Apparatus for determining part of object, and object, part of which can be automatically determined

• US 5,694,045 A
• Filed: 09/14/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD. (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD. (SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Yuji, Yamamoto, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BROCK, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US08/528,429
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 273/146, 273/145 R, 273/145 A, 273/145 B, 273/145 C, 273/145 CA, 273/145 D, 273/145 E, 273/238, 273/239, 340/568, 340/686, 324/207.15, 324/207.16, 324/207.22, 324/652, 324/654, 324/655
• US Class Current: 324/652
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00665 using inductance
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0426 six-sided non-cuboid
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/04 Dice dice tops A63F5/04 D; Dice-boxes; Mechanical dice-throwing devices casino or betting games played on boards A63F3/00157
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0413 Cuboid dice

Abstract

An object has a plurality of parts, wherein each part of the plurality of parts can face a predetermined direction. A plurality of resonant circuits are mounted in different predetermined positions of the object, and have different resonance frequencies. A sending unit sends signals having a plurality of frequencies corresponding to the resonance frequencies of the plurality of resonant circuits. A detecting unit detects resonance signals of the plurality of resonant circuits. A plate has therein the sending unit and detecting unit. A determining unit determines a part of the object placed on the plate, the part facing the predetermined direction, using differences of detected levels of the resonance signals of the plurality of resonant circuits of the object detected by the detecting unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a part of an object, comprising:

an object having a plurality of parts, wherein each part of said plurality of parts can face a predetermined direction;

a plurality of resonant circuits, mounted in different predetermined positions of said object, and having different resonance frequencies;

sending means for sending signals having a plurality of frequencies corresponding to said resonance frequencies of said plurality of resonant circuits; and

detecting means for detecting resonance signals of said plurality of resonant circuits.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising;

a plate having therein said sending means and detecting means; and

determining means for determining a part of said object placed on said plate, said part facing said predetermined direction, using differences of detected levels of said resonance signals of said plurality of resonant circuits of said object detected by said detecting means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling said sending means and detecting means;

wherein;

said control means controls said sending means so that said sending means sends, one at a time, signals having frequencies equal to said plurality of resonance frequencies of said plurality of resonant circuits, in a manner in which the signal of a resonance frequency is sent, sending is stopped for a predetermined time, and then the signal of a subsequent resonance frequency is sent; and

said control means controls said detecting means so that, during a time in which said sending means stops sending the signal, said detecting means detects a reverberation oscillation of said plurality of resonant circuits which is caused by the signal sent immediately before, and compares a phase of the detected reverberation oscillation with a phase of said signal sent immediately before.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sending means includes an antenna comprising an electric wire forming at least one loop, and a formation of said antenna and said plurality of resonant circuits is such that each of said resonance frequencies of said resonant circuits is sufficiently low in comparison to a resonance frequency of said antenna and, as a result, a wavelength corresponding to said resonance frequency of said antenna is so short that said wavelength may be neglected in comparison to wavelengths corresponding to said resonance frequencies of said resonant circuits.

5. An object, a part of which can be automatically determined, comprising:

a plurality of parts, wherein each part of said plurality of parts can face a predetermined direction; and

a plurality of resonant circuits, mounted in different predetermined positions of said object, and having different resonance frequencies.

6. The object according to claim 5, wherein said object comprises a polyhedron and a respective one of said plurality of parts corresponds to each side of said polyhedron.

7. The object according to claim 6, wherein a respective one of said resonant circuits is provided in each of said sides of said polyhedron.

8. The object according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of parts can be visually identified by different numbers provided on said plurality of parts.

9. The object according to claim 5, wherein said object comprises a plurality of objects.

10. The object according to claim 5, wherein each of said resonant circuits comprises a tank circuit comprising a coil and a capacitor, said plurality of resonance frequencies being different as a result of capacitances of the capacitors being different.

11. A game apparatus for playing a game of chance wherein a die, for providing a score, is thrown onto a controlled playing field, comprising:

an enclosed playing field for supporting the die;

a plurality of player satellite stations positioned around the playing field to enable a subjective input of playing instructions by each player;

means for automatically collecting the die from the playing field;

means for projecting the die onto the playing field; and

means for determining a score of the projected die, including a plurality of passive resonant circuits, one for each face of the die, positioned in the die, and means for addressing each resonant circuit and detecting resonance signals induced in the resonant circuits to determine the position of a face of the die resting on the playing field after it is projected by the means for projecting.

12. The game apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for addressing each resonant circuit includes an antenna in the playing field and a filter circuit connected to the antenna to distinguish a magnitude of the resonance signals.

13. The game apparatus of claim 12, wherein a pair of antennas are provided.

14. The game apparatus of claim 13, wherein the pair of antennas are mounted in a parallel arrangement in the playing field.

15. The game apparatus of claim 13, wherein the playing field is enclosed with a transparent dome.

16. The game apparatus of claim 13, wherein the antennas are mounted in the configuration of loops.