TW202601052A - Automatic scoring dartboard device and dartboard automatic scoring method - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic scoring dartboard device and a dartboard automatic scoring method. The automatic scoring dartboard device includes a dartboard, a plurality of optical capture modules, and a control circuit. When a first dart was thrown at the dartboard, these optical capture modules capture the dartboard to obtain a plurality of images to be scored. The control circuit compares these images which to be scored with a plurality of reference images to determine the position of the first dart, and was based on these positioning marks on the non-scoring zone of the dartboard to determine a score zone of the position of the first dart, and obtain a first dart score correspond to the score zone, and then statics each first dart score to generate a real first dart score.

Description

Automatic scoring target device and automatic target scoring method

This invention relates to an automatic scoring target device, and more particularly to an automatic scoring target device that can reduce dart scoring errors.

Existing dartboards require personnel to identify the scoring areas where the darts land and determine the score for each area to calculate the dartboard competition result. This manual scoring is time-consuming. Using electronic targets with automatic scoring functions often results in scoring errors due to limitations in the camera angles used for scoring.

How to improve the accuracy of judging the landing point of a dart by improving the imaging device and image processing, and thus overcome the above-mentioned defects, has become one of the important issues that this industry wants to solve.

The technical problem this invention aims to solve is to provide an automatic scoring target device that reduces errors in judging the impact point of darts, addressing the shortcomings of existing technologies. Images acquired from different angles can improve the accuracy of judging the dart's impact point.

To solve the aforementioned technical problems, one of the technical solutions adopted by this invention is to provide an automatic scoring target device, which includes a target, multiple optical capture modules, and a control circuit. The target includes a target area with multiple scoring zones and a non-scoring area, wherein the multiple scoring zones correspond to different scores, and the non-scoring area is provided with multiple positioning marks. The multiple optical capture modules are disposed around the target and configured to capture multiple images to be scored from the target area when a first dart is positioned on the target. The control circuit is configured to compare multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine a first dart position, and to use one or more positioning marks in the images to be scored as a reference to determine the scoring area corresponding to the first dart position and obtain a first dart score. Then, the obtained first dart scores are counted to generate a real first dart score.

To solve the aforementioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by this invention is to provide an automatic target scoring method, which includes: providing a target, comprising a target area having multiple scoring zones and a non-scoring zone, wherein the multiple scoring zones correspond to different multiple scores, and the non-scoring zone is provided with multiple positioning marks, and multiple optical capture modules are arranged around the target. In response to a first dart positioned on the target, a control circuit controls the multiple optical capture modules to capture multiple images to be scored from the target area. The control circuit performs the following steps: comparing multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine the position of the first dart; using one or more positioning markers in the images to be scored as a reference, determining the scoring area corresponding to the position of the first dart, and obtaining a first dart score. Each obtained first dart score is then tallied to generate a true first dart score.

One of the beneficial effects of this invention is that the automatic scoring target device and automatic target scoring method provided by this invention can obtain the real first dart score through the technical solutions of "optical capture modules at different positions to capture the image to be scored" and "control circuit comparing and statistically calculating the image to be scored".

This invention solves the problem of blind spots in images captured by a single optical capture module causing errors in dart landing point judgment by comparing images obtained by optical capture modules at different positions, thereby improving the accuracy of dart landing point judgment.

The control circuit uses the previous frame image to compare with the image to be scored in order to determine the dart position. Specifically, the control circuit corrects the scoring area in the image to have the same shape as the reference image, and then compares them to obtain the difference. This can reduce the amount of data processing in image processing and shorten the image processing time.

To further understand the features and technical content of this invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of this invention. However, the drawings provided are for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit this invention.

The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the "automatic scoring target device" disclosed in this invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of this invention from the content disclosed in this specification. This invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications, without departing from the concept of this invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings of this invention are for simple illustrative purposes only and are not depictions based on actual dimensions, as stated in advance. The following embodiments will further explain the relevant technical content of this invention in detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.

It should be understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used in this document to describe various components or signals, these components or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are primarily used to distinguish one component from another, or one signal from another. Furthermore, the term "or" used in this document should, as appropriate, include any combination of one or more of the related listed items.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the automatic scoring target device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, an automatic scoring target device 1 is provided in this embodiment of the present invention, which includes a target 10, three optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23, a control circuit 30, a mounting frame 40, and a light source 50. The target 10 includes a target area 110 with multiple scoring areas 111 and a non-scoring area 120, wherein the multiple scoring areas 111 correspond to different scores. The target 10 may be made of materials such as solid wood or plastic; however, the present invention is not limited to the examples mentioned above.

The target 10 is disc-shaped, with non-scoring zones 120 surrounding the target area 110 on its surface. The target area 110 may be circular, for example, while the non-scoring zones 120 may be annular, for example. Generally, the scoring zones 111 have different scores depending on their location on the target 10. For example, the scoring zone near the center of the target 10 has a higher score than the scoring zone near the circumference of the target 10. Furthermore, the smaller the area of the scoring zone 111, the higher the difficulty of throwing the dart and the higher the score. Four positioning marks 121, 122, 123, and 124, arranged in a predetermined manner, are provided on the non-scoring zone 120 in Figure 1 to serve as a reference for determining the scoring zone corresponding to the dart's position. For example, the predetermined manner could be an even distribution. For example, the four positioning markers 121, 122, 123, and 124 in Figure 1 form a square. However, in embodiments of the present invention, the number of positioning markers is not limited to four. Positioning markers 121, 122, 123, and 124 can be marked with colors that have high contrast with the surrounding environment to facilitate image identification.

Three optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23 are respectively disposed around the target 10. Any two adjacent optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23 form an angle with respect to the center of the target area 110, and each angle has a predetermined angle. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the three optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23 form angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 with respect to the center of the target area 110, and each angle θ1, θ2, and θ3 is 120 degrees. However, the present invention is not limited to the example given above. To reduce the dart landing error caused by the different shooting angles of the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 towards the target area 110, the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 are mounted on a fixture 40 located around the target 10 to capture the image of the target 10 completely. Further, as shown in Figure 4, when the first dart is positioned on the target 10, the control circuit 30 controls the optical capture module 21 to capture the image to be scored IM1, the optical capture module 22 to capture the image to be scored IM2, and the optical capture module 23 to capture the image to be scored IM3, respectively. The scoring areas of images IM1 and IM3 are the same, but different from the scoring area of image IM2, indicating that the scoring areas of images IM1 and IM3 are the actual landing points of the first dart. Therefore, this invention utilizes optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 positioned at different locations on the target to improve the accuracy of determining the dart's landing point.

To ensure the captured images are clear and easily identifiable, light sources 50 are provided on the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23. The light source 50 can be a point light source; for example, in this embodiment, the light source 50 is mounted on a fixture. Alternatively, the light source 50 can be a strip light source, arranged around the target 10. The number, shape, and position of the light sources in this invention are not limited to the examples described above.

As shown in Figure 1, the light source 50 is a point light source, and the three light sources 50 are respectively arranged on one side of the optical acquisition modules 21, 22, and 23. Because they are mounted on a mounting bracket 40 with a certain height, they can illuminate the image of the entire target area 110, so as to facilitate the image acquisition by the optical acquisition modules 21, 22, and 23. In this embodiment, the operating mechanism of the light source 50 is the same as that of the optical acquisition modules 21, 22, and 23. When the control circuit 30 simultaneously sends messages to the light source 50 and the optical acquisition modules 21, 22, and 23, the light source 50 provides sufficient illumination brightness for the optical acquisition modules 21, 22, and 23 to acquire images of the target 10. The control circuit 30 can control the light source 50 to be turned on when the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 are capturing images, or control the light source 50 to be turned on continuously.

The control circuit 30 can be integrated into a computer device and connected to the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 via wired or wireless means. It receives and processes the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored in order to obtain the first dart position P1 and the corresponding score, and then calculates the actual first dart score RS1. The control circuit 30 may include, for example, one or more of a processor, controller, and microcontroller to implement the functions described herein.

Specifically, referring to Figure 2, which is a functional block diagram of the automatic scoring target device of an embodiment of the present invention, the control circuit 30 is connected to the light source 50, the memory 60, and the optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23. In this embodiment, the control circuit 30 may also include an image processing circuit 31, which may be, for example, a graphics processing unit (GPU). The memory 60 is used to store images, including images to be scored IM1, IM2, and IM3, and reference images R1, R2, and R3. The memory 60 may be random access memory (RAM). However, the present invention is not limited to the examples described above.

After the control circuit 30 receives the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored, the image processing circuit 31 corrects the target area 110 in the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to a predetermined shape, such as a perfect circle. However, the present invention is not limited to the examples given above.

Next, the control circuit 30 reads the reference image from the memory 60 and compares it with the calibrated images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored. Based on the comparison result, it determines the position P1 of the first dart and stores the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored into the memory 60. Among them, each optical extraction module 21, 22, and 23 extracts the target 10 before the first dart DT1 is positioned on the target 10 to obtain the corresponding reference image and stores it into the memory 60.

Next, the process of comparing multiple images to be scored (IM1, IM2, IM3) with multiple reference images to determine the first dart position (P1) includes: using image processing circuit 31 to compare the images to be scored (IM1, IM2, IM3) with reference images as a reference to generate difference signals (DS1, DS2, DS3). Image processing circuit 31 then uses the positions of the difference signals (DS1, DS2, DS3) in the reference images as the first dart position (P1). The steps for generating the difference signals include executing one or more of the following: image sharpening, image binarization, and morphological opening operations. Through the above image processing procedures, such as open processing, the image of the first dart position P1 can be converged to the center point, and noise outside the image of the first dart position P1 can be eliminated, thereby improving the accuracy of the dart landing point.

This invention provides an automatic target scoring method, as shown in Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the automatic scoring method of this invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of steps S2 and S3 of the automatic scoring method of this invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the image to be scored before and after correction in this invention.

Referring to Figure 3, an automatic target scoring method includes the following steps:

First, a target 10 is provided, comprising a target area 110 having multiple scoring zones 111 and a non-scoring zone 120. The multiple scoring zones 111 correspond to different scores, and the non-scoring zone 120 includes positioning markers 121, 122, 123, and 124, and optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23 are disposed around the target 10.

Step S1: In response to the first dart being positioned on the target, the control circuit controls multiple optical capture modules to capture multiple images to be scored from the target area.

When the participant throws the first dart DT1 onto the target area 110, the control circuit 30 sends a control signal to the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 to capture images of the target area 110. Specifically, the control circuit 30 controls the optical capture modules 21, 22, and 23 to capture images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored within a preset time interval. The preset time interval is between the first time point when the first dart DT1 reaches the target 10 and the second time point when the second dart DT2 reaches the target 10.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that image capture is performed when each dart reaches the target 10. The image from the previous time interval can be used as a reference image for comparison with the current scoring images IM1, IM2, and IM3. That is, the reference image used for comparison with the scoring images captured after the second time point can be an image captured between the first and second time points. In other words, the previous frame of the scoring image can be used as a reference image for the next frame.

The following steps S2 to S4 are performed by control circuit 30:

Step S2: Compare multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine the position of the first dart.

Before comparing the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored, the image processing circuit 31 of the control circuit 30 corrects the target area in the original image to be scored to a predetermined shape. As shown in Figure 5, the target area 110 within the box is an ellipse, while the target area 110 of the reference image used for comparison is a perfect circle. Because the target area 110 to be compared has a different shape in the original image to be scored and the reference image, it is not easy to perform image comparison. In the correction step, the image processing circuit 31 first selects the target 10 in the original image to be scored as the area to be corrected, as shown by the dashed box in Figure 5, which is the selection area of the target 10. Then, an algorithm is used to extract the elliptical feature from the image within the selection area, that is, the range of the target area 110 within the target 10. The algorithms used include, for example, the Hough transform. However, this invention is not limited to the examples mentioned above. Next, the major and minor axes of the ellipse in the image are measured, and the ellipse in the image is scaled proportionally so that the lengths of the major and minor axes are equal, thus correcting the ellipse in the image to a predetermined shape, namely a perfect circle. At this point, the shape features of the images to be compared in the images to be scored IM1, IM2, and IM3 are corrected to be the same perfect circle as the reference image, which facilitates comparison with the reference image.

Next, the image processing circuit 31 compares multiple images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored with a reference image as a benchmark to generate difference signals DS1, DS2, and DS3. The image IM1 to be scored has different image features relative to the reference image; for example, the image features in the image IM1 to be scored may include one or more of pixels, color, grayscale value, and brightness. However, this invention is not limited to the examples given above. Specifically, after comparing the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored with the reference image in a point-to-point mapping mode, the image processing circuit 31 obtains multiple feature points in the images to be scored that differ from the reference image. However, these feature points are not all the landing points of the first dart DT1.

Therefore, specific image processing procedures are needed for different feature points to eliminate unnecessary noise. In this embodiment, the image processing circuit 31 executes one or more of the following procedures: image sharpening, image binarization, and morphological opening operation, to converge the landing position of the first dart DT1. As shown in Figure 4, the image processing process of the image to be scored IM1 is the same as that of the images to be scored IM2 and IM3. This is explained using the image to be scored IM1. The first dart DT1 in the image to be scored IM1 contains multiple pixels. Through the procedures executed by the image processing circuit 31, such as the opening operation, the area of a block can be shrunk inward towards the center of the block to eliminate noise from the outside of the block that may cause calculation errors. The number of pixels in the first dart DT1 is reduced, which not only makes the first dart DT1 in the image closer to its true position, but also eliminates noise that causes errors in the judgment of the segmentation. At this time, the pixels generated by the image processing program are difference signals DS1, DS2, and DS3. Then, the image processing circuit 31 uses the positions of the difference signals DS1, DS2, and DS3 in the reference image as the position P1 of the first dart. That is, the position of the pixels included in the difference signal DS1 in the reference image is used as the position P1 of the first dart in the image captured by the optical capture module 21.

Step S3: Using one or more positioning markers in the image to be scored as a reference, determine the scoring area corresponding to the position of the first dart and obtain the score of the first dart.

This embodiment uses one or more positioning markers in each of the images IM1, IM2, and IM3 to be scored as references to determine the scoring area 111 corresponding to the first dart position P1 and obtain the first dart score S1. For example, four positioning markers 121, 122, 123, and 124 can be used as references. However, the invention is not limited to this, and one or more of the positioning markers 121, 122, 123, and 124 can be used as references. As shown in Figure 4, in the image IM1 to be scored, the control circuit 30 uses the positioning marker 124 closest to the optical extraction module 21 as a reference to calculate the scoring area corresponding to the difference signal DS1, and determines that the score corresponding to the scoring area 111-1 is 5 points. Similarly, the score for scoring area 111-2 corresponding to optical capture module 22 was determined to be 10 points, and the score for scoring area 111-3 corresponding to optical capture module 23 was determined to be 5 points.

Step S4: Count the scores of each first dart to generate the real first dart score.

Within a preset time interval, the control circuit 30 calculates the score of the first dart that appears most frequently from the multiple dart scores corresponding to the optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23, and takes this score as the true first dart score. As shown in Figure 4, the multiple dart scores corresponding to the optical extraction modules 21, 22, and 23 are 5, 10, and 5 points respectively. After calculation by the control circuit 30, the score that appears most frequently is 5 points. Therefore, 5 points is determined to be the true first dart score RS1.

As explained above, this invention can accurately obtain the score of a dart without requiring personnel to judge the dart's landing point image. Furthermore, a specific image processing program can not only improve the accuracy of the control circuit in determining the dart's landing point but also accelerate the image processing calculation speed. Moreover, images obtained from different angles can improve the accuracy of judging the dart's landing point.

Beneficial effects of the implementation example

One of the beneficial effects of this invention is that the automatic scoring target device and automatic target scoring method provided by this invention can obtain the real first dart score through the technical solutions of "optical capture modules at different positions to capture the image to be scored" and "control circuit comparing and statistically calculating the image to be scored".

This invention solves the problem of blind spots in images captured by a single optical capture module causing errors in dart landing point judgment by comparing images obtained by optical capture modules at different positions, thus improving the accuracy of dart landing point judgment.

Furthermore, in the step where the control circuit uses the previous frame image to compare with the image to be scored to determine the dart's position, the control circuit first removes non-scoring areas from the image and corrects the scoring areas in the image to be perfect circles. Next, in the step of comparing different frames of images, image processing is used to compare with the previous frame to obtain the differences. By first correcting the image to be scored and then using image processing to converge the dart's landing point, the amount of data processed in image processing can be reduced and the processing time shortened, while also improving the accuracy of determining the dart's landing point.

The above-disclosed content is merely a preferred feasible embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the contents of the present invention's description and drawings are included within the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

1: Automatic scoring target device 10: Target 110: Target area 111, 111-1, 111-2, 111-3: Scoring area 120: Non-scoring area 121, 122, 123, 124: Positioning markers 21, 22, 23: Optical capture module 30: Control circuit 31: Image processing circuit 40: Mounting frame 50: Light source 60: Memory θ1, θ2, θ3: Angles DT1, DT2: First dart, second dart IM1, IM2, IM3: Image to be scored P1: First dart position S1: First dart score RS1: Actual first dart score DS1, DS2, DS3: Difference signals

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the automatic scoring target device of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the automatic scoring target device of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flowchart of the automatic scoring method of the present invention embodiment.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of steps S2 and S3 of the automatic scoring method of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the image to be scored before and after correction in an embodiment of the present invention.

1: Automatic scoring target device

10: Target

110: Target Area

111: Scoring Zone

120: Non-scoring zone

121, 122, 123, 124: Location markers

21, 22, 23: Optical Extraction Modules

30: Control Circuit

40: Fixture

50: Light source

θ1, θ2, θ3: Angles

Claims (20)

An automatic scoring target device includes: a target, comprising a target area having multiple scoring zones and a non-scoring area, wherein the multiple scoring zones correspond to multiple different score counts, and the non-scoring area is provided with multiple positioning markers; multiple optical capture modules, disposed around the target and configured to capture multiple images to be scored in the target area when a first dart is positioned on the target; a control circuit configured to compare the multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine the position of a first dart, and using one or more of the positioning markers in the images to be scored as references to determine the scoring zone corresponding to the position of the first dart and obtain a first dart score, and then summarizing each obtained first dart score to generate a true first dart score. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 1, wherein the control circuit controls multiple optical capture modules to capture multiple images to be scored within a preset time interval, the preset time interval being between a first time point when the first dart arrives at the target and a second time point when the second dart arrives at the target. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 2 further includes a memory configured to store multiple reference images and multiple images to be scored, wherein each of the optical capture modules captures the target to obtain the corresponding reference image before the first dart is positioned on the target. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 3, wherein any two adjacent optical capture modules form an angle with respect to a center of the target area, and each angle has a predetermined angle. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 2, wherein, within the preset time interval, the control circuit counts the first dart score that appears most frequently from among the multiple first dart scores corresponding to the multiple optical capture modules, and uses this as the real first dart score. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 1, wherein the control circuit further includes an image processing circuit configured to correct the target area in the image to be scored into a predetermined pattern. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 6, wherein the step of comparing multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine the position of the first dart includes: comparing the multiple images to be scored with the reference images as a reference using the image processing circuit to generate a difference signal; and using the position of the difference signal in the reference images as the position of the first dart using the image processing circuit. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 7, wherein the step of generating the difference signal includes performing one or more of an image sharpening procedure, an image binarization procedure, and a morphological opening operation procedure through the image processing circuit. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 1 further includes a mounting frame disposed around the target, and a plurality of the optical capture modules disposed on the mounting frame to completely capture the target. The automatic scoring target device as described in claim 9 further includes one or more light sources disposed on the mounting frame and configured to illuminate at least the target area. An automatic target scoring method includes: Providing a target, including a target area with multiple scoring zones and a non-scoring area, wherein the multiple scoring zones correspond to different multiple score counts, and the non-scoring area is provided with multiple positioning markers, and multiple optical capture modules are disposed around the target; In response to a first dart being positioned on the target, a control circuit controls the multiple optical capture modules to capture multiple images to be scored from the target area; The control circuit performs the following steps: Comparing the multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine the position of a first dart; Using one or more of the positioning markers in the images to be scored as references, determining the scoring zone corresponding to the position of the first dart, and obtaining a first dart score; and The scores for each first dart throw are tallied to generate a true first dart throw score. As described in claim 11, the automatic target scoring method involves a control circuit controlling multiple optical capture modules to capture multiple images to be scored within a preset time interval, the preset time interval being between a first time point when the first dart arrives at the target and a second time point when the second dart arrives at the target. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 12 further includes a memory configured to store multiple reference images and multiple images to be scored, wherein each optical capture module captures the target to obtain the corresponding reference image before the first dart is positioned on the target. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 11, wherein any two adjacent optical capture modules form an angle with respect to a center of the target area, and each angle has a predetermined angle. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 12, wherein, within the preset time interval, the control circuit counts the first dart score that appears most frequently from among the multiple dart scores corresponding to the multiple optical capture modules, and uses this as the true first dart score. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 11, wherein the control circuit further includes an image processing circuit configured to correct the target area in the image to be scored into a predetermined pattern. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 16, wherein the step of comparing multiple images to be scored with multiple reference images to determine the position of the first dart includes: comparing the multiple images to be scored with the reference images as a reference using the image processing circuit to generate a difference signal; and using the position of the difference signal in the reference images as the position of the first dart using the image processing circuit. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 17, wherein the step of generating the difference signal includes performing one or more of an image sharpening procedure, an image binarization procedure, and a morphological opening operation procedure through the image processing circuit. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 11 further includes a mounting frame, which is disposed around the target, and a plurality of the optical capture modules are disposed on the mounting frame to completely capture the target. The automatic target scoring method as described in claim 19 further includes one or more light sources disposed on the fixture and configured to illuminate at least the target area.