Gaming chip counting

Abstract

To provide a system that can improve the accuracy in gaming chip counting.SOLUTION: The present invention enables capturing an image using an imaging device, identifying a gaming chip tube in a gaming chip tray, determining a first position corresponding to a bottom surface of the gaming chip tube, identifying a spacer by recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer, and determining a second position corresponding to the spacer. The number of gaming chips can be determined at least in part based on the first and second positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 668,936, filed May 9, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Gaming chips can be used in casinos instead of currency. Gaming chips can be made from a variety of materials, including colored metal, injection-molded plastic, and compressed molded clay. Gaming chips can be stored in chip trays. Chip trays can be placed on gaming tables. Casinos can include cameras to allow security to monitor the gaming floor. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The system may include one or more imaging devices and one or more computing devices. The imaging device may capture an image of a portion of a gaming table. The computing device may be in communication with the imaging device. The computing device may capture an image from the imaging device. The computing device may identify a gaming chip tube in a gaming chip tray, determine a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube, identify a spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer, determine a second position corresponding to the spacer, and determine a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position.

[0004] The method may include capturing an image corresponding to a gaming chip tray via one or more imaging devices. The method may include identifying a gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray via one or more computing devices. The method may include determining a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube. The method may include identifying a spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer. The method may include determining a second position corresponding to the spacer. The method may include determining a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position.

[0005] A non-transitory computer-readable medium may embody a program. When executed by one or more computing devices, the program causes the computing device to perform various functions. The program causes the computing device to acquire images from at least one imaging device. The program causes the computing device to identify gaming chip tubes in a gaming chip tray. The program causes the computing device to determine a first position corresponding to the bottom of the gaming chip tube. The program causes the computing device to identify a spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer. The program causes the computing device to determine a second position corresponding to the spacer. The program causes the computing device to determine a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position.

[0006] These and other aspects, objects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments illustrating the currently known best mode. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] For a more complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below.

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a gaming environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a gaming environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a drawing of a chip tray according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a drawing of a gaming chip tube from the chip tray of FIG. 3 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 5] 5A-E are drawings of patterns for spacers according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates an example flowchart of a process implemented in the gaming environment of FIG. 2 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary computing environment employed in the gaming environment of FIG. 2, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] The drawings merely illustrate exemplary embodiments and should not be considered as limiting the scope described herein, as other equally effective embodiments are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions may be exaggerated to help visually convey certain principles. In the drawings, like reference numerals between the figures indicate similar or corresponding elements, but are not necessarily identical. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] In the following paragraphs, the embodiments are exemplarily described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Herein, well-known components, methods, and / or processing techniques are omitted or briefly described so as not to obscure the embodiments. As used herein, "the present disclosure" refers to any one of the embodiments described herein and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various features of "embodiments of the present disclosure" does not imply that all embodiments must include the referenced features.

[0017] In embodiments, some aspects of the present disclosure are implemented by computer programs executed by one or more processors, as described and illustrated. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, one or more embodiments may be implemented, at least in part, by computer-readable instructions in various forms, and the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular set or sequence of instructions executed by a processor.

[0018] The embodiments described herein are not limited to the details set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosed subject matter is capable of other embodiments and may be implemented or carried out in various ways. Additionally, the phraseology and terminology used herein are for purposes of description and should not be considered limiting. As used herein, the use of "comprising," "comprising," or "having," and variations thereof, is meant to encompass the subsequently listed items, additional items, and their equivalents. The terms "connected" and "coupled" are used broadly and include both direct and indirect connections and couplings. Furthermore, the terms "connected" and "coupled" are not limited to electrical, physical, or mechanical connections or couplings. As used herein, the terms "machine," "computer," "server," and "workstation" are not limited to devices with a single processor, but can include multiple devices (e.g., computers) linked in a system, devices with multiple processors, special-purpose devices, devices with various peripherals and input / output devices, software functioning as a computer or server, and combinations of the above.

[0019] Gaming chips may be stacked together in a chip tray on a gaming table. In some environments, using visual recognition to identify individual gaming chips may be inconsistent. The gaming chips within a gaming chip tube in the chip tray may all correspond to a single denomination. The edges of the gaming chips may have a shared pattern. Individual gaming chips within the chip tray may be difficult to distinguish. Visual recognition may depend on lighting conditions, the distance of the camera from the chip tray, and the angle of the camera relative to the chip tray.

[0020] Placing spacers on one or both sides of the stack of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube can increase the accuracy of counting gaming chips using visual recognition. The spacers can be similar to the gaming chips but have a different pattern on their edges. A dealer can place a spacer on each end of the stack of gaming chips. The pattern can be selected so that the spacer is easily visually recognized in contrast to the other gaming chips. Rather than, or in addition to, recognizing individual gaming chips in the stack, the size of the stack can be determined by measuring from the start of the stack of gaming chips to the spacer or from the first spacer to the second spacer. The width of the stack of gaming chips can be reliably determined because the spacers can be recognized in contrast to the gaming chips.

[0021] Turning now to the drawings, exemplary embodiments are described in detail. Referring to FIG. 1 , an exemplary gaming environment 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The gaming environment 100 includes one or more gaming chips 103 and a spacer 106 in a chip tray 109 of a gaming table 112. One or more imaging devices 115 can image the gaming table 112 within a field of view 118. Each imaging device 115 can image at least a portion of the gaming table 112 within the field of view 118. Each field of view 118 can have a different perspective based on the position and orientation of each imaging device 115. The spacer 106 can correspond to the gaming chip 103 having a predetermined pattern contained around its periphery. The imaging device 115 may be a still camera, a video camera, or some other light-sensing device.

[0022] The positions of the gaming chips 103 and spacers 106 can be determined by performing image recognition on captures from the imaging device 115. Because the chip tray 109 may be stationary, the positions of various points on the chip tray 109 can be determined relative to the field of view 118 of the imaging device 115 and stored in memory. As an example, the start and end positions of each gaming chip tube in the chip tray 109 can be determined and stored in memory. In some embodiments, the positions in the chip tray 109 can be repeatedly determined. In other embodiments, the position of a given gaming chip tube can be verified to determine whether either the chip tray 109 or the imaging device 115 has moved.

[0023] The number of gaming chips 103 in each gaming chip tube can be determined. The distance can be measured from the beginning of the gaming chip tube to the location of the spacer 106. The distance can be divided by the width of the gaming chip 103 to determine the number. The result can be rounded to the nearest gaming chip 103. The number can be checked periodically. In some embodiments, the number can be checked based on the current state of a gambling game being played on the gaming table 112. As an example, the number of gaming chips 103 can be determined each time one or more cards are dealt and each time a gaming chip 103 is received or dispensed.

[0024] In one embodiment, a spacer 106 may be placed after a certain number of gaming chips. For example, a dealer may place a spacer 106 in the gaming chip tube after every 20 gaming chips 103. By using spacers 106 placed at a certain frequency, the thickness of the spacer 106 may be reduced or the imaging device 115 may be placed further away.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 2 , a gaming environment 200 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The gaming environment 100 may correspond to one example of the gaming environment 200. The gaming environment 200 includes a computing environment 203, one or more gaming table devices 206, and one or more image forming devices 115 that are in data communication with each other via a network 209. The gaming table devices 206 may be located at the gaming table 112. The network 209 may include, for example, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a wired network, a wireless network, or any other suitable network, or any combination thereof. For example, such a network may comprise a satellite network, a cable network, an Ethernet network, and other types of networks.

[0026] Computing environment 203 may include, for example, a server computer or any other system that provides computing power. Alternatively, computing environment 203 may employ multiple computing devices that may be located, for example, in one or more server banks, computer banks, or other locations. Such computing devices may be located at a single location or may be distributed across multiple geographic locations. For example, computing environment 203 may include multiple computing devices that together may comprise host computing resources, grid computing resources, and / or any other distributed computing arrangement. In some embodiments, computing environment 203 may correspond to elastic computing resources, where the allocated capacity of processing, network, storage, or other computing-related resources changes over time.

[0027] According to various embodiments, various applications and / or other functions may be executed in computing environment 203. Additionally, various data may be stored in data store 212 accessible to computing environment 203. Data store 212 may be representative of multiple data stores 212, as may be appreciated. Data stored in data store 212 may be associated with the operation of various applications and / or functional entities, for example, as described below.

[0028] Components executing in the computing environment 203 include, for example, an identification service 215 and other applications, services, processes, systems, engines, or functions not discussed in detail herein. The identification service 215 may execute to count gaming chips 103 used in a casino. The identification service 215 may determine the number of gaming chips 103 in a chip tray 109 by determining the distance between a starting position in a chip tray tube and the position of a spacer 106 (FIG. 1). The identification service 215 may divide the distance by the width of the gaming chip 103. It will be understood that some or all of the functions performed by the identification service 215 may be performed by the gaming table equipment 206. In some embodiments, some or all of the functions performed by the identification service 215 may be performed by one or more imaging devices 115.

[0029] The data stored in the data store 212 includes, for example, visual data 218, currency data 221, an imager 224, and potentially other data. The visual data 218 can be used to facilitate visual recognition of different gaming chips 103. The visual data 218 can include images of patterns corresponding to the edges of the gaming chips 103 and spacers 106. The visual data 218 can include images of the top and bottom surfaces of the gaming chips 103 and spacers 106. The visual data 218 can include three-dimensional (3D) models of the gaming chips 103, spacers 106, chip trays 109 containing gaming chip tubes, etc. The visual data 218 can include details of one or more visual security features corresponding to the gaming chips 103 and / or spacers 106.

[0030] The currency data 221 may include a list of all active gaming chips, including any identifiers associated with the gaming chips, such as RFID tag identifiers and other identifiers. The currency data 221 may include all gaming chips 103 authorized for use in one or more casinos. The currency data 221 may store information about where each gaming chip 103 was read within the casino. Using this information about reads within the casino, the identification service 215 may track where the gaming chips 103 have moved within the casino.

[0031] Imaging device 224 may include a list of imaging devices 115. Imaging device 224 may include a location for each of imaging devices 115. Field of view 118 (FIG. 1) may be different for each imaging device 115. As an example, one imaging device 115 may be positioned above gaming table 112, while another imaging device 115 may be positioned overhead, facing down toward gaming table 112. To enhance recognition, visual data 218 may include visual data specific to each imaging device 224 based on the field of view 118 for the particular imaging device 115.

[0032] The gaming table apparatus 206 is representative of multiple gaming tables 112 that may be coupled to the network 209. The gaming table apparatus 206 may include one or more computing devices having a processor-based system, such as, for example, a computer system. Such a computer system may be embodied in the form of an embedded computing device or other device having similar capabilities. The gaming table apparatus 206 may include a chip tray 109, one or more bet spots 239, a chip recycler 242, a bill validator 245, and a display 248.

[0033] The dealer can receive cash from the patron and pay the patron with gaming chips 103 from the chip tray 109. The dealer can deposit money into the bill validator 245. The dealer can deal cards for gambling games at the gaming table apparatus 206. Patrons at the gaming table apparatus 206 can bet on various outcomes of the gambling games using the gaming chips 103. If the patron wins, the dealer can pay the patron using the gaming chips 103 stored in the chip tray 109. If the patron loses, the dealer can remove the bet gaming chips 103 from the bet spot 239. The dealer can place the removed gaming chips 103 in the chip recycler 242 or the chip tray 109. Various gaming chips 103 can be added to or removed from the chip tray 109 while the gaming table apparatus 206 is in use.

[0034] The identification service 215 can receive the video stream from the one or more imaging devices 115. The identification service 215 can use the visual data 218 to identify the chip tray 109 in an image from the video stream. The identification service 215 can determine one or more gaming chip tubes in the chip tray 109. For each of the gaming chip tubes, the identification service 215 can identify a first position corresponding to a first end of the gaming chip tube.

[0035] The identification service 215 can identify a spacer 106 in a gaming chip tube by recognizing the pattern of the spacers 106 in the chip tray 109. The spacer 106 can be positioned between a first end and a second end of the gaming chip tube. The spacer 106 can be positioned at an end of a stack of gaming chips 103. The identification service 215 can determine a second position corresponding to the spacer 106. Because the spacer 106 has a width, the identification service 215 can determine the second position as the end of the spacer 106 closest to the first position. In some embodiments, the midpoint of the spacer 106 is used, and any further calculation of the number of gaming chips 103 includes rounding down to the nearest number of gaming chips 103.

[0036] The identification service 215 may determine the distance or length between the first location and the second location. The number of gaming chips 103 in the gaming chip tube may be determined based on the distance. As an example, the identification service 215 may divide the distance by the width of the gaming chip 103. The identification service 215 may round the calculated number to the nearest integral number of gaming chips 103. In some embodiments, if the calculation is outside of predetermined parameters, corrective action may be taken. The predetermined parameters may include a parameter defining a maximum number of gaming chips 103 in the gaming chip tube. The predetermined parameters may also include a threshold for rounding. According to one example, the threshold may be set to 0.2. In this example, if the determined number is 10.1 or 9.9, it is rounded to 10, but if the determined number is 9.6 or 10.4, corrective action may be taken.

[0037] Corrective action may include illuminating or activating an indicator to signal the dealer to lock down the chip tray 109. The display 248 may render details of the indicated information for the chip tray 109. As an example, the display 248 may render a visual representation of a chip tray 109 containing one or more gaming chip tubes that are outside of predetermined parameters. The identification service 215 may analyze the gaming chips 103 in the problematic gaming chip tube to identify the cause of the problem. As an example, the identification service 215 may identify a space between two gaming chips 103 in a gaming chip tube. As another example, the identification service 215 may identify an inappropriate object placed in the gaming chip tube. The identification service 215 may cause the gaming table apparatus 206 to render an image of the chip tray 109 with an overlay indicating the problematic area of ​​the gaming chip tube.

[0038] Other remedial actions may include stopping future games, stopping games until authorized user approval is obtained, and alerting security. The level of authorized users may be based on the identified discrepancy. For example, if a rounding error is identified, a lower level authorized user may be required. If the number of gaming chips 103 is below the expected number, a higher level authorized user may be required.

[0039] The threshold may be based on the past behavior of the dealer or other authorized user associated with the discrepancy. For example, the identification service 215 may identify a dealer whose history includes a pattern of exceeding a threshold value for a parameter on the gaming table equipment 206. The identification service 215 may initiate more restrictive corrective action based on that recurrence. For example, the more restrictive corrective action may require approval from a user with greater authority.

[0040] The identification service 215 can identify dealers, pit bosses, security officers, casino managers, or other casino employees who have a history of exceeding a threshold. The identification service 215 can identify employees with certain statistical characteristics that exceed a threshold. As an example, the identification service 215 can calculate the ratio of games played to games that exceed a threshold. If the ratio exceeds the threshold, the identification service 215 can initiate corrective action.

[0041] In some embodiments, gaming chip readers, such as RFID antennas, can be located in the chip tray 109, each of the betting spots 239, the chip recycler 242, and other locations. Gaming chip readers can also be located in casino cages, banks, safes, or anywhere else gaming chips are used. The gaming table equipment 206 can use the gaming chip readers to read RFID tags from RFID-enabled gaming chips 103. The identification service 215 can match the number of gaming chips 103 from visual recognition against the reading of the RFID-enabled gaming chips 103. The identification service 215 can determine whether the number from visually recognizing the spacers 106 matches the number from reading the RFID tags of the gaming chips 103. If the numbers do not match, corrective action can be taken.

[0042] The chip recycler 242 can operate in a manner similar to a coin recycler. The chip recycler 242 can be used in addition to or instead of the chip tray 109. When the dealer collects the gaming chips 103 from the patron at the end of a game or hand, the gaming chips 103 can be placed in an input area, such as a funnel, hopper, or tube, and then verified (authenticated), counted, sorted, and stored by the chip recycler 242. When the gaming chips 103 are dispensed to a patron, exchanged for cash, or exchanged for other gaming chips 103, the gaming table equipment 206 or the identification service 215 can instruct the chip recycler 242 how much denomination to dispense for the gaming chips 103. The denomination to be dispensed can also be specified. A chip recycler 242 in a cashier cage, a chip recycler in a bank or safe, or a kiosk (not shown) can operate in a similar manner. When a user places gaming chips 103 into chip recycler 242, chip recycler 242 processes the gaming chips 103, and chip recycler 242 automatically outputs gaming chips 103 in another denomination or outputs cash equal to the input amount.

[0043] 3, a chip tray 109 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The chip tray 109 can include one or more gaming chip tubes 303a-j. Each gaming chip tube 303 can include gaming chips 103 and a spacer 309. The spacer 309 can correspond to a particular spacer 106 shown on the chip tray 109.

[0044] In one example, the identification service 215 (FIG. 2) can determine a first position 306 of the gaming chip tube 303e. The identification service 215 can determine a second position corresponding to the position of the spacer 309. The identification service 215 can measure the distance between the first position 306 and the spacer 309. The identification service 215 can divide the distance by the width of the gaming chip 103. The result can correspond to the number of gaming chips 103 in the gaming chip tube 303e.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 4, shown is a gaming chip tube 303 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The gaming chip tube 303 can include gaming chips 103a-e and a spacer 106. The end of the gaming chip can have a first pattern 409, and the end of the spacer can have a second pattern 412. The first pattern 409 and the second pattern 412 can be visually distinguishable from one another. The visual distinction can facilitate image recognition of the transition between the gaming chips 103 and the spacer 106.

[0046] The identification service 215 can determine the first location 306 and a second location corresponding to the spacer 106. The identification service 215 can determine a distance 403 between the first location 306 and the bottom end of the spacer 106. The identification service 215 can divide the distance 403 by the width 406 of the gaming chip 103. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4 , the identification service 215 can determine that five gaming chips 103a-e are located within the gaming chip tube 303 because the distance 403 divided by the width 406 is five.

[0047] 5A-5E, various exemplary patterns 412a-e are shown according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The pattern 412 may be stored in the data store 212 (FIG. 2) as visual data 218 (FIG. 2). The edge of the spacer 106 (FIG. 1) may have the pattern 412. In some embodiments, the pattern 412 may be printed on the edge or periphery of the spacer. In other embodiments, the pattern 412 may be created using one or more injections in an injection molding process. The pattern 412 may be selected to be visually distinct from one or more patterns 409 (FIG. 4) used on the gaming chip 103.

[0048] As shown, patterns 412a, 412b, and 412d include various patterns using concentric circles. Pattern 412c includes diagonal lines crossing the edges. Pattern 412e includes triangles, each triangle rotated 180 degrees from the previous triangle. Pattern 412 may also have other characteristics different from pattern 409. As an example, pattern 412 may include a color different from pattern 409. One or more colors of pattern 412 may be selected to maximize visual distinctiveness from one or more colors used on gaming chips 103 of various denominations. As another example, pattern 412 may include reflective characteristics. In one embodiment, concentric circles 412a of pattern 412 are reflective, but the background is not, and various other patterns 412 may be used as will be appreciated.

[0049] The pattern 412 on the spacer 106 can be designed to be reliably distinguishable from the gaming chip 103 during image recognition. The pattern 412 shown in the exemplary embodiment can be differentiated from the gaming chip without requiring high-resolution image analysis. In this manner, the imaging device 115 can be positioned further away from the gaming table 112. Based on the imaging device 115 being positioned further away, fewer pixels per spacer 106 and gaming chip 103 may be available. In the example of a triangle, the height of the spacer 106 can be determined with only 12 to 15 pixels.

[0050] Before turning to the flow diagram of process 600 shown in FIG. 6 , it should be noted that the embodiments described herein may be implemented using an alternative order of the steps shown in FIG. 6 . That is, the process flow illustrated in FIG. 6 is provided by way of example only, and embodiments may be implemented using a process flow different from that illustrated. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all steps are required in all embodiments. In other words, one or more steps may be omitted or substituted without departing from the scope of the embodiments. Furthermore, steps may be performed in a different order, in parallel with each other, or omitted entirely, and / or certain additional steps may be performed without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments.

[0051] In box 603, the process 600 can include capturing an image of at least a portion of the chip tray 109. The imaging device 115 can capture an image of at least a portion of the chip tray 109. The image can correspond to a frame from a video stream from the imaging device 115. The image can be computed by merging images from two or more imaging devices 115. As an example, a dealer may block portions of the field of view 118 of one or more imaging devices 115 between frames of video. The identification service 215 can create a single image by merging multiple perspectives from the multiple imaging devices 115. The identification service 215 can stitch together the single image, omitting one or more obstructions of the chip tray 109.

[0052] In one embodiment, an image may be calculated based on a keyframe, also called an intraframe, and one or more frames that are limited to changes. A keyframe may contain a complete image, while subsequent frames may contain changes to the keyframe image. The identification service 215 may apply one or more changes to the immediately previous keyframe image to determine the image to process.

[0053] In box 606, the process 600 may include identifying gaming chip tubes in the chip tray from the image. The identification service 215 may perform image recognition on the image to identify the chip tray 109. The image recognition may be based on data stored in the visual data 218. The identification service 215 may utilize one or more models or images stored in the visual data 218 to identify the chip tray 109.

[0054] The identification service 215 can identify one or more gaming chip tubes 303 in the chip tray 109. The identification service 215 can utilize the visual data 218 to identify one or more gaming chip tubes 303 in an image of the chip tray 109. As discussed in boxes 609, 612, and 615, the identification service 215 can process each gaming chip tube 303 to determine the number of gaming chips 103 in each tube.

[0055] In box 609, the process 600 may include determining a first position within the gaming chip tube. The identification service 215 may determine the first position within the gaming chip tube 303. The identification service 215 may determine that the first position is a first end of the gaming chip tube 303. The first end may correspond to the position of a first gaming chip 103 disposed within the gaming chip tube 303. In some embodiments, the first position may correspond to the position of a spacer 106 on a first end of the stack of gaming chips 103. The identification service 215 may determine the position of the first spacer 106 by recognizing a pattern of the spacer 106 from the visual data 218 relative to the image of the gaming chip tube 303.

[0056] In box 612, the process 600 may include determining a second position within the gaming chip tube 303. The identification service 215 may determine the second position within the gaming chip tube 303. The second position may correspond to a position of the spacer 106 on a second end of the stack of gaming chips 103. The second end of the stack of gaming chips 103 may be opposite the first position from box 609. The identification service 215 may determine the position of the spacer 106 by recognizing a pattern of the spacer 106 from the visual data 218 relative to the image of the gaming chip tube 303.

[0057] In some embodiments, the spacers 106 may be positioned at either end of the stack of gaming chips 103 within the gaming chip tube 303. The spacers 106 may hold the stack of gaming chips 103 down like bookends. The identification service 215 may visually recognize two spacers 106 within the gaming chip tube 303. A first position may correspond to the first spacer 106, and a second position may correspond to the second spacer 106.

[0058] In box 615, the process 600 may include determining the number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube 303 based on the first location and the second location. The identification service 215 may determine the distance between the first location and the second location. The identification service 215 may divide the distance by the width of the gaming chip 103 to determine the number of gaming chips 103 in the gaming chip tube 303.

[0059] The identification service 215 can determine the number of pixels between the first position and the second position. The visual data 218 can store known distances that can be used to calculate distances based on the number of pixels. As an example, if the gaming chips 103 are 3 mm wide and seven gaming chips 103 are stacked in the gaming chip tube 303, the identification service 215 can determine a distance of 21 mm between the first position of the gaming chip tube 303 and the spacer 106 at a second position within the gaming chip tube 303. If the identification service 215 determines a distance of 22 mm or 20 mm, the distance can be rounded to identify a number of seven gaming chips 103.

[0060] As an example, the visual data 218 may include the width and length of the chip tray 109 and gaming chip tube 303. The distance and angle of the imaging device 115 may also be used in the calculation.

[0061] In box 618, process 600 may include determining whether another gaming chip tube is to be processed. If another gaming chip tube is to be processed, process 600 moves to box 606 to process the next gaming chip tube 303. Otherwise, process 600 moves to box 603 to process another image. The other image may be the next frame sequentially in the video stream. The identification service 215 may select the next image at predetermined intervals. The next image may be selected based on an event, such as, for example, the start of a gambling game, the end of a gambling game, the start or end of a phase of a gambling game, gaming chips 103 being added or removed from the chip tray 109, or some other event.

[0062] 7, an exemplary hardware diagram of a computing device 700 is shown. Any of the computing environment 203, including the identification service 215, the imaging device 115, and the gaming table device 206, may be implemented in part using one or more elements of the computing device 700. The computing device 700 may include one or more elements of a processor 710, a random access memory (“RAM”) 720, a read-only memory (“ROM”) 730, a memory device 740, a network interface 750, and an input / output (“I / O”) interface 760. The elements of the computing device 700 are communicatively coupled via a bus 702.

[0063] The processor 710 may include an arithmetic processor, an application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), or other types of hardware or software processors. The RAM and ROM 720, 730 may include memory that stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor 710. The storage device 740 stores computer-readable instructions therein that, when executed by the processor 710, direct the processor 710 to perform various aspects of the disclosure described herein. If the processor 710 includes an ASIC, the processes described herein may be performed by the ASIC according to its embedded circuit design, by the ASIC, by firmware in the ASIC, or by both the embedded circuit design and firmware in the ASIC. As a non-limiting exemplary group, the storage device 740 may comprise one or more of an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory (i.e., semiconductor, floating gate, or similar flash-based memory), a magnetic tape memory, a removable memory, a combination thereof, or other known memory means for storing computer-readable instructions. The network interface 750 may include a hardware interface for communicating over a data network. The I / O interface 760 may include device input / output interfaces such as a keyboard, pointing device, display, communication, and other interfaces. The bus 702 electrically and communicatively couples the processor 710, RAM 720, ROM 730, memory device 740, network interface 750, and I / O interface 760 so that data and instructions can be communicated therebetween.

[0064] In operation, the processor 710 is configured to retrieve computer-readable instructions stored in the memory device 740, RAM 720, ROM 730, or another storage means and copy the computer-readable instructions to the RAM 720 or ROM 730, for example, for execution. The processor 710 is further configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to implement various aspects and features of the present disclosure. For example, the processor 710 may be adapted and configured to perform the processes described above with reference to FIG. 7, including the processes described as being performed by the identification service 215. The storage device 740 may also store data stored in the data store 212.

[0065] Unless specifically stated otherwise, phrases such as "at least one of X, Y, or Z" should be understood in their general usage context to indicate that an item, term, etc. can be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z). Similarly, "at least one of X, Y, and Z," unless specifically stated otherwise, should be understood to indicate that an item, term, etc. can be either X, Y, and Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z). Thus, as used herein, such phrases generally do not imply that a particular embodiment requires that at least one of either X, Y, or Z is present, but does not require, for example, that one X and one Y are present, nor should such phrases imply that a particular embodiment requires that at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z are present.

[0066] Although embodiments have been described in detail herein, the description is for illustrative purposes only. The features of the embodiments described herein are exemplary, and alternative embodiments may add or omit certain features and elements. Furthermore, modifications to aspects of the embodiments described herein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as defined in the following claims, which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structures.

[0067] Item 1. A system comprising: at least one imaging device configured to image at least a portion of a gaming table; and at least one computing device coupled to the at least one imaging device, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to at least: acquire an image from the at least one imaging device; identify a gaming chip tube in a gaming chip tray; determine a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube; identify the spacer based at least in part on recognition of a predetermined pattern on a spacer; determine a second position corresponding to the spacer; and determine a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position.

[0068] Clause 2. The system of clause 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to identify a second gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray, determine a third position corresponding to a bottom surface of the second gaming chip tube, identify the second spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on a second spacer, determine a fourth position corresponding to the second spacer, and determine a number of gaming chips in the second gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

[0069] Item 3. The system of item 1 or 2, further including at least one second imaging device configured to image at least a portion of the gaming chip tray, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to at least: acquire a second image from the at least one second imaging device; determine a third position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube in the second image; identify the spacer based at least in part on recognizing the predetermined pattern on the spacer in the second image; determine a fourth position corresponding to the spacer; and determine a second number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

[0070] Item 4. The system of Item 3, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to at least determine that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips, and to perform corrective action in response to the number not matching the second number.

[0071] Item 5. The system according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined pattern on the spacer is different from any pattern on a plurality of types of gaming chips.

[0072] Item 6. The system of any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the at least one arithmetic device is further configured to calculate a difference between the first position and the second position, and the number of gaming chips is determined by dividing the difference by the size of the gaming chip and rounding the result.

[0073] Item 7. A method of capturing an image corresponding to a gaming chip tray via at least one imaging device, identifying a gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray via at least one computing device, determining a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube via the at least one computing device, identifying the spacer via the at least one computing device based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on a spacer, determining a second position corresponding to the spacer via the at least one computing device, and determining a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position via the at least one computing device.

[0074] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, further comprising: identifying a second gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray via the at least one computing device; determining a third position corresponding to a bottom of the second gaming chip tube via the at least one computing device; identifying the second spacer via the at least one computing device based at least in part on recognizing a second predetermined pattern on a second spacer; determining a fourth position corresponding to the second spacer via the at least one computing device; and determining a number of gaming chips in the second gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position via the at least one computing device.

[0075] Clause 9. The method of clause 7 or 8, further comprising: acquiring a second image from at least one second imaging device via the at least one computing device; determining a third position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube in the second image via the at least one computing device; identifying the spacer via the at least one computing device based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer in the second image; determining a fourth position corresponding to the spacer via the at least one computing device; and determining a second number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position via the at least one computing device.

[0076] Item 10. The method of item 9, further comprising determining, via the at least one computing device, that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips, and taking corrective action if it is determined that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips.

[0077] Item 11. The method according to any one of Items 7 to 10, further comprising capturing an image of at least a part of the gaming table via the at least one imaging device.

[0078] Item 12. The method according to any one of items 7 to 11, wherein the predetermined pattern on the spacer is different from the patterns on the plurality of types of gaming chips.

[0079] Item 13. The method of any one of items 7 to 12, further comprising calculating a difference between the first position and the second position via the at least one arithmetic device, and determining the number of gaming chips by dividing the difference by the size of the gaming chip and rounding the result.

[0080] Item 14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to at least acquire an image from the at least one imaging device, identify a gaming chip tube in a gaming chip tray, determine a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube, identify the spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on a spacer, determine a second position corresponding to the spacer, and determine the number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position.

[0081] Clause 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 14, wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to at least identify a second gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray, determine a third position corresponding to a bottom of the second gaming chip tube, identify the second spacer based at least in part on recognizing a second predetermined pattern on the second spacer, determine a fourth position corresponding to the second spacer, and determine the number of gaming chips in the second gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

[0082] Clause 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 14 or 15, wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to at least acquire a second image from at least one second imaging device, determine a third position in the second image corresponding to the bottom of the gaming chip tube, identify the spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer in the second image, determine a fourth position corresponding to the spacer, and determine a second number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

[0083] Item 17. The program further includes causing the at least one computing device to perform at least: Item 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 16, determining that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips and taking corrective action.

[0084] Item 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of Items 14 to 17, wherein the at least one imaging device is configured to capture an image of at least a portion of a gaming table.

[0085] Item 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 14 to 18, wherein the predetermined pattern on the spacer is different from any pattern of a plurality of types of gaming chips.

[0086] Item 20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of items 14 to 19, wherein the program further causes the at least one arithmetic device to calculate the difference between the first position and the second position, and the number of gaming chips is determined by dividing the difference by the size of the gaming chip and rounding the result.

Claims

1. at least one imaging device configured to image at least a portion of the gaming table; at least one computing device coupled to the at least one imaging device; Equipped with The at least one computing device includes at least: acquiring an image from the at least one imaging device; Identify the gaming chip tubes in the gaming chip tray, determining a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube; identifying the spacers based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacers; determining a second position corresponding to the spacer; determining a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position; The system is configured as follows.

2. The at least one computing device further comprises: Identifying a second gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray; determining a third position corresponding to a bottom surface of the second gaming chip tube; identifying the second spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the second spacer; determining a fourth location corresponding to the second spacer; determining a number of gaming chips in the second gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position; The system of claim 1 configured to:

3. further comprising at least one second imaging device configured to image at least a portion of the gaming chip tray; The at least one computing device further comprises at least: acquiring a second image from the at least one second image capture device; determining a third location corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube in the second image; identifying the spacer based at least in part on recognizing the predetermined pattern on the spacer in the second image; determining a fourth position corresponding to the spacer; and determining a second number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position; The system of claim 1 configured as follows:

4. The at least one computing device further comprises at least: determining that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips; and performing corrective action in response to the count not matching the second count; The system of claim 3 configured as follows:

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined pattern on the spacer is different from any pattern on a plurality of types of gaming chips.

6. the at least one computing device is further configured to calculate a difference between the first position and the second position; 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of gaming chips is determined by dividing the difference by the size of a gaming chip and rounding the result.

7. capturing an image corresponding to the gaming chip tray via at least one imaging device; Identifying, via at least one computing device, a gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray; determining, via the at least one computing device, a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube; identifying the spacer via the at least one computing device based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer; determining, via the at least one computing device, a second position corresponding to the spacer; and and determining, via the at least one computing device, a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position.

8. moreover, Identifying a second gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray via the at least one computing device; determining, via the at least one computing device, a third position corresponding to a bottom of the second gaming chip tube; identifying, via the at least one computing device, the second spacer based at least in part on recognizing a second predetermined pattern on the second spacer; determining, via the at least one computing device, a fourth position corresponding to the second spacer; and 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, via the at least one computing device, a number of gaming chips in the second gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

9. moreover, acquiring a second image from at least one second image capture device via the at least one computing device; determining, via the at least one computing device, a third position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube in the second image; identifying, via the at least one computing device, the spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer in the second image; determining, via the at least one computing device, a fourth position corresponding to the spacer; 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, via the at least one computing device, a second number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

10. moreover, determining, via the at least one computing device, that the number of the gaming chips does not match the number of the second gaming chips; 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising taking corrective action upon determining that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising imaging at least a portion of a gaming table via said at least one imaging device.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined pattern on the spacer is different from the patterns of any of a plurality of gaming chip types.

13. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising calculating, via the at least one computing device, a difference between the first position and the second position, and determining the number of gaming chips as the difference divided by the size of the gaming chip and rounding the result.

14. When executed by at least one computing device, the at least one computing device is configured to: acquiring an image from the at least one imaging device; Identify the gaming chip tubes in the gaming chip tray, determining a first position corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube; identifying the spacers based at least in part on recognition of a predetermined pattern on the spacers; determining a second position corresponding to the spacer; determining a number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the first position and the second position; A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which a program is embodied.

15. The program further causes the at least one computing device to Identifying a second gaming chip tube in the gaming chip tray; determining a third position corresponding to a bottom of the second gaming chip tube; identifying the second spacers based at least in part on recognizing a second predetermined pattern on the second spacers; determining a fourth position corresponding to the second spacer; 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising determining a number of gaming chips in the second gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

16. The program further causes the at least one computing device to: acquiring a second image from at least one second image capture device; determining a third position in the second image corresponding to a bottom of the gaming chip tube; identifying the spacer based at least in part on recognizing a predetermined pattern on the spacer in the second image; determining a fourth position corresponding to the spacer; 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising determining a second number of gaming chips in the gaming chip tube based at least in part on the third position and the fourth position.

17. The program further causes the at least one computing device to determining that the number of gaming chips does not match the number of second gaming chips; and 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, which causes corrective action to be taken.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the at least one imaging device is configured to image at least a portion of a gaming table.

19. 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the predetermined pattern on the spacer is different from any pattern of a plurality of gaming chip types.

20. 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the program further causes the at least one computing device to calculate a difference between the first position and the second position, and the number of gaming chips is determined by dividing the difference by the size of the gaming chip and rounding the result.

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