Roulette wheel winning number detection system

• US 6,616,530 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2002
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Technical Casino Services Limited
• Original Assignee: Technical Casino Services Limited
• Inventors: Pearce, Henry Colin, Read, Christopher Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US10/202,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20030060263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16-17, 463/20, 463/22, 463/25, 463/30-31, 463/34, 463/36-37, 463/43, 273/142.A, 273/142.B, 273/142.C, 273/142.D, 273/142.F, 273/142.G, 273/142.H, 273/142.HA, 273/142.J, 273/142.JA, 273/142.JB, 273/142.JC, 273/142.JD, 273/142.K, 273/142.E, 273/142.R, 273/141.R
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2435 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2445 detecting reflected light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/00 Roulette games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members

Abstract

Disclosed is a detection system for detecting a winning number in a roulette game played on a roulette wheel having pockets for receiving a ball and having colored pocket number regions corresponding to the respective pockets, including a video camera for generating a video image of the roulette wheel including at least one colored pocket number region and a corresponding pocket. The video data at an array of points in a first specified area of the color video image corresponding to a region through which the color pocket number region will pass are sampled when the cylinder of the roulette wheel is spun. The identity of the colored pocket number regions are determined from the sampled video data provided by the array of points. The video data is also sampled at a plurality of points in a second specified area in which the ball can be expected to be when in the pocket corresponding to the identified colored pocket number region. Whether or not the ball is in the pocket is determined using the sampled video data provided by the plurality of points and the identity of the identified colored pocket numbered region is output as the winning number if the ball is determined to be in the corresponding pocket.

Claims

1. A system for detecting a winning number in a roulette game played on a roulette wheel having a rim, a cylinder carrying pockets for receiving a roulette ball and pocket number regions corresponding to respective ones of said pockets, each colored pocket number region having a characteristic color, including at least one colored pocket number region having a characteristic index color, arranged in a known sequence thereon, comprising:

a video camera mounted on the rim of said roulette wheel so as to image only a section of said roulette wheel, and wherein said video camera is adapted to generate color video data comprising a video image of a region of said roulette wheel through which said pockets and said corresponding colored pocket number regions pass when the cylinder of said roulette wheel is spun;

a first sampler for sampling said video data at an array of points in a first specified area of said video image corresponding to a region of said roulette wheel through which said colored pocket number regions will pass when the cylinder of said roulette wheel is spun;

an identifier for identifying said colored pocket number region in said first specified area using said sampled video data provided by said first sampler based on the color of said colored number pocket region and said known sequence of colored pocket number regions;

a second sampler for sampling said video data at a plurality of points in a second specified area of said video image corresponding to a region in which said ball can be expected to be present when said ball is in the pocket corresponding to said identified colored pocket number region;

a first determiner for determining whether said ball is in the pocket corresponding to said identified colored pocket number region using said sampled video data provided by said second sampler; and

an output for outputting the identity of said identified colored pocket number region as the winning number if said ball is determined to be in said corresponding pocket by said first determiner.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a second determiner for determining the direction of rotation of said roulette wheel and a memory for storing at least one pocket number sequence, wherein said identifier identifies said colored pocket number region by matching the sequence of determined colors of colored pocket number regions passing through said first specified area after a colored pocket number region of a specified index color passes through said first specified area with the direction of rotation of said roulette wheel determined by said second determiner and said at least one pocket number sequence stored in said memory.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said second determiner determines the said direction of rotation by determining whether the color transition to the determination of said specified index color is from a red colored pocket number region or from a black colored pocket number region.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a second determiner for determining the direction of rotation of said roulette wheel based on a comparison of sequential video images provided by said video camera.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein each video image comprises an image data field, and wherein said first sampler and said second sampler are adapted to sample each said image data field.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein each video image comprises an image data frame, and wherein said first sampler and said second sampler are adapted to sample each image data frame.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said array of points in a first specified area of said video image are arranged along a plurality of spaced radial lines substantially perpendicular to the expected direction of motion of said colored pocket number regions in said color video image;

and

wherein said identifier determines the color of said colored pocket number region by identifying, for each point in each of said plurality of spaced radial lines, the color of said color video image at that point, associating each of said plurality of spaced radial lines with a color corresponding to the most identified color at points lying along that line, and identifying the color of said colored pocket number region as the color associated with the majority of said plurality of radially spaced lines.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said identifier is adapted to determine the color of said colored pocket number region as the color associated with a threshold number of said radial lines of points.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said index color is green, and wherein said identifier and said first determiner are adapted to determine the color of said video image at each point in said respective array of points and plurality of points as being red, green, black or white by comparing the color of each pixel of said video image at each said point with specified color threshold values.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said identifier and said first determiner are adapted to determine the color of said video image at each point in said respective array of points and plurality of points by determining the intensity value and the V value in YUV color space for each pixel of said video image at each said point and comparing the intensity and V values with specified intensity threshold and V threshold values, black being determined when the intensity value is below a specified intensity threshold value, red being determined when the V value is above a specified V threshold value, green being determined when the V value is below a specified V threshold value, and white being determined when the intensity value is above a specified intensity threshold value.

11. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a processor and program storage, wherein said first and second samplers, said determiner, said identifier and said output comprise computer program routines implemented by said processor and stored as instructions in said program storage.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic calibrator for automatically determining by pattern recognition said first specified area in which said array of points is arranged and said second specified area in which said ball can be expected to be present when said ball is in a pocket corresponding to an identified colored pocket number region.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said automatic calibrator comprises:

a first calibrator identifier for identifying the position in said video image of a target object placed by a user in a predetermined one of said pockets and positioned in front of said video camera;

a second calibrator identifier for searching in a predetermined region of said video image relative to said identified position of said target object to identify said first specified area within said colored pocket number region corresponding to said predetermined pocket;

a first point assignor for assigning the location of points of said array of points in the image within said first specified area within said color pocket number region;

a third calibrator identifier for identifying said second specified area in relation to said identified target object position; and

a second point assignor for assigning the location of said plurality of points in said video image within said second specified area.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said target object is said roulette ball.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said index color is green, further comprising a color threshold determinor for determining the color distribution of pixels in an image of said green, red and black colored pocket number regions, and for determining thresholds to be used in color determination by said identifier and said first determiner using said color distribution.

16. A system for detecting a winning number in a roulette wheel game played on a roulette wheel having a rim, a plurality of pockets for receiving a roulette ball at the conclusion of a roulette spin, each of said plurality of pockets having a corresponding colored pocket number region, comprising:

a video camera mounted on a rim of said roulette wheel so as to image only a section of the roulette wheel, for generating color video image data of at least one said pocket and at least one said corresponding colored pocket number region;

an identifier for identifying a first specified area within said colored pocket numbered region in said image, and a corresponding second specified area in said image within a corresponding pocket in which said roulette ball can be expected to be present at the conclusion of a roulette spin; and

a video processor for sampling successive video images within said first and second identified specified areas to identify said colored pocket number regions as they pass said first specified area in each of said successive video images, and to identify if said ball is present in the pocket corresponding to said identified colored pocket number region, wherein said processor identifies said colored pocket number regions from at least the color of said colored pocket number region depicted in said first specified area and a known sequence of pocket identities.