Card Defect Detection and Diverter Handling for Jam Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Playing cards deteriorate over time due to normal use and handling, leading to defects such as bending, tearing, and creasing, which can cause jamming in automatic card-handling devices and provide a competitive advantage to patrons.
Innovation Solution
Card-handling devices equipped with a defect detection system that scans cards for defects and a diverter to separate defective cards from approved ones, allowing efficient screening and collection of approved cards for reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cards are used extensively in wagering games and handled by dealers and patrons, then the cards provide entertainment and facilitate gambling activities, but the cards deteriorate through bending, folding, creasing, and tearing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary defect detection on cards before they are dealt to players. The defect detection system scans cards for bends, folds, creases, and tears using optical sensors and image processing, identifying defective cards before they enter circulation. This preliminary action prevents defective cards from being used in games, resolving the contradiction by maintaining card integrity while allowing extensive usage of healthy cards.
Solution Approach 2:
The card-handling device automatically detects and removes defective cards without human intervention. The system uses automated optical inspection, machine learning algorithms, and mechanical ejection mechanisms to self-service the task of maintaining card quality. This automation allows the system to handle large volumes of cards while consistently maintaining integrity standards, resolving the contradiction between high productivity and reliability.
2Productivity
If defective cards are allowed to remain in circulation, then the card-handling device operates without interruption, but defective cards can jam the device or provide a competitive advantage to patrons
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts defective cards from the circulation stream through automated detection and ejection mechanisms. Optical sensors identify cards with bends, folds, creases, or tears, and mechanical ejection devices remove these defective cards from the deck before they can be dealt. This extraction process eliminates the harmful effects of defective cards while maintaining continuous operation of the card-handling device, resolving the contradiction between productivity and preventing harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The defect detection system continuously monitors cards in circulation and provides real-time feedback to control the ejection mechanism. When a defective card is detected, the system immediately triggers ejection, creating a closed-loop feedback system that prevents defective cards from causing jams or providing unfair advantages. This feedback mechanism maintains both high productivity and device reliability by dynamically responding to card conditions.
3Measurement precision
If manual inspection of cards for defects is performed, then defective cards can be identified, but the process is time-consuming and reduces operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual visual inspection with automated optical detection systems. Multiple cameras and light sources scan cards for defects, and machine learning algorithms analyze the images to identify bends, folds, creases, and tears. This substitution of mechanical/optical systems for human inspection maintains high detection accuracy while eliminating the time loss associated with manual processes, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and time efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The defect detection system operates continuously as cards move through the handling device, without interrupting the card flow. Multiple sensors and processors work simultaneously to inspect cards in real-time, maintaining continuous useful action throughout the inspection process. This continuity eliminates the time loss that would occur with batch or manual inspection methods, while maintaining high detection accuracy through persistent monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Card-handling devices may include an input area sized and shaped to receive cards and an output area for outputting at least some of the cards. A defect detection system may be located along a card path downstream from the input area. The defect detection system may include an emitter positioned and oriented to direct radiation toward a major surface of a card as the card moves along the card path. A detector may be positioned and configured to detect the radiation emitted by the emitter and reflected from the major surface of the card as the card moves along the card path. A controller may be operatively connected to the detector and configured to correlate a signal from the detector with an identification of a degree to which the major surface of the card has deviated from a reference plane.