulating ball path unit 500 comprises a flat ball receiving front plate 510, a ball receiving front member 511 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front plate 510, and a ball receiving rear member 512 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front member 511. A ball storage passage 504 is provided below the ball receiving front plate 510, the ball receiving front member 511, and the ball receiving rear member 512.

[0211] Furthermore, the circulating ball path unit 500 includes a ball meandering member 513 located below the ball receiving front plate 510, the ball receiving front member 511, and the ball receiving rear member 512, which is open to the upper side; a meandering cover 514 covering the top of the ball meandering member 513; a ball release shutter 515 for discharging game balls B from the ball meandering member 513; a magnet 516 attached to the ball release shutter 515; and a circulating ball path relay board 517 attached to the rear side of the ball receiving front member 511.

[0212] The ball-receiving front plate 510 extends to the left and right, and a foul ball receiving opening 500c is provided near the lower part of the center in the left-right direction, which penetrates from front to back.

[0213] The ball-receiving front member 511, on its upper surface, cooperates with the ball-receiving front plate 510 to form an out ball receiving opening 500a. The ball-receiving front member 511 has out ball passages 501 and foul ball passages 503 formed in an open state toward the front, and these front sides are closed when the ball-receiving front plate 510 is attached. The downstream end of the out ball passage 501 opens downward at the lower left end of the ball-receiving front member 511. The opening at the downstream end of the out ball passage 501 is located in front of the opening at the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502. The downstream end of the foul ball passage 503 opens downward at a location on the ball-receiving front member 511 that is to the lower right of the downstream end of the out ball passage 501.

[0214] The ball receiving front member 511 has an upper out-ball receiving plate portion 511a that slopes downward to the right from the middle of the vertical wall forming the left edge of the out-ball receiving opening 500a to near the center in the left-right direction, a lower out-ball receiving plate portion 511b that slopes downward to the left from a portion of the vertical wall forming the right edge of the out-ball receiving opening 500a that is lower than the upper out-ball receiving plate portion 511a to near the lower left edge of the out-ball receiving opening 500a, and a crank portion 511c that extends in a crank shape downward to the left from the left end of the lower out-ball receiving plate portion 511b with a width that allows game balls B to pass through in a single line.

[0215] The height between the right end of the upper 511a of the out-ball receiving plate and the lower 511b of the out-ball receiving plate is about twice the diameter of the game ball B. As a result, the height of the lower 511b of the out-ball receiving plate on the left side is formed to decrease towards the left. This allows the game balls B received in the out-ball receiving opening 500a to be aligned in a single row.

[0216] The out-of-ball sensor 505 is attached to a vertically extending portion of the crank section 511c that is directly below the downstream end of the lower out-of-ball receiving plate section 511b.

[0217] In the ball receiving member 511, the out ball passage 501 is formed by the upper part 511a of the out ball receiving plate, the lower part 511b of the out ball receiving plate, the crank part 511c, etc. Therefore, the out ball passage 501 is formed to be wide on the upstream side so that many game balls B can be received, and the received game balls B are aligned in a line and passed to the downstream ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513).

[0218] Furthermore, in the ball receiving member 511, the foul ball passage 503 is located below the upper out ball receiving plate 511a and below the lower out ball receiving plate 511b, and slopes downwards to the left from the rear of the foul ball receiving opening 500c to a point to the right of the left end of the lower out ball receiving plate 511b, before extending downwards for a short distance. In the ball receiving member 511, a foul ball sensor 507 is attached to the portion of the foul ball passage 503 that extends to the left. This foul ball passage 503 is formed so that game balls b can flow in a single line, and the game balls B that have flowed through the foul ball passage 503 are passed to a portion of the ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513) downstream of the portion where they are passed from the out ball passage 501.

[0219] The ball receiving member 511 is provided with recesses 511d that are not large enough to obstruct the flow of game balls B at the front edge of the upper 511a of the out ball receiving plate, the front edge of the lower 511b of the out ball receiving plate, and the front edges of the bottom wall that extends to the left and right to form the foul ball passage 503. These recesses 511d allow dust and debris from inside the out ball passage 501 and the foul ball passage 503 to be discharged to the outside.

[0220] Furthermore, a ball-receiving front member 511 has a ball-circulating relay board 517 attached to the rear portion of the foul ball passage 503 on its rear surface.

[0221] The rear ball receiving member 512, on its upper surface, cooperates with the front ball receiving member 511 to form a safe ball receiving opening 500b. The rear ball receiving member 512 has a safe ball passage 502 formed in an open state toward the front, and when the front ball receiving member 511 is attached, the front side of the safe ball passage 502 is closed. The downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 opens downward at the lower left end of the rear ball receiving member 512. The opening at the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 is located behind the opening at the downstream end of the out ball passage 501. In other words, the opening at the downstream end of the out ball passage 501 and the opening at the downstream end of the safe ball passage 502 are aligned one behind the other.

[0222] The ball receiving member 512 has an upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a that slopes downward to the right from the middle of the vertical wall forming the left edge of the safe ball receiving opening 500b to near the center in the left-right direction, a lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b that slopes downward to the left from a point below the upper safe ball receiving plate portion 512a on the vertical wall forming the right edge of the safe ball receiving opening 500b to near the lower left edge of the safe ball receiving opening 500b, and a crank portion 512c that extends in a crank shape downward to the left from the left end of the lower safe ball receiving plate portion 512b with a width that allows game balls B to pass through in a single line.

[0223] The height between the right end of the upper 512a of the safe ball receiving plate and the lower 512b of the safe ball receiving plate is about twice the diameter of the game ball B. As a result, the height of the lower 512b of the safe ball receiving plate on the left side decreases as it moves to the left. This allows the game balls B received in the safe ball receiving opening 500b to be aligned in a single row.

[0224] A safety ball sensor 506 is attached to a vertically extending portion of the crank section 512c that is directly below the downstream end of the lower safety ball receiving plate section 512b.

[0225] In the ball receiving member 512, the safe ball passage 502 is formed by the upper safe ball receiving plate section 512a, the lower safe ball receiving plate section 512b, the crank section 512c, etc. Therefore, the safe ball passage 502 is formed to be wide on the upstream side so that many game balls B can be received, and the received game balls B are aligned in a line and passed to the uppermost part of the ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513) downstream.

[0226] The ball receiving member 512 has recesses 512d at the front edge of the upper 512a and the front edge of the lower 512b of the safe ball receiving plate, which are recessed to a size that does not obstruct the flow of game balls B. These recesses 512d allow dust and debris in the safe ball passage 502 to be discharged to the outside.

[0227] The ball meandering member 513 extends in the left-right direction, meandering back and forth, with its right end being lower, forming a ball storage passage 504 capable of storing a large number of game balls B. As shown in Figure 23, the ball meandering member 513 has a first straight section 513a that slopes downward toward the front with its rear end being the upstream end, a first folded section 513b that bends to the right from the downstream end (front end) of the first straight section 513a and then bends further toward the rear, a second straight section 513c that extends downward toward the rear from the downstream end (rear end) of the first folded section 513b to a position near the rear end of the first straight section 513a, and a second straight section 513c that bends to the right from the downstream end (rear end) of the second straight section 513c and then A second folded portion 513d that curves downward toward the front, a third perpendicular portion 513e that extends downward toward the front from the downstream end (front end) of the second folded portion 513d to the same position as the front end of the second perpendicular portion 513c, a third folded portion 513f that curves to the right from the downstream end (front end) of the third perpendicular portion 513e and then curves downward toward the rear, and a fourth perpendicular portion 513g that extends downward toward the rear from the downstream end (rear end) of the third folded portion 513f to the same position as the rear end of the third perpendicular portion 513e. A fourth folded section 513h is bent to the right from the downstream end (rear end) of the fourth perpendicular section 513g and then bent further forward and downward; a fifth perpendicular section 513i extends from the downstream end (front end) of the fourth folded section 513h to the same position as the front end of the fourth perpendicular section 513g, so as to bend forward and downward; a first bent section 513j is bent to the right from the downstream end (front end) of the fifth perpendicular section 513i; and a first lateral section 513k extends to the right from the downstream end (right end) of the first bent section 513j. The device includes a second bent section 513l that curves downward towards the rear from the downstream end (right end) of the first lateral section 513k, a sixth perpendicular section 513m that extends downward towards the rear from the downstream end (rear end) of the second bent section 513l to a position near the downstream end of the fifth perpendicular section 513i, a third bent section 513n that curves downward to the right from the downstream end (rear end) of the sixth perpendicular section 513m, and a second lateral section 513o that extends downward to the right from the downstream end (right end) of the third bent section 513n. The opening at the downstream end of the second lateral section 513o forms a ball discharge port 500d that opens to the right.

[0228] In the ball meandering member 513 (ball storage passage 504), the downstream end opening of the safe ball passage 502 is located above the rear end of the first perpendicular section 513a, and the downstream end opening of the out ball passage 501 is located in front of it. Also, the downstream end opening of the foul ball passage 503 is located above the rear end of the second perpendicular section 513c.

[0229] Furthermore, the spherical meandering member 513 includes a spherical opening 513p that penetrates vertically through the first traverse section 513k, a pair of rail sections 513q that extend forward and backward along the left and right edges of the spherical opening 513p on the lower surface of the first traverse section 513k and protrude downward, support pieces 513r that protrude from the lower ends of each of the pair of rail sections 513q so as to approach each other, and locking recesses 513s that are recessed on the mutually facing sides of the pair of rail sections 513q.

[0230] The ball release opening 513p of the ball meandering member 513 is closed by a ball release shutter 515, which will be described in detail later. A pair of rail sections 513q extend rearward from the ball release opening 513p. The pair of rail sections 513q support the ball release shutter 515 so that it can slide in the front-rear direction. Two support pieces 513r prevent the ball release shutter 515 from falling. In addition, the two support pieces 513r protrude from their respective rail sections 513q at the ball release opening 513p. As a result, even if the load of the game ball B acts on the ball release shutter 515 through the ball release opening 513p, the ball release shutter 515 can be sufficiently supported and the ball release shutter 515 is prevented from falling off. The locking recess 513s allows the locking projection 515f of the ball release shutter 515 to be inserted, thereby holding the ball release shutter 515 in the open position.

[0231] The ball meandering member 513 is equipped with a gauge section 520 that allows visual confirmation of the appropriate amount of game balls B (circulating balls), and a circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 that can detect the amount of game balls B in circulation, although details will be described later.

[0232] This ball meandering member 513 allows for the formation of a ball storage passage 504 that meanders back and forth and extends left and right, becoming lower to the right. Furthermore, since the ball meandering member 513 is provided with multiple folded sections (first folded section 513b, second folded section 513d, third folded section 513f, fourth folded section 513h) and multiple bent sections (first bent section 513j, second bent section 513l, third bent section 513n), the flow speed of the game balls B can be suppressed at these sections, and the impact on the entrance side of the ball lifting unit 550 can be mitigated.

[0233] The meandering cover 514 is attached to the ball meandering member 513 so as to cover the open upper end of the ball meandering member 513. By attaching the meandering cover 514 to the ball meandering member 513, it is possible to prevent game balls B from leaking out of the ball meandering member 513 (ball storage passage 504) to the outside, and to prevent game balls B that are not compatible with the ball storage passage 504 or illegal game balls B from being inserted from the outside.

[0234] The meandering cover 514 is formed so that the length of the front-to-back extending portion at its left end is shorter rearward than the first perpendicular portion 513a of the spherical meandering member 513. As a result, when the meandering cover 514 is attached to the spherical meandering member 513, the rear of the first perpendicular portion 513a of the spherical meandering member 513 is opened upward, allowing communication with the out ball passage 501 and the safe ball passage 502 through that portion.

[0235] Furthermore, the meandering cover 514 has an opening 514a that penetrates vertically in the upper part of the ball meandering member 513 near the rear end of the second perpendicular section 513c. Through this opening 514a, the foul ball passage 503 can communicate with the ball storage passage 504.

[0236] The ball removal shutter 515 is for removing (discharging) game balls B (circulating game balls) from the circulating ball path unit 500, etc., and is mounted on the lower surface of the ball meandering member 513 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The ball-removal shutter 515 includes a flat door portion 515a capable of closing the ball-removal opening 513p, a knob portion 515b extending up, down, left, and right from the front edge of the door portion 515a, a pair of rod portions 515c extending rearward from the rear ends of both the left and right ends of the door portion 515a, a connecting portion 515e that connects the pair of rod portions 515c at the rear of the door portion 515a to form an opening 515d that penetrates vertically, a locking projection 515f that bulges from the outer surface of each rod portion 515c between the connecting portion 515e and the rear end, a hook portion 515g extending outward from the rear ends of the pair of rod portions 515c, and a magnet support portion 515h that protrudes cylindrically from the lower surface of the door portion 515a.

[0237] The magnet support portion 515h of the ball-removing shutter 515 can support a cylindrical magnet 516 by inserting the magnet 516 into the cylinder. This magnet support portion 515h is open to the rear such that the rear end of the outer surface of the supported magnet 516 coincides with the front inner surface of the opening 515d (see Figure 24, etc.).

[0238] When the ball-removing shutter 515 is attached to the ball-swinging member 513, the pair of rail sections 513q of the ball-swinging member 513 are located on the left and right outer sides of the door section 515a and the pair of shaft sections 515c, while the lower surface of the first lateral section 513k and the upper surfaces of the pair of support pieces 513r are located on the upper and lower sides of the door section 515a and the pair of shaft sections 515c. As a result, the ball-removing shutter 515 is slidable in the front-rear direction between the closed position and the open position, which will be described later.

[0239] Furthermore, a screw hole is provided on the lower end surface of the magnet support portion 515h of the ball-removing shutter 515. When a screw is screwed into the screw hole with the magnet 516 inserted into the magnet support portion 515h, a part of the screw head is positioned below the magnet 516, preventing the magnet 516 from falling from the magnet support portion 515h.

[0240] In its normal state, the ball release shutter 515 is in a closed position, as shown in Figures 24(a1) and (a2), with the door portion 515a preventing game balls B from passing through the ball release opening 513p. In this state, the rear surface of the knob portion 515b abuts against the front surface of the first lateral portion 513k, and the pair of locking projections 515f contact the respective rear end surfaces of the pair of rail portions 513q. As a result, the ball release shutter 515 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction and is held in the closed position. Therefore, when the ball release shutter 515 is in the closed position, game balls B cannot be discharged from the ball release opening 513p into the ball receiving tray 620 below.

[0241] Furthermore, when the ball release shutter 515 is in the closed position, the magnet support part 515h (magnet 516) is located below the center of the ball release opening 513p. As will be described in detail later, when an iron ball SB (see Figure 25) flows through the ball storage passage 504, the magnetic force of the magnet 516 causes the iron ball SB to magnetically adhere to the door part 515a, resulting in a ball jam, and making it possible to detect the presence of the iron ball SB.

[0242] When the ball-removing shutter 515 is in the closed position, if the knob portion 515b is grasped and pulled forward, the locking projection 515f provided on the shaft portion 515c comes into strong contact with the rear end surface of the rail portion 513q. At this time, the force applied to the locking projection 515f causes the shaft portion 515c to elastically deform inward, and the locking projection 515f moves toward the inner surface of the rail portion 513q, causing the ball-removing shutter 515 to slide forward from the closed position. When the locking projection 515f reaches the area of ​​the locking recess 513s, the elastic force of the shaft portion 515c causes the locking projection 515f to be inserted into the locking recess 513s, and the hook portion 515g provided on the rear end of the shaft portion 515c comes closer to the rear end surface of the rail portion 513q. As a result, the ball-removing shutter 515 is prevented from sliding any further forward.

[0243] In this state, as shown in Figures 24(b1) and (b2), the opening 515d of the ball release shutter 515 coincides with the ball release opening 513p, and the game balls B can pass through the ball release opening 513p. In other words, the ball release shutter 515 is in the open position. When the ball release shutter 515 is in the open position, the game balls B upstream of the ball release opening 513p in the ball storage passage 504 are discharged to the ball receiving tray 620 below through the ball release opening 513p and the opening 515d. This makes it possible to remove the circulating game balls B to the outside.

[0244] When the ball receiving tray 620 becomes heavy with accumulated game balls B, it rests on the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f, which is sloped so that the front end is lower. The tray attempts to slide forward due to the slope of the bottom wall, but the locking claw 401n prevents it from sliding forward. In this state, when the locking claw 401n is released, the weight of the stored game balls B causes the ball receiving tray 620 to slide forward automatically, allowing it to be easily removed from the tray insertion recess 401f.

[0245] Furthermore, when the ball release shutter 515 is assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the rear surface of the door frame 3 is close to the front surface of the knob 515b. Therefore, even if the ball release shutter 515 tries to slide forward for any reason, the knob 515b will come into contact with the door frame 3, preventing it from sliding to the open position. As a result, the circulating game balls B will not be accidentally removed and lost, nor will any illegal game balls B be introduced through the ball release opening 513p.

[0246] The magnet 516 is formed in a cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the magnet support portion 515h of the ball-removing shutter 515. This magnet 516 is for attracting the iron ball SB. The magnet 516 uses a strong magnetic force, such as a neodymium magnet.

[0247] By the way, in a game hall or the like, if the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment and conventional pachinko machines in which players can touch the game balls (steel balls SB) are mixed together, there is a risk that steel balls SB may get mixed in when the game balls B are replenished or replaced during maintenance of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment.

[0248] In contrast, in this pachinko machine 1, if a steel ball SB is mixed in, a magnet 516 is provided in the ball release shutter 515. Therefore, when the steel ball SB flows through the ball storage passage 504, the steel ball SB will be magnetized and stopped on the upper surface of the door portion 515a of the ball release shutter 515 in the closed position by the magnetic force of the magnet 516 (see Figure 25(a)). At this time, because a strong magnet 516 is used, even if a force is applied to push the steel ball SB downstream due to the accumulation of many game balls B upstream of the magnetized steel ball SB, the steel ball SB will not move from the upper surface of the door portion 515a.

[0249] Then, with the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the door portion 515a (magnet 516) of the ball release shutter 515 in the ball storage passage 504, if the launching of game balls B from the ball launching unit 450 continues, the game balls B downstream of the magnetically attached iron ball SB will be consumed sequentially, and the consumed (launched) game balls B will be supplied sequentially upstream of the iron ball SB. Consequently, the detection of game balls B will be turned OFF in the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the lifting inlet sensor 553 located downstream of the ball release shutter 515, while the detection of game balls B will be turned ON in the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the foul ball sensor 507, etc. located upstream of the ball release shutter 515. This makes it possible to detect and notify that a ball jam has occurred between the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522. In other words, it is possible to detect that the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the door section 515a.

[0250] As shown in Figure 25(a), when the ball-releasing shutter 515 is slid from the closed position to the open position while the iron ball SB is magnetically attached to the upper surface of the door portion 515a of the ball-releasing shutter 515 by the magnetic force of the magnet 516, the front end of the iron ball SB, which is magnetically attached to the upper surface of the door portion 515a, comes into contact with the front wall of the first lateral portion 513k, preventing only the iron ball SB from moving forward. As the ball-releasing shutter 515 slides further forward, the door portion 515a that was supporting the lower end of the iron ball SB disappears, and the iron ball SB moves into the lower opening 515d due to gravity. At this time, since the rear end of the outer surface of the magnet 516 coincides with the front inner surface of the opening 515d, the iron ball SB becomes magnetically attached to the outer surface of the magnet 516 (see Figure 25(b)).

[0251] Furthermore, while the steel ball SB attempts to move from its outer surface towards the pole side with stronger magnetic force (in this case, the lower end surface) on the magnet 516, when the ball release shutter 515 is in the open position, the upper end surface of the ball receiving tray 620 is located below the magnet 516, so the steel ball SB cannot move below the magnet 516. Therefore, when the ball release shutter 515 is slid to the open position, the steel ball B is located in a position that overlaps with the opening 515d, and the game ball B upstream of the steel ball SB cannot be discharged downward through the opening 515d, or ball release port 513p.

[0252] After sliding the ball release shutter 515 to the open position, sliding the ball release shutter 515 to the rear closed position prevents the game ball B upstream of the steel ball SB from passing through the ball release opening 513p, while the steel ball SB that was magnetized on the outer surface of the magnet 516 moves to the underside of the magnet 516, resulting in the steel ball SB being magnetized on the underside of the magnet 516 (see Figure 25(c)). Then, the ball receiving tray 620 is pulled out and removed from the tray insertion recess 401f, and the steel ball SB that is magnetized on the underside of the magnet 516 is removed.

[0253] In this way, with the iron ball SB magnetically attached to the door portion 515a of the ball release shutter 515 by the magnet 516, sliding the ball release shutter 515 back and forth allows only the magnetically attached iron ball SB to be removed from the ball storage passage 504 to the outside.

[0254] The ball circulation path relay board 517 is attached to the rear surface of the ball receiving front member 511, at the rear of the foul ball passage 503, and below the lower part 511b of the out ball receiving plate of the ball receiving rear member 512. The ball circulation path relay board 517 is for relaying the connections between the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, the foul ball sensor 507, the ball circulation shortage sensor 521, and the ball circulation excess sensor 522, and the frame control board 640, which will be described later.

[0255] In this embodiment, the circulating ball path unit 500 has a ball receiving front plate 510, a ball receiving front member 511, a ball receiving rear member 512, a ball meandering member 513, and a meandering cover 514, all of which are made of transparent synthetic resin. Therefore, the internal state can be visually observed from the outside.

[0256] The ball circulation path unit 500 has an out ball sensor 505 and a foul ball sensor 507 mounted between the front ball receiving plate 510 and the front ball receiving member 511, and a safe ball sensor 506 mounted between the front ball receiving member 511 and the rear ball receiving member 512. The out ball sensor 505 and the safe ball sensor 506 are mounted side by side, front and back.

[0257] The out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, circulating ball shortage sensor 521, and circulating ball excess sensor 522 detect game ball B in a non-contact manner, for example, by detecting changes in induced current.

[0258] The circulating ball path unit 500 is attached to the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401 from the rear. When assembled on the main frame 4, the circulating ball path unit 500 is attached so that the out ball receiving opening 500a and the safe ball receiving opening 500b are at the same height as the upper surface of the base wall portion 401b and are in contact with the rear end edge of the upper surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0259] Furthermore, the circulating ball path unit 500 is mounted on the main frame 4 so that the ball delivery unit 600 is positioned between it and the base wall portion 401b.

[0260] Furthermore, when the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled on the main frame 4, the portions of the ball meandering member 513 and the meandering cover 514 that are in front of the center in the front-to-back direction protrude forward, passing through the ball storage passage insertion opening 401g provided in the base wall portion 401b from the rear. As a result, when the door frame 3 is opened relative to the main frame 4, the game balls B inside the ball meandering member 513 (ball storage passage 504) can be seen from the front (outside).

[0261] Furthermore, when the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled on the main frame 4 and the frame base unit 630 is opened to the rear, the interiors of the out ball passage 501, safe ball passage 502, foul ball passage 503, and the parts of the ball storage passage 504 behind the base wall 401b can be viewed from the rear. This makes it possible to check the inside of the out ball passage 501, etc., by opening the frame base unit 630 when a ball jam occurs, making it easier to identify the location of the ball jam.

[0262] Furthermore, when the circulating ball path unit 500 is assembled on the main frame 4, the second traverse portion 513o of the ball meandering member 513 is located behind the base wall portion 401b and below the ball launching unit 450. In other words, the circulating ball path unit 500 has a ball discharge port 500d that opens to the right behind the base wall portion 401b and at a lower position than the ball launching unit 450. This ball discharge port 500d is in communication with the ball lifting inlet passage 551 of the ball lifting unit 550, which will be described later.

[0263] The circulating ball path unit 500 of this embodiment includes a gauge section 520 that allows visual confirmation of the appropriate amount of game balls B stored in the ball storage passage 504 (ball meandering member 513), a circulating ball shortage sensor 521 for detecting when there are too few game balls B (circulating balls) stored, and a circulating ball excess sensor 522 for detecting when there are too many game balls B (circulating balls) stored (see Figure 37).

[0264] The gauge section 520 is a region of a predetermined length colored differently from other parts, relative to the flow direction of the ball storage passage 504 in the ball meandering member 513. Here, the appropriate amount is defined as the state in which the rear end of the row of game balls B stored in a line overlaps the gauge section 520.

[0265] When inspecting the gauge section 520 during maintenance, if no game balls B are visible in the gauge section 520 (appropriate amount area), it indicates that there is a shortage of game balls B, which is less than the appropriate amount. To replenish game balls B, insert game balls B into the out port 1008 of the game board 5, or into the out ball receiving port 500a or the safe ball receiving port 500b until the appropriate amount is reached.

[0266] On the other hand, when looking at the gauge section 520, if game balls B can be seen in all parts of the gauge section 520 (i.e., the rear end of the row of game balls B is not visible), it indicates that there is an excess of game balls B, which is more than the appropriate amount. If there is an excess of game balls B, the ball release shutter 515 is pulled forward and slid to the open position, thereby discharging the game balls B in the ball storage passage 504 from the ball release opening 513p to bring the amount to the appropriate level.

[0267] The circulating ball under-sensor 521 is located near the downstream end of the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 504. The circulating ball over-sensor 522 is located near the upstream end of the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 504. The circulating ball under-sensor 521 and the circulating ball over-sensor 522 are connected to the frame control board 640 via the circulating ball path relay board 517.

[0268] As will be described later, when the number of playing balls B is appropriate, the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 detects the playing ball B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more, and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 does not detect the playing ball B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more. When the number of playing balls B is insufficient, neither the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 nor the circulation ball excess sensor 522 detects the playing ball B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more. On the other hand, when the number of playing balls B is excessive, both the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 detect the playing ball B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more. When the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 does not detect the playing ball B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 detects the playing ball B for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or more, a ball jam including the mixing of steel balls SB occurs between the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulation ball excess sensor 522.

[0269] Here, the reason for the predetermined time k80 ms as the threshold for detecting the presence or absence of the playing ball B will be explained. For example, on the circulation path R, the positions where sensors such as the circulation ball excess sensor 522, the circulation ball shortage sensor 521, the lift entrance sensor 553, the lift exit sensor 554, and the shooter front sensor 604 are placed are the stop positions of the playing ball B when the ball lift unit 550, the ball feed unit 600, etc. are stopped. This position is the position where the next playing ball B is located every time one playing ball B is sent. Therefore, the detection of the playing ball B here is based on the detection method of whether it has been detected for 80 ms or more. This is because the time for detecting the playing ball B rolling on a slope with an inclination of about 5 degrees is about 50 ms, so a margin is added to detect that the playing ball B surely exists at that position, and the detection is performed at 80 ms. That is, the value of 80 ms is a practical value obtained through experiments.

[0270] In this way, based on the combination of the detection states of the playing ball B by the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulation ball excess sensor 522, it is possible to automatically judge and notify the amount of the playing ball B, ball jams, etc. on the frame control board 640.

[0271] In the above-described embodiment, as the gauge portion 520 in the spherical meandering member 513, an example was shown in which an appropriate amount region was colored in a different color from other portions. However, the molding color of the portion of the gauge portion 520 in the spherical meandering member 513 may be made different, a seal may be attached as the gauge portion, or a gauge portion may be provided by drawing colored lines at the downstream end and the upstream end portions of the appropriate amount region.

[0272] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 were provided. However, the circulation ball shortage sensor 521 may be substituted with a lifting inlet sensor described later, and the circulation ball excess sensor 522 may be substituted with the out ball sensor 505, the safe ball sensor 506, and the foul ball sensor 507.

[0273] [4-4a. Ball clogging elimination mechanism] Next, in the circulation ball path unit 500, a ball clogging elimination mechanism 530 may be provided to facilitate the elimination of ball clogging at the out ball sensor 505 or the safe ball sensor 506 as shown in FIG. 28. FIG. 28(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged main part of a rear cross-section cut at the position of the out ball sensor with the lid member of the ball elimination mechanism closed in the circulation ball path unit attached to the main body frame, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state with the lid member opened in (a).

[0274] The ball clogging elimination mechanism 530 is configured such that, in the ball receiving front member 511 and the ball receiving rear member 512 in the circulation ball path unit 500, the wall portions above the out ball sensor 505 and the safe ball sensor 506 are formed as an openable and closable lid member 531. The lid member 531 is closed in the normal state as shown in FIG. 28(a). The lid member 531 is held in the closed state by being locked by a locking claw (not shown).

[0275] This ball clogging elimination mechanism 530 is used to eliminate situations where ball clogging occurs in the out ball passage 501 or the safe ball passage 502, or where an illegal ball B' having a larger diameter than the game ball B is inserted as an illegal act and the out ball sensor 505 or the like is blocked.

[0276] For example, if an illegal ball B' with a larger diameter than the game ball B is inserted through the out-out port 1008 of the game board 5 and the out-ball sensor 505 is blocked, the main body frame 4 is opened relative to the outer frame 2 and the frame substrate unit 630 is opened, revealing the rear of the ball circulation path unit 500. In this embodiment, a gap is formed between the part of the ball jam relief mechanism 530 in the ball circulation path unit 500 and the box body portion 404b of the main body speaker box 404 into which a finger can be inserted. By releasing the locking claw of the lid member 531 through this gap and rotating the lid member 531 so that its lower end moves upward, the lid member 531 can be opened (see Figure 28(b)).

[0277] By opening the lid member 531, a finger can be inserted into the upper part of the out ball sensor 505 within the out ball passage 501, making it easy to remove the illegal ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505. In this way, the illegal ball B' can be easily removed without having to remove the circulating ball path unit 500, which is screwed in using a screwdriver.

[0278] Furthermore, if the safe ball sensor 506 is blocked by the illegal ball B', the illegal ball B' can be removed using the same procedure as described above.

[0279] In the above example, the ball jam relief mechanism 530 is shown to be provided with an openable and closable lid member 531. However, for example, elastic claws may be provided on the rear ball receiving member 512 and the front ball receiving member 511, and the rear ball receiving member 512 and the front ball receiving member 511 may be detached to the rear by the locking of the elastic claws. In this case, under normal conditions, the frame base plate unit 630 is located behind the circulating ball path unit 500, and even if the locking of the elastic claws loosens, the rear ball receiving member 512 and the front ball receiving member 511 will not come off to the rear. Furthermore, if the out-of-bounds ball sensor 505 is blocked by an illegal ball B', opening the main frame 4 relative to the outer frame 2 and then opening the frame substrate unit 630 exposes the rear of the circulating ball path unit 500. By releasing the locking of the elastic claws that attach the rear ball receiving member 512 and the front ball receiving member 511, the rear ball receiving member 512 and the front ball receiving member 511 can be easily removed, and the illegal ball B' blocking the out-of-bounds ball sensor 505 can be easily removed.

[0280] Alternatively, as a ball jam relief mechanism 530, the ball receiving front member 511, which is sandwiched between the ball receiving front plate 510 and the ball receiving rear member 512, may be made so that the portion above the out ball sensor 505 can be slid upward and removed. In this case, under normal conditions, the game board 5 is located above the circulating ball path unit 500, and gravity prevents the slidable portion of the ball receiving front member 511 from coming off upward. If the out ball sensor 505 is blocked by an illegal ball B', opening the door frame 3 relative to the main body frame 4 and removing the game board 5 from the main body frame 4 exposes the upper part of the circulating ball path unit 500. By sliding the slidable portion of the ball receiving front member 511 upward and removing it, the illegal ball B' blocking the out ball sensor 505 can be easily removed.

[0281] [4-5. Ball Lifting Unit] The ball lifting unit 550 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 29 to 32. Figure 29(a) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame viewed from the front left, (b) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame viewed from the front right, and (c) is a perspective view of the ball lifting unit in the main frame viewed from the rear. Figure 30(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit disassembled into its main components and viewed from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball lifting unit disassembled into its main components and viewed from the rear. Figure 31 is a front view showing an enlarged view of the main parts of the ball lifting unit with the ball cassette removed from the ball lifting unit attached to the main frame. Figure 32(a) is a right side view showing the ball mechanism and the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit, (b) is a rear view showing the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism, and (c) is a plan view of the main parts of the ball lifting mechanism viewed from arrow A in (b).

[0282] The ball lifting unit 550 is for sending game balls B, which have been discharged from the game board 5 and the foul unit 470 and have flowed through the circulating ball path unit 500, to the ball launching unit 450 via the ball sending unit 600. The ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the ball lifting unit mounting part 401j provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0283] The ball lifting unit 550 includes a ball lifting mechanism 560 for lifting game balls B, a ball lifting inlet passage 551 for supplying game balls B sent from the circulating ball path unit 500 to the ball lifting mechanism 560, a ball lifting outlet passage 552 for supplying game balls B lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 to the ball transport unit 600, a lifting inlet sensor 553 provided in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 for detecting game balls B in circulation, and a lifting outlet sensor 554 provided in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 for detecting game balls B in circulation.

[0284] Furthermore, the ball lifting unit 550 includes a ball lifting inlet grounding plate 555 provided in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 so as to be able to contact the game ball B, a ball lifting outlet grounding plate 556 provided in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 so as to be able to contact the game ball B, a ball lifting relay board 557 which relays the connection to the frame control board 640, and a ball polishing mechanism 580 for polishing the game ball B that is being lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560.

[0285] First, the ball lifting mechanism 560 of the ball lifting unit 550 includes a lifting spiral shaft 561 that extends vertically and has a spiral lifting groove 561a on its outer circumference, a shaft gear 562 attached to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561, a motor gear 563 that meshes with the shaft gear 562 and is rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the axis of the lifting spiral shaft 561, a lifting motor 564 to which the motor gear 563 is attached to the rotating shaft for rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561, a lifting motor index 565 having a detection portion 565a that extends flange-like from the lower end of the shaft gear 562 and is provided so as to be cut out in a part of the circumferential direction, and a lifting motor index sensor 566 that can detect the detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565.

[0286] Furthermore, the ball lifting mechanism 560 includes a motor base sheet metal 567 to which a lifting motor 564 is attached and which rotatably supports a motor gear 563, and a lifting mechanism base 568 and a lifting mechanism cover 569 which are attached to the motor base sheet metal 567 and rotatably support a lifting spiral shaft 561, and are attached to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401.

[0287] The lifting spiral shaft 561 has a spiral lifting groove 561a on its outer surface, with a depth sufficient to accommodate game balls B in a single row. The lifting groove 561a is formed so that the game balls B can be lifted by rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561 in a clockwise direction when viewed from above in its axial direction (see Figure 32(c)). The spiral pitch of the lifting groove 561a is longer near the upper and lower ends than in between. The lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotatably supported by a lifting mechanism base 568 and a lifting mechanism cover 569. The axis of rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 is inclined with respect to the vertical such that, in a front view, the upper end is located to the right of the lower end. This allows the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 to be moved to the right from the ball transport unit, making it possible to relatively increase the length of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 and thus increase the storage capacity of game balls B. In this embodiment, the axis of rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 is inclined at an angle of 12 degrees with respect to the vertical.

[0288] The shaft gear 562 is a spur gear. The motor gear 563 is a worm gear. As a result, even if the lifting spiral shaft 561 tries to rotate due to the load acting on it by the numerous game balls B contained in the lifting groove 561a of the lifting spiral shaft 561, the motor gear 563, which is a worm gear meshed with the shaft gear 562, can prevent the rotation. The lifting motor 564 is a DC motor.

[0289] The lifting motor index 565 is integrally molded with the shaft gear 562 in a flange-like manner. The detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is provided with a cutout in a range at a 45-degree angle to the entire circumference. The lifting motor index sensor 566 is a photosensor. The lifting motor index sensor 566 is in a light-receiving state at the detection portion 565a of the lifting motor index 565, and is in a non-light-receiving state in the other parts of the lifting motor index 565. This makes it possible to detect the rotational position of the lifting spiral shaft 561 via the lifting motor index 565.

[0290] Incidentally, although details will be described later, the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates once when the rotating shaft of the lifting motor 564 rotates 32 times by the shaft gear 562 and the motor gear 563. In the lifting motor index sensor 566, when the lifting motor 564 rotates 28 times after being in the non-light receiving state at a position other than the detection unit 565a, it reaches the detection unit 565a and enters the light receiving state. When the lifting motor 564 rotates further 4 times after entering the light receiving state, it leaves the detection unit 565a and enters the non-light receiving state. In the present embodiment, the position where the lifting motor 564 rotates 2 times after reaching the detection unit 565a and entering the light receiving state is set as the origin. That is, the center of the detection unit 565a is set as the origin of the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0291] The motor base sheet metal 567 mounts the lifting motor 564 on the left end side in the front view, and rotatably supports the right end of the motor gear 563 on the right end side. The upper end side of the motor base sheet metal 567 is attached to the lifting mechanism base 568, and the lower end side is attached to the lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0292] The lifting mechanism base 568 accommodates the lifting spiral shaft 561 in cooperation with the lifting mechanism cover 569, and rotatably supports the lifting spiral shaft 561. The lifting mechanism base 568 has a ball grinding port 568a that penetrates back and forth so that the lifting spiral shaft 561 faces forward with a size that does not allow the game ball B to pass through. This ball grinding port 568a is provided so that a part of the game ball B lifted by the lifting spiral shaft 561 protrudes forward, and the part of the game ball B that protrudes forward from the ball grinding port 568a contacts the grinding cloth 582 of the ball grinding mechanism 580, thereby grinding the game ball B.

[0293] The lifting mechanism base 568 is provided with the downstream portion of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 in a location to the right of the lifting spiral shaft 561 when viewed from the front, near its lower end. The portion of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 has an upstream end that opens towards the rear and slopes downward towards the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 on the left. In addition, a lifting inlet sensor 553 is attached to the lifting mechanism base 568 in a location to the right of the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 when viewed from the front.

[0294] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism base 568 is provided with an upstream portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 near its upper end. The portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 slopes downward from the front of the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 towards the left in a front view, then slopes downward towards the rear, with the downstream end opening towards the rear. The ball lifting outlet passage 552 slopes downward from the rearward opening portion of the lifting mechanism base 568 towards the left, then slopes downward towards the front, with the front end opening towards the front. This portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 is formed by the cooperation of the lifting mechanism base 568 and the lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0295] Furthermore, a Kuma motor base 586, to which the Kuma motor 588 of the Kuma mechanism 580 is attached, is rotatably mounted around an axis that extends vertically.

[0296] The lifting mechanism cover 569 works in cooperation with the lifting mechanism base 568 to house the lifting spiral shaft 561 and rotatably supports the lifting spiral shaft 561, and is attached from the rear to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401. A ball lifting relay board 557 is attached to the rear surface of the lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0297] The lifting mechanism cover 569 has a portion that is upstream of the portion provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting inlet passage 551. The portion provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 has its downstream end opening forward at a point on the right side of the front view near the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561, extends rearward, bends to the left and passes behind the lifting spiral shaft 561, then extends diagonally forward and has its upstream end opening to the left. A ball lifting inlet grounding plate 555 is attached to this lifting mechanism cover 569, which is provided so as to be in contact with the game ball B flowing through the ball lifting inlet passage 551, behind the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0298] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism cover 569 has a portion downstream of the portion provided on the lifting mechanism base 568 in the ball lifting outlet passage 552. The portion of the lifting mechanism cover 569 in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 has an upstream end that opens to the rear, bends to the left in a front view, extends to the left to the left end, then bends forward, and the downstream end at the front end of the lifting mechanism cover 569 opens forward.

[0299] Furthermore, a lifting outlet sensor 554 is attached to the lifting mechanism cover 569 near the left end of the portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 that extends to the left in a front view. In addition, a ball lifting outlet grounding plate 556 is attached to the lifting mechanism cover 569 upstream of the lifting outlet sensor 554 in the portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 that extends to the left, and is provided to be in contact with the game ball B flowing through the ball lifting outlet passage 552.

[0300] Next, the ball lifting inlet passage 551 of the ball lifting unit 550 has an opening (inlet) at its upstream end that opens to the left near the lower part of the left side of the ball lifting unit 550. This opening is positioned to face the ball discharge port 500d of the circulating ball path unit 500 when assembled to the main frame 4. The ball lifting inlet passage 551 slopes downward from the left end inlet toward the right, extends to the right of the lifting spiral shaft 561 to bypass the rear of the lifting spiral shaft 561, then turns back toward the front and extends to the left near the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561. Then, near the lifting spiral shaft 561, it bends in a crank shape to wrap around to the front of the lifting spiral shaft 561, and communicates with the lifting groove 561a of the lifting spiral shaft 561 near the front of the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0301] The ball lifting inlet passage 551 is provided such that the opening at its upstream end faces the ball discharge port 500d, which forms the opening at the downstream end of the ball storage passage 504 in the circulating ball path unit 500, and the game balls B that have flowed through the ball storage passage 504 are passed through and circulated there.

[0302] The ball lifting inlet passage 551 is equipped with a lifting inlet sensor 553 in a section that slopes downwards to the left near the downstream end where it contacts the lifting spiral shaft 561, and a ball lifting inlet grounding plate 555 is attached to the rear part of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0303] The ball lifting outlet passage 552, near the upper end of the ball lifting unit 550, has an upstream end that communicates with the lifting groove 561a in front of the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561. It extends to the left of the lifting spiral shaft 561, then bends rearward, extending to the same position as the rear end of the lifting spiral shaft 561, and then bends to the left. From there, it extends to the left near the left end of the ball lifting unit 550, then bends forward, and its downstream end opens forward on the front surface of the ball lifting unit 550 (lifting mechanism cover 569).

[0304] The ball lifting outlet passage 552 is provided such that the opening at its downstream end faces the ball supply port of the ball transport unit described later, allowing game balls B to be supplied to the ball transport unit 600.

[0305] The ball lifting outlet passage 552 has a lifting outlet sensor 554 installed near the left end of the portion that extends to the left near the rear end of the ball lifting unit 550, and a ball lifting outlet grounding plate 556 is attached to the upstream side (right side) of it. The bottom wall of the portion of the ball lifting outlet passage 552 where the ball lifting outlet grounding plate 556 is installed has an opening that is sized not to obstruct the flow of game balls B, and dust and debris can be discharged to the outside through this opening.

[0306] The lifting inlet sensor 553 detects the presence or absence of game balls B to be lifted when the lifting motor 564 drives the lifting spiral shaft 561 to lift the game balls B. As will be described in detail later, if the lifting inlet sensor 553 does not detect game balls B, the lifting motor 564 will not be driven.

[0307] The lifting outlet sensor 554 detects the presence or absence of game balls B supplied to the ball feeding unit. As will be described in detail later, when the lifting inlet sensor 553 detects game balls B, and the lifting outlet sensor 554 no longer detects game balls B, and a predetermined condition is met (in this case, a predetermined number (e.g., 3) of game balls B are subtracted by the launch subtraction sensor 454), the lifting motor 564 drives the lifting spiral shaft 561 to rotate and lift a predetermined number of game balls B.

[0308] The lifting inlet sensor 553 and the lifting outlet sensor 554 detect the game ball B in a non-contact manner, for example, by detecting a change in induced current.

[0309] The ball lifting inlet grounding plate 555 removes static electricity from the game balls B supplied from the circulating ball path unit 500 to the ball lifting inlet passage 551. The ball lifting inlet grounding plate 555 is installed upstream of the lifting inlet sensor 553. This allows static electricity from the game balls B passing through the lifting inlet sensor 553 to be removed in advance, preventing false detections at the lifting inlet sensor 553 or malfunctions of the frame control board 640 due to static electricity from the game balls B.

[0310] The ball lifting outlet grounding sheet metal 556 removes static electricity from the game ball B, which is lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 and polished by the ball polishing mechanism 580. The ball lifting outlet grounding sheet metal 556 is located upstream of the lifting outlet sensor 554. This allows static electricity from the game ball B passing through the lifting outlet sensor 554 to be removed in advance, preventing false detections in the lifting outlet sensor 554 or malfunctions of the frame control board 640 due to static electricity from the game ball B.

[0311] The ball lifting relay board 557 is used to relay connections between the lifting inlet sensor 553, lifting outlet sensor 554, lifting motor 564, lifting motor index sensor 566, ball motor 588, etc., and the frame control board 640. The ball lifting relay board 557 is mounted on the rear side of the lifting mechanism cover 569.

[0312] The ball grinding mechanism 580 is mounted on the front side of the ball lifting mechanism 560. The ball grinding mechanism 580 comprises a ball grinding cassette 581 with an outer shape of a vertically elongated rectangular box, an endless ring belt-shaped grinding cloth 582 with part of it exposed to the outside on the rear surface of the ball grinding cassette 581, a sheet-shaped ball grinding sponge 583 provided between the exposed part of the grinding cloth 582 and the rear surface of the ball grinding cassette 581, a ball grinding feed gear 584 supported in the lower part of the ball grinding cassette 581 so as to be rotatable around an axis in the left-right direction, and a ball grinding driven gear 585 which meshes with the ball grinding feed gear 584 with the grinding cloth 582 in between and is supported so as to be rotatable around an axis in the left-right direction.

[0313] Furthermore, the Kuma mechanism 580 includes a flat plate-shaped Kuma motor base 586 located to the left of the Kuma cassette 581, with a constant front-to-back depth and extending vertically, and its rear end rotatably attached to the lifting mechanism base 568; a gear cover 587 attached to the left side of the Kuma motor base 586; a Kuma motor 588 attached to the left side of the gear cover 587, with its rotating shaft protruding between the gear cover 587 and the Kuma motor base 586; a spur gear-shaped motor gear 589 attached to the rotating shaft of the Kuma motor 588; and a gear that meshes with the motor gear 589. The transmission gear 590 has a large-diameter gear section 590a that meshes with the large-diameter gear section 590a and a small-diameter gear section 590b that rotates integrally with the large-diameter gear section 590a and is rotatably supported between the Kuma motor base 586 and the gear cover 587, and includes a spur-shaped transmission gear 591 that meshes with the small-diameter gear section 590b of the transmission gear 590 and is rotatably supported between the Kuma motor base 586 and the gear cover 587, and a rotating connecting section 592 that rotates integrally with the transmission gear 591 and protrudes to the right through the Kuma motor base 586.

[0314] Furthermore, the Kuma mechanism 580 includes a flat cassette pressing piece 593 that abuts against the front surface of the Kuma cassette 581, with its left end locked to the front end of the Kuma motor base 586 and its right end attached to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401, and a nylon latch 594 that detachably attaches the right end of the cassette pressing piece 593 to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b.

[0315] The Kuma cassette 581 of the Kuma mechanism 580 is formed in the shape of a hollow box, and slits are provided at both the upper and lower edges of the rear surface through which the grinding cloth 582 can pass. The Kuma cassette 581 is detachably attached from the front to the lifting mechanism base 568 of the Kuma lifting mechanism 560 so as to close the Kuma opening 568a.

[0316] The polishing cloth 582 is formed in the shape of an endless ring belt with a constant width on both sides. As shown in Figure 32(a), the polishing cloth 582 is housed in a meandering manner within the Kuma cassette 581, and a portion of it is exposed behind the rear surface of the Kuma cassette 581 through the upper and lower slits of the Kuma cassette 581.

[0317] The Kuma sponge 583 is provided between the rear surface of the Kuma cassette 581 and the rearward-exposed portion of the polishing cloth 582, and is attached to the rear surface of the Kuma cassette 581. The inner surface of the polishing cloth 582 is in contact with the rear surface of the Kuma sponge 583. When assembled with the ball lifting unit 550, the Kuma sponge 583 elastically presses the polishing cloth 582 against the game ball B exposed forward from the Kuma opening 568a of the ball lifting mechanism 560, so that the polishing cloth 582 makes contact with the spherical surface of the game ball B over a wider area. The Kuma sponge 583 is replaceable when attached to the Kuma cassette 581.

[0318] The Kuma feed gear 584 is positioned such that, with the Kuma cassette 581 attached, its axis coincides with the axis of the transmission gear 591 (rotating coupling part 592), and the left end of the rotating shaft is connected to the rotating coupling part 592, allowing it to rotate together with the transmission gear 591.

[0319] The Kuma driven gear 585 meshes with the Kuma feed gear 584 such that there is a gap for the abrasive cloth 582 to fit into, and as the Kuma feed gear 584 rotates, it rotates in the opposite direction and can also feed the abrasive cloth 582 that is sandwiched between the Kuma feed gear 584 and the Kuma driven gear 585.

[0320] The Kuma motor base 586 extends vertically along the left side of the Kuma cassette 581, and its rear end is rotatably mounted around an axis that extends vertically relative to the lifting mechanism base 568. This allows the Kuma motor base 586 to be rotated so that its front end is away from the Kuma cassette 581. The Kuma motor base 586 has a locking hole 586a that penetrates horizontally at a portion of its front edge above the vertical center. A locking hook portion 593a, provided at the left end of the cassette pressing piece 593, is inserted into and locked into this locking hole 586a.

[0321] The Kuma motor 588 is controlled independently of the operation of the lifting motor 564, and is controlled so that the grinding cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm for every 1000 game balls B that are launched.

[0322] The cassette pressing piece 593 extends to the left and right, and a hook-shaped locking hook portion 593a is provided at its left end, which is inserted into and locked into a locking hole 586a of the Kuma motor base 586. A nylon latch 594 is provided near the right end of the cassette pressing piece 593.

[0323] The Nylatch 594 can be locked by pressing the operating part 594a, and unlocked by pulling it towards you.

[0324] In this embodiment, the ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401 when assembled to the main frame 4. When assembling this ball lifting unit 550 to the main frame base 401 of the main frame 4, the ball lifting unit 550 is attached to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j provided on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b, with the ball cassette 581 and cassette pressing piece 593 of the ball mechanism 580 removed from the ball lifting mechanism 560. At this time, the ball motor base 586, which protrudes forward from the lifting mechanism base 568, is made to protrude its front end forward of the base wall portion 401b by passing through the portion of the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j that penetrates from front to back. In this state, the ball opening 568a of the ball lifting mechanism base 568 of the ball lifting mechanism 560 is located at the penetrating portion of the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j on the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b, and the game ball B being lifted onto the lifting spiral shaft 561 can be seen from the front of the base wall portion 401b (main frame 4) through the ball opening 568a (see Figure 31). In other words, by opening the door frame 3 relative to the main frame 4 and removing the ball cassette 581, the lifting spiral shaft 561 and the game ball B being lifted onto the lifting spiral shaft 561 can be seen from the front.

[0325] After attaching the ball lifting mechanism 560 side of the ball lifting unit 550 to the ball lifting unit mounting portion 401j of the base wall portion 401b, the ball cassette 581 is positioned in front of the lifting mechanism base 568 with the surface where the polishing cloth 582 is exposed facing backward, from the front of the base wall portion 401b, so that the ball opening 568a is closed from the front. At this time, the ball motor base 586 is rotated so that its tip is away from the ball cassette 581.

[0326] Next, the locking hook portion 593a at the left end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is inserted into the locking hole 586a at the front end of the Kuma motor base 586 and locked in place, and the cassette pressing piece 593 is pushed backward to press the Kuma cassette 581 backward. As a result, the Kuma motor base 586 rotates so that it is parallel to the left side surface of the Kuma cassette 581, and the rotating coupling portion 592 protruding from the right side surface of the Kuma motor base 586 engages with the left end of the Kuma feed gear 584 supported by the Kuma cassette 581. Then, by pressing the operating portion 594a of the Nylatch 594 to lock it, the right end of the cassette pressing piece 593 is attached to the front surface of the base wall portion 401b, and the installation of the Kuma cassette 581 is completed.

[0327] To remove the Kuma cassette 581, first pull the operating part 594a of the Nylatch 594 towards you to release the lock, and then remove the Kuma cassette 581 by performing the reverse procedure described above.

[0328] In this embodiment, when assembled on the main frame 4, the ball lifting unit 550 has an opening at the upstream end of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 facing the ball discharge port 500d of the circulating ball path unit 500, and is supplied with game balls B that have flowed through the meandering ball storage passage 504. The game balls B supplied to the ball lifting inlet passage 551 come into contact with the ball lifting inlet grounding plate 555 to remove static electricity, are detected by the lifting inlet sensor 553, and are supplied to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561. At this time, the game balls B are inserted into the ball polishing opening 568a, which has its front end penetrating forward, so that the front end of the game ball B comes into contact with the polishing cloth 582 of the ball polishing mechanism 580, and its movement in the left-right direction is restricted by the vertically elongated ball polishing opening 568a.

[0329] In this state, when the lifting motor 564 rotates the lifting spiral shaft 561 in the direction of lifting the game ball B, the game ball B is pushed from below by the lifting groove 561a and moves upward along the ball polishing opening 568a. At this time, the game ball B moves upward while rotating, in contact with the vertically extending portion on the inner periphery of the ball polishing opening 568a and the lifting groove 561a. As a result, the portion of the game ball B that is in contact with the polishing cloth 582 on the front end changes as the game ball B rises (rotates), making it possible to polish the entire surface of the game ball B evenly.

[0330] When the game ball B reaches the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561, it enters the ball lifting exit passage 552, makes contact with the ball lifting exit grounding plate 556, is detected by the lifting exit sensor 554, and is sent to the ball transport unit from the downstream end of the ball lifting exit passage 552. At this time, even if the game ball B is polished by the polishing cloth 582 as it is lifted by the ball lifting mechanism 560 and becomes charged with static electricity, the static electricity is removed by contact with the ball lifting exit grounding plate 556 located upstream of the lifting exit sensor 554, so that no malfunctions due to static electricity from the polishing of the ball occur in the lifting exit sensor 554, the frame control board 640, etc.

[0331] On the other hand, in the Kuma mechanism 580, with the Kuma cassette 581 attached, when the Kuma motor 588 rotates the Kuma feed gear 584 clockwise in a right-side view, the portion of the polishing cloth 582 that is exposed to the outside from the rear surface of the Kuma cassette 581 is retracted into the Kuma cassette 581 through the lower slit of the Kuma cassette 581. At this time, the portion of the polishing cloth 582 that is exposed to the outside is pulled downward, so the portion of the polishing cloth 582 that is retracted into the Kuma cassette 581 is fed out from the outside through the upper slit of the Kuma cassette 581.

[0332] The grinding cloth 582 of the ball grinding mechanism 580 moves intermittently at a slow speed. In this embodiment, the grinding cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm every 1000 game balls B are launched.

[0333] Thus, according to the ball lifting unit 550 of this embodiment, the game balls B discharged from the circulating ball path unit 500 can be supplied to the ball transport unit 600 while the game balls B are being polished.

[0334] [4-6. Ball throwing unit] The ball-feeding unit 600 in the main frame 4 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 33 to 35. Figure 33(a) is a perspective view of the ball-feeding unit in the main frame from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball-feeding unit in the main frame from the rear. Figure 34(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball-feeding unit from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball-feeding unit from the rear. Figure 35 is a front cross-sectional view of the ball-feeding unit cut at the launch sensor.

[0335] The ball delivery unit 600 is for supplying the game balls B, which have been lifted by the ball lifting unit 550, one by one to the ball launching unit 450. The ball delivery unit 600 is attached to the ball delivery unit mounting section 401k, which is provided on the rear side of the base wall section 401b of the main frame base 401. The ball delivery unit 600 is positioned between the base wall section 401b and the circulating ball path unit 500, and is mounted so as to be detachable from the top surface of the base wall section 401b.

[0336] The ball transport unit 600 includes a ball supply port 601 that is open at the rear and into which game balls B supplied from the ball lifting unit 550 can enter, a ball outlet port 602 that is open at the front and for transporting game balls B to the ball launching platform 452b of the ball launching unit 450, a ball transport passage 603 that connects the ball supply port 601 and the ball outlet port 602 and through which game balls B can flow, a pre-launch sensor 604 that can detect game balls B flowing through the ball transport passage 603, a ball transport movable member 605 for releasing game balls B one by one from the ball outlet port 602 as detected by the pre-launch sensor 604, a ball transport solenoid 606 for moving the ball transport movable member 605 to transport game balls B to the ball launching unit 450, and a ball transport relay board 607 that relays the connection between the ball transport solenoid 606 and the pre-launch sensor 604 and the frame control board 640.

[0337] Furthermore, the ball-feeding unit 600 includes a transmission member 608 that transmits the forward and backward movement of the plunger in the ball-feeding solenoid 606 to move the ball-feeding movable member 605, a box-shaped unit base 609 that is open to the rear and has a pre-launch sensor 604 and a ball-feeding solenoid 606 etc. inside, and a flat unit cover 610 that is attached to close the opening at the rear end of the unit base 609.

[0338] The ball supply port 601 of the ball feeding unit 600 is provided by penetrating the unit cover 610 which constitutes the rear surface of the ball feeding unit 600, and is located in the upper right portion from the center when viewed from the front. The ball supply port 601 is sized to allow game balls B to pass through one at a time.

[0339] The ball outlet 602 is provided by penetrating the unit base 609, which constitutes the front side of the ball feeding unit 600, from front to back, and is located slightly below the center when viewed from the front. The ball outlet 602 is sized to allow one game ball B to pass through at a time.

[0340] The ball transport passage 603 connects the ball supply port 601 and the ball delivery port 602. It extends downward to the left from the ball supply port 601 to the upper part of the ball delivery port 602, and then extends downward to the ball delivery port 602. A pre-launch sensor 604 is provided near the left end of the leftward-extending portion of the ball transport passage 603. The ball receiving portion 605a of the movable ball transport member 605 is located in the vertically extending portion of the ball transport passage 603 behind the ball delivery port 602.

[0341] The launch sensor 604 is located near the left end of the ball transport passage 603, which extends downwards to the left. In other words, the launch sensor 604 is located directly upstream of the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball transport movable member 605. This launch sensor 604 detects the game ball B non-contactually, for example, by detecting a change in induced current.

[0342] The ball-feeding movable member 605 is movable in response to the drive of the ball-feeding solenoid 606, in order to release the game balls B in the ball-feeding passage 603 one by one from the ball-feeding outlet 602 and supply them to the ball-launching unit 450. The ball-feeding movable member 605 has a ball-receiving section 605a that is U-shaped with an open right and front and rear, and whose bottom wall is inclined forward, and which can accommodate only one game ball B; a rod section 605b that extends to the left from the left end of the ball-receiving section 605a; a bearing section 605c that penetrates from front to back at the left end of the rod section 605b and into which the first shaft pin 610a of the unit cover 610 is inserted so as to be able to rotate relative to it; and a movable gear section 605d that is fan-shaped to the right on the same axis as the bearing section 605c.

[0343] The ball-feeding solenoid 606 is used to move the ball-feeding movable member 605 to supply the game balls B in the ball-feeding passage 603 one by one from the ball-feeding outlet 602 to the ball-launching unit 450. The ball-feeding solenoid 606 is located between the unit base 609 and the unit cover 610, with the magnetic pole portion that generates a magnetic force when energized facing downwards, in the upper left corner when viewed from the front.

[0344] The ball-transfer relay board 607 is used to relay the connection between the pre-launch sensor 604 and the ball-transfer solenoid 606 and the frame control board 640. The ball-transfer relay board 607 is located between the unit base 609 and the unit cover 610, in the upper right corner when viewed from the front.

[0345] The transmission member 608 transmits the forward and backward movement of the plunger of the ball-feeding solenoid 606 so that the ball-feeding movable member 605 can move. The transmission member 608 has a sheet metal holding portion 608b to which a sheet metal 608a that can be magnetically attached to the magnetic pole portion of the ball-feeding solenoid 606 is attached, a rod portion 608c extending to the right from the sheet metal holding portion 608b, a bearing portion 608d that penetrates from front to back at the right end of the rod portion 608c and into which the second shaft pin 610b of the unit cover 610 is inserted so as to be rotatable relative to the bearing portion 608d, and a drive gear portion 608e that is provided in a fan shape to the left on the same axis as the bearing portion 608d and meshes with the movable gear portion 605d of the ball-feeding movable member 605.

[0346] The unit base 609 is formed in a box shape that is open to the rear, and a ball delivery port 602 is provided that penetrates from front to back at a point slightly below the center of the front. The unit base 609 works in cooperation with the unit cover 610 to form a ball delivery passage 603 and also holds the pre-launch sensor 604, the ball delivery movable member 605, the ball delivery solenoid 606, the ball delivery relay board 607, and the transmission member 608.

[0347] The unit base 609 has a knob portion 609a that is recessed downwards near the center of the left-right direction on the upper surface, and an elastic claw 609b provided at the lower right corner of the front surface. The knob portion 609a is formed so that an operator can grasp it from above and is used when removing the ball feeding unit 600 upward from the main frame base 401 of the main frame 4. The elastic claw 609b is intended to prevent the ball feeding unit 600 from being removed upward when it is attached to the ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k of the main frame base 401 by engaging with the locking hole of the ball feeding unit mounting portion 401k.

[0348] To remove the ball-feeding unit 600 from the main frame base 401, the elastic claw 609b, which extends forward through the locking hole in the base wall portion 401b, is pressed backward to elastically deform it, and the knob portion 609a provided on the upper surface is grasped and pulled up, thereby allowing the ball-feeding unit to be removed upward from the ball-feeding unit mounting portion 401k of the main frame base 401.

[0349] The unit cover 610 has a ball supply port 601 that penetrates from front to back in the upper right portion of the center when viewed from the front. The unit cover 610 works in cooperation with the unit base 609 to form a ball transport passage 603 and holds the pre-launch sensor 604, the ball transport movable member 605, the ball transport solenoid 606, the ball transport relay board 607, and the transmission member 608. The unit cover 610 has a first axis pin 610a and a second axis pin 610b that protrude forward in a cylindrical shape near the lower left corner when viewed from the front. The first axis pin 610a can be inserted into the bearing portion 605c of the ball transport movable member 605 to support the ball transport movable member 605 in a rotatable manner. The second axis pin 610b can be inserted into the bearing portion 608d of the transmission member 608 to support the transmission member 608 in a rotatable manner.

[0350] In this embodiment, the ball-feeding unit 600, when assembled, has a first shaft pin 610a inserted into the bearing portion 605c of the ball-feeding movable member 605, and a second shaft pin 610b inserted into the bearing portion 608d of the transmission member 608, so that the movable gear portion 605d of the ball-feeding movable member 605 and the drive gear portion 608e of the transmission member 608 mesh with each other. In this state, the ball-receiving portion 605a at the right end of the ball-feeding movable member 605 is located in the vertically extending portion behind the ball-feeding outlet 602 in the ball-feeding passage 603. When the ball-feeding movable member 605 rotates around the bearing portion 605c, the ball-receiving portion 605a moves up and down in the vertically extending portion of the ball-feeding passage 603.

[0351] In the normal state, the ball-feeding unit 600 has the ball-feeding solenoid 606 de-energized (OFF). As a result, the sheet metal 608a of the transmission member 608 is separated downward from the magnetic pole of the ball-feeding solenoid 606 by gravity. In this state, the lower surface of the ball-receiving portion 605a of the ball-feeding movable member 605 abuts against the bottom wall of the downstream end of the ball-feeding passage 603, the front end opening of the ball-receiving portion 605a coincides with the ball-feeding outlet 602, and the right end opening of the ball-receiving portion 605a does not coincide with the ball-feeding passage 603. Consequently, the game ball B flowing from upstream toward the ball-receiving portion 605a abuts against the U-shaped upper part of the ball-receiving portion 605a and is not received by the ball-receiving portion 605a. Meanwhile, the game ball B, which is held in the ball receiving section 605a, rolls forward due to the inclination of the bottom wall of the ball receiving section 605a and is released forward from the ball discharge port 602.

[0352] In this normal state, when the ball-feeding solenoid 606 is energized (ON), the magnetic force generated at the magnetic pole portion of the ball-feeding solenoid 606 attracts the sheet metal 608a of the transmission member 608 to the upper magnetic pole portion, causing the transmission member 608 to rotate clockwise around its bearing portion 608d. When the transmission member 608 rotates clockwise, the movable gear portion 605d of the ball-feeding movable member 605, which is meshed with the drive gear portion 608e of the transmission member 608, causes the ball-feeding movable member 605 to rotate counterclockwise around its bearing portion 605c, causing the ball-receiving portion 605a to move upward.

[0353] When the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball-feeding movable member 605 moves upward, the front end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a no longer coincides with the ball-feeding outlet 602, and the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a coincides with the ball-feeding passage 603, so that the game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 605a from the ball-feeding passage 603. In this state, since the right end opening of the ball receiving portion 605a does not coincide with the ball-feeding outlet 602, the game ball B received by the ball receiving portion 605a will not roll forward and be released from the ball-feeding outlet 602. Also, since the ball receiving portion 605a is sized to accommodate only one game ball B, when one game ball B is received by the ball receiving portion 605a, the game ball B upstream of it will not be received by the ball receiving portion 605a.

[0354] Subsequently, when the power to the ball-feeding solenoid 606 is turned off, the attraction of the transmission member 608 from the magnetic pole portion of the ball-feeding solenoid 606 to the sheet metal 608a is released. At this time, since the game ball B is being received by the ball-receiving portion 605a of the ball-feeding movable member 605, the ball-feeding movable member 605 rotates clockwise around its bearing portion 605c so that the ball-receiving portion 605a moves downward due to the weight of the game ball B. At the same time, the transmission member 608 rotates counterclockwise around its bearing portion 608d via the drive gear portion 608e which meshes with the movable gear portion 605d of the ball-feeding movable member 605, returning to the normal state.

[0355] Then, when the ball-feeding unit 600 returns to its normal state, the front end opening of the ball-receiving portion 605a of the ball-feeding movable member 605 aligns with the ball-feeding outlet 602, causing the game ball B that was being held by the ball-receiving portion 605a to roll forward and be released from the ball-feeding outlet 602 to the ball-launching unit 450.

[0356] Thus, with the ball-feeding unit 600 of this embodiment, the game balls B can be sent one by one to the ball-launching unit 450 by turning the ball-feeding solenoid 606 ON and OFF.

[0357] [4-7. Ball receiving tray] The ball receiving tray 620 in the main frame 4 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 7, 8, 10, etc. The ball receiving tray 620 is located below the circulating ball path unit 500 and is for receiving game balls B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500. The ball receiving tray 620 is formed in the shape of a container that is open upwards, and its bottom wall is inclined to become lower toward the front.

[0358] The ball receiving tray 620 is inserted from the front into the tray insertion recess 401f of the main frame base 401 and installed. When the ball receiving tray 620 is installed on the main frame base 401, it is locked in place by the locking claw 401n of the main frame base 401 and cannot be pulled out forward. To remove the ball receiving tray 620, the locking is released by elastically deforming the locking claw 401n to the left, allowing it to be pulled out forward.

[0359] When attaching the ball receiving tray 620 to the tray insertion recess 401f of the main frame base 401, the ball receiving tray 620 is moved backward from the front of the tray insertion recess 401f and inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f. At this time, because the front end of the locking claw 401n is inclined in an arrowhead shape, when the rear end of the ball receiving tray 620 comes into contact with the locking claw 401n from the front, the arrowhead-shaped inclination causes the locking claw 401n to elastically deform to the left, allowing the ball receiving tray 620 to be inserted into the tray insertion recess 401f. Then, when the front end of the ball receiving tray 620 reaches the part of the locking claw 401n and contact with the front end of the locking claw 401n is removed, the elastically deformed locking claw 401n returns to its original state, locking the front end of the ball receiving tray 620 and preventing it from sliding forward.

[0360] The ball receiving tray 620 is placed on the bottom wall of the tray insertion recess 401f, which is sloped so that the front end is lower. As the game balls B discharged from the ball outlet 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500 accumulate and become heavy, the tray attempts to slide forward due to the slope of the bottom wall, but this sliding is prevented by the locking claw 401n. When the locking claw 401n is released, the weight of the accumulated game balls B causes the ball receiving tray 620 to slide forward automatically, and the ball receiving tray 620 can be easily removed from the tray insertion recess 401f.

[0361] [4-8. Frame substrate unit] The frame circuit board unit 630 in the main frame 4 will be explained mainly with reference to Figures 7 and 8, etc. The frame control board 640, as will be described in detail later, is for displaying the number of balls held in the ball count display unit 140, settlement processing by operating the counting button switch 180, controlling the ball launching unit 450, ball lifting unit 550, ball delivery unit 600, etc., and managing (monitoring) the game balls B in the circulating ball path unit 500, etc.

[0362] The frame base unit 630 is attached to the rear portion of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401 of the main frame base unit 400 in a manner that allows it to be opened and closed. The frame base unit 630 includes a frame control board 640, a power supply board 650, an interface board 660, and a game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665.

[0363] Furthermore, the frame base unit 630 includes a unit base 670 that is attached to the rear side of the main frame base unit 400 so as to be openable and closable, a frame control board box 671 attached to the rear side of the unit base 670 and housing the frame control board 640, a power supply board box 672 attached between the frame control board box 671 and the unit base 670 and housing the power supply board 650, an interface board box 673 attached to the unit base 670 on the left side of the front view of the frame control board box 671 and housing the interface board 660 and the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665, and a Nylatch 674 for fixing the unit base 670 to the main frame base unit 400 so as not to open or close.

[0364] The frame control board 640, although not shown in the diagram, includes a ROM that stores various processing programs and commands, a RAM for temporarily storing data, a CPU for executing processing programs and commands, and the like.

[0365] The frame control board 640 includes a RAM clear switch 641 for erasing information stored in RAM, a ball removal switch 642 used when removing the enclosed game balls B from the ball removal opening 513p of the circulating ball path unit 500 to the outside (ball receiving tray 620), and a ball count memory / display clear switch 643 for clearing the number of balls the player has stored in RAM, etc., and clearing the display on the ball count display unit 140 of the door frame 3 (see Figure 38).

[0366] The frame control board 640 is connected via bidirectional communication to the main control board 1310, which will be described later and is located on the game board 5, as well as to the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665, which is also connected via bidirectional communication. The frame control board 640 is connected to the game ball dispensing device 8 via the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665.

[0367] The frame control board 640 is connected to the door frame 3's ball count display unit 140, the launch stop switch 161, the handle touch sensor 162, the handle rotation sensor 163, and the counting button switch 180.

[0368] Furthermore, the frame control board 640 is connected to the main frame 4's door open switch 407, frame open switch 408, launch solenoid 453, launch subtraction sensor 454, out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, circulating ball shortage sensor 521, circulating ball excess sensor 522, lift inlet sensor 553, lift outlet sensor 554, lift motor 564, lift motor index sensor 566, ball motor 588, launch pre-sensor 604, and ball transport solenoid 606.

[0369] The power supply board 650 is for supplying power at a predetermined voltage to the frame control board 640, the main control board 1310, the peripheral control board 1510, and the like.

[0370] The interface board 660 is used to relay connections between the frame control board 640 and various relay boards provided on the door frame 3 side and the game board 5 side.

[0371] The gaming ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665 is used to relay the connection between the frame control board 640 and the gaming ball dispensing device 8.

[0372] The unit base 670 is elongated from left to right, and a hinge shaft 670a is provided at the left end, which is pivotally supported by a frame substrate unit pivot support portion 404d located on the rear surface of the main frame speaker box 404 of the main frame base unit 400, while two Nylatch 674 are attached at the right end, with their operating portions 674a facing rearward.

[0373] The unit base 670 has a rear portion 670b that extends to the right from the left end in a plan view for a length of 1 / 4 of the total length in the left-right direction, a connecting portion 670c that extends a short distance forward from the right end of the rear portion 670b, and a front portion 670d that extends from the front end of the connecting portion 670c to the right end. As a result, the unit base 670 has a step in the front-rear direction between the rear portion 670b and the front portion 670d.

[0374] An interface board box 673 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the rear portion 670b of the unit base 670. On the other hand, a power supply board box 672 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the front portion 670d of the unit base 670, and a frame control board box 671 is detachably mounted on the rear side of the power supply board box 672.

[0375] In this embodiment, the frame base unit 630, in its normal state (usage state), has a hinge shaft 670a located at the left end of the unit base 670 that is pivotally supported by the frame base unit pivot support portion 404d of the main frame base unit 400, and a nylon latch 674 attached to the right end of the unit base 670 that is attached to the rear surface of the base wall portion 401b of the main frame base 401. In this state, the frame base unit 630 covers the rear of the circulating ball path unit 500 and the ball lifting unit 550, which are attached to the rear side of the base wall portion 401b, making them inaccessible.

[0376] Furthermore, in the normal state, as shown in Figure 10, the front portion 670d of the unit base 670, the power supply board box 672, and the frame control board box 671 of the frame board unit 630 are located above the box extension portion 404c of the main frame speaker box 404. In this case, since the front portion 670d and the power supply board box 672 are shorter vertically than the frame control board box 671, a space is formed between the power supply board box 672 and the box extension portion 404c that can accommodate wiring and the like.

[0377] When the operating part 674a of the Nylatch 674 is pulled backward from its normal position to release the lock, the right end of the unit base 670 is detached, and the frame base unit 630 can be opened backward by rotating the hinge around the left end hinge axis 670a. Opening the frame base unit 630 backward exposes the circulating ball path unit 500 and the ball lifting unit 550, which are attached to the rear side of the base wall 401b, allowing access to them.

[0378] [4-9. Lock Unit] The lock unit 680 in the main frame 4 will be explained mainly with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The lock unit 680 is mounted from the rear along the right edge of the main frame base 401 in the main frame base unit 400 when viewed from the front. The lock unit 680 is for locking the space between the outer frame 2 and the main frame 4, and between the door frame 3 and the main frame 4.

[0379] The lock unit 680 includes a cylindrical lock cylinder 681 that penetrates the cylinder insertion opening 401m of the main frame base 401 from the rear and whose front end protrudes forward, a keyhole 682 provided on the front end surface of the lock cylinder 681, a door frame lock claw 683 which, when a key corresponding to the keyhole 682 is inserted and rotated in a predetermined direction, unlocks the lock between the door frame 3 and the main frame 4, and an outer frame lock claw 684 which, when a key corresponding to the keyhole 682 is inserted and rotated in a direction different from the above, unlocks the lock between the main frame 4 and the outer frame 2.

[0380] [5. A brief explanation of the game board] The game board 5 of the pachinko machine 1 has the same board configuration as the game board 5 shown in Figure 75, etc., which will be described later, and will be briefly explained here with reference to Figure 3. The game board 5 has prize slots such as a general prize slot 2001, a first start slot 2003, a second start slot 2004, and a large prize slot 2005 within the game area 5a into which the game balls B are shot, and the player is allowed to enjoy shooting the game balls B by operating the handle 160 so that the game balls B are shot into the prize slots. The game board 5 is detachably attached from the front to the game board insertion part 401a of the main frame 4. When assembled in the pachinko machine 1, the game board 5 is visible from the player's side through the game window 101 of the door frame 3 and has a game area 5a into which the game balls B are shot when the player operates the handle 160.

[0381] The game board 5 comprises a front component 1000 that demarcates the outer periphery of the game area 5a and has an outer shape that is roughly rectangular when viewed from the front, a plate-shaped game panel 1100 attached to the rear side of the front component 1000 and demarcates the rear end of the game area 5a, and a plurality of obstacle nails (not shown) that are planted in a predetermined gauge arrangement on the front of the game panel 1100 within the game area 5a so as to be able to come into contact with the game ball B.

[0382] The front component 1000 of the game board 5 is made entirely of transparent material. The front component 1000 has an outer shape that is approximately square when viewed from the front, and an inner shape that is approximately circular and penetrates in the front-to-back direction, with the inner circumference of the inner shape defining the outer perimeter of the game area 5a. The front component 1000 includes an outer rail 1001 that extends in an arc shape from the lower end slightly to the left of the center in the front view, along the circumferential direction clockwise, passing the upper end of the center in the front view, and extending to the upper right diagonally; an inner rail 1002 that is positioned inside the front component 1000, roughly along the outer rail 1001, and extends in an arc shape from the lower center in the front view to the upper left diagonally; and an out-guiding section 1003 that is formed at the lowest point of the game area 5a on the right side of the lower end of the inner rail 1002 in the front view, and is inclined to be lower toward the rear.

[0383] Furthermore, the front component 1000 includes a right lower rail 1004 that slopes linearly from the right end of the out guide section 1003 in a front view to the vicinity of the right edge of the front component 1000 such that the right end is slightly higher; a right rail 1005 that extends from the right end of the right lower rail 1004 along the right edge of the front component 1000 to the lower side of the upper end of the outer rail 1001, with its upper part curved inward from the front component 1000; and a stopper section 1006 that connects the upper end of the right rail 1005 to the upper end of the outer rail 1001, and into which the game ball B that has rolled along the outer rail 1001 makes contact.

[0384] Furthermore, the aforementioned component 1000 is pivotally supported at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 and includes a backflow prevention member 1007 that is rotatable only between a closed position extending upward from the upper end of the inner rail 1002 to close the gap between it and the outer rail 1001, and an open position that rotates clockwise in a front view to open the gap between it and the outer rail 1001, and is biased by a spring (not shown) to return to the closed position.

[0385] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is provided with an out opening 1008 located at the lower center in the left-right direction when viewed from the front within the frame, and which penetrates from front to back at the rear end of the out guide section 1003. The game balls B received in the out opening 1008 are not returned to the game area 5a but are discharged downward from the game board 5 at the rear of the game panel 1100 (to the out ball receiving opening 500a of the circulating ball path unit 500).

[0386] The game board 5 is located behind the game panel 1100 and includes a main control board 1310 that controls the game content, which is performed by hitting game balls B into the game area 5a, and a function display unit 1400 that displays the game status based on control signals from the main control board 1310 and is mounted in the upper left corner of the front component 1000 so that it can be seen by the player.

[0387] Furthermore, the game board 5 includes a peripheral control board 1510 located behind the game panel 1100, an effect display device 1600 located behind the game panel 1100 and positioned in the center of the game area 5a when viewed from the front, and capable of displaying predetermined effect images, a front unit 2000 attached to the front of the game panel 1100, and a back unit 3000 attached to the rear of the game panel 1100.

[0388] The game board 5 (front unit 2000) includes a number of general prize slots 2001 that are always open and can receive game balls B that have been played into the game area 5a, a gate 2010 located at a predetermined position within the game area 5a through which game balls B can pass, a first start slot 2003 and a second start slot 2004 located at a predetermined position within the game area 5a where a lottery for the first special symbol and the second special symbol is held upon receipt of game balls B, and a large prize slot 2005 which can receive game balls B according to the lottery results for the special symbols drawn upon receipt of game balls B into the first start slot 2003 and the second start slot 2004.

[0389] The first starting opening 2003 is located below the frame-shaped center mechanism 2500, which is located in the center of the game area 5a, and directly above the out opening 1008. The second starting opening 2004 is located in the attacker unit 2400 and opens and closes to accept game balls B according to the result of the lottery for the normal symbols drawn when game balls B pass through the gate 2010.

[0390] The large prize slot 2005 is located in the attacker unit 2400, which is installed in the lower right corner of the game area 5a.

[0391] Furthermore, the game board 5 is equipped with a general prize slot sensor 3001 that detects game balls B received into the general prize slot 2001, a gate sensor 2011 that detects game balls B passing through the gate 2010, a first start slot sensor 2101 that detects game balls B received into the first start slot 2003, a second start slot sensor 2401 that detects game balls B received into the second start slot 2004, and a large prize slot sensor 2402 that detects game balls B received into the large prize slot 2005 (see Figure 38).

[0392] Game balls B received into the general prize slot 2001 are detected by the general prize slot sensor 3001 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged into the safe ball receiving slot 500b in the ball circulation path unit 500 below the game board 5. Game balls B received into the first start slot 2003 are detected by the first start slot sensor 2101 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged into the safe ball receiving slot 500b in the ball circulation path unit 500 below the game board 5. Game balls B received into the second start slot 2004 are detected by the second start slot sensor 2401 behind the game panel 1100 and then discharged into the safe ball receiving slot 500b in the ball circulation path unit 500 below the game board 5. The game ball B received into the large prize slot 2005 is detected by the large prize slot sensor 2402 behind the game panel 1100, and then discharged from the game board 5 to the safe ball receiving slot 500b in the circulating ball path unit 500 below.

[0393] The main control board 1310 controls the game using game balls B within the game area 5a in the pachinko machine 1. The main control board 1310 is connected via bidirectional communication to the frame control board 640 located on the main frame 4, and is also connected via unidirectional output signals only to the peripheral control board 1510.

[0394] The main control board 1310 receives detection signals for game ball B from the general prize pocket sensor 3001, gate sensor 2011, first start pocket sensor 2101, second start pocket sensor 2401, large prize pocket sensor 2402, etc. The main control board 1310 also outputs drive signals to the start pocket solenoid 2412 for opening and closing the second start pocket 2004, the attacker solenoid 2414 for opening and closing the large prize pocket 2005, etc.

[0395] When the main control board 1310 detects a game ball B received into the general prize slot 2001 via the general prize slot sensor 3001, it outputs a predetermined number of prize ball commands (for example, 10 balls). This is the same as conventional pachinko machines, so there is no need to change the software of the main control board 1310. When the frame control board 640 receives this prize ball command, it interprets it as a signal to add to the number of balls held. Furthermore, when a game ball B received into the first start slot 2003 is detected by the first start slot sensor 2101, it outputs a predetermined number of prize ball commands (for example, 1 ball). Furthermore, when a game ball B received into the second start slot 2004 is detected by the second start slot sensor 2401, it outputs a predetermined number of prize ball commands (for example, 1 ball). In addition, when a game ball B received into the large prize slot 2005 is detected by the large prize slot sensor 2402, it outputs a predetermined number of prize ball commands (for example, 10 or 13 balls).

[0396] Furthermore, the main control board 1310 outputs signals such as the results of the lottery for regular symbols and the results of the lottery for special symbols to the peripheral control board 1510.

[0397] The function display unit 1400 uses multiple LEDs to display the game status, the results of the draw for regular symbols, the results of the draw for special symbols, etc., based on signals from the main control board 1310.

[0398] The function display unit 1400, although not shown in detail, includes a status indicator consisting of three LEDs that displays the game status, a regular symbol indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the result of the regular symbol lottery when game ball B passes through gate 2010, and a regular symbol reserve indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of regular symbols that are reserved when game ball B passes through gate 2010.

[0399] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 includes a first special symbol display unit consisting of eight LEDs that displays the result of the lottery for the first special symbol drawn by the acceptance of game ball B into the first start port 2003, a first special reserved number display unit consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of reserved game balls related to the acceptance of game ball B into the first start port 2003, a second special symbol display unit consisting of eight LEDs that displays the result of the lottery for the second special symbol drawn by the acceptance of game ball B into the second start port 2004, and a second special reserved number display unit consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of reserved game balls related to the acceptance of game ball B into the second start port 2004.

[0400] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 is equipped with a round indicator consisting of five LEDs that displays the number of repetitions (rounds) of the opening and closing pattern of the main prize opening 2005 when the result of the lottery for the special symbols (first special symbol or second special symbol) is "win," etc.

[0401] This function display unit 1400 can display the number of reserved items, symbols, etc., by appropriately lighting, extinguishing, and flashing the provided LEDs.

[0402] The peripheral control board 1510 is mounted on the rear side of the performance display device 1600. Based on signals sent from the main control board 1310, the peripheral control board 1510 causes the performance display device 1600 to display performance images, perform light effects, and execute movable effects, etc.

[0403] [6. Flow of game balls] Next, the flow of game balls B in pachinko machine 1 will be explained, mainly with reference to Figures 36 and 37. Figure 36 is an explanatory diagram showing the various pathways for game balls on the rear side of the main frame, viewed from the rear. Figure 37 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the flow of game balls in the main frame.

[0404] In this embodiment of the pachinko machine 1, when the player is not operating the handle 160, a large number (for example, 40 to 60) of circulating game balls B are stored in the part of the main frame 4 below the game board 5, as shown in Figure 37. The circulation path R of the game balls B in the main frame 4 is provided with, in order from the upstream side, a foul unit 470, a circulating ball path unit 500, a ball lifting unit 550, a ball sending unit 600, and a ball launching unit 450. The circulation path R is composed of an out ball passage 501, a safe ball passage 502, a foul ball passage 503, a ball storage passage 504, a ball lifting inlet passage 551, a ball lifting outlet passage 552, etc.

[0405] Multiple sensors for detecting game balls B circulating in the circulation path R are provided in the following order from upstream: safe ball sensor 506, out ball sensor 505, foul ball sensor 507, circulating ball excess sensor 522, circulating ball shortage sensor 521, lift inlet sensor 553, lift outlet sensor 554, launch pre-slot sensor 604, and launch subtraction sensor 454. Based on signals from these various sensors, the frame control board 640 executes various control processes, which will be described later.

[0406] When the player is not operating the handle 160, the safe ball sensor 506, out ball sensor 505, foul ball sensor 507, and circulating ball excess sensor 522 are in the OFF (not detected) state, while the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, lift inlet sensor 553, lift outlet sensor 554, launch pre-sensor 604, and launch subtraction sensor 454 are in the ON (detected) state.

[0407] Within the circulation path R in the main frame 4, numerous game balls B are stored in a line. The leading edge of the line of game balls B is located on the ball launching platform 452b of the launching unit cover 452 of the ball launching unit 450, and the rearmost edge is located upstream of the ball release shutter 515 within the range of the gauge section 520 in the ball storage passage 504 of the circulating ball path unit 500.

[0408] In the circulation path R, the portion between the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 of the ball lifting unit 550 and the lifting outlet sensor 554 has a specific number of game balls B (e.g., 4) lined up that is less than the length of a predetermined number (e.g., 5) of game balls B. This is to ensure that when the lifting spiral shaft 561 is returned to its home position, even if one game ball B is lifted, there is space to receive the lifted game ball B.

[0409] Furthermore, in the circulation path R, a predetermined number of sensors (for example, 10) are arranged between the pre-launch sensor 604 and the lifting outlet sensor 554. This prevents a situation where, even after the lifting outlet sensor 554 turns OFF (no detection) of game balls B, if the ball launching unit 450 continues to launch game balls B, there will be no game balls B left to launch before they are lifted and replenished by the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561.

[0410] Then, when the player operates the handle 160 and the launch solenoid 453 of the ball launching unit 450 is driven, the game ball B that was placed on the ball launching platform 452b in the launching unit cover 452 is launched, and the launch subtraction sensor 454 no longer detects (OFF) the game ball B. As a result, the number of balls the player has is reduced by one (see the ball count reduction process described later). Subsequently, the ball delivery solenoid 606 of the ball delivery unit 600 is energized for a predetermined time, the ball receiving portion 605a of the ball delivery movable member 605 moves up and down, and one game ball B is placed on the ball launching platform 452b, and the launch subtraction sensor 454 detects (ON).

[0411] When a game ball B is launched one by one by the player operating the handle 160, the number of game balls B stored between the launch sensor 604 and the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 (ball lifting exit passage 552) decreases by one each time, until the lifting exit sensor 554 no longer detects (turns off) the game balls B. Then, after a predetermined number of game balls B (for example, 3) have been launched since the lifting exit sensor 554 stopped detecting them, the lifting motor 564 of the ball lifting unit 550 starts rotating the lifting spiral shaft 561, and after 3 rotations, it supplies 3 game balls B to the ball lifting exit passage 552 and then stops (lifting motor operation process described later).

[0412] When the lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotated by the lifting motor 564, the game balls B located at the downstream end of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 are moved to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 and then moved upward. As a result, the numerous game balls B lined up in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 and the ball storage passage 504 flow downstream, and the number of game balls B stored in the ball storage passage 504 decreases.

[0413] The game balls B launched from the ball launching unit 450 and driven into the game area 5a of the game board 5 are received into either the out port 1008 or the prize ports (general prize port 2001, first start port 2003, second start port 2004, or major prize port 2005). The game balls B received into the out port 1008 of the game board 5 are discharged downward from the game board 5 and handed over to the out ball receiving port 500a of the circulating ball path unit 500. The game balls B handed over to the out ball receiving port 500a are detected by the out ball sensor 505 as they pass through the out ball passage 501 and are sent to the ball storage passage 504.

[0414] Meanwhile, the game balls B received into the prize slot of the game board 5 are discharged downward from the game board 5 and handed over to the safe ball receiving port 500b of the circulating ball path unit 500. The game balls B handed over to the safe ball receiving port 500b pass through the safe ball passage 502, are detected by the safe ball sensor 506, and are sent to the ball storage passage 504.

[0415] When a game ball B is detected by the out ball sensor 505, the number of out balls is counted, and when a game ball B is detected by the safe ball sensor 506, the number of safe balls is counted. This makes it possible to calculate the accurate payout rate of game ball B. The calculated payout rate is displayed on a display unit (not shown) on the main control board 1310. Since this payout rate changes depending on the game state, it is calculated as the payout rate within a predetermined period (for example, per unit time, per predetermined time, per day, etc.) using the formula: "(Number of balls added due to winning within the predetermined period - Number of safe balls within the predetermined period) ÷ Number of out balls within the predetermined period = Payout rate within the predetermined period".

[0416] Incidentally, game balls B that were launched from the ball launching unit 450 (ball launching stand 452b) but did not land in the game area 5a of the game board 5 are collected as foul balls by the foul unit 470 and then handed over to the foul ball receiving port 500c of the ball circulation path unit 500. The game balls B handed over to the foul ball receiving port 500c then circulate through the foul ball passage 503, are detected by the foul ball sensor 507, and are sent to the ball storage passage 504. When the foul ball sensor 507 detects a game ball B, the player's number of balls is increased by 1 (see the ball count increase process described later).

[0417] Thus, in the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment, the game balls B are sealed inside the machine without being discharged to the outside or supplied from the outside, and circulate within the machine, so that the player does not come into contact with the game balls B.

[0418] [7. Various control processes] Next, various control processes in the frame control board 640 of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 38 to 49, etc. Figure 38 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the pachinko machine in general. Figure 39 is a flowchart of the launch permission process. Figure 40 is a flowchart showing the ball deduction process, and Figure 41 is a flowchart showing the ball addition process due to foul balls. Figure 42 is a flowchart showing the launch control process. Figure 43 is a flowchart showing the prize ball processing. Figure 44 is a flowchart showing the lifting motor operation process, Figure 45 is a table showing the relationship between the lifting inlet sensor, the lifting outlet sensor and the operation of the lifting motor, and Figure 46 is a graph showing the relationship between the game ball launch operation and the operation of the ball lifting unit. Figure 47 is a graph showing the operation of the ball lifting mechanism in the ball lifting unit. Figure 48(a) is a flowchart showing the security process, and (b) is a flowchart showing the security process of an embodiment different from (a). Figure 49 is a table showing the relationship between the circulating ball shortage sensor, the circulating ball excess sensor and error notification. Note that in Figure 38, some electronic components such as sensors, solenoids, motors, and LEDs connected to the main control board 1310 and peripheral control board 1510 are omitted from the image.

[0419] The main control configuration of the pachinko machine 1, as shown in Figure 38, consists of a frame control board 640 mounted on the main frame 4, and a main control board 1310 and a peripheral control board 1510 mounted on the game board 5. The frame control board 640 mainly handles control processing such as the launch and circulation of game balls B and the number of balls held. The main control board 1310 mainly handles game control processing. The peripheral control board 1510 mainly handles control processing for the effects of the game.

[0420] The frame control board 640 receives signals from the following: launch stop switch 161, handle touch sensor 162, handle rotation sensor 163, counting button switch 180, door open switch 407, frame open switch 408, launch subtraction sensor 454, out ball sensor 505, safe ball sensor 506, foul ball sensor 507, circulating ball shortage sensor 521, circulating ball excess sensor 522, lifting inlet sensor 553, lifting outlet sensor 554, lifting motor index sensor 566, launch pre-sensor 604, RAM clear switch 641, ball removal switch 642, ball count memory / display clear switch 643, etc.

[0421] Furthermore, the frame control board 640 outputs signals to the ball count display unit 140, the launch solenoid 453, the lifting motor 564, the Kuma motor 588, the ball feeding solenoid 606, etc.

[0422] Furthermore, the frame control board 640 receives and outputs signals from the game ball dispensing device 8 via the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665. In addition, the frame control board 640 receives and outputs signals from the main control board 1310.

[0423] The main control board 1310 receives signals from the general prize slot sensor 3001, gate sensor 2011, first start slot sensor 2101, second start slot sensor 2401, large prize slot sensor 2402, etc. The main control board 1310 also outputs signals to the start slot solenoid 2412, attacker solenoid 2414, peripheral control board 1510, etc.

[0424] The game ball dispensing device 8 is located outside the pachinko machine 1 and outputs signals to the management server 9 via a communication network. The game ball dispensing device 8 receives signals from the ball dispensing button switch 8a, the return button switch, the frame control board 640, etc. The game ball dispensing device 8 also outputs signals to the display unit, the frame control board 640, etc.

[0425] [7-1. Launch authorization process] The launch permission process will be explained with reference to Figure 39. The launch permission process is the process of determining whether or not to launch game ball B. When the launch permission process is started, first in step S101, it is checked whether or not the player is touching the handle 160. If the player is touching the handle 160 and the handle touch sensor 162 is ON (YES), the process proceeds to the next step S102. If the handle touch sensor 162 is OFF (NO) in step S101, the process proceeds to step S107, and the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF to end the process.

[0426] In step S102, it is checked whether the launch stop switch 161 is OFF or not. If the launch stop switch 161 is OFF, the process proceeds to the next step S103, with the response being YES. On the other hand, if the launch stop switch 161 is OFF in step S102, the process proceeds to step S107, with the frame control launch permission signal turned OFF, and the process ends.

[0427] In step S103, it is checked whether the frame control board 640 is connected to the game ball dispensing device 8 via the game ball dispensing device connection terminal board 665. If it is connected to the game ball dispensing device 8, the process proceeds to the next step S104 with a YES response. On the other hand, if the connection to the game ball dispensing device 8 is not confirmed in step S103, the process proceeds to step S107 with a NO response, and the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF to terminate the process.

[0428] In step S104, the system checks whether or not permission for main control firing is available from the main control board 1310. If permission is available, the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S105. On the other hand, if permission for main control firing is not available in step S104, the system selects NO and proceeds to step S107, where the frame control firing permission signal is turned OFF and the process ends.

[0429] In step S105, it is checked whether the player has more than 0 balls. If the number of balls is more than 0, the process proceeds to step S106, where the frame control launch permission signal is turned ON and the process ends. On the other hand, in step S105, if the number of balls is less than 0 (0 balls), the process proceeds to step S107, where the frame control launch permission signal is turned OFF and the process ends.

[0430] In this way, the launch permission process allows the launch of game ball B. When the player rotates the handle 160 in this state, the launch solenoid 453 is driven with a force corresponding to the angle of rotation, and game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450. When the launch solenoid 453 is driven, the launch control process described later is executed.

[0431] [7-2. Ball count reduction process] The ball count reduction process will be explained with reference to Figure 40. The ball count reduction process is a process that reduces the number of balls held by the player when a game ball B is launched. In the ball count reduction process, first in step S111, it is determined whether the launch reduction sensor 454 of the ball launching unit 450 has changed from the ON state to the OFF state. When a game ball B is placed on the ball launching platform 452b of the ball launching unit 450, the launch reduction sensor 454 detects the game ball B and is in the ON state. From this state, when the launching hammer 455 strikes the game ball B on the ball launching platform 452b by the drive of the launching solenoid 453 and the game ball B is launched, the launch reduction sensor 454 becomes non-detective and turns OFF.

[0432] Then, in step S111, when game ball B is launched and the launch subtraction sensor 454 changes from ON to OFF, the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S112, where the number of balls held is reduced by 1 and the process ends.

[0433] On the other hand, in step S111, if the launch subtraction sensor 454 remains ON instead of switching from ON to OFF, the process ends without subtracting the number of balls, and the result is NO.

[0434] Thus, through the ball count reduction process, when a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the player's number of balls is reduced by one.

[0435] [7-3. Ball counting process] The process of adding balls due to fouls will be explained with reference to Figure 41. When a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450, the number of balls held by the player is reduced by the ball reduction process. However, if the launched game ball B does not land in the game area 5a of the game board 5, the game will not be played with that game ball B, and if the number of balls remains reduced, it will diminish the player's enjoyment. Therefore, in the ball addition process, the game ball B that did not land in the game area 5a (foul ball) is added to the number of balls held by the player.

[0436] In the ball counting process, in step S121, it is determined whether the foul ball sensor 507 of the circulating ball path unit 500 has turned from OFF to ON by detecting a game ball B (foul ball). If the foul ball sensor 507 turns ON, the process proceeds to the next step S122, where the number of balls held is increased by 1 and the process ends.

[0437] On the other hand, if the foul ball sensor 507 remains OFF instead of ON in step S121, the process ends without adding to the number of balls held, and the result is NO.

[0438] In this way, the ball counting process prevents the player from being disadvantaged by adding a foul ball to the number of balls held when a game ball B is launched from the ball launching unit 450 but does not land in the game area 5a of the game board 5.

[0439] [7-4. Launch Control Processing] The launch control process will be explained with reference to Figure 42, etc. The launch control process determines whether or not to actually launch the game ball B by driving the launch solenoid 453 after the frame control launch permission signal is turned ON in the launch permission process and the player rotates the handle 160. In the launch control process, first, in step S131, it is determined whether or not frame control launch permission is present (ON / OFF). If frame control launch permission is present (ON), the process proceeds to the next step S132 as YES. On the other hand, in step S131, if frame control launch permission is not present (OFF), the process ends without driving the launch solenoid 453 as NO.

[0440] In step S132, it is determined whether the launch / subtraction sensor 454 is ON or OFF. If the launch / subtraction sensor 454 is ON (there is a game ball B on the ball launcher 452b), the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S133, where the launch solenoid 453 is turned ON to strike the game ball B with a force corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160, and the process ends.

[0441] On the other hand, if the launch countdown sensor 454 is not ON (OFF) in step S132, the result is NO and the process proceeds to the next step S134. If the launch countdown sensor 454 is OFF, it means that no game ball B is placed on the ball launching platform 452b, so the process from step S134 onwards is performed.

[0442] In step S134, it is determined whether the pre-launch sensor 604 is ON or OFF. If the pre-launch sensor 604 is not ON (i.e., no game ball B is detected), the system selects NO and proceeds to the next step S135, turning on the error display indicating "out of launch balls". The system then returns to step S134 and repeats until the pre-launch sensor 604 is ON. The error display is shown, for example, on the display screen of the performance display device.

[0443] Errors may be indicated by illuminating a notification lamp, or by displaying an image on a visual display device. Alternatively, the error signal may be output to the hall computer (holcon) of the gaming hall via the game ball dispensing device 8, which will illuminate a notification lamp installed on the gaming hall side.

[0444] In step S134, if the pre-launch sensor 604 detects a game ball B and turns ON, the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S136, where the ball-feeding solenoid 606 is turned ON (energized) and the ball-feeding movable member 605 is moved. As a result, the game ball B detected by the pre-launch sensor 604 is handed over to the ball-receiving section 605a of the ball-feeding movable member 605. After a predetermined short time, when the ball-feeding solenoid 606 turns OFF, the game ball B handed over to the ball-receiving section 605a is supplied to the ball launching platform 452b. At this time, if there is a game ball B upstream of the game ball B sent to the ball launching platform 452b by the ball-feeding movable member 605 (in the ball lifting exit passage 552), that game ball B moves downstream and the pre-launch sensor 604 turns ON.

[0445] In step S136, if the ball-feeding solenoid 606 is turned ON, the process proceeds to the next step S137, where it is determined again whether the launch-subtraction sensor 454 is ON or OFF. If the launch-subtraction sensor 454 is not ON, the result is NO, and the process returns to step S134. The above flow is repeated until the launch-subtraction sensor 454 is turned ON.

[0446] Then, in step S137, if the launch countdown sensor 454 is ON, the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S138, turning off the "out of launch balls" error display. The system then proceeds to step S133, turning on the launch solenoid 453, and striking the game ball B with a force corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 160 to complete the process.

[0447] In this way, the launch control process confirms that the game ball B is placed on the ball launching platform 452b of the ball launching unit 450, and then launches the game ball B.

[0448] [7-5. Prize Ball Processing] The prize ball processing will be explained with reference to Figure 43, etc. Prize ball processing is performed when game balls B are received into prize slots such as the general prize slot 2001, the first start slot 2003, the second start slot 2004, and the big prize slot 2005, which are provided on the game board 5. As a reward, a predetermined number of prize balls corresponding to the prize slot are awarded, and these prize balls are added to the number of balls held by the player.

[0449] In the prize ball processing, when a game ball B is received into a prize slot on the game board 5, a signal (prize ball signal) output from the main control board 1310 is input to the frame control board 640, and in step S141, the input prize ball signal is analyzed. The prize ball signal output from the main control board 1310 may be the number of prize balls, or it may be the type of prize slot into which the game ball B was received.

[0450] Then, in step S141, when the prize ball signal is analyzed, in the following step S142, the number of prize balls corresponding to the analyzed prize ball signal is added to the number of balls held by the player, and the process ends.

[0451] In this way, through the prize ball processing, the number of game balls B (prize balls) corresponding to the winning slot in the game board 5 into which the game ball B entered can be added to the number of balls the player is waiting for.

[0452] [7-6. Lifting motor operation process] The lifting motor operation process will be explained with reference to Figures 44 to 47, etc. The lifting motor operation process works as follows: when the number of game balls B in the ball lifting exit passage 552 decreases due to the launching of game balls B by the ball launching unit 450, the game balls B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 are lifted by the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 of the ball lifting unit 550 and supplied to the ball lifting exit passage 552.

[0453] The lifting motor operation process first clears the retry counter 1 in step S201 and proceeds to the next step S202. In step S202, it is determined whether the lifting motor index sensor 566, which is attached to the lower end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 in the ball lifting mechanism 560 of the ball lifting unit 550 and is used to detect the lifting motor index 565, is ON or OFF.

[0454] The lifting motor index 565 has a detection unit 565a which is provided by cutting out a portion of the circumferential direction of the disc-shaped (flange-shaped) surface. When the detection unit 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is positioned over the lifting motor index sensor 566 due to the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561, the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns ON, and the lifting motor index sensor 566 turns OFF in areas other than the detection unit 565a.

[0455] In step S202, if the lifting motor index sensor 566 is ON, the system proceeds to the next step S203, where it is determined whether the lifting outlet sensor 554 has been ON for 80ms or more. In step S203, if it is determined that the lifting outlet sensor 554 has not been ON for 80ms or more (i.e., the lifting outlet sensor 554 is OFF), the system proceeds to the next step S204, where it is determined to be NO.

[0456] On the other hand, in step S203, if it is determined that the lifting outlet sensor 554 is ON for 80ms or more, the process returns to step S203 with the value set to YES, and this process is repeated until the lifting outlet sensor 554 is no longer ON for 80ms or more (until the lifting outlet sensor 554 turns OFF). In other words, this process is repeated until the last of the rows of multiple game balls B in the ball lifting outlet passage 552 decreases due to the launch of game balls B and is downstream of the lifting outlet sensor 554, and when the lifting outlet sensor 554 turns OFF, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0457] In step S204, it is determined whether the lifting inlet sensor 553 has been ON for 80ms or more. If it is determined that the lifting inlet sensor 553 has not been ON for 80ms or more (lifting inlet sensor 553 is OFF), the process proceeds to step S205 with the value set to NO, and the error display indicating "lifting inlet bulb burnt out" is turned ON, returning to step S204. This notifies the system of a bulb burnt out in the bulb lifting inlet passage 551 and prompts the system to resolve the bulb burnt-out.

[0458] In step S204, if it is determined that the lifting inlet sensor 553 has been ON for 80ms or more, the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S206, turning off the error display indicating "lifting inlet ball out". Then, in the following step S207, after 1800ms, the lifting motor 564 is started to rotate the lifting spiral shaft 561. This starts the lifting of the game balls B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551. The lifting spiral shaft 561 dispenses one game ball B for each rotation.

[0459] To rephrase the start of operation of the lifting motor 564, as shown in Figure 46, when the lifting inlet sensor 553 is ON (continuously ON) for 80ms or more, the lifting motor 564 is stopped, the lifting outlet sensor 554 is ON (continuously ON) for 80ms or more, and the pre-launch sensor 604 is ON (continuously ON) for 80ms or more, the game balls B are launched continuously at predetermined time intervals (600ms in this case) by operating the handle 160. Then, when the lifting outlet sensor 554 is turned OFF, after t1 hours (1800ms in this case) has elapsed, the lifting motor 564 starts operating, and the discharge of game balls B from the upper end of the lifting spiral shaft 561 to the ball lifting outlet passage 552 side (lifting device ball discharge) begins.

[0460] In this embodiment, after the lifting outlet sensor 554 is turned OFF and three game balls B are launched, the lifting motor 564 is activated and the lifting spiral shaft 561 begins to rotate. The time interval for discharging game balls B by the rotation of the lifting spiral shaft 561 is set to be shorter than the time interval for continuously launching game balls B. This ensures that the supply of game balls B to the ball launching unit 450 does not fall behind the launch of game balls B.

[0461] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 46, the ball lifting unit 550 is controlled independently of the operation of the lifting motor 564, and operates so that the grinding cloth 582 moves 0.17 mm every 1000 game balls B are launched.

[0462] As shown in Figure 45, the lifting motor 564 does not operate and remains stopped except when the lifting inlet sensor 553 is ON and the lifting outlet sensor 554 is OFF.

[0463] Returning to the explanation of the lifting motor operation process, when the lifting motor 564 starts operating in step S207, the retry counter 2 is cleared in the following step S208, and in the following step S209, it is determined whether the lifting motor index 565 (lifting motor index sensor 566) turned ON again within 600ms after being OFF.

[0464] In step S209, if it is determined that the lifting motor index 565 turned ON again within 600ms after being OFF (meaning the lifting spiral shaft 561 is rotating), the system selects YES and proceeds to the next step S210, where it is determined whether the lifting outlet sensor 554 has been ON for 80ms or more. If it is not ON, the system selects NO and returns to step S208, where the operation of the lifting motor 564 continues.

[0465] On the other hand, if in step S210 it is determined that the lifting outlet sensor 554 has been ON for 80ms or more, the system proceeds to the next step S211, where the lifting motor 564 is stopped at the third detection position of the lifting motor index 565 by the detection unit 565a, and the system returns to step S201 to repeat the lifting motor operation process.

[0466] In other words, as shown in Figures 46 and 47, the lifting motor 564 stops on the third time that the lifting motor index 565 is not shielded (the lifting motor index sensor 566 is turned ON by the detection unit 565a) after the lifting outlet sensor 554 is turned ON (continuously ON). At this time, the lifting spiral shaft 561, which rotates integrally with the lifting motor index 565, discharges one game ball B per rotation towards the ball lifting outlet passage 552 (lifting device ball discharge). Therefore, three game balls B are discharged between the time the lifting outlet sensor 554 is turned ON and the lifting motor 564 stops. In other words, when the lifting outlet sensor 554 is turned ON, three game balls B are discharged towards the ball lifting outlet passage 552 and the lifting motor 564 stops. As a result, a sufficient number of game balls B are stored in the ball lifting outlet passage 552. Furthermore, in order to ensure that the lifting motor return process, which will be described later, is executed smoothly, the ball lifting exit passage 552 is not filled completely with game balls B, and a predetermined number of spaces are left empty.

[0467] In this lifting motor operation process, if it is determined in step S202 that the lifting motor index 565 is not ON (lifting motor index sensor 566 is OFF), the process proceeds to the next step S212, where it is determined whether the retry counter 1 is less than 3.

[0468] In step S212, if the retry counter 1 is less than 3, the system selects YES and executes the lift motor origin return process in the next step S213. Then, in step S214, "1" is added to the retry counter 1 and the system returns to step S202.

[0469] In step S213, the lifting motor origin return process is performed as follows: If the lifting motor index sensor 566 is OFF, the lifting motor 564 is activated to rotate the lifting motor index 565 together with the lifting spiral shaft 561. With the lifting motor index sensor 566 in the OFF state, the detection unit 565a reaches the sensor and turns it ON. After this, the lifting motor 564 rotates twice and stops, and the lifting motor 564 (lifting motor index 565) returns to its origin.

[0470] More specifically, the lifting motor index 565 (lifting spiral shaft 561) is configured such that it rotates once for every 32 rotations of the lifting motor 564, based on the gear ratio of the shaft gear 562 and the motor gear 563. The circumferential length of the detection unit 565a of the lifting motor index 565 is formed to be the length required for 4 rotations of the lifting motor 564. Therefore, the position where the lifting motor 564 stops after 2 rotations from the time the lifting motor index sensor 566 is turned ON is located at the center of the detection unit 565a. In other words, the center of the detection unit 565a in the lifting motor index 565 is considered the origin of the lifting motor 564 (lifting spiral shaft 561, lifting motor index 565) (see Figure 47).

[0471] When the lifting motor return process is executed, the lifting spiral shaft 561 rotates approximately once, causing one game ball B to be discharged into the ball lifting exit passage 552. However, since the ball lifting exit passage 552 has a predetermined number of empty spaces for accommodating game balls B, the discharge of game balls B from the lifting spiral shaft 561 is not obstructed, and the lifting motor 564 can be returned to its home position.

[0472] In step S212 described above, if it is determined that the retry counter 1 is not less than 3, the process proceeds to step S215 with the value set to NO, the error display indicating "lifting ball jamming error" is turned ON, and the operation is stopped in the subsequent step S216. This operation stop can be released by turning on a power switch (not shown) located on the power supply board 650 in the main frame 4.

[0473] On the other hand, in step S209 above, if it is determined that the lifting motor index 565 did not turn ON again within 600ms after turning OFF (i.e., the lifting spiral shaft 561 is not rotating), the system proceeds to step S217, where it is determined whether the retry counter 2 is less than 3. If it is determined that the retry counter 2 is not less than 3, the system proceeds to step S215, where it turns ON the error display indicating "lifting ball jamming error," and then stops operation in the subsequent step S216.

[0474] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S217 that the retry counter 2 is less than 3, the next step S218, the ball jamming release process, is executed as YES, and in the following step S219, "1" is added to the retry counter 2 and the process returns to step S209.

[0475] In step S218, the ball jam release process involves stopping the lifting motor 564 without monitoring the ON / OFF status of the lifting outlet sensor 554, then rotating the lifting motor 564 in reverse, stopping the lifting motor 564 after a predetermined time (for example, 100ms), and then operating the lifting motor 564 again (forward rotation).

[0476] In this way, when the number of game balls B in the ball lifting exit passage 552 decreases due to the launch of game balls B by the lifting motor operation process, the lifting motor 564 operates to rotate the lifting spiral shaft 561, lifting the game balls B in the ball lifting inlet passage 551 from the lower end and discharging them from the upper end to supply them to the ball lifting exit passage 552.

[0477] The operating time of the lifting motor 564 and the number of game balls B dispensed, as described above, are merely examples and may be adjusted to suit your needs.

[0478] [7-7. Security Processing] The security process will be explained with reference to Figure 48, etc. The security process is for monitoring for any fraudulent activity. As shown in Figure 48(a), the security process clears the inconsistency counter in step S301, and in the following step S302, calculates the number of balls recovered within a predetermined time in the ball circulation path unit 500. The number of balls recovered is calculated by the sum of the number of outs, the number of safes, and the number of fouls.

[0479] After calculating the number of balls recovered in step S302, the process proceeds to the next step S303, where it is determined whether the number of balls fired and the number of balls recovered, as determined by the firing subtraction sensor 454, are the same. If they are the same, the process returns to step S302 with the value set to YES. On the other hand, if the number of balls fired and the number of balls recovered are not the same, the process proceeds to the next step S304 with the value set to NO, where "1" is added to the contradiction counter and the process proceeds to the following step S305.

[0480] In step S305, it is determined whether the contradiction counter is greater than n (for example, 50). If it is determined to be less than n, the system returns to step S302 with the value NO. On the other hand, if it is determined that the contradiction counter is greater than n, the system proceeds to the next step S306 with the value YES, and after turning on an error message indicating that fraudulent activity has occurred, the system executes a game stop process in the following step S307 to terminate the process.

[0481] The error display in step S306 can be cleared by turning on a power switch (not shown) located on the power supply board 650 in the main unit frame 4.

[0482] Furthermore, the game stopping process in step S307 includes stopping the launch of game balls B by the ball launching unit 450, stopping the lifting of game balls B by the ball lifting unit 550 (stopping circulation), and stopping the game on the main control board 1310 side.

[0483] The security process may be as shown in Figure 48(b). In this security process, first, in step S311, the inconsistency counter is cleared, and in the following step S312, it is determined whether the number of balls fired by the firing subtraction sensor 454 is equal to or greater than the number of foul balls detected by the foul ball sensor 507.

[0484] In step S312, if it is determined that the number of balls fired is equal to or greater than the number of foul balls, the response is YES and the player returns to step S312. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of balls fired is not equal to or greater than the number of foul balls, the response is NO and the player proceeds to the next step S313, where "1" is added to the contradiction counter and the player proceeds to the following step S314.

[0485] In step S314, it is determined whether the contradiction counter is greater than n (for example, 50). If it is determined to be less than n, the system returns to step S312 with the value NO. On the other hand, if it is determined that the contradiction counter is greater than n, the system proceeds to the next step S315 with the value YES, turns on an error message indicating that fraudulent activity has occurred, and then executes a game stop process in the following step S316 to terminate the process.

[0486] The error display in step S315 can be cleared by turning on a power switch (not shown) located on the power supply board 650 in the main unit frame 4.

[0487] Furthermore, the game stopping process in step S316 includes stopping the launch of game balls B by the ball launching unit 450, stopping the lifting of game balls B by the ball lifting unit 550 (stopping circulation), and stopping the game on the main control board 1310 side.

[0488] In this way, the presence or absence of fraudulent activity can be determined by the number of balls launched, the number of game balls B discharged from the game board 5 (number of balls recovered), the number of foul balls, etc.

[0489] [7-8. Detecting the amount of enclosed balls] The sealed ball quantity detection process will be explained with reference to Figure 49, etc. The sealed ball quantity detection process detects whether the amount (number of balls) of sealed game balls B is appropriate. The sealed ball quantity detection process determines whether the amount of game balls B is appropriate by combining the ON / OFF status of the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522. The circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 are turned ON when the detection of game balls B continues for a predetermined time (for example, 80 ms) or longer.

[0490] Specifically, in the ball storage passage 504 of the circulating ball path unit 500, which is upstream of the ball lifting inlet passage 551 in the ball lifting unit 550, if the last of the game balls B lined up in a row is located between the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 will be ON and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 will be OFF. In such a combination, the amount of game balls B is judged to be appropriate, and no related errors are reported.

[0491] On the other hand, if the last of the game balls B lined up in a row in the ball storage passage 504 is located downstream of the circulating ball shortage sensor 521, then both the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 will be turned OFF. In such a combination, the system determines that the amount of game balls B is insufficient and an error message indicating "insufficient game balls" is issued.

[0492] Furthermore, if the last of the game balls B lined up in a row in the ball storage passage 504 is located upstream of the circulating ball excess sensor 522, beyond the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 and the circulating ball excess sensor 522, the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 will turn ON and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 will turn ON. In such a combination, it is determined that there is an excess of game balls B, and an error message indicating "excess game balls" is issued.

[0493] Incidentally, depending on the environment (amusement hall) in which the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment is installed, it may be installed together with conventional pachinko machines that use steel balls SB as game balls. In such cases, when game balls B are replenished or replaced during maintenance of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment, there is a risk that steel balls SB may get mixed in. If steel balls SB get mixed into the pachinko machine 1, a strong magnet 516 is provided on the ball release shutter 515 of the ball storage passage 504 in the circulation path R. As a result, the mixed-in steel balls B will be magnetized by the magnet 516 and will stop on the ball release shutter 515.

[0494] If the ball launching unit 450 continues to launch game balls B while the steel ball SB is magnetically attached to the ball release shutter 515, the game balls B downstream of the ball release shutter 515 in the ball storage passage 504 will be lifted up by the ball lifting unit 550 and decrease in number, eventually causing the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 to turn OFF. Meanwhile, the game balls B launched from the ball launching unit 450 are collected by the out ball receiving port 500a, safe ball receiving port 500b, foul unit 470, etc. of the circulating ball path unit 500 and supplied to the upstream side of the ball storage passage 504, accumulating upstream of the ball release shutter 515 (steel ball SB), eventually causing the circulating ball excess sensor 522 to turn ON. In this combination, where the circulating ball shortage sensor 521 is OFF and the circulating ball excess sensor 522 is ON, it is determined that the steel ball SB is magnetically attached to the ball release shutter 515, and an error indicating "steel ball contamination" is reported.

[0495] Furthermore, if a ball jam occurs between the circulating ball under-saturation sensor 521 and the circulating ball over-saturation sensor 522 due to a ball jam, the same combination as described above will be used, and an error indicating "iron ball contamination" will be reported.

[0496] Furthermore, errors may be indicated by illuminating an indicator lamp, or by displaying an image on a visual display device. Alternatively, the error signal may be output to the hall computer (holcon) of the gaming hall via the game ball dispensing device 8, causing an indicator lamp installed on the gaming hall side to illuminate.

[0497] In this way, the sealed ball quantity detection process allows for the appropriate management of the amount of sealed game balls B, as well as the detection of the presence of iron balls SB.

[0498] [7-9. Ball removal process] The ball removal process will now be explained. The ball removal process is performed in the circulating ball path unit 500 when the ball removal shutter 515 opens the ball removal opening 513p and removes the game balls B into the ball receiving tray 620. The ball removal process is performed by opening the door frame 3 relative to the main frame 4, turning off the door open switch 407, pulling the ball removal shutter 515 forward to open the ball removal opening 513p, and turning on the ball removal switch 642 provided on the frame control board 640.

[0499] During the ball release process, the ON / OFF function of the lifting inlet sensor 553 is disabled, the launch solenoid 453 in the ball launching unit 450 repeatedly turns ON / OFF at predetermined time intervals, and the lifting motor 564 remains in operation.

[0500] In this case, even if the launch solenoid 453 is turned ON and the game ball B is launched, the door frame 3 is open so the foul shutter 471 is in the closed position, and the ball is sent to the ball circulation path unit 500 as a foul ball without being launched to the outside from the foul unit 470.

[0501] Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed, or when the power switch on the power supply board 650 is turned OFF, the bulb removal process is completed.

[0502] In this way, the enclosed game ball B can be removed by the ball removal process. When it is time to insert game ball B, it is possible to insert it through the out port 1008 of the game board 5, or to remove the game board 5 from the main frame 4 and insert (replenish) it through the out ball receiving port 500a or the safe ball receiving port 500b which are open at the top.

[0503] [8. Overall configuration of the game board] The overall configuration of the game board 5 in the pachinko machine 1 will be explained in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 50 to 56. Figure 50 is a front view of the game board showing the transparent center mechanism and other elements made opaque. Figure 51 is a perspective view of the game board of Figure 50 from the front right, Figure 52 is a perspective view of the game board of Figure 50 from the front left, and Figure 53 is a perspective view of the game board of Figure 50 from the rear. Figure 54 is an exploded perspective view of the game board disassembled into its main components and viewed from the front, and Figure 55 is an exploded perspective view of the game board disassembled into its main components and viewed from the rear. Figure 56 is a front view of the game board showing the game area through which the game balls circulate, with the front unit cut parallel to the surface of the game panel.

[0504] The game board 5 of the pachinko machine 1 has a game area 5a into which game balls B are played when the player operates the handle 160. The game area 5a is equipped with a general prize slot 2001, a regular prize slot 2002, a first start slot 2003, a second start slot 2004, a big prize slot 2005, a special prize slot 2006, and a second V prize slot 2008, which grant the player predetermined benefits (for example, an increase in the number of balls held) upon acceptance or passage of game balls B. This game board 5 is designed to allow players to enjoy a game in which game balls B are received into the general prize slots 2001, the regular prize slots 2002, the first starting slot 2003, the second starting slot 2004, the big prize slot 2005, and the special prize slots 2006, etc., within the game area 5a, by operating the handle 160 to insert the balls and circulating the game balls B within the game area 5a.

[0505] The game board 5 comprises a front component 1000 that demarcates the outer perimeter of the game area 5a and has an outer shape that is roughly rectangular when viewed from the front, a plate-shaped game panel 1100 attached to the rear side of the front component 1000 and demarcates the rear end of the game area 5a, a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 (see Figure 65) that detect magnetic fields acting improperly within the game area 5a, and a vibration sensor 1040 (see Figure 65, etc.) that detects vibrations acting on the game board 5 (pachinko machine 1). A plurality of obstacle nails that come into contact with the game balls B are planted in a predetermined gauge arrangement in the portion of the front of the game panel 1100 that is within the game area 5a.

[0506] Furthermore, the game board 5 includes a circuit board holder 1200 attached to the lower rear side of the game panel 1100, and a main control unit 1300 attached to the rear surface of the circuit board holder 1200, which has a main control board 1310 (see Figure 65, etc.) that controls the game content performed by driving game balls B into the game area 5a.

[0507] Furthermore, the game board 5 includes a function display unit 1400 that displays the game status based on control signals from the main control board 1310 and is mounted on the upper left corner of the front component 1000 so that it is visible to the player; a peripheral control unit 1500 located behind the game panel 1100; an effect display device 1600 located in the center of the game area 5a when viewed from the front and capable of displaying predetermined effect images; a panel relay board (not shown) located behind the game panel 1100 and relaying the connection between the main control board 1310 and the peripheral control board 1510; a front unit 2000 mounted on the front of the game panel 1100; and a back unit 3000 mounted on the rear of the game panel 1100.

[0508] A performance display device 1600 is provided on the rear surface of the rear unit 3000, and a peripheral control unit 1500 is provided on the rear surface of the performance display device 1600.

[0509] The front unit 2000 has multiple (three in this case) general prize slots 2001 that are always open and capable of receiving game balls B that have been driven into the game area 5a, a normal prize slot 2002 that is always open and capable of receiving game balls B and is located at a predetermined position within the game area 5a, a first start slot 2003 that is always open and capable of receiving game balls B and is located in the center in the left-right direction below the center mechanism 2500, and a lottery is held when game balls B are received into the normal prize slot 2002. The game board 5 includes a second starting port 2004 that can accept game balls B according to the result of the lottery for the regular symbols, a large prize port 2005 or a special prize port 2006 that can accept game balls B according to the result of the lottery for the first special symbol drawn by the acceptance of game balls B into the first starting port 2003 or the second special symbol drawn by the acceptance of game balls B into the second starting port 2004, and a first V prize port 2007 and a second V prize port 2008 that can accept game balls B that have been accepted into the special prize port 2006. The game board 5 also includes a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 (see Figure 65) that detect magnetic fields acting illegally within the game area 5a.

[0510] Furthermore, the front unit 2000 is located at the downstream end of the game area 5a and is always open to receive game balls B. It also includes an outlet 2020 that discharges the received game balls B outside the game area 5a without returning them, and two sub-outlets 2021 located upstream of the outlet 2020 within the game area 5a. These outlets are always open to receive game balls B and discharge the received game balls B outside the game area 5a without returning them. The outlet 2020 is provided in two locations, left and right, with the first start port 2003 in between. The two sub-outlets 2021 are located to the left of the center of the game area 5a and to the right of the center of the game area 5a, respectively.

[0511] Furthermore, the front unit 2000 includes a start-up unit 2100 mounted in the center of the left-right direction within the game area 5a, directly above the lower end of the game area 5a, and having a first start-up opening 2003 and an out-up opening 2020; a side unit 2200 provided to the left of the start-up unit 2100 in a front view, along the inner rail 1002, and having three general prize-winning openings 2001 and one sub-out-up opening 2021; and a side upper left unit 2300 provided slightly above the left of the side unit 2200 in a front view. The machine comprises an attacker unit 2400 located to the right of the starter unit 2100 and having a second starter opening 2004, a large prize opening 2005, and one sub-out opening 2021; a frame-shaped center prize opening 2500 located slightly above the center of the front view within the game area 5a and having a prize opening 2006, a first V prize opening 2007, and a second V prize opening 2008; and a normal prize opening unit 2600 located above the right end of the attacker unit 2400 and having a normal prize opening 2002.

[0512] The center mechanism 2500 comprises a frame-shaped main unit 2510 having a mechanism entry opening 2006 and a first V entry opening 2007, and a lottery mechanism 2550 located at the bottom of the frame of the main unit 2510 and having a second V entry opening 2008.

[0513] The back unit 3000 includes a plurality of magnetic sensors 1030 for detecting magnetic fields acting improperly within the game area 5a, a vibration sensor 1040 for detecting vibrations acting on the game board 5 (pachinko machine 1), a back box 3010 which is attached to the rear surface of the panel holder 1120 on the game panel 1100 and is box-shaped with an open front and a square opening 3010a in its rear wall, a lock slider 3020 for detachably attaching the performance display device 1600 to the rear wall of the back box 3010, and a back circuit board unit 3040 which is located behind the performance display device 1600 and attached to the rear wall of the back box 3010.

[0514] Furthermore, the back unit 3000 includes a back ball guidance unit 3100 located at the lower part near the front end of the back box 3010 through which the game ball B guided to the rear of the game panel 1100 flows, a back decoration unit 3200 located behind the back ball guidance unit 3100 within the back box 3010, a back front performance unit 3300 located to the left and above the back ball guidance unit 3100 near the front end within the back box 3010, and a back rear performance unit 3400 located behind the back front performance unit 3300 within the back box 3010.

[0515] [8-1. Front Components] The front component 1000 of the game board 5 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The front component 1000 is made entirely of transparent material. The front component 1000 has an outer shape that is approximately square when viewed from the front, and an inner shape that is approximately circular and penetrates in the front-to-back direction, with the inner circumference of the inner shape defining the outer perimeter of the game area 5a. This front component 1000 includes an outer rail 1001 that extends in an arc shape along the circumferential direction clockwise from the lower end slightly to the left of the center in the front view, passing over the upper end of the center in the front view and extending to the upper right diagonally; an inner rail 1002 that is positioned inside the front component 1000, approximately along the outer rail 1001, and extends in an arc shape from the lower center in the front view to the upper left diagonally; and an out-guide section 1003 formed at the lowest point of the game area 5a on the right side of the lower end of the inner rail 1002 in the front view, and is inclined to be lower towards the rear.

[0516] Furthermore, the front component 1000 includes a right lower rail 1004 that slopes linearly from the right end of the out guide section 1003 in a front view to the vicinity of the right edge of the front component 1000 such that the right end is slightly higher; a right rail 1005 that extends from the right end of the right lower rail 1004 along the right edge of the front component 1000 to the lower side of the upper end of the outer rail 1001, with its upper part curved inward from the front component 1000; and a stopper section 1006 that connects the upper end of the right rail 1005 to the upper end of the outer rail 1001, and into which the game ball B that has rolled along the outer rail 1001 makes contact.

[0517] Furthermore, the aforementioned component 1000 is pivotally supported at the upper end of the inner rail 1002 and includes a backflow prevention member 1007 that is rotatable only between a closed position extending upward from the upper end of the inner rail 1002 to close the gap between it and the outer rail 1001, and an open position that rotates clockwise in a front view to open the gap between it and the outer rail 1001, and is biased by a spring (not shown) to return to the closed position.

[0518] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is provided with an outlet 1008 located at the lower center in the left-right direction when viewed from the front within the frame, and which penetrates from front to back at the rear end of the outlet guide section 1003. This outlet 1008 is closed from the front by the start port unit 2100.

[0519] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is provided with anti-theft recesses 1009 that are recessed from the front end to the rear at the outer side of the parts of the outer rail 1001 and inner rail 1002 that extend approximately vertically from the lower end, the underside of the out guide part 1003 and the lower right rail 1004, and the outer side of the right rail 1005. When the game board 5 is attached to the main body frame 4 and the door frame 3 is closed relative to the main body frame 4, the rear projection (not shown) of the anti-theft cover (not shown) on the door frame 3 is inserted into these anti-theft recesses 1009. As a result, the space between the security cover and the game board 5 (front component 1000) is intricately bent by the rear projection of the security cover and the security recess 1009 of the front component 1000. Therefore, even if someone tries to insert an illegal tool such as piano wire into the game area 5a from the lower front of the game board 5 through the space between the security cover and the front component 1000, it will be blocked by the rear projection and the security recess 1009, thus preventing the illegal tool from entering the game area 5a.

[0520] Furthermore, the front component 1000 has a notch 1010 cut out upward from the lower end at the lower left corner when viewed from the front. This notch 1010 coincides with the notch 1122 of the game panel 1100. When the component is attached to the main frame of a pachinko machine that dispenses game balls to the player, the notch 1010 and the notch 1122 are passed through to allow the front end openings of the lower normal dispensing passage and the lower full-capacity dispensing passage of the lower full-capacity ball path unit to face forward, thereby supplying game balls to the upper and lower trays of the door frame.

[0521] Furthermore, the front component 1000 includes a function display unit mounting portion 1011 formed in the upper left corner when viewed from the front, to which the function display unit 1400 is attached, and a sticker attachment portion 1012 formed in the lower right corner.

[0522] Furthermore, the front component 1000 is formed to be almost entirely transparent, allowing the game panel 1100 and back unit 3000, which are located on the rear side, to be visible from the front.

[0523] [8-2. Game Panel] The game panel 1100 in the game board 5 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The game panel 1100 is attached to the rear surface of the front component 1000, and the front unit 2000 and the back unit 3000 are attached to it. The game panel 1100 comprises a flat panel plate 1110 made of transparent synthetic resin, the outer circumference of which is formed to be slightly larger than the inner circumference of the frame-shaped front component 1000, and a frame-shaped panel holder 1120 which holds the outer circumference of the panel plate 1110 and is attached to the rear side of the front component 1000, and the back unit 3000 is attached to the rear surface. Multiple obstacle nails are planted on the front surface of the game panel 1100 in a predetermined gauge arrangement.

[0524] The panel board 1110 of the game panel 1100 is formed from synthetic resin boards such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, polyarylate resin, or methacrylic resin, or from inorganic boards such as glass or metal. The thickness of this panel board 1110 is thinner than that of a wooden game panel, which is about 20 mm thick. The minimum thickness required to adequately hold obstacle nails planted on the front and the front unit 2000 attached is about 10 mm. In this embodiment, the panel board 1110 is formed from a transparent synthetic resin board.

[0525] The panel board 1110 is located at the lowest position within the game area 5a, and the position corresponding to the out opening 1008 of the front component 1000 is recessed upward from the lower end. In other words, in this embodiment, the out opening 1008 of the panel board 1110 is not a hole, but is formed as a notch that opens downward from the panel board 1110. However, the out opening 1008 may also be formed as a hole. In addition, the panel board 1110 has multiple openings 1112 that penetrate from front to back for attaching the front unit 2000. In this embodiment, the openings 1112 are formed as holes, but they may also be formed as notches that open outward from the outer peripheral surface of the panel board 1110.

[0526] Furthermore, the panel plate 1110, although not shown in the illustration, includes a plurality of positioning holes formed as circular holes and short elongated holes that penetrate from front to back, and a plurality of engagement steps that are spaced apart in the left-right direction at the upper and lower edges, respectively, and are formed with a thin plate thickness. The positioning holes are for positioning relative to the panel holder 1120 by inserting the protruding pins (not shown) of the panel holder 1120. The engagement steps are for detachably attaching to the panel holder 1120 by engaging with the engagement claws (not shown) and engagement pieces (not shown) of the panel holder 1120.

[0527] The panel board 1110 has a large opening 1112 for mounting the center mechanism 2500, which is offset above the center when viewed from the front. As a result, the panel board 1110 is frame-shaped, and when viewed from the front, the width perpendicular to the direction of flow of the game balls B (the circumferential direction of the frame) is such that the left, right, and bottom sides are wide enough to accommodate multiple game balls B, except for the area above the center, while the top side is narrow enough that multiple game balls B cannot be arranged side by side.

[0528] The panel holder 1120 of the game panel 1100 is sized to enclose the panel board 1110 and has a roughly rectangular shape. It is thicker than the panel board 1110 (in this embodiment, approximately 38 mm, the same thickness as a wooden game panel). This is to allow the game to be played by attaching it to the main frame 4 of the same pachinko machine 1 (game machine), regardless of whether it is a wooden game panel or a transparent synthetic resin game panel 1100.

[0529] The panel holder 1120 is made of a transparent synthetic resin (for example, a thermoplastic synthetic resin). The panel holder 1120 has a retaining step (not shown) that is recessed from the front to the rear and is approximately the same size as the panel plate 1110, and a through-hole 1121 that penetrates the retaining step in the front-to-back direction and is approximately the same size as the game area 5a.

[0530] Furthermore, the panel holder 1120 is provided with a notch 1122 that cuts upward from the lower end at the lower left corner when viewed from the front. This notch 1122 is formed to coincide with the notch 1010 of the previous component member 1000. When the panel holder 1120 is attached to the main frame of a pachinko machine of the type that dispenses game balls to the player, the notch 1122 and the notch 1010 are passed through to allow the front end openings of the lower normal dispensing passage and the lower full-tank dispensing passage of the lower full-tank ball path unit to face forward, thereby supplying game balls to the upper and lower trays of the door frame.

[0531] Furthermore, the panel holder 1120 has an outlet recess 1123 that extends upward from its lower end to a position corresponding to the outlet opening 1008 and is recessed from the rear surface toward the front. The upper part of the outlet recess 1123 is in communication with the outlet opening 1008.

[0532] Furthermore, the panel holder 1120, although not shown in the illustration, includes a plurality of protruding pins that protrude forward from the retaining step and are inserted into a plurality of positioning holes in the panel plate 1110, three engaging claws that are positioned outside the retaining step and elastically engage with the engaging steps on the upper and lower left inclined portions of the panel plate 1110, and a pair of engaging pieces that protrude upward from the lower outside of the retaining step and engage with the two engaging steps on the lower edge of the panel plate 1110. The panel holder 1120 can be detachably attached to the retaining step by engaging the engaging steps on the lower edge of the panel plate 1110 with the engaging pieces from diagonally above the front, and then moving the upper part of the panel plate 1110 backward to elastically engage the engaging steps on the upper and lower left inclined portions with the engaging claws. At this time, the protruding pins of the panel holder 1120 are inserted into the positioning holes of the panel plate 1110, and the panel plate 1110 is positioned in a predetermined position relative to the panel holder 1120.

[0533] Since this game panel 1100 is made transparent together with the front component member 1000 attached to the front, when assembled with the game board 5, it reduces the visibility of the boundary of the game area 5a, giving the player a sense of openness, and also makes the game area 5a appear larger (wider) to the player, even though the actual size of the game area 5a does not change.

[0534] Furthermore, since the game panel 1100 is transparent along with the front component 1000, light from the display device 1600, the front unit 2000, the back unit 3000, etc., can be reflected or refracted forward (towards the player), making it appear as if it is emitting light, thereby further enhancing the overall decorative appeal of the game board 5.

[0535] [8-3. PCB holder] The circuit board holder 1200 in the game board 5 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The circuit board holder 1200 is formed in a horizontally elongated box shape with the top and front open, and the bottom surface is sloped downwards toward the center in the left-right direction. The circuit board holder 1200 has an ejection section 1201 that is cut out from the front end toward the rear at the center in the left-right direction of the bottom surface. When assembled to the game board 5, the circuit board holder 1200 covers the lower part of the back unit 3000, which is attached to the rear side of the game panel 1100, from below and from the rear, and the main control board box 1320 of the main control unit 1300 is attached to its rear surface.

[0536] When assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the circuit board holder 1200 has its discharge section 1201 positioned directly above the out ball receiving port 500a and the safe ball receiving port 500b in the circulation ball path unit 500 of the main frame 4. As a result, the game balls B discharged to the rear of the game panel 1100 through the out port 2020 and the sub-out port 2021 are discharged to the out ball receiving port 500a in the circulation ball path unit 500, and after being received by the out ball receiving port 500a, they flow through the out ball passage 501 and are detected (counted) one by one by the out ball sensor 505. On the other hand, game balls B that are received into prize slots such as the general prize slot 2001, the regular prize slot 2002, the first start slot 2003, the second start slot 2004, the big prize slot 2005, and the special prize slot 2006, and discharged downward from the front unit 2000 and the back unit 3000, are discharged into the safe ball receiving slot 500b in the circulating ball path unit 500, and after being received by the safe ball receiving slot 500b, they circulate through the safe ball passage 502 and are detected (counted) one by one by the safe ball sensor 506.

[0537] [8-4. Main Control Board Unit] The main control unit 1300 in the game board 5 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 53 to 55, etc. The main control unit 1300 is detachably attached to the rear surface of the board holder 1200. The main control unit 1300 comprises a main control board 1310 (see Figure 65) that controls the game content and the granting of benefits to the player, and a main control board box 1320 that houses the main control board 1310 and is attached to the board holder 1200.

[0538] The main control board box 1320 consists of a board base 1330, which is attached to the board holder 1200 and to which the main control board 1310 is attached at the rear, and a board cover 1340, which is attached to the board base 1330 so as to cover the main control board 1310 from the rear. The board base 1330 and the board cover 1340 are made of transparent polycarbonate. The main control board 1310 is housed in the internal space formed by the board base 1330 and the board cover 1340. Because the board base 1330 and the board cover 1340 are made of transparent polycarbonate, the condition of the front and back sides of the main control board 1310 (whether or not unauthorized modifications have been made, or whether or not unauthorized ICs are mounted) can be checked from the outside of the main control board box 1320.

[0539] Furthermore, the main control board box 1320 is equipped with multiple sealing mechanisms 1350 corresponding to the board base 1330 and the board cover 1340, respectively. When the main control board box 1320 is closed using one sealing mechanism 1350, it is necessary to destroy that sealing mechanism 1350 in order to open the main control board box 1320 again, leaving a trace of the opening and closing of the main control board box 1320. Therefore, by looking at the trace of opening and closing, unauthorized opening and closing of the main control board box 1320 can be detected, thereby increasing the deterrent effect against unauthorized acts against the main control board 1310.

[0540] The main control board 1310 of the main control unit 1300 is connected to the interface board 660, the out-of-bounds sensor 505, the peripheral control board 1510, and the like. Furthermore, the main control board 1310 is connected to the function display unit 1400, general prize slot sensor 3001, normal prize slot sensor 3002, first start slot sensor 2101, second start slot sensor 2401, big prize slot sensor 2402, special prize slot sensor 2501, first V prize slot sensor 2502, second V prize slot sensor 2503, losing slot sensor 2504, start slot solenoid 2412, attacker solenoid 2414, special prize slot solenoid 2516, first distribution solenoid 2534, second distribution solenoid 2544, lottery loop solenoid 2558, striking piece drive motor 2561, gutter oscillating drive motor 2564, oscillating piece solenoid 2565, magnetic sensor 1030, vibration sensor 1040, etc.

[0541] Furthermore, the main control board 1310 has a base monitor consisting of four 7-segment LEDs (not shown in the figure). The base monitor can be viewed from the rear through a transparent board cover 1340. This base monitor displays the number of game balls B that have been launched by the ball launching unit 450, entered the game area 5a, and then discharged downward from the game board 5, and are counted by the out ball sensor 505 provided in the circulating ball path unit 500 of the main frame 4. In this embodiment, the base monitor displays the number of balls counted by the out ball sensor 505 after 100 balls have been launched (the number of balls that have returned to the game hall side) as a percentage.

[0542] [8-5. Function Display Unit] The function display unit 1400 in the game board 5 will be described in detail, mainly with reference to Figure 50, etc. The function display unit 1400 is mounted on the upper left corner of the front component 1000 outside the game area 5a. When assembled in the pachinko machine 1, the function display unit 1400 can be seen from the front (player side) through the game window 101 of the door frame 3. Based on control signals from the main control board 1310, the function display unit 1400 uses multiple LEDs to display the game status, the results of the lottery for regular symbols, the results of the lottery for special symbols, etc.

[0543] The function display unit 1400, although not shown in detail, includes a status indicator consisting of three LEDs that displays the game status, a regular symbol indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the lottery result of regular symbols drawn when game balls B are received into the regular prize slot 2002, and a regular reserve indicator consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of reserved game balls B received into the regular prize slot 2002.

[0544] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 includes a first special symbol display unit consisting of eight LEDs that displays the result of the lottery for the first special symbol drawn by the acceptance of game ball B into the first start port 2003, a first special reserved number display unit consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of reserved game balls related to the acceptance of game ball B into the first start port 2003, a second special symbol display unit consisting of eight LEDs that displays the result of the lottery for the second special symbol drawn by the acceptance of game ball B into the second start port 2004, and a second special reserved number display unit consisting of two LEDs that displays the number of reserved game balls related to the acceptance of game ball B into the second start port 2004.

[0545] Furthermore, the function display unit 1400 is equipped with a round indicator consisting of five LEDs that displays the number of repetitions (rounds) of the opening and closing pattern of the grand prize opening 2005 when the result of the lottery for the first special symbol or the result of the lottery for the second special symbol is "win," etc.

[0546] This function display unit 1400 can display the number of reserved items, symbols, etc., by appropriately lighting, extinguishing, and flashing the provided LEDs.

[0547] [8-6. Peripheral Control Units] The peripheral control unit 1500 in the game board 5 will be described mainly with reference to Figure 53, etc. The peripheral control unit 1500 is located behind the performance display device 1600, which is located on the rear side of the back box 3010 of the back unit 3000. More specifically, the peripheral control unit 1500 is mounted on the rear side of the liquid crystal spacer 1610 to which the performance display device 1600 is attached to the rear surface of the back box 3010. The peripheral control unit 1500 comprises a peripheral control board 1510 (see Figure 65) that controls the performances presented to the player based on control signals from the main control board 1310, and a peripheral control board box 1520 that houses the peripheral control board 1510. The peripheral control board 1510 comprises a peripheral control unit 1511 for controlling light-emitting effects, sound effects, and movable effects, etc., and a performance display control unit 1512 for controlling performance images.

[0548] The peripheral control board 1510 of the peripheral control unit 1500 is connected to the main control board 1310, the performance operation unit 250, various decorative boards on the door frame 3 side, the performance display device 1600, etc. (see Figure 65). The peripheral control unit 1500 is mounted on the rear side of the performance display device 1600, as will be described in detail later.

[0549] [8-7. Production display device] The performance display device 1600 in the game board 5 will be explained mainly with reference to Figures 54 and 55. The performance display device 1600 is positioned in the center of the game area 5a when viewed from the front, and is attached to the rear side of the game panel 1100 via the back box 3010 of the back unit 3000. The performance display device 1600 is attached to the front of the liquid crystal spacer 1610, which is attached to the rear wall of the back box 3010. Since the liquid crystal spacer 1610 is detachable from the back box 3010, the performance display device 1600 can be attached to and detached from the back box 3010 via the liquid crystal spacer 1610. When the game board 5 is assembled, the performance display device 1600 can be seen from the front (player side) through the transparent game panel 1100 and the frame of the frame-shaped center mechanism 2500.

[0550] The performance display device 1600 is a 15-inch full-color liquid crystal display device with a white LED backlight, and is mounted horizontally on the front of the liquid crystal spacer 1610. The performance display device 1600 is connected to the peripheral control board 1510 and can display predetermined still images and videos.

[0551] The display device 1600 is mounted offset (eccentrically) from the center of the liquid crystal spacer 1610, so that space is formed above and to the left of the liquid crystal spacer 1610.

[0552] The liquid crystal spacer 1610 is formed in the shape of a transparent flat plate and is the same size as a 19-inch liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal spacer 1610 comprises two upper fixing pieces 1611 that protrude upward from the upper end surface and one lower fixing piece 1612 that protrudes downward from the lower end surface. With the liquid crystal screen of the display device 1600 facing forward, the liquid crystal spacer 1610 is attached to the back box 3010 by inserting the two upper fixing pieces 1611 from ...

Claims

[Claim 1] A gaming machine comprising a decorative substrate on which LEDs capable of performing light-emitting decoration with multiple light-emitting colors are mounted on the front surface, The decorative substrate is contained within a decorative unit formed by combining a cover portion located on the front side of the decorative substrate and a base portion located on the back side of the decorative substrate. The decorative unit has a first opening and a second opening at positions that are on the side of the decorative substrate it encloses. The first and second openings are provided at positions opposite each other, with the LEDs on the decorative substrate enclosed within the decorative unit in between, and when the decorative substrate is viewed from the side, the LEDs on the decorative substrate on which the LEDs are mounted and a portion of the space on the front side of the decorative substrate overlap. At least the front surface of the decorative substrate on which the LEDs are mounted is covered with a white resist. A gaming machine characterized by the following features.

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