Game system

Abstract

The invention provides a game system which is used for playing games using physical game coins and can display images on the upper surface of a game table according to the game coins placed on the upper surface of the game table. The game system (100) is used for playing games using game coins (9) and game cards, and is provided with: a game table (1) having a game table upper surface (11) including a display surface (111) capable of displaying images; cameras (21, 23) which shoot game coins placed on the game table upper surface (11) and generate images; an image recognition device (61) that recognizes the placement content by analyzing the image; a game determination device (3) that reads the content of the game cards distributed to the game table upper surface (11) and determines a game result; and an image control device (7) that displays, on a display surface (111), an image corresponding to the placement content recognized by the image recognition device (61) and the game result determined by the game determination device (3).

Description

[0001] Divisional application This application is a divisional application of patent application filed on June 4, 2024, with application number 202480037292.8, entitled "Game System".

[0002] Cross-referencing of related applications This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-92779, filed on June 5, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This technology relates to a game system for playing games that use game coins. Background Technology

[0004] Previously, there was a known game system for card games that displayed the coin placement area of ​​each player as an image, and changed the display state of the coin placement area according to the game status as the game progressed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-97908).

[0005] However, in the game system of Patent Document 1, although the winning position can be displayed in the winning position during the process of winning or losing, or the position can be lit up or flashed, it is not a change in the display corresponding to the actual placement (first embodiment) or it is not using physical game coins (second embodiment).

[0006] summary Therefore, the purpose of this technology is to provide a game system that can display images on the surface of a game table based on the game coins placed on the table.

[0007] One type of game system is a game system for playing games using game coins and game cards, and has the following structure: a game table having a game table surface, the game table surface including a display surface; a camera that captures images of game coins placed on the game table surface and generates images; an image recognition device that identifies the placed content by analyzing the image; a game determination device that reads the content of the game cards distributed to the game table surface to determine the game result; and an image control device that displays an image of the layout of the placement area on the display surface, wherein the placement area includes multiple placement objects that have been placed in the game due to the placement of the game coins, and displays images of content changes based on the placement content identified by the image recognition device and / or the game result determined by the game determination device on the display surface.

[0008] In the aforementioned game system, the image control device can display the layout, at least during the placement phase.

[0009] The aforementioned game system may also include a discard sensor that detects when the game card is placed into a discard bin for discarding game cards used in the game. When the discard sensor detects the game card, the image control device can display the layout to proceed to the next game.

[0010] In the aforementioned game system, the image recognition device can analyze the image to identify the location, type, and number of game coins, and based on the location, type, and number, identify the placement amount of each placement object as the placement content.

[0011] In the aforementioned game system, at the location identified by the image recognition device, the image control device can display a marker indicating that the game coin has been detected.

[0012] In the aforementioned game system, at each location identified by the image recognition device, the image control device can display a mark corresponding to the placement identified by the image recognition device.

[0013] In the aforementioned game system, near each location identified by the image recognition device, the image control device can display a number indicating the placement amount identified by the image recognition device.

[0014] In the aforementioned game system, the image control device can display a marker indicating that a placement object has the highest placement value, according to the type of placement object in the game and in a manner associated with the placement object having the highest placement value.

[0015] In the aforementioned game system, after the placement phase ends and the placement content is determined, the image control device can display the placement object with the game coin placed on it and the placement object without the game coin placed on it in a distinguishable manner.

[0016] In the game system described above, after the placement phase ends and the placement content is determined, the image control device can eliminate the display of the placement object that does not contain the game coin.

[0017] The aforementioned game system may also include a liquidation determination device, which determines liquidation based on the placement content identified by the image recognition device and the game result determined by the game determination device. During the liquidation phase, the image control device may display an image corresponding to the liquidation determined by the liquidation determination device.

[0018] In the aforementioned game system, for each stack of game coins or each object containing game coins, the liquidation determination device can determine whether the game coins should be recycled or whether the game coins should be repaid. The image control device can display the determination result of the liquidation determination device, i.e., whether the game coins should be recycled or repaid, in a manner associated with the stack of game coins or the object containing game coins.

[0019] In the aforementioned game system, the liquidation determination device can determine the amount of game coins to be repaid, and the image control device can display the repayment amount in a manner associated with the stack of game coins to be repaid or with the object to which the repayment was placed.

[0020] In the aforementioned game system, the placement object may include participating in a lottery game. The game system may also include a lottery execution device, which performs a lottery when the image recognition device recognizes that the game coin is placed as placement content for participating in the lottery game. The image control device may display the image of the lottery game.

[0021] In the aforementioned game system, the image control device can display the carryover amount of the lottery game during the placement phase.

[0022] In the aforementioned game system, the display surface can be a screen with light transmittance, and the image control device can be a projector that projects the image onto the screen from below the surface of the game table.

[0023] In the aforementioned game system, the image control device can be a display device that displays the image, and the display surface can be the display panel of the display device.

[0024] In the aforementioned game system, the display surface can be a screen, and the image control device can be a projector that projects the image onto the screen from above the surface of the game table.

[0025] Another type of game system is a game system for playing games using game coins, and has the following structure: a game table having a display surface capable of displaying images, and the display surface serving as the upper surface of the game table; a camera that captures images of game coins placed on the upper surface of the game table and generates images; an image recognition device that identifies the position, type, and number of game coins placed on the upper surface of the game table by analyzing the images; and an image control device that displays the image corresponding to the recognition result of the image recognition device on the display surface.

[0026] The aforementioned game system may also include a judgment device that determines the outcome of the game, and the image control device may also display an image corresponding to the judgment result of the judgment device on the display surface.

[0027] Another type of game system is a game system for playing games using game coins and game cards, which has the following structure: a game table having a game table surface, the game table surface including a display surface capable of displaying images; a camera that captures images of game coins placed on the game table surface and generates images; an image recognition device that identifies the placed content by analyzing the images; a game determination device that reads the content of the game cards distributed to the game table surface to determine the game result; and an image control device that displays images corresponding to the placed content identified by the image recognition device and the game result determined by the game determination device on the display surface. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the game system in the implementation method; Figure 2 This is an appearance diagram showing the state of the game system using the implementation method; Figure 3 This is a 3D diagram of the game currency used in the implementation method; Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the game system as implemented; Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 6 This is an example diagram showing a portion of an image generated by a camera used to capture game coins in an embodiment of the invention; Figure 7This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 11A This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 11B This is a diagram showing an example of the display surface of the implementation method; Figure 12 This is an example diagram showing an image generated by a camera used to capture images of a player and game coins according to an embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are merely examples of implementing this technology and are not intended to limit the technology to the specific structures described below. When implementing this technology, specific structures corresponding to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0030] In the following embodiments, although the example described is a card game, in which the game system of this technology is applied to a game that uses game coins and game cards, the game system can be applied to games other than card games.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the game system in the implementation method. Figure 2 This is an external view showing the state of the game system using the embodiment. The game system 100 is provided on a game table 1. The game table 1 has a flat game table surface 11. The game is played on the game table surface 11. The game table surface 11 has a display surface 111 that can display images on at least a portion of the game table surface 11. It should be noted that the term "image" in this specification can be an animation or a still image with switchable content.

[0032] The game table 1 has a dealer's side where the dealer is located and a player's side where multiple players are located. On each side of the dealer's side, poles are erected, and two cameras are mounted on the upper part of each pole. Specifically, on the left side, there are: camera 21, which captures images of the game coins placed in the placement area 74 from the left and generates an image; and camera 22, which captures images of the game coins and players in the placement area 74 from the left and generates an image. On the right side, there are: camera 23, which captures images of the game coins placed in the placement area 74 from the right and generates an image; and camera 24, which captures images of the game coins and players in the placement area 74 from the right and generates an image.

[0033] Cameras 21 and 23, which capture the placement area 74, can both capture the entire placement area 74. Therefore, game coins 9 placed at any position in the placement area 74 can be captured by cameras 21 and 23 from different angles. Cameras 21-24 capture images of game coins 9 placed in the placement area 74 from a slightly upward angle. Therefore, cameras 21-24 can identify, based on their captured images, which object (position) of the game coin 9 is placed in the placement area 74 in a two-dimensional configuration, and the type that can be determined from its side. Game coins 9 may be placed in the placement area 74 in a stack, and cameras 21-24 capture the side views of each game coin 9 in the stack and the top surface of the topmost game coin 9.

[0034] The cameras 21 and 23, used to photograph the game coin 9 placed in the placement area 74, have different spatial resolutions than the cameras 22 and 24, which photograph not only the game coin 9 but also the player. As will be described later, the images from cameras 21 and 23 are used to determine the type of game coin 9 based on the pattern on the side of the game coin 9, and therefore have relatively high resolutions. In contrast, the images from cameras 22 and 24 are used to determine the relationship between the game coin 9 and the player operating the game coin 9, and therefore have relatively low resolutions.

[0035] On the dealer's side of the game tabletop 11, there is a card boot 3 containing multiple shuffled decks of game cards. The dealer draws the game cards one by one from the card boot 3 to begin the game. The front of each game card has a code that is invisible under visible light but becomes visible when exposed to ultraviolet light. The code indicates at least the face value and suit of the game card.

[0036] The dealer's side of the game table surface 11 is also provided with a discard bin 4, which is used to discard game cards used in the game after the game ends. The discard bin 4 has a discard inlet 41 exposed on the game table surface 11, and is equipped with a discard sensor 42 for detecting game cards passing through the discard inlet 41.

[0037] The dealer's side of the game table surface 11 also has a coin tray 5 for storing the dealer's game coins 9. If a player places a coin and loses the game, the dealer retrieves the game coins 9 from the placement area 74 and stores them in the coin tray 5. Furthermore, if a player places a coin and wins the game, the dealer pays the placed game coins 9 from the coin tray 5 the amount of game coins 9 awarded according to the rules and the game result.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the game coin according to the embodiment. The game coin 9 has a circular shape. Three layers of color are shown on the side surface forming the circumference in its thickness direction. The middle layer (center line) 91 is a color that is independent of the type (denomination) of the game coin 9, while its upper and lower layers 92 have colors corresponding to the type. Thus, the type of the game coin 9 can be determined based on the colors of its upper and lower layers 92 on its side surface.

[0039] Game Coin 9 has multiple plug-ins 93, which are spaced at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction and extend from the side to the top and bottom surfaces. The plug-ins 93 can be seen from both the side and the top surface. The plug-ins 93 also indicate the type of Game Coin 9 by their color and / or shape (e.g., whether it is a VIP game coin or a general game coin; or a cash code, whether it is a transfer code or a promotional code).

[0040] The game coin 9 has an internal RFID tag 94. The RFID tag 94 stores game coin identification information that uniquely identifies the game coin 9, the type of game coin 9, the casino where it is used, and information related to its manufacture.

[0041] The game coin tray 5 has an antenna 51 inside, which is used to read the RFID tag 94 of the game coins 9 stored in the game coin tray 5.

[0042] Return to Figure 1 The game system 100, located below the surface 11 of the game table (i.e., inside the game table 1), includes a computing device 6, a projector 7, and an RFID reader 52. The computing device 6 is a general-purpose computer that operates according to the program of the implementation method.

[0043] Projector 7 is a device that controls the image displayed on display surface 111 by projecting the image onto display surface 111; it is essentially an image control device. Projector 7 is connected to computing device 6 and projects the image onto display surface 111 based on the control of computing device 6. Projector 7 displays the image on display surface 111 by projecting the image onto display surface 111. Display surface 111 is made of a light-transmitting material (i.e., a transparent or translucent material). Display surface 111 does not have any patterns and is colorless, or if it is colored, it is colored with a single color. If projector 7 projects the image onto display surface 111 from below, then... Figure 2 As shown, the projected image is projected onto the upper surface of the display surface 111, which is above the display surface 111.

[0044] The RFID reader 52 decodes the signal received by the antenna 51 and outputs it to the computing device 6.

[0045] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the game system implemented in this way. The game determination device 3 is... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The card shoe 3 is shown. The game determination device 3 is equipped with a structure for reading the code of the drawn game card. Specifically, the card shoe 3 includes: an ultraviolet lamp (not shown) that irradiates the code representation portion of the drawn game card with ultraviolet light; a code sensor 31 that reads the code visualized by ultraviolet light; and a decoder (not shown) that decodes the code read by the code sensor 31 to determine the suit and face value of the drawn game card.

[0046] Furthermore, the game determination device 3 includes a determination device 32, which determines the game result (player wins, banker wins, tie, player has a pair, banker has a pair, etc.) based on the card values ​​read sequentially from the multiple game cards drawn in sequence and according to the rules of the card game.

[0047] The computing device 6 functions as an image recognition device 61, a clearing determination device 62, a selection execution device 63, and an image generation device 64 by executing the tabletop game program of this embodiment. The tabletop game program can be stored in a non-temporary storage medium and installed on the computing device 6 by reading it from the storage medium. The image recognition device 61 identifies the placement content by analyzing the images generated by the cameras 21-24. The image generation device 64 generates an image based on the placement content identified by the image recognition device 61 and the game stage and game result determined by the game determination device 3.

[0048] Image control device 7 is Figure 2The projector 7 shown. The image control device 7 displays an image on the display surface 111 by projecting an image generated by the image generating device 64 onto the display surface 111. Hereinafter, the image generation performed by the image generating device 64 and the image display performed by the image control device 7 will be described in detail.

[0049] First, the image generation device 64 generates an image of a placement area 74 including multiple placement objects during the placement phase, and the image control device 7 displays the image on the display surface 111. If the discard sensor 42 detects the discard of a game card used in the previous game, the image generation device 64 receives this information and recognizes it as the start of the placement phase of the next game, and generates an image of the placement area 74.

[0050] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the display surface in an embodiment. During the placement phase, the display surface 111 displays... Figure 5 The layout shown includes a placement area 74. Furthermore, in this layout, the dealer's side of the display surface 111 includes a player's hand area 71 for configuring the player's hand and a dealer's hand area 72 for configuring the dealer's hand. Further, this layout includes a jackpot amount (carryover amount) 73 between the player's hand area 71 and the dealer's hand area 72, for the lottery game described later.

[0051] Placement area 74 includes multiple placement objects for players. Figure 5 In the example, each of the six player positions (1-6) has multiple placement objects. The placement areas 74 for each player position are arranged horizontally.

[0052] The placement area 74 for each player's position includes a "Player" area for placing Player Wins, a "Banker" area for placing Banker Wins, a "Tie" area for placing Ties, a "PP" area for placing Player Pairs, a "BP" area for placing Banker Pairs, and a "JP" area for challenging the jackpot.

[0053] In the placement area 74 for each player's position, there are columns arranged vertically for the "Player" area, the "Banker" area, the "PP" area and the "BP" area, the "JP" area and the "Tie" area.

[0054] If the placement phase begins, cameras 21 and 23 continuously capture images at a predetermined frame rate, and send the sequentially generated images to the computing device 6. The image recognition device 61 of the computing device 6 analyzes the images acquired from cameras 21 and 23 to identify the position, type, and number of game coins 9 displayed in the images.

[0055] Figure 6 This is an example diagram showing a portion of an image generated by a camera used for capturing game coins in an embodiment. Since the object placed in the placement area 74 is also shown in the image, the image recognition device 61 identifies the object on which the game coin 9 is placed by recognizing the position of the game coin 9.

[0056] As described above, a stack of game coins 9, forming a stack of game coins 9, is sometimes placed in the placement area 74. In this case, the image recognition device 61 identifies the location of the stack of game coins 900, i.e., the object on which the stack of game coins 900 is placed. Furthermore, as described above, since the cameras 21 and 23 capture images of the placement area 74 displayed on the display surface 111 from an obliquely upward angle, it is possible to capture images of the object on which the stack of game coins 900 is placed, and also to capture images of the sides of each game coin 9 included in the stack of game coins 900.

[0057] As described above, since the side of the game coin 9 has a pattern indicating the type of the game coin 9, the image recognition device 61 can determine the type of game coin 9 included in the game coin stack 900 by analyzing the image. Since the type of game coin 9 corresponds to its value, the image recognition device 61 can identify the value of each game coin 9 included in the game coin stack 900. Furthermore, the image recognition device 61 can calculate the total amount of the game coin stack 900 by adding the values ​​of the multiple game coins 9 constituting the game coin stack 900.

[0058] In this way, the image recognition device 61 analyzes the images obtained from cameras 21 and 23 to identify the placement amount of each object in the placement area 74 as the placement content. In the image analysis performed by the image recognition device 61, a machine learning model or a deep neural network trained through learning can be used. Specifically, the image recognition device 61 can identify the placement content by performing multiple processes, including segmenting the coin stack 900 from the image, identifying each coin 9 by extracting feature parts (e.g., center line) from the coin stack 900, determining the type of each coin 9, and identifying the object on which the coin stack 900 is placed. In this case, different machine learning models and even different neural network models can be used in each process.

[0059] The image recognition device 61 performs the aforementioned processing on the images from camera 21 and camera 23, respectively. As described above, since both camera 21 and camera 23 capture the entire placement area 74, in principle, the game coins 9 placed in the placement area 74 are captured by both camera 21 and camera 23. However, due to the positional relationship of the multiple stacks of game coins 900, there are situations where only one of camera 21 or camera 23 captures a stack of game coins 900, while some or all of the game coins 9 in the stack of game coins 900 are not captured by the other camera because they are in the shadow of other stacks of game coins 900. Even in such cases, the stack of game coins 900 can be captured by either camera 21 or camera 23 and recognized by the image recognition device 61.

[0060] For the stack of game coins 900 identified based on the image from camera 21 and the stack of game coins 900 identified based on the image from camera 23, the image recognition device 61 will identify the stack of game coins 900 located in the same position as the same stack of game coins 900.

[0061] If the image recognition device 61 recognizes the stack of game coins 900, the image generation device 64 generates an image at the position of the display surface 111 corresponding to the position of the stack of game coins 900. The image displays a mark indicating that game coins 9 have been detected and displays a number indicating the total amount of the stack of game coins 900.

[0062] Figure 7 This is a display example of the display surface in the implementation method. In Figure 7 The example shows a stack of coin 900, consisting of three 100-point coins, totaling 300 points, placed in the "Banker" area at player position "4". As described above, since the image recognition device 61 identifies the position of the stack of coin 900 by analyzing images from cameras 21 and 23, the image generation device 64 generates an image at the identified position for displaying a marker (placement marker) 75. The placement marker 75 is a circular marker with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the coins 9. A number 76, representing the total amount of the stack of coin 900, is displayed at a position that forms a predetermined positional relationship with the placement marker 75.

[0063] The image generation device 64 can correct the position of the placement mark 75 through feedback control. That is, as described above, since cameras 21 and 23 continue to capture images after the placement mark 75 is displayed, the image showing the placement mark 75 is input to the image recognition device 61. At this time, the image recognition device 61 can identify the positional relationship between the coin stack 900 and the placement mark 75, and output the result to the image generation device 64. The image generation device 64 can generate an image in which the position of the placement mark 75 is corrected to correspond to the positional relationship between the coin stack 900 and the placement mark 75, that is, the amount of movement corresponding to the offset of the coin stack 900 and the placement mark 75.

[0064] The pattern (shape, color) of the placement marker 75 can vary depending on the total amount of the stack of 900 coins. For example, for each case where the total amount of the stack of 900 coins is less than 100 points, less than 1000 points, and more than 1000 points, the placement marker 75 can be displayed with different colors and / or different shapes.

[0065] The placement marker 75 indicating the position of the stacks of game coins 900 and the number 76 indicating the total amount of the stacks of game coins 900 can disappear after being displayed for a predetermined time from the time the stacks of game coins 900 are detected. The image generation device 64 generates an image showing the placement marker 75 and the number 76 disappearing after the predetermined time has elapsed since they were displayed. In this way, whenever the stacks of game coins 900 are detected using cameras 21 and 23 and the image recognition device 61, the number 76 indicating the placement amount is displayed in real time. Furthermore, if the player decreases or increases the placement amount, cameras 21 and 23 and the image recognition device 61 re-detect the stacks of game coins 900 to re-determine their placement amount and re-display the number 76 indicating the new placement amount.

[0066] In addition, the image generation device 64 determines that the highest-value player position is placed in the "player" area and the highest-value player position is placed in the "banker" area, and displays a mark (view mark) 77 to indicate that the player in that position has the right to see the corresponding hand cards.

[0067] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a display surface for an implementation method. In Figure 8 In the example, because player position 3 placed the highest bet in the "Player" area and player position 4 placed the highest bet in the "Banker" area, a "look" marker 77 is displayed in their respective player positions.

[0068] The image generation device 64 can be configured to display the card-viewing marker 77 at the position of the player who placed the highest amount during the placement phase, change the position of the player displaying the card-viewing marker 77 whenever the position of the player who placed the highest amount changes, or display the card-viewing marker 77 only after the placement phase ends and all placement content of the placement area 74 is determined.

[0069] If the placement phase ends and the card distribution phase begins, the image generation device 64 switches the image displayed on the display surface 111. Therefore, if the first game card is drawn, the card shoe 3, which acts as the game determination device, sends a signal indicating this to the calculation device 6.

[0070] The calculation device 6 determines, based on the signal from the card shoe 3, that the first card has been drawn, marking the end of the placement phase and the start of the card distribution phase. Alternatively, the dealer can make a "NO MORE BET" gesture on the game table surface (typically a palm-down sweep across the placement area 74). Any of the cameras 21-24 captures this gesture, and the image recognition device 61 identifies the gesture, thus determining the end of the placement phase and the start of the card distribution phase.

[0071] After the placement phase ends and the placement content is determined, the image generation device 64 displays the placement object with the game coin 9 and the placement object without the game coin 9 in a distinguishable manner. Specifically, the image generation device 64 highlights the placement object with the game coin 9 by eliminating the display of the placement object without the game coin 9 and maintaining the display of the placement object with the game coin 9.

[0072] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a display surface for an embodiment. Figure 9 An example of the card dealing phase is shown. This image only shows placement objects with Coin 9, and not placement objects without Coin 9. Furthermore, in this example, a "view card" marker 77 is displayed at the corresponding player's position. Further, this example displays the total amount of cards placed at each player's position.

[0073] As described above, the game determination device 3 reads the face value of the game cards drawn one by one and determines the game result. The game determination device 3 sends the determined game result to the calculation device 6. The clearing determination device 62 of the calculation device 6 performs a clearing determination based on the placement content determined by the image recognition device 61 and the game result determined by the game determination device 3.

[0074] With the jackpot already placed, before the liquidation determination device 62 performs the liquidation determination, the drawing execution device 63 executes a drawing game. The drawing result is either a winner or a loser. The drawing execution device 63 uses random numbers to draw and obtains the winning or losing result. While the drawing execution device 63 executes the drawing game, the image generation device 64 generates images to enhance the fun of the drawing game.

[0075] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of a display surface for an implementation method. In Figure 10 The image displayed shows a lottery game. The lottery game image is from a lottery game machine with three reels. If the draw results in a winning result, the image generation device 64 stops each reel as it rotates, ultimately generating images with the same winning pattern. If the draw results in a losing result, the image generation device 64 stops each reel as it rotates, ultimately generating images with different winning patterns.

[0076] As described above, the jackpot prize is the accumulated amount (carryover amount) of the placements made on multiple game tables within the casino that were not drawn until a winner was determined. Therefore, the prize accumulates whenever it is not drawn on other game tables, and decreases when it is drawn on any game table, thus constantly changing the prize amount. Therefore, the image generation device 64 receives the carryover amount based on the placement and drawing results of the jackpots on other game tables at predetermined time intervals (e.g., every 5 seconds), both during the placement phase and the card distribution phase, and updates the carryover amount displayed on the screen.

[0077] It should be noted that the entry fee (placement amount) for the jackpot is a fixed amount (50 points in this embodiment). If, after judging the placement content, the image recognition device 61 determines that a game coin 9 has been placed in the "JP" area, but the amount is not 50 points, it is considered cheating and is reported to the image generation device 64. The image generation device 64 generates an image displaying a warning at the location of the game coin 9 involved in the cheating placement amount for the jackpot.

[0078] If the jackpot draw concludes, the settlement phase begins. During settlement, lost game coins 9 are recovered, and won game coins 9 are repaid. The image generation device 64 displays an image corresponding to the settlement determined by the settlement determination device 62. For each stack of game coins 900 or each object containing game coins 9, the settlement determination device 62 determines whether game coins 9 should be recovered (losing the game) or whether game coins 9 should be repaid (winning the game). Further, for the stack of game coins 900 determined to be eligible for repayment, the repayment amount is calculated according to the game rules.

[0079] The image generating device 64 generates an image that displays whether the game coins should be recycled or should be repaid, either in a manner associated with the stack 900 of the game coins 9 or with the object on which the game coins 9 are placed, and displays the amount of repayment, either in a manner associated with the stack 900 of the game coins 9 that are being repaid or with the object on which the game coins 9 are being repaid.

[0080] Figure 11A and Figure 11B This is a diagram showing an example of a display surface for an implementation method. In Figure 11A and Figure 11B In the example, the image generating device 64 shows a display example of the display surface 111 when the jackpot is not won and the game result is a player win. In this case, the place object that won the game, i.e., the "player" area, is highlighted in color, while the place objects that lost the game, i.e., the other areas, are displayed without color.

[0081] like Figure 11A As shown, columns representing settlement amounts are displayed at each player's position. Starting from the top columns, the numbers are displayed in the following order: placement amount, repayment amount (if repayment occurs), and recovery amount (if recovery occurs). The image generation device 64 generates images based on this display, as follows: Figure 11B As shown, the final settlement amount is obtained by adding and subtracting these amounts. In the case of full recovery (where there are no remaining game coins 9 after settlement, i.e., the actuarial amount is zero), nothing is displayed.

[0082] The image generation device 64 can generate an image in which the repayment amount gradually decreases as the placement amount gradually increases, and the recovery amount (negative) gradually decreases as the placement amount gradually decreases, so as to... Figure 11A The display enters Figure 11B The image is displayed. Furthermore, even in the case of a jackpot win, the image generation device 64 can generate an image showing the carryover amount 73 gradually decreasing as the player's payout increases.

[0083] The settlement determination device 62 can determine whether the settlement was performed correctly. In this case, cameras 21 and 23 continue to record during the settlement phase, and the image recognition device 61 identifies the game coins 9 on the game table 1, including those repaid during the settlement phase. Based on this identification result, the settlement determination device 62 can determine whether the correct amount of game coins 9 won in the game has been repaid according to the rules.

[0084] In addition, based on or instead of the above, the liquidation determination device 62 can also determine whether the liquidation has been performed correctly based on the increase or decrease of the amount of game coins 9 in the game coin tray 5.

[0085] If the liquidation determination device 62 determines whether the liquidation was performed correctly, the image generation device 64 can generate an image that represents the determination result and, in the case of fraudulent liquidation, indicates the placement object that caused the fraud.

[0086] As shown above, according to the game system of this embodiment, the display surface 111, which constitutes at least a portion of the game table surface 11, can display not only images corresponding to the progress of the game, but also images corresponding to the game results of games using physical game cards or the placement of physical game coins 9. These displays are used to guide players in the game or enhance the enjoyment of the game, to assist the dealer in performing operations such as clearing, and to confirm the accuracy of various game operations.

[0087] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the display surface 111 is a screen with light transmittance, and the image control device 7 is a projector that projects images from below the surface 11 of the game table onto the screen, but the display surface 111 and the image control device 7 are not limited to these.

[0088] For example, the image control device 7 can be a display device for displaying images. In this case, the display surface 111 is the display panel of the display device. The display device can be a liquid crystal display device. Alternatively, the display surface 111 can be a screen that is not transparent to light. In this case, the image control device 7 can be a projector that projects images from above the surface 11 of the game table onto the screen. That is, holographic projection can be performed on the display surface 111.

[0089] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments and their variations, the display surface 111 may be covered with a fabric to improve the feel. Alternatively, the display surface 111 may be equipped with a touch sensor, allowing various information to be switched and displayed via touch operation.

[0090] As described above, cameras 22 and 24 generate images including the player and the placed game coins. Image recognition device 61 can analyze these images to associate the player with the stack of placed game coins 900 and determine the placement of each player. This enables customer rating.

[0091] Figure 12This diagram illustrates an example of images generated by cameras used in this embodiment to capture images of the player and game coins. Cameras 22 and 24 can capture images with a larger range than those captured by cameras 21 and 23. The image recognition device 61 analyzes the images generated by cameras 22 and 24 to identify the player's skeletal model and the game coin stack 900, and determines which player placed which game coin stack 900 in the placement area 74 based on the positional relationship between the game coin stack 900 and the hand of the skeletal model.

[0092] In this way, since the image recognition device 61 recognizes the players, the image generation device 64 can generate an image of the placement area based on the number and location of the players. Specifically, the image generation device 64 can generate an image of a placement area for each player, corresponding to the number of players. Alternatively, the image generation device 64 can generate an image of a placement area for each player's object based on the player's location.

[0093] In addition, during the placement phase, card distribution phase, and settlement phase, the image generation device 64 can generate images including background animations, in addition to the displays described above.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a camera captures an image of the placed game coins 9 and generates an image. By analyzing the image, the location of the game coin stack 900, the type and number of game coins 9 included in the game coin stack 900 are identified to determine the content placed. However, as an alternative or based on this, the content can be determined by embedding an RFID antenna inside the display surface 111 to read the RFID tag 94 of the placed game coins 9.

[0095] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the game result is determined by reading the face value of the game cards drawn one by one using the card shoe 3. Alternatively, or based on this, the game result can be determined by reading the drawn cards that are turned over on the game table surface 11 using a camera. In this case, for example, cameras 21 and 23 capture an area including the area where the game cards are arranged (player's hand area 71 and dealer's hand area 72). The image recognition device 61 determines the face value of each hand by recognizing the game cards in the image and determines the game result according to the rules.

[0096] In addition to the image generating device 64 and the image control device 7, a sound generating device and a sound output device may also be provided, and sound may be output along with the image. For example, when the image recognition device 61 detects that a game coin 9 has been placed, it may output a sound indicating that the game coin 9 has been detected.

[0097] Furthermore, it can be configured to turn off the display surface 111 when there are no players, and to use a human sensor to detect players or to continuously perform image recognition from cameras 22 and 24. Then, when the first player arrives at the game table 1 in an empty state, this situation is detected, and the display surface 111 is activated. Additionally, it can be configured to automatically turn off or even enter a sleep state when no more players are detected and a predetermined time has elapsed. When the first player is detected and the display surface 111 is activated, a welcoming animation is displayed.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the jackpot is drawn using a random number by the drawing execution device 63. However, alternatively, the jackpot or non-jackpot can be determined by the face value of the game cards drawn from the card shoe 3. For example, if the face values ​​of the first four game cards drawn are all the same, it can be considered a jackpot win. In this case, the card shoe 3, which serves as a game determination device, functions as a drawing execution device. It should be noted that even in this case, the image of the drawing game can be displayed on the display surface 111 in the same way as in the above-described embodiment.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, an example of a layout for displaying a card game was described. However, the image generation device 64 can generate images of layouts for various card games, or it can generate and display images of layouts that are different each day. Additionally, the image generation device 64 can generate images of layouts for other card games and games other than the card game itself, such as guessing games, or it can select and display images of layouts corresponding to the game being played on the game table 1. Further, the image generation device 64 can generate and display images of layouts with adjusted numbers, sizes, and spacing of placement areas for each player based on the number of players identified by the image recognition device 61. Alternatively, a layout can be completed by combining a portion of the layout printed on the surface 11 of the game table with an image of the layout generated and displayed by the image generation device 64.

[0100] Furthermore, the image generation device 64 can generate an image displaying the total face value of the game cards dealt from the card shoe 3 (which serves as the game determination device) to the game table 1. Specifically, regarding the card game, the image generation device 64 can calculate the total face value or the last digit of the total face value of the multiple game cards constituting the player's hand as the player's hand value, and calculate the total face value or the last digit of the total face value of the multiple game cards constituting the dealer's hand as the dealer's hand value, generate an image including these values, and display it. Further, in the card game, after dealing two cards to the player and the dealer respectively, when further cards should be dealt according to the rules, the image of the hand value of the hand to be further dealt can be made to flash. That is, when a third card should be dealt to the player, the total face value or the last digit of the total face value of the first two cards dealt to the player can be made to flash. The same applies to the dealer. When the third card is to be dealt to the dealer, the total face value of the first two cards dealt to the dealer, or the last digit of that total face value, can be displayed in a flashing manner. Furthermore, for other card games, the total face value of the multiple game cards constituting each player's and the dealer's hands, or the last digit of that total face value, can be calculated, and an image including that value can be generated and displayed.

[0101] Furthermore, the image generation device 64 can also generate and display images that guide players through the game. Specifically, the image generation device 64 can generate and display images that guide players through the following: in a card game or other card game, during the phase where some of the game cards in each hand have already been dealt, which card of which denomination will be dealt next to benefit that hand, or whether that hand can win the game.

[0102] In particular, for game beginners, the image generation device 64 can generate tutorial images such as those explaining the winning conditions for each player based on the placement of each player as recognized by the image recognition device 61. Furthermore, the image generation device 64 can generate warning images when minimum bet or maximum bet conditions are not met. The rules of each game and the winning conditions for main and side bets can be displayed on the game table at all times, or the display can be switched between showing and not showing based on player or dealer actions or hand movements.

[0103] Furthermore, during gameplay, when new placements are possible based on specific conditions, the image generation device 64 can generate and display images informing the player of this situation, as well as images showing new placement areas and odds. For example, in another card game, when placements such as insurance, double placement, and splitting are possible based on the recognition of drawn cards, images urging the player to place such placements can be generated and displayed. Moreover, even in card games, new placements, i.e., "insurance," can be placed during gameplay. For example, when a player (game participant) places a placement against the banker, "banker insurance" can be added to the banker's losses during gameplay. When banker insurance can be placed based on the cards dealt to the player and the banker, a new placement area for banker insurance can be displayed. Furthermore, the payout multiplier for such new placements can be calculated based on the dealt cards and displayed. Additionally, the maximum amount that can be placed (maximum bet) can be calculated and displayed, and an alert is displayed if the placed amount exceeds the maximum bet. Furthermore, the win rate of the placement (the theoretical probability of the placement winning) can be calculated and displayed. The same applies to the case of "player insurance" where a placement is made against the player during the game, where a placement is made against the player's loss.

[0104] In addition, it can generate and display images of past wins and losses on the game table, and update and display the data of this history each time a game ends.

[0105] There is a button at the dealer's feet that can be pressed with the foot. This button allows for changes to the layout and switching of in-game visuals. Layout changes can involve changing the type of game (card game versus another card game, etc.) or changing the layout within the same game. In-game visuals include displaying the last digit of the total value of the drawn cards, showing the game's outcome, and displaying the amount of lost coins recovered and the amount of won coins repaid.

[0106] The part describing the image generation device 64 “generating” an image includes the case where the image generation device 64 selects a suitable image from a plurality of generated and prepared images, and also includes the case where the suitable image is selected from a plurality of generated and prepared images and the selected image is processed or other images are superimposed on the selected image.

[0107] Symbol explanation: 100 Game System 1 Game table 3. Card Boots (Game Decision Device) 4 Waste bins 5 Game Coin Trays 6. Calculation device 7. Projector (image control device) 9 game coins 11 Game tabletop 21~24 cameras 51 antennas 52 RFID readers 61 Image recognition device 62. Liquidation Judgment Device 63. Sampling execution device 64 Image generating device 71. Player's hand area 72. Dealer's hand area 73. Accumulated Bonus Amount (Carryover Amount) 74 Placement Area 75 Placement Markers 76 numbers 77. Card Marking 91 Centerline 92 Upper and lower floors 93 Plugin 94 RFID tags 111 Display Surface A stack of 900 game coins.

Claims

1. A game system for playing games using game currency and game cards, and comprising: A gaming table having a gaming table surface, the gaming table surface including a display surface; A camera that captures images of game coins placed on the surface of the game table; An image recognition device that identifies placed content by analyzing the image; The game determination device reads the contents of the game cards distributed to the surface of the game table to determine the game result; as well as An image control device displays an image of the layout of a placement area on the display surface. The placement area includes multiple placement objects that have been placed in the game due to the placement of the game coins. Based on the placement content identified by the image recognition device and / or the game result determined by the game determination device, an image showing changes in content based on the placement content and / or the placement result is displayed on the display surface.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein, The image control device displays the layout, at least during the placement phase.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein, It also features a waste sensor that detects when the game card has been placed into a waste bin for discarding game cards used in the game. When the discard sensor detects the game card, the image control device displays the layout to proceed to the next game.

4. The game system according to claim 2, wherein, The image recognition device analyzes the image to identify the location, type, and number of game coins, and based on the location, type, and number, identifies the placement amount of each placement object as the placement content.

5. The game system according to claim 4, wherein, At the location identified by the image recognition device, the image control device displays a marker indicating that the game coin has been detected.

6. The game system according to claim 5, wherein, At each location identified by the image recognition device, the image control device displays the mark corresponding to the placement identified by the image recognition device.

7. The game system according to claim 4, wherein, Near each location identified by the image recognition device, the image control device displays a number indicating the placement amount identified by the image recognition device.

8. The game system according to claim 4, wherein, The image control device displays a marker indicating that a placement object has the highest placement value, according to the type of placement object in the game and in a manner associated with the placement object having the highest placement value.

9. The game system according to claim 2, wherein, After the placement phase ends and the placement content is determined, the image control device displays the placement object with the game coin placed on it and the placement object without the game coin placed on it in a distinguishable manner.

10. The game system according to claim 9, wherein, After the placement phase ends and the placement content is determined, the image control device removes the display of the placement object that does not contain the game coin.

11. The game system according to claim 1, wherein, It also includes a liquidation determination device, which determines liquidation based on the placement content identified by the image recognition device and the game result determined by the game determination device. During the liquidation phase, the image control device displays an image corresponding to the liquidation determined by the liquidation determination device.

12. The game system according to claim 11, wherein, For each stack of game coins or each object containing game coins, the liquidation determination device determines whether the game coins should be recovered or whether the game coins should be returned. The image control device displays the result of the liquidation determination device, i.e., whether the game coins should be recycled or should be returned, in a manner associated with the stack of game coins or with the object on which the game coins are placed.

13. The game system according to claim 12, wherein, The liquidation determination device determines the amount of game currency to be repaid. The image control device displays the repayment amount in a manner associated with the stack of game coins to be repaid or with the object to which the repayment is placed.

14. The game system according to claim 2, wherein, The objects to be placed include those participating in the lottery game. The game system also includes a lottery execution device, which performs a lottery when the image recognition device identifies that the game coin is placed as part of the lottery game. The image control device displays the image of the lottery game.

15. The game system according to claim 14, wherein, The image control device displays the carryover amount of the lottery game during the placement phase.

16. The game system according to claim 1, wherein, The display surface is a light-transmitting screen. The image control device is a projector that projects the image onto the screen from below the surface of the game table.

17. The game system according to claim 1, wherein, The image control device is a display device that displays the image. The display surface is the display panel of the display device.

18. The game system according to claim 1, wherein, The display surface is a screen. The image control device is a projector that projects the image onto the screen from above the surface of the game table.

19. A game system for playing games that use game coins, and comprising: A game table having a display surface capable of displaying images, and using the display surface as the upper surface of the game table; A camera that captures images of game coins placed on the surface of the game table; An image recognition device that analyzes the image to identify the location, type, and number of game coins placed on the surface of the game table; and An image control device displays an image corresponding to the recognition result of the image recognition device on the display surface.

20. The game system according to claim 19, wherein, It also includes a determination device that determines the outcome of the game. The image control device will also display the image corresponding to the determination result of the determination device on the display surface.

21. A game system for playing games using game coins and game cards, and comprising: A game table having a game table surface, the game table surface including a display surface capable of displaying images; A camera that captures images of game coins placed on the surface of the game table; An image recognition device that identifies placed content by analyzing the image; The game determination device reads the contents of the game cards distributed to the surface of the game table to determine the game result; as well as An image control device displays an image on the display surface that corresponds to the placement content recognized by the image recognition device and the game result determined by the game determination device.

Images