A shogi board that allows you to play shogi against other people using AI and solve checkmates

Abstract

We provide a shogi board with AI functionality that allows you to play shogi games and solve tsumeshogi problems using camera image recognition and AI. [Solution] The shogi board with AI functions has a shogi board 1, an opponent's piece table, one's own piece table, and a switch box 9a mounted on a stand 6a with locking wheels 8 attached, a vertical stand 6b mounted vertically from the side of the stand, and a speaker 4 and control panel 3 mounted on the vertical stand facing the operator, an upper stand 6c mounted horizontally from the top end of the vertical stand, and an indicator light 7 mounted on the upper stand, and a camera 2 mounted on the tip of the upper stand that can rotate freely in the X and Y directions via a camera stand 6d for photographing the center position of the shogi board facing downward, and the type and orientation of the pieces on the opponent's piece table and the type and orientation of the pieces on one's own piece table are determined, and a game or shogi puzzle is played with audio guidance from the speaker.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a shogi board with built-in AI that can play shogi against other people (games) and shogi problems by switching between the two modes using a selector switch. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, shogi problems are solved independently. The player develops the problems provided in a shogi problem book on the shogi board by themselves, then considers the problem by themselves, and once the problem is completed, they study the answer from the book, the order of the problem they solved, how to use their pieces, etc.

[0003] On the other hand, in human shogi, players face each other across a shogi board, placing all types of pieces in their proper positions and playing according to the rules. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In traditional shogi puzzles, players need to hold the shogi puzzle book in one hand and check each move to solve the puzzle. The difficulty and number of moves depend on the contents of the shogi puzzle book. In human-to-human shogi, there is no recorder, so the amount of time each player spends thinking after making a move is unknown. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above problem, a vertical stand is installed vertically on one side of the stand carrying the shogi board, piece table, and switch box, and an upper stand is installed horizontally above the shogi board from the top of the vertical stand. A speaker and control panel are installed on the vertical stand, and a camera mounting stand is installed on the upper stand, with the camera rotatable in the X and Y directions. A camera control circuit is installed within the control panel, and the placement of the pieces is recognized by having the camera recognize square 81, starting from the upper right of square 81 on the shogi board, and inputting this data into the control circuit. Furthermore, the control circuit is configured to evaluate the progress of the shogi puzzle based on the placement of the pieces and provide advice to the operator via the speaker.

[0006] In human shogi (game), the location of the opponent's move and the location of the player's move will be announced to the player and the opponent by voice over the speaker, just like in tsumeshogi. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] With the configuration of this invention, the AI ​​can determine the opponent's turn, the player's turn, and rule violations, and notify the players with voice and indicator lights, and also determine the winner.

[0008] Furthermore, the AI ​​system can recognize the shogi pieces and their types that exist in the designated positions on all squares of the shogi board, as well as the pieces and types in the opponent's table and your own table, and can be used to play against other players.This means that, unlike traditional shogi puzzles based on shogi puzzle books, it is possible to play shogi puzzles with a greater variety of difficulty levels and moves.

[0009] In the case of human shogi (match), audio from the speakers gives players the opportunity to judge whether their opponent's or their own moves were good or bad, allowing them to use both good and bad moves for the next match. Furthermore, after the match, players can review their moves in post-match discussions, leading to improved skill levels. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the recognition of shogi board squares by a camera in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the recognition of the opponent's piece table by the camera in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how the camera recognizes the player's own piece table in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a view showing a recognition of a piece by a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] This is how to read the square positions on a shogi board in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] The embodiment of this invention is a selector switch for switching between human (game) and shogi puzzles, a digital switch for setting the number of checkmates, and a start button (for both human and shogi puzzles). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Example]

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the present invention. A vertical stand 6b is installed vertically on one side of a stand 6a carrying a shogi board 1, a piece table 5, and a switch box 9a. An upper stand 6c is installed horizontally above the shogi board from the top of the vertical stand. The vertical stand 6b is equipped with a speaker 4 and a control panel 3. The upper stand 6c is equipped with a camera mounting stand 6d, which mounts a camera 2 rotatably in the X and Y directions. The upper stand 6c also has an indicator light 7. Locking wheels 7 are installed at the four corners of the underside of the stand 6a to allow for smooth movement. The switch box 9a is equipped with a selector switch 9b for switching between opponent (game) and shogi puzzles, a digital switch 9c for the number of checkmates, and a start button (for both opponents and shogi puzzles) 9d.

[0013] Furthermore, a control circuit for the camera 2 is installed within the control panel 3, and the placement of the pieces is recognized by having the camera recognize the square 81 on the shogi board, starting from the upper right corner of the square 81, and inputting this into the control circuit. The control circuit not only recognizes the placement of the pieces using its AI function, but also has the function of emitting sound from the speaker 4 and controlling the indicator light 7.

[0014] Furthermore, the material of the stand 6a, vertical stand 6b, upper stand 6c and camera mounting stand 6d is aluminum, and the material of the shogi board 1 is changed from ordinary wood to resin, thereby reducing the weight.

[0015] The operation of the AI-functional shogi board configured as above will be explained. Figure 2 shows a human-to-human game and a tsumeshogi game. The positions of the squares on shogi board 1 are memorized in advance via camera 2. The squares are memorized in order from the player's perspective, starting from the top right. The horizontal axis is the number, and the vertical axis is the kanji numeral. For example, the first square in the top right is read as 1-1. The first player declares the number, and the second player declares the kanji numeral. There are a total of 81 squares, so the top row is 1-1 to 9-1, the second row 1-2 to 9-2, the third row 1-3 to 9-3, the fourth row 1-4 to 9-4, the fifth row 1-5 to 9-5, the sixth row 1-6 to 9-6, the seventh row 1-7 to 9-7, the eighth row 1-8 to 9-8, and the ninth row 1-9 to 9-9, for a total of 81 squares to declare. Pieces are identified for their orientation, type, and promotion when placed in their designated positions on each square. During a game, when your opponent or yourself moves a piece, the position of the piece, the type of piece, the promotion status, etc. are announced by voice each time.

[0016] Next, Figure 3 shows how the camera recognizes the opponent's piece table. When a piece is moved from the opponent's piece table, the brought-out piece is recognized, and at the time of the move, the type of piece brought out and its position on the shogi board are announced by voice. Pieces are placed face up. During the game, after the opponent moves a piece, the position of the piece, the type of piece, the promotion status, etc. are announced by voice each time.

[0017] Figure 4 shows how the camera recognizes the player's own piece table. When a piece is moved from the player's own piece table, the player recognizes the piece being brought out and announces the type of piece brought out and its position on the shogi board at the time of the move by voice. Pieces are placed face up. During the game, after each player's piece is moved, the player is notified by voice of the piece's position, type, promotion status, etc.

[0018] In addition, the AI ​​will also be trained to remember any rule violations in shogi puzzles and will notify players by voice during the game.

[0019] Figure 5 shows how the camera recognizes the pieces. The camera learns the front and back faces of each piece, as well as the orientation of each piece. All of these pieces are recognized and learned by AI.

[0020] Figure 6 shows the names of the 81 squares on a shogi board. First, read the numbers on the horizontal axis, then the kanji numbers on the vertical axis.

[0021] Next, we will explain the procedure for solving tsumeshogi problems on the AI ​​shogi board of this invention. Select the tsumeshogi problem using the human (game) and tsumeshogi selector switch 9b. Next, after setting the number of tsumeshogi problems using the tsume-count digital switch 9c, press the start button 9d, and a voice will be emitted from the speaker 4 instructing the player to place the tsumeshogi pieces. The player must place the opponent's pieces, their own pieces, and the pieces on the hand piece table 5 in accordance with the voice instructions. The decision as to whether the piece placement is complete is made based on a delay time after the AI ​​in the camera 2 and control panel 3 has learned the situation.

[0022] Once the placement of the pieces is complete, press the start button 9d again, then first place your own pieces in the location you think is correct. The AI ​​shogi board will read out the placement of the pieces aloud. It will then determine whether the placement is correct and provide audio advice. After the placement of your own pieces has been decided, the AI ​​shogi board will then give instructions over speaker 4 on the placement of the opponent's pieces. The operator follows those instructions to place the opponent's pieces. Then, place your own pieces in the location you think is correct. The AI ​​shogi board will read out the placement of the pieces aloud. It will then determine whether the placement is correct and provide audio advice. After this, the player will alternate between placing the opponent's pieces and their own pieces to progress through the shogi problem, and this process will be repeated until the problem is completed.

[0023] Next, we will explain the procedure for playing human shogi (match) on the AI ​​shogi board of this invention. Human (match) and checkmate selector switch 9b are used to select human. Checkmate count digital switch 9c is disabled. In this state, when start button 9d is pressed, a sound is emitted from speaker 4 to indicate the start. Each time you and your opponent take turns making a move, a sound is emitted to announce the position of the piece, the state of the piece (promotion), and the state of the pieces in hand. The decision as to whether the placement of the pieces is complete is made based on a delay time after the AI ​​in camera 2 and control panel 3 has learned the situation.

[0024] In a human game, players take turns playing until one player declares, "I give up." When the game is over, the AI ​​determines the winner (first or second player) and how many moves the player has lost, and announces this through Speaker 4.

[0025] If the placement of one's pieces during the human game or shogi puzzle differs from the AI's judgment or if the rules are violated, the speaker 4 emits a sound and the indicator light 7 lights up to notify the operator.

[0026] If the machine recognizes the hands, head, or clothing of anyone other than the shogi pieces on the board and the table, it will enter a standby state and will notify you with a voice prompt after a certain period of time has passed.

[0027] With the above configuration, players can solve tsumeshogi puzzles by following the voice guidance of the AI ​​shogi board without using a shogi book. In the case of human-to-human matches, the game proceeds under the supervision of the AI. In addition, when playing against other players, players can enjoy the game by following the rules while communicating with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1 Shogi board (made of resin) 2 Cameras 3 Control Panel 4 speakers 5. Piece table 6a Stand (aluminum) 6b Vertical stand (aluminum) 6c Stand (aluminum) 6d Camera mounting stand (aluminum) 7 Indicator light 8 Lockable wheels 9a Switch Box 9b Interpersonal (game) and checkmate selector switch 9c Digital switch for number of times of packing 9d Start button (for both PvP and Tsumeshogi)

Claims

[Claim 1] A shogi board, a table for opponent's pieces, a table for player's pieces and a switch box are mounted on a stand fitted with locking wheels, a vertical stand is mounted vertically from the side of the stand, a speaker and a control panel are mounted on the vertical stand for the operator, and the speaker is equipped with audio guidance functions for player-versus-player (games) and shogi puzzles, an upper stand is mounted horizontally from the top end of the vertical stand, an indicator light is mounted on the upper stand, and a camera is mounted at the tip of the upper stand via a camera stand for photographing the centre position of the shogi board downwards, and is rotatable in the X and Y directions, and the camera can record the positions of the squares on each shogi board, the position of the opponent's piece table, The control panel is provided with a function that reads the position of the player's piece table, the direction of each piece, and the front and back of each piece with a camera and judges this with an AI function control circuit, the switch box is provided with a selector switch for switching between human (match) and shogi checkmate, a digital switch for the number of checkmates and a start button, the player is provided with a function to play human (match) or shogi checkmate by audio guidance from a speaker, the player is provided with a function to announce the type, direction and position of pieces played during a game by audio, and a function to announce the details of the foul by audio if a foul is committed, and the shogi board with AI functions is made of resin, the opponent's piece table and the player's piece table.

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