Chess set

Abstract

Provided is a chess equipment, comprising: a chessboard capable of forming a plurality of chess grids; and a chess position selection unit configured to select one of the chess grids, the selected chess grid being referred to as a selected chess grid; wherein the chess position selection unit comprises a fixed part and a rotating ring, the rotating ring being configured to rotate relative to the fixed part between at least two rotating positions to select one of the chess grids; wherein: at least a part of the rotating ring is arranged around the chessboard; and / or the chess equipment comprises a main body, and at least a part of the rotating ring is arranged around at least a part of the main body or on an end of the main body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of puzzle game devices, and more specifically to a board game device. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional board games, such as Flip Chess, rely on a physical board, physical pieces, and manual movement of those pieces for operation, which presents several problems. First, physical pieces are easily lost, making them extremely inconvenient to carry, and the game requires a specific location, preventing play anytime, anywhere. Second, traditional board games lack any human-computer interaction, making them tedious and failing to maintain player interest for extended periods. Furthermore, choosing a move relies entirely on the user's visual and mental judgment, with the device itself offering no interactive assistance. These issues all contribute to a poor user experience and low satisfaction.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need to propose a new chess-playing device that can overcome the problems of existing technologies and bring other advantages. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, this disclosure proposes a chess-playing device. According to one embodiment, the chess-playing device includes:

[0005] A chessboard can form multiple squares;

[0006] A move selection unit is configured to select one of the chess squares, the selected square being referred to as the selected square; wherein, the move selection unit includes a fixed part and a rotating ring, the rotating ring being configured to rotate relative to the fixed part between at least two rotational positions to select one of the chess squares; wherein: at least a portion of the rotating ring is arranged around the chessboard; and / or

[0007] The chess-playing device includes a main body, and at least a portion of the rotating ring is disposed around at least a portion of the main body or at an end of the main body.

[0008] According to some embodiments, the rotating ring is configured to rotate relative to the fixed part about a rotation axis to select one of a plurality of rotational positions, thereby selecting one of the checkerboard squares accordingly.

[0009] According to some embodiments, one of the rotating ring and the fixed part is provided with a first mating surface and a plurality of first mating parts provided on the first mating surface, each first mating part corresponding to one of the plurality of rotational positions; the other of the rotating ring and the fixed part is provided with a second mating part, the second mating part being configured to cooperate with the plurality of first mating parts to position the rotating ring at each of the rotational positions.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the first mating part is a groove, which is configured to receive at least a portion of the second mating part to position the rotating ring at a corresponding rotational position.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the second mating part is configured such that when the rotating ring rotates relative to the fixed part and at least a portion of the second mating part enters the groove from outside the groove, the at least a portion of the second mating part contacts and impacts the bottom and / or sidewall of the groove.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the two circumferential end faces of the groove are configured as inclined surfaces that converge toward each other from the opening side to the bottom side of the groove.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the second mating part is disposed on the fixing part and includes an elastic member connected to the fixing part.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the first mating surface is disposed on the rotating ring, and the elastic element is configured such that: when it is opposite to the other part of the first mating surface except for the groove, at least a portion of the elastic element abuts against the first mating surface to compress the elastic element; when it is opposite to the groove, at least a portion of the elastic element extends to release the elastic force and enters the groove to position the rotating ring at the corresponding rotational position.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the elastic element includes a leaf spring, the leaf spring including a positioning portion and a connecting portion, the connecting portion being connected to the fixing portion, and the positioning portion being configured to: abut against the first mating surface to compress the leaf spring; and enter the groove to position the rotating ring at a corresponding rotational position.

[0016] According to some embodiments, the positioning part is configured to have a U-shaped structure and includes a base and a first leg and a second leg extending from the base; the connecting part includes a first connecting leg and a second connecting leg connected to the fixing part; wherein the first connecting leg is connected to the first leg and the second connecting leg is connected to the second leg.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the first connecting leg and the second connecting leg extend away from each other from the connecting portions that are respectively connected to the first leg and the second leg.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the second mating part is a positioning element that mates with the elastic element;

[0019] The second mating part is configured such that when it is opposite to the other part of the first mating surface except for the groove, the positioning member abuts against the first mating surface to compress the elastic member; when it is opposite to the groove, the elastic member extends to release elastic stress and bias the positioning member into the groove, thereby positioning the rotating ring in the corresponding rotation position.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the positioning element is a ball;

[0021] The elastic element is a spring sheet, and the spring sheet is provided with a recess;

[0022] Wherein, the maximum cross-section of the recess is smaller than the maximum cross-section of the bead, so that at least a portion of the bead is seated in the recess, and the bead is configured to be able to roll in the recess.

[0023] According to some embodiments, the plurality of first mating parts are evenly distributed in a ring around the rotation axis.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the outer surface of the rotating ring is provided with grooves.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the outer surface of the rotating ring includes a first surface and a second surface that extend laterally relative to each other, and the groove is disposed on the first surface and / or the second surface.

[0026] According to some embodiments, the chessboard is inscribed within the rotating ring.

[0027] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device includes a circular cover plate, the chessboard forming at least a portion of the circular cover plate, and at least a portion of the rotating ring arranged around the circular cover plate.

[0028] According to some embodiments, the body includes a cylindrical portion, and at least a portion of the rotating ring is disposed around the cylindrical portion.

[0029] According to some embodiments, the chess placement selection unit includes a sensing component configured to generate a rotation position sensing signal when the rotating ring switches between the plurality of rotation positions.

[0030] According to some embodiments, the sensing component includes a second sensing element that is fixedly disposed and a first sensing element that is configured to rotate integrally with the rotating ring, wherein the first sensing element and the second sensing element are capable of sensing each other to generate the rotation position sensing signal.

[0031] According to some embodiments, the rotating ring is configured to rotate relative to the fixed portion in opposite first and second circumferential directions to select one of the plurality of rotational positions.

[0032] According to some embodiments, the sensing component is configured to sense the rotation direction of the rotating ring relative to the fixed portion.

[0033] According to some embodiments, the first sensing element includes a plurality of magnets;

[0034] The second sensing element includes a Hall sensor.

[0035] According to some embodiments, the rotating ring is provided with a magnet receiving groove for accommodating the corresponding magnet.

[0036] According to some embodiments, the first mating surface includes a plurality of teeth, which are alternately arranged with a plurality of grooves; the magnet receiving groove is disposed at the teeth.

[0037] According to some embodiments, the fixing part is disposed radially inside the first mating surface of the rotating ring; the first mating surface is the radially facing surface of the rotating ring.

[0038] According to some embodiments, the magnet receiving groove is disposed on the axially facing surface of the rotating ring.

[0039] According to some embodiments, the first sensing element includes a plurality of first light-sensing units and a plurality of second light-sensing units, the plurality of first light-sensing units and the plurality of second light-sensing units being alternately arranged with each other; the second sensing element includes a photoelectric encoder, the photoelectric encoder being configured to sense the plurality of first light-sensing units and the plurality of second light-sensing units.

[0040] According to some embodiments, one of the first light-sensing portion and the second light-sensing portion is a white light-sensing portion, and the other is a black light-sensing portion.

[0041] According to some embodiments, the plurality of first photosensitive parts and the plurality of second photosensitive parts are disposed on the axially facing surface of the rotating ring that is radially and / or axially offset from the first mating surface; or

[0042] The plurality of first light-sensing parts and the plurality of second light-sensing parts are disposed on the first axial facing surface of the rotating ring, and the first mating surface is disposed on the second axial facing surface of the rotating ring opposite to the first axial facing surface; or

[0043] The first mating surface is disposed on one of the radial surface and the axial surface of the rotating ring, and the plurality of first photosensitive parts and the plurality of second photosensitive parts are disposed on the other of the radial surface and the axial surface of the rotating ring.

[0044] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device is a flip chess set.

[0045] According to some embodiments, the chess device further includes a display module, which includes a chess square display unit corresponding to each chess square. The chess square display unit is configured to have an on state and an off state and to provide indication information about the state of the corresponding chess square.

[0046] According to some embodiments, the display module is configured such that, when the move position selection unit operates, the grid display unit corresponding to the selected grid provides selection indication information.

[0047] According to some embodiments, the display module is configured to cause the chess square display unit corresponding to the selected chess square to provide the selection indication information based on the rotation position sensing signal.

[0048] According to some embodiments, the plurality of chess squares includes optional chess squares, and the chess square selected by the chess placement selection unit is one of the optional chess squares. The chess square display unit is also configured to provide optional indication information in the lit state to indicate that the corresponding chess square is an optional chess square.

[0049] According to some embodiments, the optional squares include a selected square and other optional squares besides the selected square; the optional indication information includes a first optional indication information indicating the selected square and a second optional indication information indicating the other optional squares, wherein the first optional indication information and the second optional indication information are different from each other.

[0050] According to some embodiments, the display module is configured such that when the move position selection unit operates to select the selected square, the square display unit corresponding to the selected square switches from displaying the second optional indication information to displaying the first optional indication information.

[0051] According to some embodiments, the display module is configured to switch the display unit corresponding to the selected square from displaying the second optional indication information to displaying the first optional indication information based on the generation of the rotation position sensing signal.

[0052] According to some embodiments, a chess square that can be selected by the chess placement selection unit in a game step is called an optional chess square. The chess device includes multiple optional chess squares, which have a first sort and a second sort, wherein the second sort is the inversion of the first sort.

[0053] The piece placement selection unit is configured to be used in one game step:

[0054] When the rotating ring rotates along the first circumferential direction to pass through at least one of the plurality of rotating positions and selects one of the plurality of rotating positions, at least one of the plurality of optional squares is traversed according to the first sorting and the corresponding optional square is selected.

[0055] When the rotating ring rotates along the second circumferential direction to pass through at least one of the plurality of rotating positions and selects one of the plurality of rotating positions, at least one of the plurality of optional squares is traversed according to the second sorting and the corresponding optional square is selected.

[0056] According to some embodiments, the plurality of chess squares includes first-party activated chess squares and second-party activated chess squares; the chess device further includes an advantage / disadvantage indication module, which is configured to provide advantage / disadvantage information indicating the advantage / disadvantage between the number of currently first-party activated chess squares and the number of currently second-party activated chess squares.

[0057] According to some embodiments, the advantage / disadvantage indication module includes an indicator light assembly, which includes multiple indicator light units, each of which is called an LED bead.

[0058] According to some embodiments, during the game of the chess device, the multiple LED beads of the indicator light assembly include first-state LED beads in a first state and second-state LED beads in a second state, the second state being different from the first state;

[0059] The indicator light assembly is configured to provide the advantage / disadvantage information via at least one of the following:

[0060] The number of LEDs in the first state and the number of LEDs in the second state;

[0061] The percentage of the number of LEDs in the first state among the plurality of LEDs, and / or the percentage of the number of LEDs in the second state among the plurality of LEDs;

[0062] The ratio of the area occupied by the first state LED to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly, and / or the ratio of the area occupied by the second state LED to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly.

[0063] According to some embodiments, the indicator light assembly is configured as a closed light strip and is radially located between at least a portion of the rotating ring and the chessboard.

[0064] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device includes a circular cover plate, the chessboard forming at least a portion of the circular cover plate, at least a portion of the rotating ring being disposed around the circular cover plate, and the light strip being radially located between at least a portion of the rotating ring and the cover plate.

[0065] According to some embodiments, the rotating ring, the light strip, and the cover plate all have a circular shape, and at least a portion of the cover plate, the light strip, and the rotating ring are arranged one after another in the radial direction, with the at least a portion of the rotating ring located on the outermost radial side.

[0066] According to some embodiments, the light strip is disposed axially inside at least a portion of the rotating ring, and the at least a portion of the rotating ring is light-transmitting. Attached Figure Description

[0067] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this disclosure and should not be considered as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In the drawings:

[0068] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a chess-playing device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0069] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a chess-playing device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0070] Figure 3 This is a partially exploded perspective view of a chess-playing device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0071] Figure 4 This is an exploded perspective view of a chess-playing device according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0072] Figure 5-7 A schematic plan view of a chess device according to a first variant is shown, illustrating the chess squares and the first move position confirmation unit, and an exemplary flipping process is also shown.

[0073] Figure 8 A three-dimensional schematic diagram shows the main body of the chess equipment, the mode switching component, the control module, the chess grid display unit, and the indicator light assembly.

[0074] Figure 9-13 The illustration schematically shows the flipping process of a game step, in which... Figure 9-10 This shows the state before the flipping process begins. Figure 11-12 The state during the flip is shown. Figure 13 The state after the flip is completed is shown;

[0075] Figure 14 It shows from Figure 13 The next game step is generated automatically;

[0076] Figure 15-18The power-on states of different embodiments are shown;

[0077] Figures 19-20 An exemplary structure of the move selection unit is shown;

[0078] Figure 21-22 Another exemplary structure of the move selection unit is shown;

[0079] Figure 23 This illustrates yet another exemplary structure of the move selection unit;

[0080] Figure 24-26 An exemplary structure of the sensing component of the chess move selection unit is shown;

[0081] Figure 27-28 Another exemplary structure of the sensing component of the chess move selection unit is shown;

[0082] Figures 29-30 A cross-sectional view of a chess device according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0083] List of reference numerals

[0084] 10 chess and card games equipment

[0085] 11 First Occupation Site

[0086] 12 Second Occupation Site

[0087] 13 Third Occupation Site

[0088] 14 Fourth Occupation Site

[0089] 20 main bodies

[0090] 21 bottom wall

[0091] 22nd week wall

[0092] 23 Receiving Cavity

[0093] 30 cover plate

[0094] 40 mode switching components

[0095] 100 chessboard

[0096] 100a checkerboard area

[0097] 110 chessboard

[0098] 110a Enable chess squares, occupy chess squares

[0099] 110a1 First Party Enables Chess Grid

[0100] 110a2 Second Party Enables Chess Grid

[0101] 110b Inactive squares, unoccupied squares

[0102] 110b1 Optional checkerboard

[0103] 110b2 Unselectable checkerboard

[0104] The chessboard selected by 110c

[0105] 300 display module

[0106] 310 checkerboard display unit

[0107] 400 control module

[0108] 410 circuit board

[0109] 500 and 700 user input units

[0110] 600 move selection units

[0111] 610 Fixing Part

[0112] 611 leaf spring

[0113] 6111 Positioning Department

[0114] 61110 base

[0115] 61111 First Leg

[0116] 61112 Second Leg

[0117] 6112 Connecting part

[0118] 61121 First connecting leg

[0119] 61122 Second connecting leg

[0120] 612 elastic element

[0121] 6121 concave part

[0122] 613 positioning component

[0123] 620 rotating ring

[0124] 621 First Rotating Ring Section

[0125] 622 First Rotating Ring Section

[0126] 623 First mating surface

[0127] 624 First mating part, groove

[0128] 625 teeth

[0129] 626 external surface

[0130] 6261 First surface, outer axial surface

[0131] 6262 Second page

[0132] 6263 Roughness-enhancing structure

[0133] 627 Outer Axial End Plate

[0134] 6311 magnet

[0135] 6312 First Light Sensor

[0136] 6313 Second Light Sensor

[0137] 6321 Hall Sensor

[0138] 6322 photoelectric encoder

[0139] 800 indicator light assembly, light strip

[0140] 810 indicator light unit, LED beads

[0141] 811 first state LED

[0142] 812 second-state LED

[0143] 820 indicator light assembly cover

[0144] 821 LED light transmission section

[0145] 822 LED light-blocking section

[0146] 900 battery module

[0147] X1 First Axis

[0148] X2 Second Axis Detailed Implementation

[0149] The chess-playing device according to embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0150] Therefore, the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed disclosure, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0151] Unless the context otherwise defines, the singular form includes the plural form. Throughout this specification, the terms “comprising,” “having,” etc., are used herein to specify the presence of the stated features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0152] Furthermore, even though ordinal terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish one component from other components. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component.

[0153] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the disclosed product is in use, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. They are only used to facilitate the description of this disclosure and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this disclosure.

[0154] This disclosure proposes a chess-playing device 10. According to one embodiment, such as Figure 1-4 Figures 25, 29-30 schematically illustrate that the chess-playing device 10 includes a chessboard 100 capable of forming a plurality of squares 110. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 has square-dividing structures on or within the chessboard 100, such as grooves, ridges, flat lines, or lines engraved inside the chessboard 100 by laser to form the square-dividing structures, thereby dividing the chessboard 100 into a plurality of squares 110. Alternatively or additionally, the chessboard 100 can form the plurality of squares 110 by projection or illumination from other components. According to an exemplary embodiment, the chess-playing device 10 also includes a body 20, on which the chessboard 100 is supported or mounted. More specifically, the body 20 may be provided with a receiving cavity 23, which may accommodate other components of the chess-playing device 10, such as a battery module 900. According to an exemplary embodiment, the chessboard 100 constitutes at least a portion of a cover 30 that closes the opening of the receiving cavity 23.

[0155] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2-7As shown in Figures 9 and 11-17, the plurality of squares 110 on the chessboard 100 are arranged in an array. In one embodiment, the plurality of squares 110 on the chessboard 100 are arranged in a rectangular array, more specifically in multiple rows and / or multiple columns. According to an exemplary embodiment, the chessboard 100 is an 8×8 rectangular array. In one embodiment, the plurality of squares 110 on the chessboard 100 are arranged in a square array; more specifically, the plurality of squares 110 are arranged in multiple rows and multiple columns. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 has a regular overall shape. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 has a circular, elliptical, rectangular, or oblong shape. According to some embodiments, the entire chess-playing device 10 may be cylindrical, such as cylindrical or prismatic.

[0156] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4 Figures 10-30 schematically illustrate that the chess-playing device 10 may further include a move selection unit 600 configured to select one of the squares 110. More specifically, the move selection unit 600 is configured to perform a selection operation to select one of the squares 110 for "making a move," and the selected square 110 may be referred to as "selected square 110c." More specifically, in the current game step, the move selection unit 600 can be operated by the player to select which square 110 to "make a move." According to some embodiments, the move selection unit 600 may generate a selection sensing signal when performing a selection operation. More specifically, the generation of the selection sensing signal indicates the occurrence of a selection operation and the selection of the selected square 110c.

[0157] According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to automatically switch game steps during the game. More specifically, the chess device 10 is configured to operate the conversion module in the current game step to convert the selected chess square and the associated opponent's enabled chess square into the current player's enabled chess square, and then immediately or after a period of time, the chess device 10 proceeds to the next game step.

[0158] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 5-7As shown in Figures 9 and 11-17, the plurality of chess squares 110 in the chess-playing device 10 are divided into occupied chess squares 110a (also known as active chess squares 110a) and unoccupied chess squares 110b (also known as inactive chess squares 110b) according to their state. Occupied chess squares 110a are chess squares 110 that are in an occupied or active state; more specifically, occupied chess squares 110a are chess squares 110 that have already been "placed." Unoccupied chess squares 110b are chess squares 110 that are in an unoccupied or inactive state; more specifically, unoccupied chess squares 110b are chess squares 110 that have not yet been placed. It should be noted that, in the context of this document, the terms "occupied" and "active," and "unoccupied" and "inactive," are interchangeable.

[0159] According to some embodiments, the move selection unit 600 is configured to select a move from the non-occupied squares 110b. More specifically, the move selection unit 600 is configured to perform its selection operation only on non-occupied squares 110b, and has no effect on occupied squares 110a. In other words, during game steps, the move selection unit 600 is configured to only "access" or select non-occupied squares 110b when performing a selection operation, and cannot "access" or select occupied squares 110a. More specifically, occupied squares 110a are not the selection target of the move selection unit 600, so the operation of the move selection unit 600 will avoid all active squares 110a, and only select one square 110 from the range of non-active squares 110b. This allows the user's selection operation via the move selection unit 600 to be more targeted, saves unnecessary steps, speeds up the game process, and prevents the user from becoming annoyed by cumbersome selection operations.

[0160] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9 , 14-17 schematically illustrates that the inactive square 110b includes an optional square 110b1. More specifically, in the current game step of a game phase, the inactive square 110b may include an optional square 110b1 and an unselectable square 110b2. The optional square 110b1 is an inactive square 110b that can be selected by the current player for placing a piece in the current game step, and more specifically, it can be converted into an active square 110a by the current player. More specifically, the unselectable square 110b2 is a square 110 that cannot be selected for placing a piece in the current game step. According to some embodiments, the placement position selection unit 600 is configured to select one of the optional squares 110b1 for placing a piece. According to some embodiments, the move selection unit 600 is configured to only "access" or select optional squares 110b1 among inactive squares 110b when performing a selection operation, and cannot "access" or select unselectable squares 110b2 among active squares 110a and inactive squares 110b. More specifically, active squares 110a and unselectable squares 110b2 are not selection targets of the move selection unit 600. Therefore, the operation of the move selection unit 600 avoids all active squares 110a and all unselectable squares 110b2, and only traverses at least one of the optional squares 110b1 within the range of optional squares 110b1 to select the desired square. This further facilitates the user's selection operation, eliminates unnecessary user operations, enhances the user's focus and interest, and helps to speed up the game progress.

[0161] According to some embodiments, in a corresponding game phase, the enabled grid 110a includes a first-party enabled grid 110a1 and a second-party enabled grid 110a2 that are in an enabled state. According to some embodiments, the first-party enabled grid 110a1 belongs to the first player in the game of the chess device 10, and the second-party enabled grid 110a2 belongs to the second player. According to an exemplary implementation, each optional grid 110b1 is determined by the layout or distribution of the associated first-party enabled grid 110a1 and associated second-party enabled grid 110a2 on the chessboard 100 in the current game phase. More specifically, the optional grids 110b1 vary in different game phases within a game phase.

[0162] According to some embodiments, the game modes of the chess device 10 include at least one of a single-player game mode and a two-player game mode. The single-player game mode is also referred to as a human-computer game mode, and the two-player game mode is also referred to as a human-to-human game mode. In the context of this document, in the single-player game mode, the "first player" or "first mover" is one of the human and the computer (i.e., the chess device 10 itself), and the "second player" or "second mover" is the other of the human and the computer; in the two-player game mode, the "first player" or "first mover" is one of the two players, and the "second player" or "second mover" is the other of the two players. In the context of this document, "current player" refers to the player whose turn it is to move, place a piece, or perform a related operation in the corresponding game step. In the context of this document, a "game segment" refers to a "round," "set," or "one" of games, which can correspond to multiple rounds of alternating operations by the two players from the start to the end of the game, and a "game step" includes one player making a move, placing a piece, or performing a related operation.

[0163] Display module 300

[0164] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 4 , 8 As shown in pictures 10, 18, 24, 25, and 29-30, the chess-playing device 10 also includes a display module 300. The display module 300 may include a chess square display unit 310 corresponding to each chess square 110. Each chess square display unit 310 may be configured to have an on state and an off state and to provide indication information about the state of the corresponding chess square 110. According to some embodiments, the display module 300 may be configured to enable the chess square display unit 310 to display first activation indication information to indicate that a first player has activated a chess square 110a1, and second activation indication information to indicate that a second player has activated a chess square 110a2. The first activation indication information and the second activation indication information are different from each other, thereby indicating the corresponding state of the corresponding chess square 110. Figure 5-7As shown in Figures 9-18, the first activation indication information is marked with purple (①), and the second activation indication information is marked with yellow (②). According to some embodiments, the display module 300 is configured to synchronously change the state or display information of the corresponding grid display unit 310 as the game progresses. According to some embodiments, the material forming at least each grid 110 of the chessboard 100 is formed of a light-transmitting material to display the indication information displayed by the grid display unit 310. The configuration of the display module 300 allows for enhanced human-computer interaction and enjoyment, and provides clear and intuitive indications of the current game state to increase user interest. According to one embodiment, the grid display unit 310 corresponding to the unselectable grid 110b2 in the inactive grid 110b is in an off state to indicate the inactive state. The configuration of the display module 300 allows for enhanced human-computer interaction and also allows for the elimination of physical chess pieces, allowing users to conveniently use the chess device 10 in any location.

[0165] According to some embodiments, the checkerboard display unit 310 is configured to have different illumination states to indicate the corresponding state of the corresponding checkerboard 110. Exemplarily, and not exclusively, the checkerboard display unit 310 is configured to display the various states of the corresponding checkerboard 110 in the illumination state by displaying at least one of brightness, color, pattern, text, letters, numbers, and flashing patterns. More specifically, the checkerboard display units 310 can be controlled independently of each other. Figure 4 , 8 As shown in 10, 18, 24, 25 and 29-30, according to an exemplary embodiment, the checkerboard display unit 310 includes LED lights.

[0166] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-18 As schematically shown, the display module 300 of the chess-playing device 10 can be configured such that when the move selection unit 600 operates to select a move 110, the move display unit 310 corresponding to the selected move 110c can provide display or instruction information (e.g., using...). Figure 9 , 14 -17 (marked with a dark blue ④) indicates that the chess piece 110 is the selected chess piece 110c. For example, the chess piece display unit 310 can display selection indication information to indicate the selected chess piece 110c. More specifically, the chess piece display unit 310 can switch from other states to display selection indication information. The selection indication information can indicate that the chess piece 110 is the selected chess piece 110c, thereby intuitively indicating the currently selected chess piece 110, enhancing human-computer interaction and user-friendliness. For example, "other states" can include an off state, or other lit states different from the state indicating the selection indication information. More specifically, the selection indication information is different from the first and second enable indication information mentioned above.

[0167] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-10 Figures 14-18 schematically show that the checkerboard display unit 310 is configured to provide optional indicator information (such as...) in the lit state. Figure 9 , 14 -18 is indicated by light blue marked ③ to indicate that the corresponding square 110 is an optional square 110b1, that is, a square 110 that can be selected for placing a piece in the current game step by the placement position selection unit 600. More specifically, the display module 300 is configured to display or provide optional indication information at the beginning of each game step, to indicate all optional squares 110b1 that can be selected for placing a piece in the current game step. More specifically, the optional indication information is different from the first and second activation indication information mentioned above. The optional indication information allows users to quickly identify the squares 110 that can be selected for placing a piece in the current game step, assisting the player in quickly locking in the position where a piece can be placed, reducing the difficulty and entry threshold of the game, and accelerating the game process, enhancing human-computer interaction and game fun. According to some embodiments, the optional squares 110b1 include the currently selected square 110c and the remaining optional squares 110b1, and the optional indication information may include the first optional indication information indicating the selected square 110c (e.g., Figure 9-10 (marked with dark blue ④ in sections 14-18) and the second optional indication information for the remaining optional squares 110b1, as shown in section 14-18. Figure 9-10 (In sections 14-18, marked with ③ in light blue), the first optional indicator information and the second optional indicator information are different from each other. By using the first and second optional indicator information, the selected square 110c and the other optional squares 110b1 are distinguished, making it easier for one or both players to quickly identify the location of the currently selected optional square 110b1, which further enhances human-computer interaction and game fun.

[0168] According to some embodiments, the display module 300 of the chess device 10 can be configured such that when the move position selection unit 600 performs a selection operation to select the optional square 110b1 mentioned above as the selected square 110c, the square display unit 310 corresponding to the selected square 110c switches from displaying the second optional indication information to displaying the first optional indication information, thereby intuitively indicating the currently selected square 110c. According to one specific implementation, the first optional indication information and the second optional indication information have different colors and / or brightness and / or flashing patterns. According to some embodiments, the display module 300 is configured to switch the state of the square display unit 310 corresponding to the square 110 selected via the move position selection unit 600 based on the generation of a selection sensing signal.

[0169] Unit 600 for selecting the placement of pieces

[0170] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 19-22 As shown, the move position selection unit 600 may be configured to include a fixed part 610 and a movable part, the movable part being configured to move relative to the fixed part 610 between at least two occupiable positions to select one of the inactive squares 110b, more specifically, from all optional squares 110b1, for placing a piece. According to some embodiments, the move position selection unit 600 further includes a sensing component configured to generate a selection sensing signal, more specifically, the selection sensing signal described above, when the movable part moves between the at least two occupiable positions. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to determine the selection of a corresponding square 110 based on the generation or receipt of the selection sensing signal, i.e., to determine the selected square 110c. More specifically, the selected square 110c is one of the inactive squares 110b; more specifically, the selected square 110c is one of the optional squares 110b1.

[0171] According to one embodiment, the display module 300 is configured to change the state of the checkerboard display unit 310 corresponding to the selected checkerboard 110c based on the generation of a selection sensing signal. Exemplarily, but not exclusively, when the movable part moves from the currently occupiable position to the next occupiable position, the selected checkerboard 110c changes from the currently selected checkerboard 110c to the next selected checkerboard 110c. Simultaneously, the sensing component generates a selection sensing signal, and the display module 300, based on the generation of this selection sensing signal, causes the checkerboard display unit 310 corresponding to the currently selected checkerboard 110c to, for example, change from an off state to display selection indication information or from displaying first optional indication information to displaying second optional indication information. Meanwhile, the checkerboard display unit 310 corresponding to the next selected checkerboard 110c changes from displaying selection indication information to, for example, an off state or from displaying second optional indication information to displaying first optional indication information.

[0172] According to some embodiments, the sensing component may include at least one fixed second sensor and at least one first sensor configured to move together with the movable part, the first sensor being capable of sensing each other with a corresponding second sensor to generate a selection sensing signal. According to some embodiments, the sensing component is configured to sense the direction of movement of the movable part relative to the fixed part 610. According to some embodiments, the sensing component may include an electrical and / or magnetic sensing component, a light and / or color sensing component, etc.

[0173] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4Figures 19-30 schematically show that the movable part is in the form of a rotating ring 620, which is configured to rotate relative to the fixed part 610 between at least two rotational positions to select one of the checkerboard 110. According to some embodiments, the rotating ring 620 is configured to rotate relative to the fixed part 610 about a rotation axis to select one of a plurality of rotational positions, thereby correspondingly selecting one of the checkerboard 110, more specifically, deactivating checkerboard 110b, and more specifically, selecting one of the checkerboard 110b1. More specifically, the rotating ring 620 may have multiple positions, which can be rotated to switch between. More specifically, the rotating ring 620 may be configured to select one of the checkerboard 110 each time a switch is made between two adjacent positions. According to one embodiment, the rotating ring 620 is configured to rotate clockwise and / or counterclockwise to perform the checkerboard 110 selection operation.

[0174] According to some embodiments, the move selection unit 600 can be configured such that, in a game step, there are multiple selectable squares 110b1, which may have a first order, and the move selection unit 600 can operate to select according to the first order. According to a further embodiment, the chess device 10 can also be configured such that, in a game step, the move selection unit 600 can also operate to select according to a second order, which is the inversion of the first order. More specifically, the move selection unit 600 is configured to be operable for both forward and reverse selection operations, and this forward and reverse selection operation can be switched at any time. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to sort all the available selectable squares 110b1 at the beginning of each game step and associate the operation of the move selection unit 600 with this sorting, such that the operation of the move selection unit 600 follows this sorting or a reverse sorting of this sorting.

[0175] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device 10 is configured such that, in a game step, when the rotating ring 620 rotates clockwise to pass through at least one of a plurality of rotating positions and selects one of the plurality of rotating positions, one of the plurality of optional squares 110b1 is traversed according to the aforementioned first order of the plurality of optional squares 110b1 and the corresponding optional square 110b1 is selected; when the rotating ring 620 rotates counterclockwise to pass through at least one of the plurality of rotating positions and selects one of the plurality of rotating positions, one of the plurality of optional squares 110b1 is traversed according to the aforementioned second order of the plurality of optional squares 110b1 and the corresponding optional square 110b1 is selected. Exemplarily, the rotating ring 620 may occupy 15-35 rotating positions, for example, 28 rotating positions. It is understood that the number of rotating positions of the rotating ring 620 may be adaptively increased or decreased according to the diameter of the rotating ring 620.

[0176] In some embodiments, such as Figure 9 and 14 As illustrated, the chess device 10 is configured such that, as the game progresses, the active squares 110a expand from the active area, such as the central active area, outwards towards the periphery of the active area, until reaching the outer squares 110 of the chessboard 100. In this case, each optional square 110b1 is located on the periphery of at least one active square 110a. Therefore, all optional squares 110b1 are positioned around at least a portion of the active squares 110a. Thus, setting the movable part in the form of a rotating ring 620 conforms to the overall layout of the optional squares 110b1 on the chessboard 100 and is therefore ergonomic, as this allows the optional squares 110b1 to be selected sequentially along a generally circumferential direction. This allows the player's operation of selecting squares 110 by "rotating" and the optional squares 110b1 on the chessboard 100 to be selected sequentially and cyclically along a virtual closed trajectory, achieving a match between the operation and visual observation. It should be noted that the circumferential direction here refers to the direction along the periphery of the active squares 110a, rather than a strictly circular direction.

[0177] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-2As shown in Figures 25, 29-30, the rotating ring 620 is at least partially disposed around the chessboard 100. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 may be a circular chessboard 100, with the rotating ring 620 disposed around it. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 forms part of a circular cover plate 30 of the chess device 10, with the rotating ring 620 disposed around the cover plate 30. Exemplarily, and not exclusively, the chessboard 100 may be internally contained within the rotating ring 620. These embodiments have numerous advantages, including: ergonomic design as described above, facilitating selection operations; enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the chess device 10; not occupying additional space, contributing to the overall compactness of the chess device 10, etc. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 includes a body 20, with at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 disposed around or at least a portion of the body 20. According to one embodiment, the chess device 10 may include a cylindrical body 20 portion, with the rotating ring 620 mounted on the cylindrical body 20 portion. According to some embodiments, at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 is mounted within a receiving cavity 23 defined by the cylindrical body 20. According to one specific embodiment, the rotating ring 620 is mounted at least partially around the cylindrical body 20. According to an alternative embodiment, the rotating ring 620 is at least partially mounted on and at least partially covers the axial end of the cylindrical body 20, more specifically, the checkerboard 100 or cover plate 30 is disposed at that axial end.

[0178] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 4 , 19 As shown in Figure -24, the rotating ring 620 may include a first mating surface 623 and a plurality of first mating portions 624 disposed on the first mating surface 623, each first mating portion 624 corresponding to one of the plurality of rotational positions. Correspondingly, the fixing portion 610 is provided with a second mating portion 611, which is configured to engage with the plurality of first mating portions 624 to position the rotating ring 620 at each rotational position. More specifically, the first mating portions 624 and the second mating portions 611 are configured to allow the rotating ring 620 to be positioned at each rotational position (in other words, the aforementioned stop), and to allow the rotating ring 620 to rotate relative to the mating portions to select a desired rotational position. According to some embodiments, the plurality of first mating portions 624 are arranged in a ring, more specifically, arranged in a ring around a rotation axis. According to some embodiments, the plurality of first mating portions 624 are evenly distributed.

[0179] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 4 , 19-24 schematically illustrates that the first mating portion 624 is configured as a groove 624, which is constructed to receive at least a portion of the second mating portion 611 to position the rotating ring 620 in a corresponding rotational position. Exemplarily, the first mating surface 623 may also be provided with teeth 625, with the teeth 625 and grooves 624 alternately disposed on the first mating surface 623 such that each groove 624 is disposed circumferentially between two adjacent teeth 625. According to some embodiments, the second mating portion 611 is configured such that when at least a portion of the second mating portion 611 enters the groove 624 from outside the groove 624 as the rotating ring 620 rotates relative to the fixed portion 610, this at least portion of the second mating portion 611 contacts and impacts the bottom and / or sidewall of the groove 624 to provide an audible cue and / or vibratory tactile feedback, such as a clicking sound. This configuration allows for enhanced human-machine interaction while allowing the user better control over the rotation of the rotating ring 620. According to some embodiments, the groove 624 is configured as a trapezoidal groove with an opening cross-section larger than its bottom cross-section. More specifically, the two circumferential end faces of the groove 624 are configured as inclined surfaces converging towards each other from the opening side to the bottom side of the groove 624. This configuration is advantageous in two ways: firstly, it allows at least a portion of the second mating part 611 (such as the positioning part 6111 of the spring or the positioning member 613 connected to the elastic member 612, as described below) to glide more easily along the two circumferential end faces of the groove 624 and thus avoid jamming when the rotating ring 620 rotates; secondly, it allows at least a portion of the second mating part 611 to more easily impact the circumferential end faces of the groove 624 when entering the groove 624, providing an audible cue and / or a tactile vibration.

[0180] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 19-24 As shown, the second mating portion 611 includes elastic members 611 and 612 connected to the fixing portion 610. According to some embodiments, the elastic members 611 and 612 of the second mating portion 611 are configured such that, when facing other portions of the first mating surface 623 besides the first mating portion 624 (such as the groove 624 described above) (such as the toothed portion 625 described above), at least a portion of the elastic members 611 and 612 abuts against the first mating surface 623 to compress the elastic members 611 and 612, more specifically, between the first mating surface 623 and the fixing portion 610; while when the elastic member 612 of the second mating portion 611 faces the groove 624, at least a portion of the elastic members 611 and 612 extends to release elastic stress and enters the groove 624, thereby positioning the rotating ring 620 at the corresponding rotational position. According to some embodiments, such as... Figures 19-20As shown, the elastic element includes a leaf spring 611, which includes a positioning portion 6111 and a connecting portion 6112. The connecting portion 6112 is connected to the fixing portion 610, and the positioning portion 6111 is abutting against a first mating surface 623 (more specifically, against a toothed portion 625) and entering a groove 624. According to some embodiments, the leaf spring 611 is configured as a single piece. Exemplarily, the positioning portion 6111 is configured to have a U-shaped structure, which includes a base 61110 and a first leg 61111 and a second leg 61112 extending from the base 61110. Exemplarily, the connecting portion 6112 includes two connecting legs connected to the fixing portion 610, namely a first connecting leg 61121 and a second connecting leg 61122, the first connecting leg 61121 being connected to the first leg 61111, and the second connecting leg 61122 being connected to the second leg 61112. For example, the first connecting leg 61121 and the second connecting leg 61122 extend away from each other from the connecting portion 6112 which is connected to the first leg 61111 and the second leg 61112 respectively, for example in a figure-eight shape.

[0181] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 21-23 As shown, the second mating part 611 may include an elastic member 612 connected to the fixing part 610 and a positioning member 613 mating with the elastic member 612. According to some embodiments, a first end of the elastic member 612 is connected to the fixing part 610, and the positioning member 613 is integrally formed with, connected to, or abuts against, or forms a shape with, the elastic member 612 at a second end opposite to the first end of the elastic member 612. According to some embodiments, the elastic member 612 includes a helical spring or a leaf spring. According to some embodiments, the positioning member 613 is in the form of a bead, more specifically, a round bead. According to some embodiments, the round bead-shaped positioning member 613 is configured to rollably fit into the elastic member 612. According to some embodiments, such as... Figure 21-22As shown, the positioning element 613 is a ball, and the elastic element 612 is a spring. The positioning element 613 and the elastic element 612 are separately disposed. The spring has a recess 6121 for limiting the ball. The maximum cross-section of the recess 6121 is smaller than the maximum cross-section of the ball. Optionally, the recess 6121 is a circular recess 6121 and its diameter is smaller than the diameter of the ball, so that a part of the ball, more specifically, a part smaller than a hemisphere, can sit in the recess 6121. This structure allows the positioning element 613 to roll and sit in the recess 6121 when subjected to external force (such as the frictional force applied by the first mating surface 623 of the rotating ring 620). This reduces the friction between the positioning element 613 and the first mating surface 623 of the rotating ring 620, so that the rotating ring 620 will not jam when rotating, and the user's feel is better. According to some embodiments, the second mating portion 611 is configured such that, when it is opposite to other parts of the first mating surface 623 except for the first mating portion 624 (more specifically, the groove 624) (such as the toothed portion 625 described above), the positioning member 613 abuts against the first mating surface 623 to compress the elastic member 612, more specifically, to be compressed between the first mating surface 623 and the fixing portion 610; while when the second mating portion 611 is opposite to the groove 624, the elastic member 612 extends to release elastic stress and biases the positioning member 613 into the groove 624, thereby positioning the rotating ring 620 in the corresponding rotational position.

[0182] According to an alternative embodiment, contrary to the above embodiment, the second mating part 611 can be configured as a groove 624 on the fixing part 610, and the first mating part 624 is configured to include an elastic member 612 connected to the rotating ring 620 and an optional positioning member 613 connected to the elastic member 612. More specific embodiments can be found in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0183] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 19-23 As shown, the second mating part 611 is located radially inside the first mating surface 623 of the rotating ring 620. More specifically, at least a portion of the fixing part 610 is located radially inside the first mating surface 623 of the rotating ring 620. More specifically, the first mating surface 623 is radially opposite to the second mating part 611, that is, the first mating surface 623 is the radially inward surface of the rotating ring 620.

[0184] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 4 and 24 As shown, the first mating surface 623 of the rotating ring 620 can be configured to be axially opposite to the second mating part 611, that is, the first mating surface 623 is an axially facing surface of the rotating ring 620.

[0185] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4As shown in Figures 24-30, the rotating ring 620 includes a first rotating ring portion 621 and a second rotating ring portion 622, which are connected to each other for joint rotation. According to one embodiment, the first rotating ring portion 621 and the second rotating ring portion 622 are snap-fitted together. Exemplarily, the second rotating ring portion 622 is connected to the body 20 of the chess-playing device 10.

[0186] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 4 , 19 As shown in Figure -24, the aforementioned first mating surface 623 is disposed on the second rotating ring portion 622, and thus the aforementioned plurality of first mating portions 624 (e.g., grooves 624) and teeth 625 are alternately disposed on the second rotating ring portion 622. According to some embodiments, the fixing portion 610 is at least partially located axially between the first rotating ring portion 621 and the second rotating ring portion 622. According to some embodiments, the first mating surface 623 is disposed on at least a portion of an axial end face of the second rotating ring portion 622. According to an alternative embodiment, the first mating surface 623 is disposed on the radially inward surface of the second rotating ring portion 622, and the second mating portion 611 is disposed radially inside the first mating surface 623.

[0187] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4 As shown, the outer surface 626 of the rotating ring 620 is disposed on the first rotating ring portion 621. More specifically, the outer surface 626 of the rotating ring 620 is the touch surface used by the user to operate the rotating ring 620. According to some embodiments, the first rotating ring portion 621 is at least partially located outside the body 20 of the chess device 10, and the second rotating ring portion 622 is at least partially located inside the body 20 of the chess device 10. According to some embodiments, the second rotating ring portion 622 is configured to be invisible from the outside of the chess device 10.

[0188] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4As shown, the outer surface 626 of the rotating ring 620, which is used by the user to touch and operate the rotating ring 620, is provided with a roughness-enhancing structure 6263 to facilitate the user's rotation of the rotating ring 620 and to allow the player to visually perceive that the rotating ring 620 is a rotatable component, making it easier for the player to get started with the game. According to one embodiment, the outer surface 626 of the rotating ring 620 is provided with grooves or other uneven structures. According to some embodiments, the outer surface 626 of the rotating ring 620 includes a first surface 6261 and a second surface 6262 extending laterally (intersecting or perpendicularly) relative to each other, and grooves are provided on the first surface 6261 and / or the second surface 6262. According to some embodiments, the first surface 6261 and the second surface 6262 are at least a portion of the peripheral side surface and at least a portion of the end side surface on the outer side of the rotating ring 620, respectively. Optionally, the first surface 6261 and the second surface 6262 are adjacent to or intersect each other. For example, the first surface 6261 may be the outer axial surface 6261 of the first rotating ring portion 621, and the second surface 6262 may be the outer radial surface of the first rotating ring portion 621.

[0189] According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 may include a sensing component configured to generate a rotation position sensing signal, i.e., the aforementioned selection sensing signal, when the rotating ring 620 switches between the plurality of rotation positions. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to determine the selection of a corresponding chess square 110 based on the generation of the rotation position sensing signal, i.e., to determine which chess square 110 is the selected chess square 110c. According to one embodiment, the display module 300 is configured to cause the chess square display unit 310 corresponding to the selected chess square 110c to switch display states based on the rotation position sensing signal generated by the sensing component. By way of example, but not exclusively, when the rotating ring 620 rotates from the current rotation position to the next rotation position, the selected square 110c changes from the currently selected square 110c to the next selected square 110c. At the same time, the sensing component generates a rotation position sensing signal. The display module 300 is configured to, based on the generation of the rotation position sensing signal, cause the square display unit 310 corresponding to the currently selected square 110c to switch from displaying selection indication information to, for example, an off state or from displaying first optional indication information to displaying second optional indication information. Meanwhile, the square display unit 310 corresponding to the next selected square 110c switches from, for example, an off state to display selection indication information or from displaying second optional indication information to displaying first optional indication information, so as to indicate the switching process of the selected square 110c.

[0190] According to some embodiments, the sensing component may include at least one fixedly disposed second sensor and at least one first sensor configured to rotate integrally with the rotating ring 620, for example, disposed on the rotating ring 620. The first sensor is capable of sensing each other with a corresponding second sensor to generate a rotation position sensing signal. According to some embodiments, the number of first or second sensors may be the same as the number of rotation positions; alternatively, the number of first or second sensors may be different from the number of rotation positions. According to some embodiments, the sensing component is configured to sense the rotation direction of the rotating ring 620 relative to the fixed portion 610.

[0191] According to some embodiments, the sensing component may include an electrical and / or magnetic sensing component, a light and / or color sensing component, etc.

[0192] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 4 , 24 As shown in Figure 26, the first sensing element includes either a Hall sensor 6321 or a magnet 6311, and the second sensing element includes either a Hall sensor 6321 or a magnet 6311. More specifically, the first sensing element includes multiple magnets 6311, and the second sensing element includes a Hall sensor 6321. Exemplarily, the number of magnets 6311 is the same as the number of rotation positions. Thus, each time the rotating ring 620 rotates to change its rotation position, the magnets 6311 that rotate integrally with the rotating ring 620 will rotate past the Hall sensor 6321, and the Hall sensor 6321 can correspondingly generate a rotation position sensing signal. In some embodiments, multiple magnets 6311 and multiple grooves 624 are alternately arranged on the rotating ring 620. More specifically, a magnet 6311 receiving portion for accommodating the magnets 6311 is provided at the first mating surface 623 of the rotating ring 620, and the magnet 6311 receiving portion and the grooves 624 are alternately arranged. In some embodiments, each tooth 625 is provided with one magnet 6311 receiving portion.

[0193] In an alternative embodiment, the first sensing element includes a Hall sensor 6321, and the second sensing element includes a plurality of magnets 6311, wherein, exemplary, the number of magnets 6311 is the same as the number of rotational positions.

[0194] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 21-22As shown in Figures 27-28, the second sensing element includes a photoelectric encoder 6322, and the first sensing element includes a plurality of first light sensors 6312 and a plurality of second light sensors 6313 that can be sensed or detected by the photoelectric encoder 6322. The plurality of first light sensors 6312 and the plurality of second light sensors 6313 are alternately arranged. Exemplarily, the number of first light sensors 6312 and second light sensors 6313 is the same as the number of rotation positions. Thus, each time the rotating ring 620 rotates to change its rotation position, the first light sensors 6312 and the plurality of second light sensors 6313 that rotate with the rotating ring 620 pass through the photoelectric encoder 6322, and the photoelectric encoder 6322 can generate a rotation position sensing signal accordingly. In some embodiments, one of the first light sensors 6312 and the second light sensors 6313 is a white light sensor and the other is a black light sensor. In some embodiments, a plurality of first light-sensing portions 6312 and a plurality of second light-sensing portions 6313 are disposed on the axially facing surface of the rotating ring 620, more specifically the second rotating ring portion 622, which is radially and / or axially offset from the first mating surface 623; according to some embodiments, a plurality of first light-sensing portions 6312 and a plurality of second light-sensing portions 6313 are disposed on the first axially facing surface of the rotating ring 620, more specifically the second rotating ring portion 622, and the first mating surface 623 is disposed on the second axially opposite surface of the rotating ring 620, more specifically the second rotating ring portion 622; according to some embodiments, the first mating surface 623 is disposed on one of the radially facing surface and the axially facing surface of the rotating ring 620, more specifically the second rotating ring portion 622, and the plurality of first light-sensing portions 6312 and a plurality of second light-sensing portions 6313 are disposed on the other of the radially facing surface and the axially facing surface of the rotating ring 620, more specifically the second rotating ring portion 622.

[0195] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 15-17 As shown, the chess device 10 can be configured to include a first-player enabled square 110a1 and a second-player enabled square 110a2 at the start of a game, the number of which may be equal or unequal. More specifically, the chess device 10 can be configured such that the first-player enabled square 110a1 and the second-player enabled square 110a2, present at the start of the game, are located in the central area of ​​the chessboard 100, which may be referred to as the "enabled central area," and within this enabled central area, there are no empty squares 110 between the enabled squares 110a, or more specifically, no non-enabled squares 110b. In this case, the non-enabled squares 110b, or more specifically, optional squares 110b1, are located on the periphery of the enabled central area. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured such that, as the game progresses, the enabled squares 110a expand from the enabled central area outwards to the outer squares 110 of the chessboard 100.

[0196] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 15-17 As shown, the chess-playing device 10 is configured to automatically display all available chess squares 110b1 at the start of each game step, and automatically select one of the available chess squares 110b1 as the currently selected chess square 110c. Starting from the currently selected chess square 110c, one of the players can operate the move position selection unit 600 to select, for example, the desired available chess square 110b1 in sequence, until the desired chess square 110b1 is selected, i.e., the "selected chess square" mentioned above. Of course, one of the players can also choose not to operate the move position selection unit 600 based on the confirmation that the automatically displayed available chess square 110b1 is the desired available chess square 110b1. According to a more specific embodiment, considering ergonomics, and in order to conform to the human eye's observation habits, especially the habit of scanning the target area from left to right and from top to bottom, so as to facilitate one of the players to easily and intuitively lock their gaze on the automatically selected "currently selected square 110c", the chess device 10 is configured such that, at the beginning of each game step, the automatically selected "currently selected square 110c" is set to the corresponding position relative to the corresponding player. The "currently selected square 110c" is one of the selectable squares 110b1 that is far away from the corresponding position and is located in the upper left area of ​​the chessboard 100. According to one specific implementation, the "currently selected square 110c" can be the topmost optional square 110b1 located in the upper left region of the chessboard 100 relative to the corresponding position. If there is no optional square 110b1 in the upper left region of the chessboard 100 relative to the corresponding position, then the square 110 at the top relative to the corresponding position is taken as the "currently selected square 110c". In particular, if all the optional squares 110b1 are arranged in a row, then the leftmost optional square 110b1 relative to the corresponding position is taken as the "currently selected square 110c".

[0197] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device 10 may further include a conversion module configured to convert one of the inactive squares 110b into an active square for the current player in a corresponding game step during the game. The active square is one of a first player active square 110a1 and a second player active square 110a2, more specifically, an active square 110a belonging to the current player. One of the converted inactive squares 110b is called a selected square. More specifically, one of the inactive squares 110b can be selected by a move selection unit 600, which is part of the conversion module. For example, one of the inactive squares 110b can be one of the optional squares 110b1. More specifically, in the current game step, the conversion module can be operated by the "current player" of either the first or second player to "place a piece" in an inactive square, that is, to convert the inactive square 110b into an active square 110a for the current player. The non-enabled grid 110b used for conversion can be called the "selected grid", that is, the non-enabled grid 110b selected by the user of the chess device 10 as the current enabled grid for "placing a piece" or "converting".

[0198] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device 10 is configured such that, when the conversion module operates to convert a selected square into a currently enabled square, at least one associated opponent enabled square associated with the selected square is also converted into a currently enabled square. The opponent enabled square, in contrast to the "currently enabled square," is another of the first enabled square 110a1 and the second enabled square 110a2. More specifically, in the current game step, when the conversion module is operated by the current player, on the one hand, one of the non-enabled squares 110b, i.e., the selected square, can be converted into a currently enabled square; on the other hand, at least one associated opponent enabled square associated with the selected square is also converted or "flipped" into a currently enabled square. This process of converting the selected square and the at least one associated opponent enabled square into a currently enabled square can be referred to as a conversion process or a flipping process.

[0199] According to some embodiments, the display module 300 is further configured such that, when the conversion module performs a conversion operation, the grid display unit 310 corresponding to the selected grid switches to displaying one of a first activation indication information and a second activation indication information to indicate the conversion of the selected grid to the currently activated grid, and the grid display unit 310 corresponding to the at least one associated opponent activated grid switches from displaying another of the first and second activation indication information to displaying one of the first and second activation indication information to indicate the conversion of the at least one associated opponent activated grid to the currently activated grid. According to some embodiments, when the conversion module performs a conversion operation, the grid display unit 310 corresponding to the selected grid switches from displaying the aforementioned selection indication information, the aforementioned optional indication information, or the aforementioned first optional indication information to displaying one of the first and second activation indication information.

[0200] Occupation points of chess-playing device 10

[0201] According to some embodiments, exemplarily, such as Figure 1 , 3 As shown in Figures -4, 25, 29-30, the chess-playing device 10 may include a cover plate 30, and a chessboard 100 may be disposed on the cover plate 30 or constitute at least a portion of the cover plate 30. More specifically, the user input units 500 and 700 of the conversion module, which can be operated by the user, may be disposed on the cover plate 30 and positioned close to the chessboard 100. Exemplarily, the user input units 500 and 700 are configured as buttons, knobs, or touch controls.

[0202] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device 10 is configured to include a single-player game mode and a two-player game mode. More specifically, such as Figure 1-3 As schematically shown, the chess-playing device 10 may include a mode switching component 40 configured to switch between a single-player game mode and a two-player game mode. Exemplarily, the mode switching component 40 may be in the form of a slider that can slide between different positions, or a lever or knob that can rotate between different angle positions; exemplarily, the mode switching component 40 may be in the form of a button or key; exemplarily, the mode switching component 40 may be in the form of a touchscreen.

[0203] According to some embodiments, the first party uses a chessboard 110a1 to represent the first player or the first side in the game of the chess device 10, and the second party uses a chessboard 110a2 to represent the second player or the second side in the game of the chess device 10.

[0204] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9 , 11-17 schematically shows that the chess device 10 may define a first occupying point 11 and a second occupying point 12 opposite to each other. The first occupying point 11 is for one of the two players in the chess device 10, and more specifically, the player may be located on the side of the first occupying point 11 of the chess device 10. The second occupying point 12 is for the other player in the chess device 10, and more specifically, the other player may be located on the side of the second occupying point 12 of the chess device 10.

[0205] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9 , 11 -17 schematically illustrates that the chessboard 100 may include a grid area 100a, which is an area of ​​the chessboard 100 capable of forming the plurality of grids 110. The grid area 100a may have a center point.

[0206] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9 , 11 -17 schematically shows that the chessboard area 100a has a first axis X1 passing through its center point, a first endpoint of the first axis X1 intersecting the periphery of the chessboard area 100a defining a first occupant point 11, and a second endpoint of the first axis X1 intersecting the periphery of the chessboard area 100a defining a second occupant point 12. According to some embodiments, in the single-player game mode of the chessboard device 10, the first occupant point 11 can be used for the first player, and the second occupant point 12 can be used for the second player. According to some embodiments, the first player is a user (in the sense of this document, a user refers to an actual entity 20, which can be a human or a robot) among the two players in the human-computer mode, and the chessboard device 10 itself, as the second player, can be considered to be "virtually" located on the side of the second occupant point 12; and vice versa. According to some embodiments, the first player can be the first user among the two players in the two-player game mode, and the second player can be the other user among the two players in the two-player game mode.

[0207] According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 may include two user input units 500 and 700, which are positioned near the first occupant point 11 and the second occupant point 12, respectively, for use by the respective parties in a two-player game mode.

[0208] According to an alternative embodiment, the chess device 10 includes a single user input unit 500, 700 positioned near the first occupant point 11, and more specifically, the occupant point for the user. Exemplarily, the single user input unit 500, 700 is positioned outside the chess grid area 100a and near the first occupant point 11, for example, in an area of ​​the chessboard 100 other than the chess grid area 100a or on a cover plate 30, which forms at least a portion of the chessboard 10 and may be an endplate of the chess device 10. This arrangement facilitates user operation of the user input units 500, 700 and is ergonomic. Exemplarily, and not exclusively, if the chess grid area 100a is square, the first occupant point 11 and the second occupant point 12 may optionally be defined on two opposite sides of the chess grid area 100a; if the chess grid area 100a is circular, the first occupant point 11 and the second occupant point 12 may be radially opposite each other.

[0209] In some embodiments, such as Figure 9 , 11-17 schematically illustrates that the chess-playing device 10 may also be configured to include a third occupant point 13 and a fourth occupant point 14 disposed opposite to each other, each of the third occupant point 13 and the fourth occupant point 14 being different from the first occupant point 11 and the second occupant point 12. In some embodiments, the third occupant point 13 may be circumferentially displaced relative to the first occupant point 11 by an offset angle of +90° or -90°, and the fourth occupant point 14 may correspondingly be circumferentially displaced relative to the second occupant point 12 by an offset angle of +90° or -90°. In some embodiments, the chessboard area 100a has a second axis X2 perpendicular to the first axis X1 and passing through its center point, the first endpoint of the second axis X2 intersecting the periphery of the chessboard area 100a defining the third occupant point 13, and the second endpoint of the second axis X2 intersecting the periphery of the chessboard area 100a defining the fourth occupant point 14. By way of example, and not exclusively, if the chessboard area 100a is square, the third occupant point 13 and the fourth occupant point 14 can be defined on two opposite sides of the chessboard area 100a; if the chessboard area 100a is circular, the third occupant point 13 and the fourth occupant point 14 can be radially opposite each other. More specifically, in the two-player game mode of the chessboard device 10, the first user, as the first player in the game, can be located on the side of the third occupant point 13, while the second user, as the second player in the game, can be located on the side of the fourth occupant point 14. This is particularly advantageous in embodiments where the chessboard device 10 includes only a single user input unit 500, 700 located near the first occupant point 11, because this ensures that both the first and second players can easily access and operate the single user input unit 500, 700 in the two-player game mode, and that the operation of either player does not obstruct the other player's view of the chessboard area 100a. This also helps to reduce the number of components in the chessboard device 10, which is beneficial for overall structural compactness and cost-effectiveness.

[0210] According to some embodiments, the checkerboard area 100a is one of the following shapes: circular; rectangular; elliptical; equilateral polygon, where "polygon" means an even number of sides. According to some examples, the checkerboard 100 or the cover plate 30 is one of the following shapes: circular; rectangular; elliptical; equilateral polygon; more specifically, where "polygon" means an even number of sides.

[0211] According to one embodiment, the chess-playing device 10 includes a circular cover plate 30, and the chess square area 100a is rectangular, more specifically square, and the plurality of chess squares 110 are exemplarily distributed in a rectangular array; optionally, the four corners of the chess square area 100a lie on the circular outer contour of the circular cover plate 30. Optionally, the chessboard 100 forms at least a portion of the circular cover plate 30.

[0212] In some embodiments, such as Figure 15 and 16 As shown, where Figure 15 The diagram illustrates the power-on state in the human-computer chess game mode. Figure 16 The diagram schematically illustrates the power-on state in a two-player game mode. The chess device 10 is further configured such that its power-on state, i.e., the state at the start of the game, shifts angularly in accordance with the angle shift of the players' positions as the game mode changes. This ensures that regardless of the game mode, it meets the user's ergonomic requirements and facilitates observation of the game board and operation. It also allows players to intuitively perceive the game mode of the chess device 10 without needing to observe the position of the mode-switching component 40 to determine the current game mode. In some embodiments, the state at the start of the game may include the layout or positioning of the first player's activated square 110a1 and the second player's activated square 110a2 on the chessboard 100. In some embodiments, the state at the start of the game may include the layout or positioning of the optional square 110b1 on the chessboard 100.

[0213] Advantages and disadvantages indicator module

[0214] According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 further includes an advantage / disadvantage indication module configured to provide advantage / disadvantage information indicating the relative strengths and weaknesses between the number of currently active squares 110a1 for the first player and the number of active squares 110a2 for the second player. This allows users to intuitively understand the relative strengths and weaknesses between the two players in the current game and enhances the tension and excitement of the game, thus improving the gaming experience. In some embodiments, the advantage / disadvantage is expressed as a quantitative relationship. Exemplarily, and not exclusively, the quantitative relationship may be: the ratio of the number of active squares 110a1 for the first player to the number of active squares 110a2 for the second player; and / or the percentage of active squares 110a1 for the first player among all active squares 110a, where all active squares 110a are the sum of the number of active squares 110a1 for the first player and the number of active squares 110a2 for the second player; and / or the percentage of active squares 110a2 for the second player among all active squares 110a. In some embodiments, the advantage / disadvantage indication module is configured to provide advantage / disadvantage information in real time. It should be noted that, in the context of this article, "real-time" means that during the game, after each game step, specifically after one player completes their move, or more specifically, after the completion of a flip process initiated by that player, the advantage / disadvantage indication module provides current advantage / disadvantage indication information based on the number of first player-activated squares 110a1 and second player-activated squares 110a2 on the current board 100. This information can be set to remain until the other player completes their move, i.e., a flip process is completed. According to some embodiments, the advantage / disadvantage indication module is configured to update the advantage / disadvantage information after the conversion module operates to complete the flip process. According to some embodiments, the advantage / disadvantage indication module is configured to continuously provide advantage / disadvantage information during each game phase. According to alternative embodiments, the advantage / disadvantage indication module can be configured to provide advantage / disadvantage information in a non-continuous manner.

[0215] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4 As shown in Figures 10, 9-18, 24-25, 27, and 30, the advantage / disadvantage indication module includes an indicator light assembly 800, which includes multiple indicator light units 810. These indicator light units 810 can be referred to herein as "LED beads 810". The indicator light units 810 exemplarily include LEDs. According to some embodiments, the LED beads 810 can be configured to change at least one of their on / off state, brightness, color, flashing mode, etc. According to some embodiments, the multiple LED beads 810 can be independently controlled.

[0216] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-18As shown, during the game of the chess device 10, the multiple LEDs 810 of the indicator light assembly 800 include first-state LEDs 811 in a first state and second-state LEDs 812 in a second state, the second state being different from the first state. The indicator light assembly 800 can be configured to provide advantage / disadvantage information through at least one of the following: the number of first-state LEDs 811 and the number of second-state LEDs 812; the proportion of first-state LEDs 811 among the multiple LEDs 810, and / or the proportion of second-state LEDs 812 among the multiple LEDs 810; the ratio of the area occupied by first-state LEDs 811 to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly 800, and / or the ratio of the area occupied by second-state LEDs 812 to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly 800; etc. More specifically, when using the indicator light assembly 800 to provide advantage / disadvantage information, the multiple LEDs 810 of the indicator light assembly 800 are divided into first-state LEDs 811 and second-state LEDs 812. According to some embodiments, each of the first state and the second state represents at least one of the following: the on or off state of the LED 810; the illumination color of the LED 810 when it is on; the illumination brightness of the LED 810 when it is on; and the illumination flashing pattern of the LED 810 when it is on. According to some embodiments, the plurality of LEDs 810 in the indicator light assembly 800 can be divided into first-state LEDs 811 and second-state LEDs 812 that are not mixed with each other, i.e., the first-state LEDs 811 are continuously distributed, and the second-state LEDs 812 are continuously distributed. More specifically, the indicator light assembly 800 is divided into a first segment and a second segment, where the first segment can be a segment where the first-state LEDs 811 are distributed, and the second segment can be a segment where the second-state LEDs 812 are distributed. This allows the human eye to more intuitively and clearly determine the current advantage or disadvantage of both sides in the game.

[0217] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-16As shown, the first state is an on state, and the second state is an off state. That is, the first state LED 811 is an LED in the on state, and the second state LED 812 is an LED in the off state. This allows for the indication of advantages and disadvantages in a power-saving manner. According to some embodiments, during the game, the indicator light assembly 800 can be configured to alternately illuminate the corresponding first state LED 811 in the first on state and the second on state between various game steps. The first on state and the second on state are different from each other. The proportion of the first state LED 811 illuminated in the first on state among the plurality of LEDs 810 represents the proportion of the first player's activated square 110a1 among all activated squares 110a, and the proportion of the first state LED 811 illuminated in the second on state among the plurality of LEDs 810 represents the proportion of the second player's activated square 110a2 among all activated squares 110a. Alternatively or additionally, the ratio of the area occupied by the first-state LED 811 illuminated in the first lighting state to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly 800 can represent the proportion of the first-party activated chess square 110a1 among all activated chess squares 110a, and the ratio of the area occupied by the first-state LED 811 illuminated in the second lighting state to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly 800 can represent the proportion of the second-party activated chess square 110a2 among all activated chess squares 110a. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to indicate the player's move in a corresponding game step through the first and second lighting states of the first-state LED 811. More specifically, if the first-state LED 811 is currently illuminated in the first lighting state, it indicates that the player's move in the current game step is the first player; conversely, if the first-state LED 811 is currently illuminated in the second lighting state, it indicates that the player's move in the current game step is the second player. According to some embodiments, when the first-state LED 811 is lit in a first-lit state, it indicates that the currently activated chess square is the first-player activated chess square 110a1; when the first-state LED 811 is lit in a second-lit state, it indicates that the currently activated chess square is the second-player activated chess square 110a2. These embodiments allow the indicator light assembly 800 to have the dual function of indicating the advantages and disadvantages of both players and the corresponding player's move, improving user interactivity and user-friendliness, such as... Figure 9-13 This shows the status of indicator light component 800 during a game step. Figure 14 The indicator light assembly 800 shows its state in the next game step. It can be seen that in these two game steps, the first-state LED 811 is lit in purple and yellow respectively. Figure 9-13 The purple LED 811 in the first state can be used to indicate the proportion of the purple side's (first side's) activated squares in all activated squares 110a, that is, to indicate the purple side's advantages and disadvantages. On the other hand, it can be used to indicate that the player who plays in the current game step is the purple side. Figure 14The yellow LED 812 in the first state can be used to indicate the proportion of the yellow (second) player's (second) activated squares in all activated squares 110a, that is, to indicate the yellow player's advantage or disadvantage. On the other hand, it can be used to indicate that the player who plays in the current game step is the yellow player.

[0218] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-14 As shown, the first lighting state is the first color, and the second lighting state is the second color, which is different from the first color.

[0219] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-13 As shown (representing a complete game step), each game step can include two phases, namely the first phase before the flipping process begins. Figure 9-10 The first stage (11-13) begins after the flipping process. In the first stage, the chess device 10 is configured to indicate the player in the corresponding game move through the first illumination state, more specifically, the first color, and the second illumination state, more specifically, the second color of the first state LED 811. For example, if the current first state LED 811 is illuminated in the first color, it indicates that the player in the current game move is the first player; conversely, if the current first state LED 811 is illuminated in the second color, it indicates that the player in the current game move is the second player. Simultaneously, the proportion of the current first state LED 811 in terms of quantity or area among all LEDs 810 is used to represent the current advantage / disadvantage information. Figure 13 In the second phase, the advantage / disadvantage indicator module, more specifically the indicator light assembly 800, updates the advantage / disadvantage information. More specifically, after the flipping process is complete, as described above, the selected square and its associated opponent's enabled square are converted to the current player's enabled square. Therefore, the number of first-player enabled squares 110a1 and second-player enabled squares 110a2 on the board 100 will change. The advantage / disadvantage indicator module is configured to update the advantage / disadvantage information based on this change and display the updated information. Figure 13 According to one embodiment, the updated advantage / disadvantage information is presented in the same way as the previous advantage / disadvantage information. For example, if the player in the current game move is the first player, then in the first stage, the advantage / disadvantage information can be represented by the proportion of the first-state LED beads 811 lit with the first color among all LED beads 810; in the second stage, the updated advantage / disadvantage information is still represented by the proportion of the first-state LED beads 811 lit with the first color among the LED beads 810; and vice versa.

[0220] It should be noted that, according to some embodiments, the game steps may not have a phase for updating and displaying advantage and disadvantage information. Instead, the advantage and disadvantage information updated compared to the previous game step may be displayed directly at the beginning of each game step.

[0221] According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to automatically switch to the next game step after the second phase is completed, and thus can automatically switch the display of advantage and disadvantage information. Figure 13 This marks the end of a game step. Figure 14 (This is the start of the next game step). For example, if the player in the current game step is the first player, the advantage / disadvantage indicator module indicates the percentage of the number of the first player's activated square 110a1 among all activated squares 110a by the proportion of the first-state LEDs 811 lit in the first illuminated state (more specifically, the first color) among all LEDs 810 or by the proportion of the area relative to the entire indicator light assembly 800. In the next game step, the player becomes the second player, and the advantage / disadvantage indicator module switches to indicating the percentage of the number of the second player's activated square 110a2 among all activated squares 110a by the proportion of the number of the second-state LEDs 812 lit in the second illuminated state (more specifically, the second color) among all LEDs 810 or by the proportion of the area relative to the entire indicator light assembly 800.

[0222] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 9-18As shown, the first state of LED 810 is represented by a first illuminated state, and the second state of LED 810 is represented by LED 812 by a second illuminated state, which is different from the first illuminated state. That is, LED 811 in the first state is LED 810 illuminated in the first illuminated state, and LED 812 in the second state is LED 810 illuminated in the second illuminated state. The first illuminated state can be a first illuminated color, and the second illuminated state can be a second illuminated color different from the first illuminated color. Further, the proportion of LED 811 in the first state among the plurality of LEDs 810 represents the proportion of the first activated grid 110a1 in the activated grid 110a; the proportion of LED 812 in the second state among the plurality of LEDs 810 represents the proportion of the second activated grid 110a2 in the activated grid 110a. Alternatively or additionally, the ratio of the area occupied by the first-state LED 811 to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly 800 can represent the proportion of the number of first-state activated grids 110a1 in activated grids 110a, and the ratio of the area occupied by the second-state LED 812 to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly 800 can represent the proportion of the number of second-state activated grids 110a2 in activated grids 110a. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 is configured to indicate the player in a corresponding game step by highlighting one of a first illumination color and a second illumination color. Exemplarily, and not exclusively, the chess device 10 is configured to highlight one of the first illumination color and the second illumination color by adjusting the brightness and / or illumination frequency of the first illumination color and the second illumination color. For example, if, in the current game step, the brightness of the LED 810 illuminated by the first illumination color gradually becomes higher than that of the LED 810 illuminated by the second illumination color, it indicates that the current player is the first player. This configuration allows the indicator light assembly 800 to function as both an indicator of the strengths and weaknesses of both players and a corresponding indicator of the player's position, thus enhancing user interactivity and user-friendliness.

[0223] According to some embodiments, the indicator light assembly 800 is also configured to provide a winning indication message at the end of the game. According to some embodiments, at the end of the game, all LEDs 810 are illuminated, optionally accompanied by flashing. According to some embodiments, at the end of the game, the entire indicator light assembly 800 is illuminated in a first illuminated state or a second illuminated state, optionally accompanied by flashing, to indicate whether the winning side is the first or second side.

[0224] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4As shown in 10, 9-18, 24-25, 27, and 30, the indicator light assembly 800 is configured to surround the chessboard 100. More specifically, the plurality of LEDs 810 are evenly distributed around the chessboard 100. According to some embodiments, the indicator light assembly 800 is configured as a light strip 800 having a closed shape. Exemplarily, and not exclusively, the light strip 800 is configured to have one of the following shapes: circular; rectangular; elliptical; equilateral polygon; more specifically, "polygon" means an even number of sides. According to some embodiments, the light strip 800 is configured as a circular or elliptical light strip 800, and the chessboard 100 is at least partially inscribed within the light strip 800. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 may be configured as a circular chessboard 100. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 has a cylindrical overall shape or is at least partially cylindrical. According to some embodiments, the chess device 10 includes a control module 400 configured to communicatively connect with the indicator light assembly 800 to control the operation of the indicator light assembly 800. According to some embodiments, the plurality of LED beads 810 are disposed on the circuit board 410 of the control module 400, located in the peripheral area of ​​the circuit board 410. According to one embodiment, the circuit board 410 is configured to have one of the following shapes: circular; rectangular; elliptical; equilateral polygon; more specifically, "polygon" means an even number of sides.

[0225] In some embodiments, as described above, the chess device 10 may have a first occupying point 11 and a second occupying point 12. Exemplarily, the chess device 10 may use the aforementioned first occupying point 11 and second occupying point 12 in a single-player game mode. In some embodiments, as described above, the chess device 10 may have a third occupying point 13 and a fourth occupying point 14. Exemplarily, the chess device 10 may use the aforementioned third occupying point 13 and fourth occupying point 14 in a two-player game mode. According to some embodiments, as described above, during the game, the first state LED 811 is an LED 810 in an illuminated state, and the second state LED 812 is an LED 810 in an off state. In some embodiments, such as... Figure 9 , 14As shown in Figure 16, the light strip 800 is configured such that, during the game, the first-state LED beads 811 alternately correspond to the first capture point 11 and the second capture point 12, or alternately correspond to the third capture point 13 and the fourth capture point 14, to indicate the corresponding player in the current game step. For example, in the game, if the first-state LED beads 811 correspond to the first or third capture point 13 in the current game step, it indicates that the current player is the first player; if the first-state LED beads 811 correspond to the second or fourth capture point 14, it indicates that the current player is the second player. Thus, in these embodiments, the light strip 800 can very intuitively indicate the current player, especially by combining the first-state LED beads 811 in different lighting states as described above; more specifically, the current player and advantage / disadvantage information can be clearly and intuitively indicated by the following combination: the capture point where the first-state LED beads 811 are located; the lighting state of the first-state LED beads 811 (e.g., the first color or the second color).

[0226] It should be noted that, in the context of this article, such as Figure 9-18 As shown, "corresponding to a certain occupancy point distribution" can be understood as the corresponding LED beads 810 being distributed along two opposite circumferential directions with the intersection of the corresponding axis passing through the occupancy point and the center line of the checkerboard area 100a with the LED strip 800 as the midpoint.

[0227] According to alternative embodiments, as described above and as follows Figure 17-18 As shown, during the game, the first state LED 811 is the LED 810 in the first illuminated state, and the second state LED 812 is the LED 810 in the second illuminated state, which is different from the first illuminated state. For example, the first illuminated state is a first color, and the second illuminated state is a second color. In such an embodiment, the first state LED 811 can be further configured to always correspond to the distribution of the first or third occupant point 13, and the second state LED 812 can always correspond to the distribution of the second or fourth occupant point 14.

[0228] According to some embodiments, as described above, such as Figure 9-14As shown, the advantage / disadvantage module may include an indicator light assembly 800, and the multiple LED beads 810 of the indicator light assembly 800 may include first-state LED beads 811 and second-state LED beads 812. According to some embodiments, as described above, the illumination states of the LED beads 810 include a first illumination state and a second illumination state. According to some embodiments, as described above, the first illumination state can be represented by a first color, and the second illumination state can be represented by a second color. According to a further embodiment, the first activation indication information for indicating that the first party activates the checkerboard 110a1 is also represented by the first illumination state, for example, the first color, and the second activation indication information for indicating that the second party activates the checkerboard 110a2 is also represented by the second illumination state, for example, the second color. That is, the illumination state of the advantage / disadvantage LED beads 810 used to indicate the proportion of the corresponding side's enabled square 110a among all enabled squares 110a is consistent with the activation indication information used to indicate the corresponding side's enabled square 110a. This allows for a very intuitive indication of the proportion of the LED beads 810 illuminated in the corresponding illumination state among all LED beads 810 or the proportion in the total area of ​​the indicator assembly 800, representing the proportion of the corresponding side's enabled square 110a among all enabled squares 110a. More specifically, the current player and advantage / disadvantage information can be clearly and intuitively indicated by the following combination: the position of the first-state LED beads 811 and / or the second-state LED beads 812; the illumination state of the first-state LED beads 811 and / or the second-state LED beads 812 (e.g., first color or second color); optionally, the representation of the first activation indication information and the representation of the second activation indication information, i.e., the illumination state of the first side's enabled square 110a1 and the second side's enabled square 110a2.

[0229] According to some embodiments, the indicator light assembly 800 is configured as a circular light strip 800, more specifically, it is arranged around the periphery of the circular cover plate 30 of the chess device 10, with the chessboard 100 forming at least a portion of the cover plate 30. According to some embodiments, the ratio of the radial width of the light strip 800 to the maximum radius of the cover plate 30 is 1 to 10%, preferably 2 to 6%, thereby ensuring that the light strip 800 clearly displays the advantage and disadvantage indication information, while not interfering with the display of the first active chess square 110a1 and the second active chess square 110a2 on the chessboard 100, and without causing visual fatigue to the user.

[0230] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-4As shown in Figures 25 and 29-30, the chess-playing device 10 also includes an indicator light assembly cover 820, which covers the indicator light assembly 800, and more specifically, covers a plurality of LED beads 810. More specifically, the indicator light assembly cover 820 includes a plurality of LED light-transmitting portions 821 and LED light-blocking portions 822. In other words, the indicator light assembly cover 820 is divided into a plurality of LED light-transmitting portions 821 by the LED light-blocking portions 822, and each LED light-transmitting portion 821 corresponds to one LED bead 810, so that the indicator information provided by the LED bead 810 can be displayed through the light-transmitting portions. According to some embodiments, the indicator light assembly cover 820 has a plurality of cavities, the sides surrounding each cavity are formed by LED light-blocking portions 822, and one end of each cavity is formed by a corresponding LED light-transmitting portion 821, which may exemplary be a material gap. When the indicator light assembly cover 820 covers the light strip 800, each LED 810 is located in a corresponding cavity, and the LED 810 is surrounded by an LED light-blocking portion 822, while the side of the LED 810 opposite to the first axial side of the holder faces the LED light-transmitting portion 821. According to some embodiments, the indicator light assembly cover 820 is configured as a single piece.

[0231] According to some embodiments, when the indicator light assembly 800 is a light strip 800, the ratio of the radial width of the indicator light assembly cover 820 to the maximum radius of the cover plate 30 is 1 to 10%, preferably 2 to 6%. This ensures that the light strip 800 clearly displays the advantage and disadvantage indication information, while not interfering with the display of the first active square 110a1 and the second active square 110a2 on the chessboard 100, and also does not cause visual fatigue to the user.

[0232] According to some embodiments, the main body 20 of the chess device 10 is a housing component, which includes a bottom wall 21 and a peripheral wall 22. The end opposite to the peripheral wall 22 may be an open end, and the cover plate 30 and / or the chessboard 100 may be configured to cover the open end.

[0233] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 1-2 As shown in Figure 29, the indicator light assembly 800 is configured as a light strip 800 and may be radially positioned between at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 and the chessboard 100. According to some embodiments, the chessboard 100 constitutes at least a portion of the cover plate 30 of the chess device 10, and the light strip 800 may be radially positioned between at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 and the cover plate 30; optionally, the rotating ring 620, the light strip 800, and the cover plate 30 all have a circular shape; optionally, the cover plate 30, the light strip 800, and at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 are arranged one after another in the radial direction, with at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 positioned on the outermost radial direction.

[0234] According to some embodiments, such as Figure 30As shown, at least a portion of the rotating ring 620 axially covers the light strip 800. For example, the light strip 800 is disposed axially inside the at least portion of the rotating ring 620, and the at least portion of the rotating ring 620 is light-transmitting. According to some embodiments, the light strip 800 may be axially located between the first rotating ring portion 621 and the second rotating ring portion 622 mentioned above. More specifically, the light strip 800 has a retainer by which the plurality of LED beads 810 are held. The retainer is axially located between the first rotating ring portion 621 and the second rotating ring portion 622. More specifically, the retainer may have a first axial side and a second axial side opposite to each other, the first axial side facing the first rotating ring portion 621 and the second axial side facing the second rotating ring portion 622, the plurality of LED beads 810 being disposed on the first axial side. According to some embodiments, the retainer is an integral part of the circuit board 410 of the control module 400. According to some embodiments, the first rotating ring portion 621 includes an axial end plate, and the outer surface 626 mentioned above for user touch to operate the rotating ring 620 includes the outer axial surface 6261 of the axial end plate, i.e., the first surface 6261 mentioned above. According to some embodiments, the outer axial end plate 627 of the first rotating ring portion 621 is made transparent or translucent and covers the plurality of LED beads 810 axially, so that the lit LED beads 810 can be displayed through the axial end plate. According to some embodiments, the fixing part 610 and the retaining member mentioned above can be a single piece. This allows for a very compact overall structure of the chess device 10. According to some embodiments, the second mating part 611, more specifically the elastic member 612 and the positioning member 613 mentioned above can be disposed on the second axial side of the retaining member. According to some embodiments, the second sensing member mentioned above can be disposed on the second axial side of the retaining member.

[0235] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device 10 also includes a switching mechanism. According to alternative embodiments, the switching mechanism may be integrated with the mode switching component 40.

[0236] According to some embodiments, the chess-playing device 10 includes a sound module. According to some embodiments, a control module 400 is configured to communicate with the sound module to control its operation. According to some embodiments, the sound module is configured to provide a selection sound prompt in response to the selection operation of the move selection unit 600. According to some embodiments, the selection sound prompt appears synchronously with the aforementioned selection indication information or first optional indication information. According to some embodiments, the sound module is configured to provide a flip sound prompt during a flip. According to some embodiments, the flip sound prompt is synchronized with the selection of a square and the transformation of at least one associated opponent-enabled square to the current player-enabled square. According to some embodiments, the sound module is configured to provide an update sound prompt when advantage / disadvantage information is updated. According to some embodiments, the update sound prompt is synchronized with the change of the LEDs 810 of the indicator light assembly 800. According to some embodiments, the sound module can provide a victory prompt to cheer on one of the players when they win.

[0237] According to some embodiments, such as Figures 29-30 As shown, the chess-playing device 10 includes a battery module 900, which is configured to power the control module 400, display module 300, input detection module, advantage / disadvantage indicator module, sound module, etc. The battery module 900 may include a rechargeable battery; alternatively or incidentally, the battery module 900 may include a disposable battery.

[0238] The exemplary embodiments of the chess-playing device proposed by this utility model have been described in detail above with reference to preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and alterations can be made to the above specific embodiments without departing from the concept of this utility model, and various combinations can be made to the various technical features and structures proposed by this utility model without exceeding the protection scope of this utility model.

[0239] The scope of this disclosure is not limited by the embodiments described above, but by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A chess-playing device, characterized in that, The chess-playing device includes: A chessboard can form multiple squares; The move position selection unit is configured to select one of the squares; the selected square is called the selected square. The chess placement selection unit includes a fixed part and a rotating ring, wherein the rotating ring is configured to rotate relative to the fixed part between at least two rotating positions to select one of the chess squares; in: At least a portion of the rotating ring is arranged around the chessboard; and / or The chess-playing device includes a main body, and at least a portion of the rotating ring is disposed around at least a portion of the main body or at an end of the main body.

2. The chess-playing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating ring is configured to rotate about a rotation axis relative to the fixed part to select one of a plurality of rotation positions, thereby selecting one of the checkerboard squares accordingly.

3. The chess-playing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, One of the rotating ring and the fixed part is provided with a first mating surface and a plurality of first mating parts provided on the first mating surface, each first mating part corresponding to one of the plurality of rotational positions; the other of the rotating ring and the fixed part is provided with a second mating part, the second mating part being configured to cooperate with the plurality of first mating parts to position the rotating ring at each of the rotational positions.

4. The chess-playing device according to claim 3, wherein, The first mating part is a groove, which is configured to receive at least a portion of the second mating part to position the rotating ring at a corresponding rotational position.

5. The chess-playing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second mating part is configured such that when the rotating ring rotates relative to the fixed part and at least a portion of the second mating part enters the groove from outside the groove, the at least a portion of the second mating part contacts and impacts the bottom and / or sidewall of the groove.

6. The chess-playing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The two circumferential end faces of the groove are configured as inclined surfaces that converge toward each other from the opening side to the bottom side of the groove.

7. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The second mating part is disposed on the fixing part and includes an elastic element connected to the fixing part.

8. The chess-playing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first mating surface is disposed on the rotating ring, and the elastic element is configured such that when it is opposite to the other part of the first mating surface except for the groove, at least a portion of the elastic element abuts against the first mating surface to compress the elastic element; when it is opposite to the groove, at least a portion of the elastic element extends to release the elastic force and enters the groove to position the rotating ring at the corresponding rotation position.

9. The chess-playing device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The elastic element includes a leaf spring, which includes a positioning portion and a connecting portion. The connecting portion is connected to the fixing portion, and the positioning portion is configured to: abut against the first mating surface to compress the leaf spring; and enter the groove to position the rotating ring at a corresponding rotational position.

10. The chess-playing device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The positioning part is configured to have a U-shaped structure and includes a base and a first leg and a second leg extending from the base; the connecting part includes a first connecting leg and a second connecting leg connected to the fixing part; wherein the first connecting leg is connected to the first leg and the second connecting leg is connected to the second leg.

11. The chess-playing device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first connecting leg and the second connecting leg extend away from each other from the connecting portions that are respectively connected to the first leg and the second leg.

12. The chess-playing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second mating part is a positioning element that mates with the elastic element; The second mating part is configured such that when it is opposite to the other part of the first mating surface except for the groove, the positioning member abuts against the first mating surface to compress the elastic member; when it is opposite to the groove, the elastic member extends to release elastic stress and bias the positioning member into the groove, thereby positioning the rotating ring in the corresponding rotation position.

13. The chess-playing device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The positioning element is a ball; The elastic element is a spring sheet, and the spring sheet is provided with a recess; Wherein, the maximum cross-section of the recess is smaller than the maximum cross-section of the bead, so that at least a portion of the bead is seated in the recess, and the bead is configured to be able to roll in the recess.

14. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that, The plurality of first mating parts are evenly distributed in a ring around the rotation axis.

15. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The outer surface of the rotating ring is provided with grooves.

16. The chess-playing device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The outer surface of the rotating ring includes a first surface and a second surface that extend laterally relative to each other, and the groove is disposed on the first surface and / or the second surface.

17. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The chessboard is connected within the rotating ring.

18. The chess-playing device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The chess-playing device includes a circular cover plate, the chessboard forming at least a portion of the circular cover plate, and at least a portion of the rotating ring arranged around the circular cover plate.

19. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The main body includes a cylindrical portion, and at least a portion of the rotating ring is arranged around the cylindrical portion.

20. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The chess placement selection unit includes a sensing component, which is configured to generate a rotation position sensing signal when the rotating ring switches between the plurality of rotation positions.

21. The chess-playing device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The sensing component includes a second sensing element that is fixedly set and a first sensing element that is configured to rotate integrally with the rotating ring. The first sensing element and the second sensing element can sense each other to generate the rotation position sensing signal.

22. The chess-playing device according to claim 21, characterized in that, The rotating ring is configured to rotate relative to the fixed portion in opposite first and second circumferential directions to select one of the plurality of rotational positions.

23. The chess-playing device according to claim 22, characterized in that, The sensing component is configured to sense the rotation direction of the rotating ring relative to the fixed part.

24. The chess-playing device according to claim 21, characterized in that, The first sensing element includes multiple magnets; The second sensing element includes a Hall sensor.

25. The chess-playing device according to claim 24, characterized in that, The rotating ring is provided with a magnet receiving groove for accommodating the corresponding magnets.

26. The chess-playing device according to claim 25, characterized in that, The first mating surface includes a plurality of teeth, which are alternately arranged with a plurality of grooves; the magnet receiving groove is disposed at the teeth.

27. The chess-playing device according to claim 25, characterized in that, The fixing part is disposed radially inside the first mating surface of the rotating ring; the first mating surface is the radial surface of the rotating ring.

28. The chess-playing device according to claim 27, characterized in that, The magnet receiving groove is disposed on the axially facing surface of the rotating ring.

29. The chess-playing device according to claim 21, characterized in that, The first sensing element includes a plurality of first light-sensing units and a plurality of second light-sensing units, which are alternately arranged with each other; the second sensing element includes a photoelectric encoder, which is configured to sense the plurality of first light-sensing units and the plurality of second light-sensing units.

30. The chess-playing device according to claim 29, characterized in that, One of the first light-sensing part and the second light-sensing part is a white light-sensing part, and the other is a black light-sensing part.

31. The chess-playing device according to claim 29, characterized in that, The plurality of first photosensitive parts and the plurality of second photosensitive parts are disposed on the axially facing surface of the rotating ring that is radially and / or axially offset from the first mating surface; or The plurality of first light-sensing parts and the plurality of second light-sensing parts are disposed on the first axial facing surface of the rotating ring, and the first mating surface is disposed on the second axial facing surface of the rotating ring opposite to the first axial facing surface; or The first mating surface is disposed on one of the radial surface and the axial surface of the rotating ring, and the plurality of first photosensitive parts and the plurality of second photosensitive parts are disposed on the other of the radial surface and the axial surface of the rotating ring.

32. The chess-playing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The chess-like device is a flip chess set.

33. The chess-playing device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The chess-playing device also includes a display module, which includes a chess square display unit corresponding to each chess square. The chess square display unit is configured to have an on state and an off state and can provide indication information about the state of the corresponding chess square.

34. The chess-playing device according to claim 33, characterized in that, The display module is configured such that, when the move position selection unit is operated, the display unit corresponding to the selected move square provides selection indication information.

35. The chess-playing device according to claim 34, characterized in that, The display module is configured to provide the selection indication information to the chess square display unit corresponding to the selected chess square based on the rotation position sensing signal.

36. The chess-playing device according to claim 33, characterized in that, The plurality of chess squares includes selectable chess squares, and the chess square selected by the chess placement selection unit is one of the selectable chess squares. The chess square display unit is also configured to provide selectable indication information in the lit state to indicate that the corresponding chess square is a selectable chess square.

37. The chess-playing device according to claim 36, characterized in that, The optional squares include the selected square and the remaining optional squares other than the selected square; the optional indication information includes a first optional indication information indicating the selected square and a second optional indication information indicating the remaining optional squares, wherein the first optional indication information and the second optional indication information are different from each other.

38. The chess-playing device according to claim 37, characterized in that, The display module is configured such that when the chess placement selection unit operates to select the selected chess square, the chess square display unit corresponding to the selected chess square switches from displaying the second optional indication information to displaying the first optional indication information.

39. The chess-playing device according to claim 38, characterized in that, The display module is configured to switch the display unit corresponding to the selected chess square from displaying the second optional indication information to displaying the first optional indication information based on the generation of the rotation position sensing signal.

40. The chess-playing device according to claim 22, characterized in that, In a game step, a square that can be selected by the placement selection unit is called an optional square. The chess device includes multiple optional squares, which have a first sort and a second sort, wherein the second sort is the inversion of the first sort. The move selection unit is configured to be used in one game step: When the rotating ring rotates along the first circumferential direction to pass through at least one of the plurality of rotating positions and selects one of the plurality of rotating positions, at least one of the plurality of optional squares is traversed according to the first sorting and the corresponding optional square is selected. When the rotating ring rotates along the second circumferential direction to pass through at least one of the plurality of rotating positions and selects one of the plurality of rotating positions, at least one of the plurality of optional squares is traversed according to the second sorting and the corresponding optional square is selected.

41. The chess-playing device according to claim 32, characterized in that, The plurality of chess squares includes first-player activated chess squares and second-player activated chess squares; the chess device also includes an advantage / disadvantage indication module, which is configured to provide advantage / disadvantage information indicating the advantage / disadvantage between the number of first-player activated chess squares and the number of second-player activated chess squares.

42. The chess-playing device according to claim 41, characterized in that, The advantage / disadvantage indicator module includes an indicator light assembly, which includes multiple indicator light units, each of which is called an LED bead.

43. The chess-playing device according to claim 42, characterized in that, During the game of the chess device, the multiple LED beads of the indicator light assembly include first-state LED beads in a first state and second-state LED beads in a second state, the second state being different from the first state; The indicator light assembly is configured to provide the advantage / disadvantage information via at least one of the following: The number of LEDs in the first state and the number of LEDs in the second state; The percentage of the number of LEDs in the first state among the plurality of LEDs, and / or the percentage of the number of LEDs in the second state among the plurality of LEDs; The ratio of the area occupied by the first state LED to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly, and / or the ratio of the area occupied by the second state LED to the total area of ​​the indicator light assembly.

44. The chess-playing device according to claim 43, characterized in that, The indicator light assembly is configured as a closed light strip and is radially located between at least a portion of the rotating ring and the chessboard.

45. The chess-playing device according to claim 44, characterized in that, The chess-playing device includes a circular cover plate, the chessboard forming at least a portion of the circular cover plate, at least a portion of the rotating ring surrounding the circular cover plate, and the light strip radially located between at least a portion of the rotating ring and the cover plate.

46. ​​The chess-playing device according to claim 45, characterized in that, The rotating ring, the light strip, and the cover plate are all circular in shape. At least a portion of the cover plate, the light strip, and the rotating ring are arranged one after another in the radial direction, with the at least a portion of the rotating ring located on the outermost radial side.

47. The chess-playing device according to claim 44, characterized in that, The light strip is disposed axially inside at least a portion of the rotating ring, and the at least a portion of the rotating ring is light-transmitting.

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