CARD RECOGNITION SYSTEM, CARD HANDLING DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR TUNING A CARD HANDLING DEVICE

• US 20150199993A1
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, James V., Zvercov, Vladislav, Miller, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,679,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/12 Card shufflers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2425 Scanners, e.g. for scanning regular characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/247 by affine transforms, e.g. correction due to perspective effects; Quadrilaterals, e.g. trapezoids
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/17 Card-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/04 using flat record carriers, e.g. disc, card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A card recognition system comprises an imaging device configured to capture a raw image of at least a portion of a card, and a processor operably coupled with the imaging device. The processor is configured to perform an image processing analysis of the raw image to identify measurements of at least one of a rank area around a rank of the card, and a suit area around a suit of the card, and automatically generate a calibration file based, at least in part, on the image processing analysis. A card handling device comprises a card infeed, a card output, and a card recognition system. A method for tuning a card handling device comprises capturing a plurality of images from a deck of cards, storing the images in memory, analyzing the plurality of images for card identification information, and generating a calibration file including parameters associated with the card identification information.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method for tuning a card handling device, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of images from a deck of cards;

storing the images in memory;

analyzing the plurality of images for card identification information; and

generating a calibration file including parameters associated with the card identification information based on the analyzing.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein analyzing the plurality of images includes locating blobs having a centroid and a location and identifying the card identification information within the blobs located.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising ignoring blobs that have a size below a certain threshold and blobs that are located outside of a desired region of the plurality of images.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein identifying the card identification information includes searching specifically through the plurality of images for a ten rank and using the ten rank to determine the parameters in the calibration file.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating a plurality of master images from the plurality of images based on the parameters in the calibration file.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising associating the plurality of master images with an appropriate rank and suit.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising comparing master images of the plurality of master images with each other to determine secondary relationships.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein comparing master images of the plurality of master images with each other is performed as part of a secondary verification after associating the plurality of images with an appropriate rank and suit is performed from a pre-sorted deck.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein a parameter of the calibration file defines a region of interest of a smaller size than a field of view of an imaging device.

34. A method of automatically generating a calibration file for identifying a specific card type, the method comprising:

capturing a plurality of raw images from a deck of cards;

storing the plurality of raw images in memory;

identifying a size of each rank and suit symbol of each stored raw image of the plurality;

storing a region of interest and symbol size information in a calibration file for the plurality of raw images;

converting a plurality of raw images into a plurality of master rank files and a plurality of master suit files; and

storing the plurality of master rank files and the plurality of master suit files corresponding to a specific card type.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein identifying a size of each rank and suit symbol includes employing a blob analysis.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

identifying at least one card by;

capturing at least one unknown image as a card passes through a card handling device;

comparing at least a portion of the at least one unknown image to one of the plurality of master rank files and the plurality of master suit files; and

determine a match of a card identity based on a score from the comparing.

36. A method of identifying a card rank and suit, the method comprising:

automatically creating a calibration file by;

capturing a plurality of raw images from a deck of cards;

storing the plurality of raw images in memory;

identifying a size of each rank and suit symbol of each stored raw image of the plurality; and

storing a region of interest and rank and suit symbol size information in the calibration file for the plurality of raw images; and

generating a plurality of master rank files and a plurality of master suit files by;

converting a plurality of raw images into a plurality of master rank files and a plurality of master suit files; and

storing the plurality of master rank files and the plurality of master suit files corresponding to a specific card type.