JPH04170977A - Electronic game equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a highly reliable, multifunctional and inexpensive onboard game device by providing transmitting and receiving coils under a game surface for a game board, providing elements in its bottom parts for respective game pieces, and detecting the existence of the game pieces by comparing voltage induced in the receiving coils by supplying an electric current to the transmitting coils with reference voltage. CONSTITUTION: This device is composed of a game board 1 having many boxes 2 where a boundary is decided on a surface and a large number of game pieces 3 having aluminium disk elements 4 to reduce mutual inductances between coils in bottom parts. Matrix-shaped coils 5 and 6, the board 1 is arranged in the vicinity of a surface, and the coils of the respectively adjacent boxes 2 are arranged in a mutually inversely winding condition. The approach of the bottom parts of the game pieces to the coils exerts influence on induced voltage by mutual joining between the coils. The induced voltage of the respective receiving coils is compared with reference voltage to regulate a level of a voltage change, and whether or not the game pieces exist on the boxes is judged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Industrial field of application This invention is applicable to electronic game devices (sensor
y game), and more specifically, relates to detecting the presence of playing pieces on a game board.

(b) Prior Art Many electronic game devices having a presence detection function, such as electronic chess, use reed switches and magnets to track the movement of game pieces on a game board. Generally, in such a game device, all squares on the game board (playing area, playing 5 squares)
One reed switch is placed under each of the play pieces, and a magnet is buried in the bottom of each play piece. When a play piece is placed on a certain square, the reed switch is energized and maintains a closed loop until the play piece is removed.

In this way, for example when starting another game or starting from an initial state, the position of the playing pieces on the playing board is tracked electronically.

(c) Problems to be solved by the invention However, in such conventional game devices,
Since it uses a mechanical switch, it has low durability and reliability against vibrations, etc., and requires a large drive current, which shortens battery life and has high component costs. there were.

This invention was made in consideration of these circumstances,
Utilizing electromagnetic action, it is highly reliable and multifunctional.
Moreover, it provides an inexpensive board game device.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects This invention consists of a game board having individual play areas and a large number of game pieces, and a navigation game board with transmitting and receiving coils arranged under the game surface. each playing piece has an element at its bottom, further provided with supply means for supplying current to the transmitting coil to induce a voltage in the receiving coil, and comparing means for comparing said voltage with a reference voltage. This is an electronic game device characterized by:

The bottom element of each of the play pieces may be made of metal.

Two sets of play pieces may be provided in the above device, with the elements of one set made of highly conductive material and the elements of the other set made of ferromagnetic material of low conductivity.

The elements of the first set of play pieces may be made of metal, and the elements of the other set may be made of ferrite or finely ground ferromagnetic material.

The reference voltage may be the voltage of the receiving coil measured when the game piece is not in each divided game area.

The reference voltage may be offset to determine the detection range of the device and to avoid unnecessary detection.

The current supply means may include an oscillator and a multiplexer for selecting a transmitting coil to which current is to be supplied.

The comparison means may include a multiplexer for selecting a receiving coil, a preamplifier for amplifying the difference between two voltages, a synchronous detector, an integrator, and a comparator.

Each of the transmitting coils may include a tuning circuit to match the impedance of the current supply circuit and each transmitting coil.

The two sets of coils may be arranged parallel to the surface of the game board and perpendicular to each other.

This invention utilizes the phenomenon of inductance between wires. The mutual coupling that occurs when alternating current flows through one wire or coil induces voltages in adjacent wires or coils. This bond is influenced by the material near the area where the two wires overlap. If a highly conductive metal disk partially covers this area, the induced voltage will change. This change becomes noticeable when the disk is placed parallel and close to the coil, and also covers a significant portion of the overlapping area.

The sensing area of the game board is proportional to the size of the overlapping area of the two coils. The overlapping parts should not be too large. In that case, the bottoms of the play pieces occupy only a small portion of the overlapping area.

The object of the present invention is to provide an on-board game that utilizes inductance between two sets of coils to detect whether a game piece is present on a square or the like of a game board. The two sets of coils are placed near the board surface, with each coil of the first set (
A high-frequency current is sequentially supplied to the transmitter coil. As a result, the second set of coils (receiver coils)
A high-frequency current flows through, and a voltage is induced. Since the element is provided at the bottom of each game piece, the proximity of the bottom of the game piece to the coil affects the degree of mutual coupling between the coils, that is, the induced voltage. The induced voltage of each receiving coil is compared with a reference voltage that defines the level of voltage change, and it is determined whether a game piece exists on each square.

For convenience, a voltage value measured when there are no game pieces on the game board is used as the reference voltage. This can compensate for the effects of other metals (batteries, etc.) near the board surface, and also
This means that production tolerances are relaxed.

Highly conductive metals such as aluminum, copper, and iron avoid reducing mutual inductance between the coils. Eddy currents induced in the aluminum disk act as a shield against the magnetic field, reducing the degree of coupling between the coils.

On the other hand, finely ground magnetic materials, such as ferrite, increase the mutual inductance between the coils. Almost no eddy current is generated in the ferrite disk, and the magnetic field is focused, resulting in increased coupling between the coils.

All the play pieces of the game device are provided with either an element that increases the degree of connection or an element that decreases the degree of connection, for example in the shape of a disk. In other words, disks that increase the degree of connection are prepared for the first type of game pieces, and disks that decrease the degree of connection are prepared for the other types of game pieces. The latter aspect means that it is possible not only to detect the presence of a game piece on a square, but also to identify different types of game pieces.

For example, in chess, in a game where one type of playing piece is exchanged for another playing piece on a certain square, such as when taking one type of playing piece or another playing piece, the identification of the type of playing piece is necessary. It is particularly effective to be able to If each type of playing piece is the same, the device will not be able to detect such movement. This is the case when pushing one type of game piece pushes out another type of game piece from the square. If the detection area of this device is relatively wide, even if a game piece of a nickname type is replaced by a game piece of another type, the system will assume that the game piece is on that square.

By using different materials for the bottoms of different types of playing pieces, this problem is solved, since changes in the playing pieces are observed, for example from black to white. Furthermore, different discs have opposite effects on the magnetic field, so they cancel each other's outputs in the case of a sliding take.

Alternatively, in order to detect such movement without identifying the type of playing piece, the central portion of the disc of each playing piece may be removed to form an annular conductive material. In the case of the same diameter, whether it is disk-shaped or ring-shaped, if a play piece is placed over the area where two coils buried under each square overlap, their influence on the magnetic field lines will be almost the same. Since they are equal, the difference in the detection area between the disk shape and the ring shape is very small. However, if only a small portion of the ring is above the overlapping area, the magnetic field lines will be less affected than in the case of a game piece with a disk on the bottom placed in a similar situation. In this way, 2 with a ring at the bottom
If two playing pieces are placed close together on each square, the magnetic field lines will not be affected much.

Preferably, each coil is wound such that the direction of magnetic flux in adjacent coils is opposite. This reduces electromagnetic radiation and sensitivity to the outside world. The two sets of coils are generally orthogonally arranged, and the overlap of the coils within each square is symmetrical.

The electronic circuit that supplies the high-frequency current to the coil includes a drive oscillator and an automatic level adjuster (to stabilize the amplitude of the oscillation).
ALC) and a multiplexer for selecting the coil to which current is supplied.

The circuit that detects the voltage of the receiving coil and compares it with the reference voltage includes a multiplexer for selecting the receiving coil,
Preferably, it consists of an amplifier, a synchronous detector, an integrator, and a comparator.

The amplifier amplifies the difference between the selected receive coil voltage and the reference voltage. An offset type digital-to-analog converter (hereinafter referred to as a DA converter) is suitable for use as a reference voltage, and allows fine adjustment of the high-frequency drive signal. In this way, the reference voltage is generally set by measuring the voltage of each square when no game pieces exist on the board, but it may be a fixed voltage.

When using a measured reference voltage, the settings of the DA converter to compensate for the coupling coefficient are determined and saved by examining the comparator output using a successive approximation algorithm to determine the reference value for each square. When using, again, for each square in sequence,
Setting values of the D-A converter stored in advance corresponding to that square are supplied to the input of the preamplifier.

The comparator output indicates the presence or absence of a play piece and also indicates the type of play piece if different materials or bases are used for different types of play pieces.

It is desirable to further offset the measured reference voltage so that the game piece is detected only when the induced voltage of the receiving coil exceeds the offset reference voltage value. This allows for system instability that may occur if a playing piece is not on a square, and reduces the possibility of misidentification of a playing piece.

This offset added to the voltage value applied to the DA converter determines the sensing range of the system.

For devices that require identification of the type of play piece,
It is sufficient to prepare two offset reference voltages and set one high and the other low with respect to the reference voltage measured when there are no game pieces on the board. This means that the i
In order for the type of play pieces to be detected, the induced voltage must be higher than the higher offset reference voltage, and for other types of play pieces to be detected, the induced voltage must be higher than the lower offset reference voltage. This indicates that it must be lower than the voltage.

In operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, an oscillator provides drive current to a selected transmit coil via a multiplexer. One receive coil is selected by a multiplexer and connected to the preamplifier. The preamplifier amplifies the difference between the voltage of the receiving coil and various reference voltages generated by the DA converter and sends it to the synchronous detector.

This signal is multiplied by the signal from the oscillator in the synchronous detector. The sign of the generated unbalanced current is checked by an integrator and a comparator.

The sign of the unbalanced current depends on the material of the bottom of the playing piece. For example, if the unbalanced current when an aluminum disk is used has a first sign, the unbalanced current when a ferrite disk is used has the opposite sign.

If there are no playing pieces, little imbalance current will be generated.

Since a synchronous detector is used, the center of the sensitive band of the measurement circuit is the frequency of the oscillator. The noise band is defined by the integration time of the integrator. The effect of the synchronous detector's sensitivity to out-of-band signals (eg, oscillator harmonics) is reduced by the preamplifier's tuned circuit.

To increase the drive current without significantly increasing power consumption, each transmitter coil should be provided with an individual tuned circuit or a transformer for impedance matching between the transmitter coil and the drive current supply circuit. Bye.

The drive oscillator consists of a number of transformers to provide a large sinusoidal drive current to the transmit coil.

Alternatively, discrete transistors or integrated circuits may be used to achieve high drive currents while keeping power consumption low. This latter embodiment provides discontinuous current pulses in the form of a counter-period of a sine wave rather than a continuous sine wave. This method has sufficient power supply capacity at the frequency in question and does not generate excessive radiation.
Available for use.

If a pulsed drive current is used, it is necessary to offset the signal from the receiving coil by a variable signal of opposite sign. Such a signal is obtained by differentiating the drive current pulse. Furthermore, this is determined by a threshold value,
Furthermore, it is used as a signal to sample the output of the preamplifier, and the presence or absence and type of game pieces are identified. Due to the presence of noise, single sampling is inadequate for reliable detection and must be averaged. this is,
! This is accomplished by simply counting the number of positive results relative to the number of negative results over the sampling period.

In this latter system, many functions are configured digitally, including the provision of signals for offset. variable DC
The signal can be used to power a pulse generator that synthesizes a waveform offset signal, such as a received signal, whose amplitude is defined by its DC voltage.

Such a variable DC voltage can be achieved in conventional ways. All digital functions can be implemented on one IC, allowing for cheaper cleaning.

(E) Embodiments Here, embodiments will be further described with reference to the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a game device showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a drawing showing the winding method and dimensions of the coil, Fig. 3 is a drawing showing one embodiment of the winding frame, and Fig. 3A. is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 3, Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the winding frame in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the winding frame in Fig. 3.
The figures show another embodiment of the winding frame, FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the winding frame of FIG. 5, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are electronic circuit diagrams suitable for use in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the board game device includes a game board 1 having a number of squares 2 delimited on the surface, such as the squares of a chess or checker board, and a game board 1 on the bottom. It is composed of a large number of game pieces 3 equipped with elements 4. The bottom discs of the play pieces of this device may all be of the same material, for example aluminum. Also, different types of play pieces may use discs made of different materials for their respective bottoms. Using chess as an example, the black pieces may have aluminum discs on the bottom, while the white pieces may have ferrite discs on their bottoms.

A matrix of coils 5.6 is provided near the surface of the board 1, and the coils in each adjacent square 2 are arranged so as to wind in opposite directions. The conductors of the first set of coils, ie, the transmitter coil 5, must not run along the conductors of the other set of coils 6, ie, the receiver coil.

Figure 2 shows the optimal way to wind the coil. The optimal area of the partial equation where the transmitting coil 5 and the receiving coil 6 overlap is 1/9 to 1/4 of the area of the square 2. If the square is square, one side of the overlapping part is l/3 to 1 of the width of the square.
/2.

In the manufacture of game boards, it is necessary to maintain the electrical wires in an accurate horizontal position and as close to the surface of the board as possible.

The wire can be wound by hand or by machine.

FIG. 2 shows one mode of coil manufacturing, in which the coil 5.6 is colored by winding the electric wire 7 around the jar of the jig. The wires are then laminated between two adhesive sheets (not shown) and the assembly is removed from the jig bin.

According to this method, horizontal position accuracy is ensured by the jig bin, and vertical position accuracy is ensured by the lamination process. Although the cost of parts is low with this method, it is difficult to automate the sheet handling and lamination process.

Alternatively, the winding frame 8 with a guide for winding the wire around it can be manufactured by a molding method or by assembly (see FIG. 3). When the winding is completed, the reel 8 is assembled into the game board of the game device. As part of the winding frame, the wires are terminated, that is, the connectors for connection to the main circuit and the board are attached.

Another option, which may be cheaper to implement, is to fabricate the reel from a plastic sheet, such as 300 micron polypropylene. In FIG. 5.6, a reel 10 is manufactured by punching a pattern of cut-and-raised parts 11 on a plastic sheet 12. As shown in FIG. Next, shape this protrusion.

To make the cut and raised portions protrude from the surface of the sheet 12, press working alone or heating may be used in combination.

The cut and raised portions formed in this manner serve as guides for the windings. The electric wire 13 is laid tightly on the surface of the net 12 by wrapping it around each protrusion while pulling it firmly. In this way, the wires are firmly fixed both horizontally and vertically.

Figures 7 and 8 show the electronic circuitry necessary to analyze the effects of this game board, and will now be described in further detail.

Since the drive oscillator uses a tuned drive method, it is possible to supply an AC drive current with extremely low distortion to the transmitting coil. The main power loss here is due to the multiplexer resistance. The tuning circuit is the primary side of TI and 03, C4
Consists of. The circuit via C3 loops through the multiplexer, the selected transmit coil, and C1. The TI feedback winding alternately cuts off TRI and TR2, creating oscillations. These transistors are an AC emitter-coupled differential pair and are reliable to start.

The D-A converter is composed of CMOS gates connected in series. A small alternating current voltage is applied to each VSS terminal, but not to the Vdd terminal. The output of the CMOS gate is connected to an R-2R ladder, and when its output changes, not only a corresponding DC voltage but also a correspondingly changing AC voltage appears at the output of the ladder. A Vss signal of a specific ratio is added to the ladder output so as to obtain an offset signal that can be adjusted to approximately ±20% of the rating. If it is necessary to identify the game pieces by having different metals on the bottom of each game piece, two offset signals will be required, each adjusted to about +20% or -20% of the rated value. This range compensates for variations in coil coupling due to manufacturing tolerances and movement of the N pond beneath the surface of the game board.

The input transistor TR4 of the preamplifier operates under differential mode and amplifies the difference between the coil signal and the signal from the DA converter. Additionally, the second primary with TR5 and C10 provides amplification and filtering. This tuned circuit exhibits a moderate Q (approximately 20) defined by the input impedance of TR8. It eliminates most low frequency and high frequency noise.

Synchronous detectors are commonly constructed using switched emitter-coupled pairs. Here, the signal current from TR8 is converted to opposing resistors R51 and R53. The reference signal from the oscillator is input so that the output signal is in phase with the received signal. As a result, a positive or negative unbalanced current is generated depending on the phase of the input signal. This detector is also sensitive to harmonics of the reference signal, which are removed by the preamplifier's tuning circuit.

The unbalanced current from the detector is then input to a conventional integrator. When the AC signal conditions stabilize, the integrator output begins to slope according to the sign of the unbalanced current. After a suitable period of time to average the noise signal, the sign of the integrator output indicates a comparison between the DA converter set point and the induced voltage. The code depends on the material on the bottom of the play piece.

Therefore, this device not only detects whether a game piece is on a square, but also identifies the type of game piece on a square. That is, as described above, the first type of game pieces cause the integrator to generate a positive output, and the other types of game pieces cause the integrator to generate a negative output. The integrator reference voltage varies depending on the voltage at R50 and is also used as the comparator reference voltage. A reset switch 5 is provided to remove the previously measured and accumulated charge on the capacitor. Although this is not necessary, measurements can be made quickly.

This device has two modes of operation: reference and run. In reference mode, each square is sequentially selected by a multiplexer. For each square,
By examining the comparator output using a successive approximation algorithm, the set value of the DA converter for compensating the coupling coefficient is obtained and this value is stored. In the run mode, a value obtained by adding an additional offset to the set value of the DA converter corresponding to the value checked in the reference mode is applied to the preamplifier in sequence for each square again. In this way, the output of the comparator indicates the presence or absence of a playing piece and, if necessary, the type of playing piece. Reference mode can also be set at the factory so that the user can only use Run mode.

(F) Effects of the Invention According to this invention, since it utilizes electromagnetic action, it has high durability and reliability against vibrations, etc., and also shortens battery life because it does not require a large drive current. A long, multifunctional, and inexpensive board game device can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a game device showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a drawing showing the winding method and dimensions of the coil, Fig. 3 is a drawing showing one embodiment of the winding frame, and Fig. 3A. is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 3, Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the winding frame in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the winding frame in Fig. 3.
The figures show another embodiment of the winding frame, FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the winding frame of FIG. 5, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are electronic circuit diagrams suitable for use in the present invention. l...Game board, 2...Square, 3...Game piece, 4...Element, 5...Transmission coil, 6. ...Receive coil, to V-6. □I Figure 2 Figure 4 Procedural amendment, Kae, March 8, 1991 1990 Patent Application No. 300911 2, Name of invention Electronic game device Representative Erik, Winkler 5, Amendment Date of order: February 12, 1991 (Shipping port) Figure 2 Figure 3A Figure 222 Figure 4 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A game board having individual play areas and a number of game pieces, the game board being equipped with transmitting and receiving coils arranged under the playing surface, and each game piece being attached to the bottom of the game board. An electronic game device comprising: a supply means for supplying a current to a transmitting coil in order to induce a voltage in a receiving coil; and a comparing means for comparing the voltage with a reference voltage. . 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the element at the bottom of each play piece is made of metal. 3. Two sets of play pieces are prepared, the elements of one set are made of a highly conductive material, and the elements of the other set are made of a ferromagnetic material of a low conductivity. The device described. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the elements of the first set of play pieces are made of metal, and the elements of the other set are made of ferrite or finely ground ferromagnetic material. 5. The device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the reference voltage is a voltage of the receiving coil measured when no play piece is in each divided play area. 6. The device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein an offset is applied to the reference voltage in order to determine the detection range of the device and avoid unnecessary detection. 7. The device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the current supply means comprises an oscillator and a multiplexer for selecting the transmitting coil to which the current is to be supplied. 8. Claim 1, wherein the comparing means is comprised of a multiplexer for selecting a receiving coil, a preamplifier for amplifying the difference between two voltages, a synchronous detector, an integrator, and a comparator. 8. The device according to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7. 9. The device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that each transmitting circuit comprises a tuning circuit to match the impedance of the current supply circuit and each transmitting coil. 10. The coil according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that the two sets of coils are arranged parallel to the surface of the game board and perpendicular to each other. Device.