Modular electronic dice system

Abstract

The proposed invention relates to a system for electronic dice, i.e., those devices which are in practice used for board games and parlour games with the support of electronic components. The invention comprises a hardware structure for the tracking and remote transmission of the result of the roll of a die adaptable and usable for various types of dice and, if necessary, transferable between different dice casings heterogeneous in shape, functions and mode of use; said structure being programmable to automatically recognize and adapt to the different shape and type of dice in which it is applied and being conveniently applicable for simultaneous and multiple rolls and for further processing of the results. The solution referred to in the patent is realized through a core containing an electronic board structurally similar to that integrated in common commercial electronic dice and comprises an accelerometer, a Radio Frequency transmitterpreferably but not necessarily of the Bluetooth typea CPU, a battery and a memory for information management and process control. The fact that the core hosting the electronic board can be inserted inside these dice in the form of polyhedral casings by means of a unique interlocking and, therefore, by means of a single possible orientation, allows to know a priori the relative orientation of the electronic board and, in particular, of the accelerometer with respect to the body of the dice or the host casing. Said relative orientation between the core and the possible host dice being predetermined and known, the invention is able to determine the result of the rolls simply knowing the type of die in which the core is housed (hence the number of faces in the case of regular polyhedra and the values which characterize said faces). For each type of dice (i.e., with the varying of the faces, the varying values represented on said faces and any rules of use), one or more tables or look-up-tables are provided, preloaded in the memory of the electronic board of the core so as to know the result of the relative orientation of the accelerometer gravity vector and therefore of the roll of the die upon the varying of the most varied types and areas of application.

Claims

1. A modular electronic dice system for determining a result of a roll of a die and transmitting the result to a remote electronic terminal, comprising: a control board used to trace Q different types of dice, each of the dice comprising a variable number Nq of faces, wherein Q and Nq are natural numbers, and the control board comprising an accelerometer or a gyroscope, a memory, a central processing unit (CPU), and a wireless communication system; a core comprising a housing for housing the control board, the core being insertable according to a single orientation in a suitable seat, the suitable seat being obtained in each of the Q different types of dice, according to a predetermined position and orientation; a look-up-table preloaded into the memory of the control board, the look-up-table containing expected values of a gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz], provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope, the expected values being predetermined for each of the Nq positions assumed by the different Q dice at valid results of the roll of the dice, wherein the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope at a conclusion of the roll of a die is detected by controlling an asymptotic stability of the values assumed by the gravity vector [Vx(t), Vy(t), Vz(t)] in a time domain, wherein the result of the roll of a die is determined by comparing the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz], provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope with the expected values of the gravity vector contained in the look-up-table, and determining the value of the roll result to be transmitted to the remote electronic terminal.

2. The modular electronic dice system according to claim 1, wherein controlling the asymptotic stability of the gravity vector [Vx(t), Vy(t), Vz(t)] in the time domain compares components of the vector at two successive sampling instants t1 and t and verify that the difference between the corresponding vector components is less than a predetermined parameter DV, according to formulas:
Vx[t]Vx[t1]<DV,
Vy[t]Vy[t1]<DV, and
Vz[t]Vz[t1]<DV.

3. The modular electronic dice system according to claim 1, wherein determining the result of the roll of a die further comprises a system for verifying and possibly compensating for the differences between the expected values of the gravity vector contained in the look-up-table and an actual value of the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] acquired by the accelerometer or the gyroscope, the system comprising a parameter dV defining a maximum permissible deviation for each of the components of said gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz], with respect to the corresponding expected values for each of the Nq faces of the different types of dice.

4. The modular electronic dice system according to claim 1, wherein the look-up-table is divided into Q sub-tables associated with the Q types of usable dice, each sub-table containing data and parameters necessary to determine the results of the rolls of a die equipped with said control board, the data and the parameters being organized according to a number of rows of equal to the number of faces Nq of each die and comprising: the expected value of the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] at an end of the die roll; a parameter dV used to evaluate and compensate for the differences between the expected values of the gravity vector contained in the look-up-table and an actual value of the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope; the parameter DV used to control the asymptotic stability, in the time domain, of the gravity vector [Vx(t), Vy(t), Vz(t)] provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope; and the roll result to be transmitted to the remote electronic terminal.

5. The modular electronic dice system according to claim 1, further comprising a mediator device connected to the remote electronic terminal and configured to communicate bidirectionally with the control board and process the roll results of a plurality of dice equipped with the control board.

6. The modular electronic dice system of claim 1, wherein the core further comprises a housing for a battery.

7. A method for tracking and transmitting a result of a roll of dice, comprising: providing a control board used to trace different types of dice, each of the dice comprising a variable number of faces, and the control board comprising an accelerometer or a gyroscope, a memory, a central processing unit (CPU), and a wireless communication system; providing a core comprising a housing for housing the control board, the core being insertable according to a single orientation in a suitable seat, the suitable seat being obtained in each of the different types of dice, according to a predetermined position and orientation; providing a look-up-table preloaded into the memory of the control board, the look-up-table containing expected values of a gravity vector, provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope, the expected values being predetermined for each of the positions assumed by the different dice at valid results of the roll of the dice; providing the different types of dice; checking a presence of an remote electronic terminal; receiving from the remote electronic terminal an index q, where 1<=q<=Q, associated with the die in whose seat the core containing the control board is inserted; selecting, in the look-up-table preloaded into the memory, a sub-table indexed by q and loading data and configuration parameters of the control board, the data and parameters being contained in Nq rows of the selected sub-table; detecting the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope at a conclusion of the roll of a die; checking an asymptotic stability of the values assumed by the gravity vector in a time domain of the gravity vector (Vx(t), Vy(t), Vz(t)) provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope, and acquiring the gravity vector (Vx, Vy, Vz); identifying the roll result by performing a comparison between the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] provided by the accelerometer and the Nq expected values contained in the sub-table q selected and loaded; and transmitting the roll result to the remote electronic terminal.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein identifying the roll result further comprises compensating for differences between the expected values of the gravity vector and an actual acquired value of the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] by a parameter dV, the parameter dV being employed to define a maximum allowable deviation for each vector component.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein transmitting the roll result comprising transmitting the result of the roll to a mediator device.

10. A modular electronic dice system, comprising: Q different types of dice, each of the dice comprising a variable number Nq of faces; a control board configured to trace the Q different types of dice, wherein Q and Nq are natural numbers, the control board comprising an accelerometer or a gyroscope, a memory, a central processing unit (CPU), and a wireless communication system; a core comprising a housing for housing the control board, the core being insertable according to a predetermined orientation in a seat, the seat being obtained in each of the Q different types of dice; a look-up-table preloaded into the memory of the control board, the look-up-table containing expected values of a gravity vector provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope, the expected values being predetermined for each of the Nq positions assumed by the different Q dice at valid results of a roll of the dice; and processing circuitry configured to detect the gravity vector provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope at a conclusion of the roll of a die, the processing circuit being configured to control a asymptotic stability of the values assumed by the gravity vector in a time domain, and determine the result of the roll of a die by comparing the gravity vector, provided by the accelerometer or the gyroscope with the expected values of the gravity vector contained in the look-up-table, and determining the value of the roll result to be transmitted to a remote electronic terminal.

11. The modular electronic dice system of claim 10, wherein the core signals to the remote electronic terminal upon successful insertion into at least one die of the Q different types of dice, wherein the remote electronic terminal communicates an index associated with the die in whose seat the core containing the control board is inserted.

12. The modular electronic dice system of claim 10, further comprising: a mediator device communicatively connected with the control board and configured to processing the roll results of a plurality of dice equipped with the control board in accordance with a predefined rule set.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the proposed technical solution will appear more evident in the following description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment shown by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying 5 drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 represents the overall system of the system object of the invention, i.e., the core and some dice of various shapes and types in which said core can be inserted.

(3) FIG. 2 represents in detail the core and the components thereof and in particular the components of the electronic board inserted in said core.

(4) FIG. 3 represents the structure of the table or look-up-table preloaded on the core and including the parameters useful for managing the different types of dice in which the core itself can be inserted.

(5) FIG. 4 represents the algorithm for managing the electronic board for remote dice roll detection and transmission.

(6) FIG. 5 represents an alternative implementation which involves the use of a device with a gateway or mediator function, used to manage and possibly combine a plurality of dice.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(7) With reference to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 of the same, an example of the system object of the invention is represented and in particular a series of dice characterized by different shapes (100), (101), (102), (103) is represented. Said dice (in this example there are four, but they may be a generic number of Q elements) may be characterized by a number N of possibly different faces as well as possibly different geometric shapes and sizes and characterized by values, or face symbols, which are different and not homogeneous, for example numbers, symbols, characters and/or other signs. Regardless of the various types and functions mentioned above, the dice, according to the proposed invention, are constructed in such a way as to constitute possibly openable casings comprising a closure (104) or casings sectionable into parts (101), (103).

(8) The opening of the dice allows access to a seat (200) in which a core element (201) can be inserted uniquely and according to a single orientation. Inside said core (201) is an electronic board (202); said board used to determine the result of the roll of said die housed in the core itself. The core 201 may then be optionally transferred between various dice (100), (101), (102), (103) and optionally moved into additional dice. The insertion of the core takes place by opening the different casings of said dice and inserting the core in the same seat (200) obtained in each of the usable dice (100), (101), (102), (103).

(9) With reference to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 2, the core (201) is depicted in detail and in particular the shape and components housed therein. The core (201) contains the aforementioned electronic board (202) and a battery (203) for the power supply of said board. The electronic board (202) further comprises a CPU (204), an accelerometer (205), a memory (206) and a radio frequency remote transmission system (207), said radio frequency remote transmission system (207) being preferably but not necessarily of the Bluetooth type. Also with reference to the drawings of FIG. 2, a preferable, but not exclusive, form of the physicality of the core (201) and particularly of the asymmetrical profile thereof is represented, highlighted by its different perspectives (208), (209), (210), said asymmetric profile being used to obtain a unique interlocking with the shape of the corresponding seat (200). Said constructive asymmetry ensures that the insertion of the core (201) into the seat (200) can only take place according to a single direction, guaranteeing a fixed orientation, known a priori and predetermined of the accelerometer reference system (205), by varying all possible dice in which the core (201) is inserted.

(10) With reference to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 3, a look-up-table (300) is represented which has sub-tables (301), (302), (303). This look-up-table, with the variation of all the dice which can be used [1, . . . , q, . . . , Q] and the variation of the Nq possible faces of said dice, represents the values assumed by the components of the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] detected by the accelerometer (205), at each of the Nq faces. The various sub-tables (301), (302), (303) etc., therefore represent all the different possible creations (depending on the types of dice, the type of faces, the type of rules or game to be used) and allow the core to be pre-programmed to interpret the roll of any die, in any context, for each possible type and application scope and allow the core to, from time to time, select, load and use the sub-table (301), (302), (303), etc., adapted and corresponding to the game context.

(11) The matrix of the look-up-table (300) further contains a column in which an asymptotic stability parameter of the roll of the die DV is written, settable a priori. This parameter will typically but not necessarily be identical for all dice and determines after how long the gravity vector measured by the accelerometer (205) can be considered as a stable and reliable value. This is to avoid that the data provided by the accelerometer (205) are considered valid results during the rolling of the die or during oscillations and small involuntary movements, not related to actual use, which would cause errors in the detection of the result.

(12) The look-up-table (300) contains a further parameter dV, which is also settable a priori. Said parameter defines the spatial or geometric stability of the roll, which is instead dependent on the physical shape of the die, particularly on the number of faces thereof. The spatial stability parameter dV of the die is used to interpret and, if necessary, compensate for small inconsistencies between the gravity vector actually measured by the accelerometer (205) during rolls with respect to the gravity vector values provided by the look-up table (300). Such inconsistencies may be attributable, for example, to irregularities in the gaming table on which the dice are rolled. To this end, it will be necessary to verify whether the deviation between the actual gravity vector measured by the accelerometer (205) at the end of the roll and the theoretical value of the gravity vector [Vx, Vy, Vz] provided in the look-up-table is within the permitted tolerance. This is to discern if there are small deviations attributable to surface defects or if an unreliable roll has occurred (die incorrectly positioned on an edge, for example, or inclined due to the presence of obstructions and interfering objects). The parameter dV allows to set the limit within which said deviations are acceptable and varies depending on the type of die because, as the number of faces which characterize a die increases, said deviations obviously become more dangerous and, as a result, greater precision is required to discern the correctness and regularity of the roll. As the number of faces increases, in fact, it happens that the faces of the adjacent dice are characterized by gravity vectors quite similar to each other, so it is necessary to carefully verify the correspondence with the expected gravity vector and large deviations from the expected values cannot be accepted. This parameter, therefore, will vary considerably with the variation of the different sub-tables provided for the different types of dice (301), (302), (303), etc.

(13) Finally, again referring to FIG. 3, a column of RESULTS is represented; since the same die with the same number of faces may have different symbols and values on the faces. For this reason, a sub-table is provided for each different embodiment and use of the die, so that, depending on the sub-type of die used, the system is able to communicate the correct result (for example, a die of 6 can have results 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or A, B, C, D, E, F. etc.). In this regard, it is noted that the number of sub-tables which form the overall look-up-table (300) will be reasonably higher or at most equal to that of the Q dice usable with the same core (201).

(14) With reference to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 4, the algorithm which regulates the operation of the system is represented and in particular: 1. Core signalling to the remote terminal of successful insertion into a die; 2. Transmission by the remote terminal of the index of the die (q-th) in which said core has been inserted; 3. Selection, in the look-up-table (300) housed in the memory (206) of the electronic board (202), of the sub-table (303) relative to the q-th die and the context used; 4. Verification of asymptotic temporal stability following the roll (using the parameter DV); 5. Verification of the spatial and geometric stability of the die roll (using the parameter dV); 6. Transmission of the roll result, only if the measured value is acceptable according to the two previous checks.

(15) With reference to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment is depicted providing a device (500) with gateway or mediator function to a connected remote electronic device (501). Said device may be available if it is necessary to manage and intermediate the roll data of one or more dice, useful, for example, for a large number of dice to be managed or if a pre-processing stage of the results of rolls related to the dice used (100), (101), (102), (103) is required, depending on the type of game or application scope in which said dice are used. The connection between said device used as a mediator (500) and the remote electronic device (501) may be wired, as shown in FIG. 5, or wireless, using different transmission protocols useful for the purpose.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

(16) The invention can be realized with technical equivalents, with supplementary materials or solutions suitable for the purpose and the application scope. Conformation and dimensions of the constituent parts may vary in a suitable, but consistent way with the proposed solution. By way of non-limiting example, it is noted that the geometric shapes of the involved parts may be varied while maintaining the above-mentioned functionalities. In particular, the shapes of the core (201) and the corresponding seats (200) obtained in the cavities of the dice (100) may change. At the hardware level, it will be possible to change the number and type of sensors installed on the board (202), including any and additional types of sensors for detecting the spatial orientation assumed by the die itself, therefore, alternative or additional to the aforementioned accelerometer such as a gyroscope. In addition, the technology implemented for the wireless transmission of data between the die and the receiving electronic device and, in particular, the type of protocol used may be changed, without however going beyond the scope of the peculiar characteristics and functions of the system proposed and claimed below. By varying these implementations, it will be necessary to change the conditioning, acquisition and communication circuits between elements, without, however, departing from the purpose and scope of application of the proposed solution. Finally, the invention may also be partially realized.