Card recognition system, card handling device, and method for tuning a card handling device

• US 9,378,766 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Miller, Brian E., Kelly, James V., Zvercov, Vladislav
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennis, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLLINS, DOLORES R
• Application Number:
  US13/631,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20140091521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 273/149
• 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. A card recognition system, comprising:

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 configured to;

perform an image processing analysis of the raw image to identify measurements related to 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 during a calibration mode based, at least in part, on the image processing analysis, the calibration file including the measurements from the image processing analysis for processing cards during a subsequent card recognition mode.

2. The card recognition system of claim 1, further comprising a memory operably coupled with the imaging device, the memory configured to store a plurality of raw images received from the imaging device.

3. The card recognition system of claim 2, further configured to organize the plurality of raw images within the memory in the order received by the imaging device.

4. The card recognition system of claim 2, further comprising control logic operably coupled with the imaging device and the processor, the control logic configured to process the plurality of raw images according to one or more parameters stored in the calibration file to generate a plurality of rank images and a plurality of suit images used as master images during the calibration mode.

5. The card recognition system of claim 2, wherein the memory is further configured to:

provide the raw images to the processor during the calibration mode to generate the calibration file; and

provide the raw images to the control logic during the calibration mode to generate a plurality of master images.

6. The card recognition system of claim 4, wherein the control logic is further configured to generate unknown images during a card recognition mode and compare the unknown images with the master images to determine a rank and a suit for the unknown images.

7. The card recognition system of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to run an operating system having a file system, and wherein the control logic includes a Field-Programmable Gate Array.

8. The card recognition system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of raw images are captured from a sub-set of all cards in a deck of cards corresponding to the respective calibration file and the plurality of master images generated using the plurality of raw images.

9. The card recognition system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to store the calibration file in a subdirectory of a file system, the subdirectory corresponding to a particular deck type.

10. The card recognition system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to store a deck name file and a plurality of master images in the subdirectory corresponding to the particular deck type during the calibration mode.

11. The card recognition system of claim 1, wherein the image processing analysis includes a blob analysis of the raw image to obtain the measurements to include with the calibration file during the calibration mode.

12. The card recognition system of claim 11, wherein the blob analysis first identifies a rank to obtain the measurements of the rank area and then identifies a suit to obtain the measurements of the suit area to include with the calibration file during the calibration mode.

13. The card recognition system of claim 11, wherein the measurements of the rank area and the measurements of the suit area stored in the calibration file include additional padding added to the measurements obtained from the blob analysis.

14. The card recognition system of claim 12, wherein the blob analysis specifically searches for a ten rank to obtain the measurements of the rank area to include with the calibration file during the calibration mode.

15. The card recognition system of claim 14, wherein the blob analysis specifically searches for a relatively large blob in proximity of the ten rank to obtain the measurements of the suit area.

16. The card recognition system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically generate master images for each rank and suit of a deck of cards read by the imaging device during the calibration mode.

17. The card recognition system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically associate the master images with their corresponding rank and suit during the calibration mode.

18. The card recognition system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically associate the master images with their corresponding rank and suit according to an order in which the cards from the deck are read in by the imaging device during the calibration mode.

19. The card recognition system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically associate the master images with their corresponding rank and suit for the deck of cards without requiring a predetermined order for the deck of cards during the calibration mode.

20. The card recognition system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically associate the master images with their corresponding rank and suit for the deck of cards during the calibration mode by comparing the master images with each other to obtain scores that are compared with scores for known secondary relationships between different master images.

21. A card handling device, comprising:

a card infeed;

a card output; and

a card recognition system, including;

an image sensor configured to capture an image of a card passing from the card infeed to the card output; and

a card recognition processor configured to automatically generate a calibration file using an image analysis process of the image during a calibration mode prior to card recognition mode, the calibration file including measurements from the image analysis process of the image for at least one of a size of a rank and a suit symbol of the card within the image.

22. The card handling device of claim 21, wherein the card recognition system further includes control logic operably coupled with the image sensor and configured to receive the image from the image sensor.

23. The card handling device of claim 22, wherein the card recognition system further includes a memory operably coupled with the control logic and the card recognition processor, the memory configured to receive the image from the control logic.

24. The card handling device of claim 22, wherein the control logic is configured to automatically generate a master image for at least one of the rank and the suit of the card within the image during the calibration mode.

25. The card handling device of claim 22, wherein the control logic is configured to convert the image from a grayscale image to a black and white image.

26. The card handling device of claim 22, wherein the imaging device includes a fish-eye lens.

27. The card handling device of claim 24, wherein the card recognition processor is configured to store the master image and the calibration file in a file system during the calibration mode.

28. The card recognition system of claim 27, wherein the master image and the calibration file are separate files stored in a same subdirectory of the file system during the calibration mode.

29. The card handling device of claim 25, wherein conversion from the grayscale image to the black and white image is based on a threshold level that dynamically changes over time.

30. The card handling device of claim 29, wherein the threshold level dynamically changes over time based on a change in lighting conditions.

31. The card handling device of claim 29, wherein the threshold level dynamically changes over time based on a count of a number of card cycles that the card handling device has handled.

32. The card handling device of claim 25, wherein the threshold level is set at a first level during the calibration mode and set at a second level during a card recognition mode.

33. The card handling device of claim 26, wherein the control logic is configured to compensate for the fish-eye distortion by translating pixels in the image using a look-up table.

34. The card handling device of claim 26, wherein the control logic is configured to compensate for the fish-eye distortion by mathematically translating pixels in the image.

35. The card handling device of claim 21, wherein the calibration file includes parameters including one or more of a rank height, a rank width, a suit height, a suit width, and a location of an area of interest.

36. The card handling device of claim 21, wherein the image process analysis during the calibration mode is configured to:

capture raw images for cards in a deck;

analyze the raw images to determine the measurements for at least one of the size of the rank and the suit symbol of the card within the image; and

store the measurements in the calibration file.

37. The card handling device of claim 36, wherein the control logic is configured to automatically generate master images during the calibration mode by:

receiving the raw images; and

cropping the raw images according to the measurements stored in the calibration file.