Electronic card dealer using method, electronic card dealer and cards

Abstract

The invention discloses a use method of an electronic card dealer. The electronic card dealer comprises the electronic card dealer and a playing card group. The electronic dealer is provided with a control unit, a camera module, a sensing module, a limiting assembly and a display module. The camera module comprises two high-speed optical scanning cameras with opposite mirror images; the invention further discloses a playing card, and the playing card is provided with the two-dimensional identification code. According to the invention, the limiting assembly is arranged for limiting after the dealing of the cards is finished, so that the situation that a card bureau is invalid due to the dealing of multiple cards is avoided, the dispute rate is reduced, the smooth and stable operation of the card bureau is ensured, and the working pressure of a dealer is reduced; a plurality of high-speed optical scanning cameras are arranged for identifying and scanning the cards, so that the stability and efficiency of data acquisition and the precision of subsequent identification are improved, the probability of successful identification of the cards and the identification efficiency are improved in combination with the cards with two-dimensional identification codes, and the stability and the effectiveness are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic card dealers and methods for using the electronic card dealers, and in particular to methods for using the electronic card dealers, the electronic card dealers and playing cards. Background Art

[0002] Poker is one of many live table games played within a gaming establishment. Poker uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards and is typically dealt from a dealer having multiple decks that have been shuffled together prior to starting the game.

[0003] Conventional card dealer devices suitable for use in card games played in casinos or similar occasions have been proposed. For example, the card dealer device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the card dealer device of Patent Document 1, a CCD image sensor and related optical system components are incorporated in the card dealer. Also, a card reading window is provided at the exit of the card dealer. When the card passes through the exit of the card dealer, the suit (type) and the rank (number) of the card are read via the card reading window. This conventional device cannot prevent cheating such as inserting a counterfeit card from the exit of the card dealer. In response to the above problems, Publication No.: 201610830365.6 discloses a card dealer device and a game system, wherein the card dealer device includes a card guide portion that guides cards manually taken out from a card holding unit one by one to a game table, a code reading unit that reads a code indicating a number (digit, point value) of a card from a card when the card is taken out of the card holding unit, a winner / loser determination unit that determines a winner / loser of a card game according to the numbers of the cards sequentially read by the code reading unit, and an output device that outputs a determination result made by the winner / loser determination unit. The card guide unit includes a card entry / exit restriction device that restricts cards from entering / leaving the card holding unit. However, the card dealer device and the game system still have the following problems: 1. The card dealer device has no infinite bit function, and the dealer needs to record the cards when drawing and dealing. The dealer has a lot of manual labor and is prone to dealing too many or too few cards, which leads to disputes and affects the fairness and stability of the entire game; 2. The cards of the existing game system use marked cards. The codes are arranged in a point-symmetrical manner on the upper and lower sides of the card surface. The codes may include a mark M that is invisible to the naked eye. This setting causes the cards to have certain recognition limitations. When the cards are offset, the mark M is also offset, and cannot be recognized or is incorrectly recognized when passing through the acquisition component, resulting in inadequate card recognition, affecting the fairness and accuracy of the game system. Summary of the invention

[0004] This invention is aimed at the current technical deficiencies and provides a method for using an electronic card dealer, an electronic card dealer and playing cards, aiming to solve the technical problems of inaccurate recognition in the method for using an electronic card dealer in the prior art, which leads to slow progress of the poker game and high controversy.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned purpose is:

[0006] A method for using an electronic card dealer comprises the following steps:

[0007] (1) placing one or more decks of playing cards into an electronic card dealer, wherein the deck of playing cards includes a plurality of decks of playing cards, each of which is composed of a plurality of playing cards of different suits; each of the playing cards is provided with a two-dimensional identification code; manually placing the deck of playing cards with the two-dimensional identification code into the electronic card dealer;

[0008] (2) Electronic card dealer mode setting to enter the game: The electronic card dealer is provided with a control unit, a camera module, a sensing module, a limit assembly and a display module; the control unit is provided with a mode selection button and a result output module, and the card dealing mode is selected by the mode selection button. After the selection is completed, the electronic card dealer enters the card dealing stage;

[0009] (3) Identification and analysis during the card dealing stage: Whenever a card is drawn from the electronic card dealing device, the card passes through the camera module and the sensor module, respectively. The camera module and the sensor module transmit the collected image data and scan data to the control unit for calculation and analysis;

[0010] (4) Dealing the cards and displaying the results to enter the next round of the game: When the last card of the current round of the game is dealt in the card dealing stage, the control unit automatically controls the limit assembly to perform a limit action, thereby preventing the card drawing and dealing action from being performed; at the same time, the control unit displays the win, loss or tie result of the current round of the game through the result output module after analysis, and then enters a new round of the game after settlement.

[0011] As a further improvement, the (2) further comprises the following steps:

[0012] (2.1) The mode display buttons include a Standby button, an After Play button, an OK button, and a Cancel button. Press and hold the Standby button for 5 seconds or more to enter the card dealing mode selection stage. After selecting the card dealing mode, press the OK button to confirm the card dealing mode.

[0013] As a further improvement, the (3) further comprises the following steps:

[0014] (3.1) The sensing module includes a first electronic sensing head and a second electronic sensing head; the camera module includes two high-speed optical scanning cameras arranged in mirror images. When the front edge of the playing card passes over the first electronic sensing head, the first electronic sensing head triggers the high-speed optical scanning camera to identify the two-dimensional identification code on the playing card, until the rear edge of the playing card passes over the second electronic sensing head, the shooting and identification action is terminated, and the recognition preparation for the two-dimensional identification code of the new playing card is started;

[0015] (3.2) The high-speed optical scanning camera needs to take photos of more than 30 cards and feed them back to the control unit, where the photo information of the cards contains 4 or more two-dimensional identification codes; the control unit analyzes the two-dimensional identification codes on the cards, and when the number of groups of two-dimensional identification codes recognized by the control unit is greater than one group, the recognition is successful, and the card recognition is successful; if the number of groups of two-dimensional identification codes recognized by the control unit is less than one group, the card recognition is unsuccessful and a prompt is given through the result output module.

[0016] As a further improvement, the (4) further comprises the following steps:

[0017] (4.1) When the current round of games ends, the results are output to the result output module for settlement, and then a new round of games begins; if the current round of games has not ended, it needs to continue and proceed to step (4.2);

[0018] (4.2) When the current round of the game continues, the limit component is opened by controlling the After Play button, so that the card drawing and dealing actions of the current round of the game continue until the current round of the game ends after the settlement and enters a new round of the game.

[0019] An electronic card dealer for implementing the method of using the electronic card dealer, the electronic card dealer comprises a card dealer body, the card dealer body is also provided with a placement cavity, a pushing mechanism is provided in the placement cavity, the pushing mechanism is used for pushing cards and dealing cards; the placement cavity is provided with a card dealing port, the first electronic sensing head is arranged behind or beside the rear side of the high-speed optical scanning camera, the second electronic sensing head is arranged in front of the high-speed light scanner; the limit assembly is arranged behind the high-speed optical scanning camera or the first electronic sensing head; the high-speed optical scanning camera is provided with infrared.

[0020] As a further improvement, the limiting assembly includes two or more micro ejection mechanisms, each of which is provided with a semicircular blocking column; the micro ejection mechanism can be one of a micro electric push rod and a micro cylinder.

[0021] As a further improvement, the control unit is also provided with a control chip, and the control chip is used for data processing; the result output module is connected with a prompt component, and the prompt component can be a display screen or a multi-color prompt light group.

[0022] As a further improvement, the electronic card dealer is also provided with a control circuit board, and the control circuit board is provided with a connecting plug, and the connecting plug is used for electrical connection and electric drive.

[0023] A playing card, wherein the pattern comprises a digital pattern and a suit pattern; the pattern is printed by ordinary ink; the two-dimensional identification code comprises a plurality of groups of invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes, the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code comprises a plurality of special ink dots, and the plurality of special ink dots are printed and covered on the surface of the playing card; the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code is displayed under infrared light and is recognized by the high-speed scanning camera, and the pattern is not displayed under infrared light.

[0024] As a further improvement, the number of the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes is greater than 1500 groups.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the above one or more technical solutions in the method for using the electronic card dealer, the electronic card dealer and the playing cards provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least one of the following technical effects:

[0026] 1. The present invention provides a limit component for the limit effect after the cards are drawn and dealt, thereby limiting the card drawing and dealing action, avoiding the situation where the game is invalid due to multiple card drawing and dealing, reducing the occurrence of disputes, ensuring the smooth and stable conduct of the game, and reducing the work pressure of the dealer;

[0027] 2. By setting a high-speed optical scanning camera for the identification and scanning of playing cards, multiple high-speed optical scanning cameras are used to improve the stability and efficiency of data collection and the accuracy of subsequent identification, thereby improving the fairness of the subsequent use of the electronic card dealer, and combining playing cards with multiple groups of invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes to prevent the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code from not being recognized due to the offset of the playing cards when drawing and dealing cards, the probability of successful identification of playing cards and the identification efficiency are greatly improved, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the game in the entire use of the electronic card dealer.

[0028] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0030] Figure 1 is a flow chart of the method for using the electronic card dealer of this embodiment;

[0031] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic card dealer of this embodiment;

[0032] Figure 3 It is a top view half-section structure schematic diagram of the electronic card dealer of this embodiment;

[0033] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the playing cards of this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the protection scope of the present invention. Figure 1 to Figure 4 , a method for using an electronic card dealer, comprising the following steps:

[0035] (1) placing one or more decks of playing cards into an electronic card dealer 1, wherein the deck of playing cards includes a plurality of decks of playing cards, each of which is composed of a plurality of playing cards 2 of different suits; each of the playing cards 2 is provided with a two-dimensional identification code 20; manually placing the deck of playing cards with the two-dimensional identification code 20 into the card dealer;

[0036] (2) Setting the mode of the electronic card dealer 1 to enter the game: the electronic card dealer 1 is provided with a control unit 3, a camera module 4, a sensor module 5, a limit assembly 6 and a display module 7; the control unit 3 is provided with a mode selection button 8 and a result output module 9, which can be arranged on the top or both sides of the electronic card dealer 1 according to requirements; the card dealing mode is selected by pressing the mode selection button 8, and after the selection is completed, the electronic card dealer 1 enters the card dealing stage;

[0037] (3) Identification and analysis during the card dealing stage: Whenever a card 2 is drawn from the electronic card dealing device 1, the card 2 passes through the camera module 4 and the sensor module 5, respectively. The camera module 4 and the sensor module 5 transmit the collected image data and scan data to the control unit 3 for calculation and analysis;

[0038] (4) Dealing is completed and the results are displayed to enter the next round of the game: When the last card 2 of the current round of the game is dealt, the control unit 3 automatically controls the limit component 6 to perform a limit action, so that the card drawing and dealing action cannot be performed; at the same time, the control unit 3 displays the win, loss or draw result of the current round of the game through the result output module 9, and then enters a new round of the game after settlement.

[0039] The method (2) further comprises the following steps:

[0040] (2.1) The mode display buttons include a Standby button, an After Play button, an OK button, and a Cancel button. Press and hold the Standby button for 5 seconds or more to enter the card dealing mode selection stage. After selecting the card dealing mode, press the OK button to confirm the card dealing mode.

[0041] The method (3) further comprises the following steps:

[0042] (3.1) The sensing module 5 includes a first electronic sensing head 50 and a second electronic sensing head 51; the camera module 4 includes two high-speed optical scanning cameras arranged in mirror images. When the front edge of the playing card 2 passes over the first electronic sensing head 50, the first electronic sensing head 50 triggers the high-speed optical scanning camera to identify the two-dimensional identification code 20 on the playing card 2, until the rear edge of the playing card 2 passes over the second electronic sensing head 51, the shooting and identification action is terminated, and the recognition preparation of the two-dimensional identification code 20 of the new playing card 2 is entered;

[0043] (3.2) The high-speed optical scanning camera needs to take photos of more than 30 playing cards 2 and feed them back to the control unit 3, wherein the photo information of the playing cards 2 includes 4 or more two-dimensional identification codes 20; the control unit 3 analyzes the two-dimensional identification codes 20 on the playing cards 2. When the number of groups of the two-dimensional identification codes 20 identified by the control unit 3 is greater than one group, the identification is successful, and the playing cards 2 are identified successfully; if the number of groups of the two-dimensional identification codes 20 identified by the control unit 3 is less than one group, the identification of the playing cards 2 is unsuccessful and a prompt is given through the result output module 9.

[0044] The method (4) further comprises the following steps:

[0045] (4.1) When the current round of games ends, the result is output to the result output module 9 for settlement, and then a new round of games begins; if the current round of games has not ended, it needs to continue and proceed to step (4.2);

[0046] (4.2) When the current round of the game continues, the limit component 6 is opened by controlling the After Play button, so as to continue the card drawing and dealing actions of the current round of the game until the current round of the game ends after the settlement and enters a new round of the game.

[0047] An electronic card dealer 1 for implementing the method for using the electronic card dealer, the electronic card dealer 1 comprises a card dealer body, the card dealer body is further provided with a placement cavity, a pushing mechanism is provided in the placement cavity, and the pushing mechanism is used for pushing cards and dealing cards; the placement cavity is provided with a card dealing port, the first electronic sensing head 50 is arranged behind or beside the rear side of the high-speed optical scanning camera, and the second electronic sensing head 51 is arranged in front of the high-speed light scanner; the limit component 6 is arranged behind the high-speed optical scanning camera or the first electronic sensing head 50; the high-speed optical scanning camera is provided with infrared rays, and the high-speed optical scanning camera is used for the recognition and scanning of playing cards 2, multiple high-speed optical scanning cameras are used to improve the stability and efficiency of data collection and the accuracy of subsequent recognition, thereby improving the fairness of the subsequent method for using the electronic card dealer, and the combination of playing cards 2 provided with multiple groups of invisible dot matrix two-dimensional recognition codes 20 greatly improves the probability of successful recognition of playing cards 2, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the game in the entire method for using the electronic card dealer.

[0048] The limit assembly 6 includes two or more micro ejection mechanisms, each of which is provided with a semicircular blocking column; the micro ejection mechanism can be a micro electric push rod or a micro cylinder; the limit assembly 6 is used for limiting the position after the cards are drawn and dealt, so that the card drawing and dealing action cannot be performed, avoiding the situation where the game is invalid due to multiple card drawing and dealing, reducing the occurrence of disputes, ensuring the smooth and stable progress of the game, and reducing the work pressure of the dealer.

[0049] The control unit 3 is also provided with a control chip, which is used for data processing; the result output module 9 is connected with a prompt component, which can be a display screen or a multi-color prompt light group, and the prompt component is used for prompting and displaying the results.

[0050] The electronic card dealer 1 is also provided with a control circuit board, and the control circuit board is provided with a connecting plug, and the connecting plug is used for electrical connection and electric drive.

[0051] A playing card 2, wherein the playing card 2 is provided with a pattern, wherein the pattern includes a digital pattern and a suit pattern; the pattern is printed by ordinary ink; the two-dimensional identification code 20 includes a plurality of groups of invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes 20, wherein the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code 20 includes a plurality of special ink dots, and the plurality of special ink dots are printed and covered on the surface of the playing card; the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code 20 is displayed under infrared light and recognized by the high-speed scanning camera, and the pattern is not displayed under infrared light; the number of the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes 20 is greater than 1500 groups, and the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes 20 are arranged on the surface of the playing card 2 in a uniformly distributed manner, and the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code 20 is used to prevent the situation that the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code 20 cannot be recognized due to the offset of the playing card 2 when drawing and dealing cards, thereby improving the recognition effect and efficiency of the playing card 2, increasing the use precision, performance and accuracy of the electronic card dealer 1, improving the user experience effect of the user, and ensuring the fairness and accuracy of the entire poker game.

[0052] The identification code will not be lost even if the card is drawn crookedly. The existing playing cards used in other card shoes only have a few sets of identification codes printed on the four corners of the playing card surface. If you look closely, you can see the identification codes at these positions (especially when reflected light), and the playing card surface looks inconsistent. At the same time, if the card is drawn crookedly, it is easy to fail to scan the identification code and make mistakes.

[0053] The present invention sets a limit component for the limit effect after the cards are drawn and dealt, thereby limiting the card drawing and dealing action, avoiding the situation that the game is invalid due to multiple card drawing and dealing, reducing the occurrence of disputes, ensuring the smooth and stable progress of the game, and reducing the work pressure of the dealer; by setting a high-speed optical scanning camera for the recognition and scanning action of playing cards, multiple high-speed optical scanning cameras are used to improve the stability and efficiency of collected data and the accuracy of subsequent recognition, thereby improving the fairness of the subsequent use method of the electronic card dealer, and combining playing cards with multiple groups of invisible dot matrix two-dimensional recognition codes to prevent the situation that the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional recognition code cannot be recognized due to the offset of the playing cards when drawing and dealing, greatly improving the probability of successful recognition of playing cards and recognition efficiency, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the game in the entire use method of the electronic card dealer.

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Other methods for using an electronic card dealer, an electronic card dealer and playing cards obtained by adopting the same or similar structures, devices, processes or methods as the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for using an electronic card dealer, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: (1) placing one or more decks of playing cards into an electronic card dealer, wherein the deck of playing cards includes a plurality of decks of playing cards, each of which is composed of a plurality of playing cards of different suits; each of the playing cards is provided with a two-dimensional identification code; manually placing the deck of playing cards with the two-dimensional identification code into the electronic card dealer; (2) Electronic card dealer mode setting to enter the game: The electronic card dealer is provided with a control unit, a camera module, a sensing module, a limit assembly and a display module; the control unit is provided with a mode selection button and a result output module, and the card dealing mode is selected by the mode selection button. After the selection is completed, the electronic card dealer enters the card dealing stage; (3) Identification and analysis during the card dealing stage: Whenever a card is drawn from the electronic card dealing device, the card passes through the camera module and the sensor module, respectively. The camera module and the sensor module transmit the collected image data and scan data to the control unit for calculation and analysis; (4) Dealing the cards and displaying the results to enter the next round of the game: When the last card of the current round of the game is dealt in the card dealing stage, the control unit automatically controls the limit assembly to perform a limit action, thereby preventing the card drawing and dealing action from being performed; at the same time, the control unit displays the win, loss or tie result of the current round of the game through the result output module after analysis, and then enters a new round of the game after settlement.

2. The method for using the electronic card dealer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method (2) further comprises the following steps: (2.1) The mode display buttons include a Standby button, an After Play button, an OK button, and a Cancel button. Press and hold the Standby button for 5 seconds or more to enter the card dealing mode selection stage. After selecting the card dealing mode, press the OK button to confirm the card dealing mode.

3. The method for using the electronic card dealer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method (3) further comprises the following steps: (3.1) The sensing module includes a first electronic sensing head and a second electronic sensing head; the camera module includes two high-speed optical scanning cameras arranged in mirror images. When the front edge of the playing card passes over the first electronic sensing head, the first electronic sensing head triggers the high-speed optical scanning camera to identify the two-dimensional identification code on the playing card, until the rear edge of the playing card passes over the second electronic sensing head, the shooting and identification action is terminated, and the recognition preparation for the two-dimensional identification code of the new playing card is started; (3.2) The high-speed optical scanning camera needs to take photos of more than 30 cards and feed them back to the control unit, where the photo information of the cards contains 4 or more two-dimensional identification codes; the control unit analyzes the two-dimensional identification codes on the cards, and when the number of groups of two-dimensional identification codes recognized by the control unit is greater than one group, the recognition is successful, and the card recognition is successful; if the number of groups of two-dimensional identification codes recognized by the control unit is less than one group, the card recognition is unsuccessful and a prompt is given through the result output module.

4. The method for using the electronic card dealer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method (4) further comprises the following steps: (4.1) When the current round of games ends, the results are output to the result output module for settlement, and then a new round of games begins; if the current round of games has not ended, it needs to continue and proceed to step (4.2); (4.2) When the current round of the game continues, the limit component is opened by controlling the After Play button, so that the card drawing and dealing actions of the current round of the game continue until the current round of the game ends after the settlement and enters a new round of the game.

5. An electronic card dealer for implementing the method for using the electronic card dealer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The electronic card dealer includes a card dealer body, which is also provided with a placement cavity, in which a pushing mechanism is provided, and the pushing mechanism is used to push cards and deal cards; the placement cavity is provided with a card dealing port, the first electronic sensing head is arranged behind or beside the rear side of the high-speed optical scanning camera, and the second electronic sensing head is arranged in front of the high-speed light scanner; the limit assembly is arranged behind the high-speed optical scanning camera or the first electronic sensing head; the high-speed optical scanning camera is provided with infrared.

6. The electronic card dealer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The limiting assembly includes two or more micro ejection mechanisms, each of which is provided with a semicircular blocking column; the micro ejection mechanism can be one of a micro electric push rod and a micro cylinder.

7. The electronic card dealer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The control unit is also provided with a control chip, and the control chip is used for data processing; the result output module is connected with a prompt component, and the prompt component can be one of a display screen or a multi-color prompt light group.

8. The electronic card dealer according to claim 7, characterized in that: The electronic card dealer is also provided with a control circuit board, and the control circuit board is provided with a connecting plug, and the connecting plug is used for electrical connection and electric drive.

9. A playing card, characterized in that: The playing cards are provided with patterns, which include digital patterns and suit patterns; the patterns are printed with ordinary ink; the two-dimensional identification code includes multiple groups of invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes, and the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code includes multiple special ink dots, and the multiple special ink dots are printed and covered on the surface of the playing cards; the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification code is displayed under infrared light and recognized by the high-speed scanning camera, and the pattern is not displayed under infrared light.

10. The playing card according to claim 9, characterized in that: The number of the invisible dot matrix two-dimensional identification codes is greater than 1500 groups.

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