JP2006230628A - Board game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a board game machine which permits unerring and quick score computations by letter tiles arranged on the board of the board game, permits speedy playing of a Scrabble game, is simple in structure and economical, and reliably performs score computations. <P>SOLUTION: The board game machine provides prescribed game scores in accordance with arrangement combinations of character tiles alternately arranged in tile receiving portions by players and the number of tiles by types of character, a character identification section 14 provided on the character tiles 13 and holding identification information corresponding to types of characters, a character tile identification sensing section 15 to sense the types of character through the character identification section 14 provided in the tile receiving portions 12 in which the character tiles 13 are arranged, and a score computation section 16 to compute game scores by comparing combination arrangements by the character tiles 13 arranged on the board 11 with a character string database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  In the present invention, a plurality of athletes alternately arrange character tiles such as A to Z and complete a specific word consisting of a character string on the board to give a score based on a predetermined rule. It relates to a board game machine.

  A board of a board game machine on which a game called “scrabble” is executed is divided into 15 × 15 squares vertically and horizontally, and a predetermined number of character tiles such as alphabets A to Z and spaces are arranged. Used. The player always has seven tiles on his rack, and uses those tiles to arrange the character tiles on the squares of the board in place of the opponent player to complete the words registered in the dictionary or the like. There are more than 200 character tiles in total, and each character tile is assigned a score. The total score of each character used when the word is placed is recorded as the score for each time, and the total score is recorded. The higher player wins. By the way, the number of character tiles (vowels, N, R, T, S, etc.) that are easy to create words is small, and the number of characters that are not frequently used, such as J, Q, X, Z, etc., is set high. It has become.

  Further, in connection with a game machine using an information recording medium that determines the progress of the game based on information input from an information recording medium such as a magnetic card, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses the types and characteristics of game players. A plurality of game elements including story development are stored in advance, selection data is generated based on data read from a magnetic card serving as an information medium, and game elements from the game element storage means are generated based on the selection data A game machine is described in which is selected and processed into the main story of the game.

Further, in connection with a game machine that reads information on a shogi piece placed on a shogi board, Patent Document 2 discloses a positioning magnet piece and an orientation, type, and information magnet piece arranged on the shogi piece. The shogi board is provided with a magnetic detection sensor for the positioning magnet piece facing the magnet piece arranged on the shogi piece, and the shogi piece is moved to a fixed position within a predetermined square of the shogi board by the positioning magnet piece. The shogi, which is positioned by suction, reads the arrangement configuration of the information magnet pieces by the magnetic detection sensor, identifies the direction, type, and formation of each shogi piece, and automatically performs record recording, time management, etc. A board and a shogi piece are disclosed.
JP-A-10-248997 JP 2000-288156 A

However, in a conventional game board for performing a scrabble game, the referee performs an operation for calculating a score based on a rule determined as an operation for collating a character string arranged on the board with dictionary data, and the operation is performed visually or manually. However, there is a problem that a calculation error and a time loss occur, and the progress of the speedy scrubbing game may be hindered.
In the game machine that acquires the information held via the magnetic card described in Patent Document 1, the reading unit of the magnetic card becomes large, so when applied to a scrubbing game, each small square There is a problem that it is difficult to arrange an information reading unit having a high accuracy and a complicated configuration, and a game development with a sense of speed cannot be performed because a mechanism for calculating the score is not provided.
In a game machine with a shogi piece and a shogi board provided with information magnet pieces described in Patent Document 2, magnet pieces for information identification are arranged in a predetermined arrangement in holes formed in the shogi pieces, respectively. Hall elements, magnetoresistive elements, etc. must be provided on each square of the shogi board, and the processing cost and material cost are high, and it is not economical, and the detection circuit of the magnet piece is complicated and easily causes malfunction. There was a problem that reliability may be lacking.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and score calculation using character tiles arranged on a board of a game board can be performed reliably and quickly, and a scrubbing game can be performed speedily. A further object is to provide a board game machine that has a simple configuration and is excellent in economic efficiency and excellent in score calculation reliability.

(1) In the board game machine according to the present invention, a plurality of tile receiving units are arranged in a grid pattern on the board, and each character tile array combination and character type are alternately arranged on the tile receiving unit by competitors. In a board game machine to which a predetermined game score is given according to the number of characters, a character identification unit that is provided in the character tile and holds identification information corresponding to the character type, and the tile receiving unit in which the character tile is arranged A character tile identification detection unit that detects the character type via the character identification unit, and a score for calculating a game score by comparing a combination array of character tiles arranged on the board with a character string database And an arithmetic unit.

(2) In the board game machine of the present invention, in (1), the character identification unit includes a tile electrode unit provided on a back surface of the character tile and connected to an identification circuit corresponding to the character type, and the character The identification detecting unit is provided on the surface of the tile receiving unit, and includes a board electrode unit that detects each conductive state of the tile electrode unit by being in contact with the tile electrode unit. is doing.

(3) The board game machine of the present invention is the IC tag according to (1), wherein the character identification unit is provided on the character tile and transmits a character code corresponding to the character type, and the character identification detection unit is The IC tag receiving unit is provided in the tile receiving unit and receives the signal radio wave of the IC tag.

(1) According to the board game machine of the present invention, the character tile of the character tile arranged by the player is detected through the character identification unit and the character tile identification detection unit, and the character tile arranged on the board Since it has a score calculation unit that calculates the game score by checking the combination array by the character string database, speedy and fair scrubbing games etc. by reliably and quickly calculating the score of the arranged character tile array, It can be done reliably. In addition, since the character identification unit and the character tile identification detection can be realized with a simple circuit configuration in contact with each other, a board game machine excellent in maintainability can be provided at low cost.

(2) According to the board game machine of the present invention, in addition to the effect described in the above (1), the character identification unit including the tile electrode unit connected to the identification circuit corresponding to the character type of the character tile, and the placement And a character tile identification detecting unit having a board electrode unit for contacting each tile electrode unit and detecting each conduction state thereof, so that a simple circuit such as a printed wiring board for connecting the electrodes can be used. The character type such as A to Z in the character tile can be reliably acquired through the configuration identification circuit.

(3) According to the board game machine of the present invention, in addition to the effect described in the above (1), the character identification unit provided in the character tile and transmitting the character code corresponding to the character type by the IC tag, and the tile receiving device Since it has a character tile identification detecting unit provided with an IC tag receiving unit that receives signal waves of the IC tag, the signal is received even when the character tile and the tile receiving unit are not in contact with each other. Hundreds of types of characters including not only alphabet characters but also kanji and greek characters can be obtained even if there is a slight misalignment in the character tiles placed on the receiving part and the amount of information can be increased. It is possible to simplify the circuit configuration on the board side by enabling a board game with tiles.

  In the board game machine of the present invention, A to Z are alternately arranged by the players on tile receiving portions formed by dividing the board into grids such as 15 × 15 (vertical × horizontal). A board game machine in which a scrabble game or the like in which a predetermined game score is given in accordance with an arrangement combination of alphabetic characters and character tiles including spaces and the number of each character type, and the back side of the character tiles and the inside thereof A character identification unit including a circuit configuration or IC tag etc. that holds identification information corresponding to the character type provided in the above, and an identification circuit formed in contact with or close to the character identification unit provided in the tile receiving unit, respectively A character tile identification detector comprising a circuit portion for detecting a signal type by receiving a signal radio wave from an IC tag and a character tile arranged on the board And a score calculation unit including a computer for calculating a game score by collating with a character string database including game rules such as dictionary data and scrabble stored in the storage unit.

The so-called scrabble game can be played by 2 to 4 players. The board of the board game machine on which the game is executed has a tile receiving portion formed of 15 × 15 squares in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a predetermined number of character tiles from A to Z of the alphabet (in the scrabble game, the frame Are called tiles) and the tiles are arranged on the board. The player always holds 7 tiles on his rack and uses them to place words on the board in place of his opponent. There are more than 200 character tiles in total, and each character tile is scored, and the total score of each character used when the word is placed on the board is recorded as the score for that time. The player with the highest total score wins.
Note that the words that can be used in the Scrabble game are basically limited to common nouns listed in English dictionaries, and do not include words that begin with capital letters such as proper nouns, words and abbreviations including hyphens and apostrophes.

The character identification unit includes an identification circuit, an IC tag, and the like that are provided on the back side of the character tile made of plastic or the like and inside the tile to hold identification information corresponding to the character type. As an identification circuit provided in the character tile, for example, a printing technique using a printed wiring board or conductive ink is used so as to define the conduction state of each of a plurality of, for example, six tile electrodes exposed on the back surface of the character tile. Can be formed. In the scrabble game, 26 types of tiles of alphabet letters A to Z and 27 types of blank (blank) tiles in total are required. By treating these character types with binary numbers expressed by 0 and 1 corresponding to the voltage on / off state loaded on the electrodes, the alphabet characters are expressed as five digits (2 to the 5th power, 2 ^ 5 in the present invention). In some cases).
For example, as shown in Table 1, A is (00001), B is (00010), C is (00011)... Z is (11010), and blank is (11011). Each character type can be expressed.

  That is, in order to give this tile a binary value as information, the tile has six electrical contact portions (terminals). Five of the six contact portions are used as “information of each digit in binary numbers” and “one information as information for expressing each digit information by 0 or 1”. Information for expressing each digit information by either 0 or 1 must be unified in all tiles. The five terminals are electrically connected to terminals that determine 0/1 information of each digit according to the value of each digit of the binary number of the tile. For example, the binary representation of the Z character tile is (11010), and is identified by connecting to the terminal of 0/1 representation so that only the 2 ^ 3 digit and 2 ^ 5 digit terminals are set to 0.

The character tile identification detection unit is provided in each of the tile receiving units where the character tiles are arranged and detects the character type via the character identification unit, and has a circuit configuration that contacts the tile electrode unit of the character identification unit. Or an integrated circuit element that receives signal radio waves from an IC tag or the like serving as a character identification unit can be applied.
For example, the grid serving as each tile receiving portion has six contact portions so as to come into contact with the tile electrode portions serving as the respective contact portions on the tile side when the tile is placed. When the 0/1 representation part is represented by 0, the corresponding contact in the square is connected to ON, and the remaining 5 contacts of each digit are connected to the power source through a resistor. In the case of the combination represented by 1, the corresponding contact in the bag is connected to the power source, and is connected to ON through the resistance of the remaining five digits. Thus, when the character tile is placed on the tile receiving portion, the respective contacts come into contact with each other to form a circuit. Since the voltage at the contact point on the board side changes according to the information on the tile side, it is possible to determine which tile is placed from these values. When no tile is placed, it is determined that no tile is placed because all tile electrode portions are in the off state of 0.

The score calculation unit obtains a combined arrangement of character tiles arranged on the board via the character tile identification detection unit, and this character string includes a scrabble game rule or dictionary data stored in advance in a memory. It is a means for calculating a game score by collating with a database, and its function is realized by a microcomputer or IC chip built in or connected to the game board.
It should be noted that such dictionary data applied to the scrabble game is stored in a medium such as an IC memory, a cassette memory, a CD, or a DVD separately from the main program for game execution, and is used for beginners (for example, before starting the game) 1000 words), intermediate, advanced, and other data holding media may be selected according to the player's level and set in the game machine.
When the player finishes arranging one word, the player presses the execute button to transmit a word completion signal. Such an execution button is also installed on the opponent side. Thus, when the execute button is pressed, it can be determined whether or not the word is in the dictionary.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a board game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the board game machine according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a character identification unit arranged in each character tile, and FIG. 3 is a character tile identification method in the board game machine. It is explanatory drawing of the circuit structure which shows this.
1-3, 10 is a board game machine of this embodiment in which board games, such as a scrabble, are performed, 11 is a board formed on the upper surface of the board game machine 10, and 12 is 15 each of the board 11 surfaces vertically and horizontally. A substantially rectangular tile receiving portion formed by dividing into squares, and 13 is a substantially square disk shape including A to Z tiles and blank tiles arranged on the tile receiving portion 12 selected by the athlete. The character tile 14 includes a total of six tile electrode portions T _{0 to} T ₅ arranged in a predetermined pattern on the back surface of the character tile 13 and an identification circuit that connects these electrodes in a predetermined pattern. , determination 15 which is connected to the tile electrode portion T ₀ through T total of six board electrode portion S0~S5 and electrode portions arranged respectively on the tile receiving part 12 surface corresponding to the _fifth character tiles 13 A character tile identification detection unit 16 having a path acquires a combined arrangement of character tiles arranged on the board 11 as a completed character string via the character tile identification detection unit 15 and compares it with a character string database. This is a score calculation unit comprising a microcomputer for calculating the game score and displaying it on the liquid crystal panel.

As shown in FIG. 2, alphabets A to Z are written on the top surface of the character tile 13, and tile electrode portions T _{0 to} T ₅ arranged on the back surface thereof have identification circuits associated with the alphabet characters. The identification circuit is connected to the provided character identification unit 14 and corresponds to alphabetic characters and blank characters by a binary number expression corresponding to the on / off state of each voltage in the tile electrode units T1 to T5. For example, since the character A is (00001) in the 5-digit binary representation, the identification circuit is formed so that the tile electrode T1 corresponding to the first digit is in a conductive state with respect to the tile electrode T0 as the base. . In the letter B, an identification circuit is formed so that the tile electrode T2 corresponding to the second digit is in a conductive state with respect to the tile electrode T0 serving as a base, and a binary number expression (00010) corresponding to the letter B is set. Is done. In this way, all characters from alphabetic characters A (00001) to Z (11010) and blank character (11011) can be set to each character tile by the expression by binary numbers of five digits.

As shown in FIG. 3, board electrode portions S _{0 to} S _{5 that} are in contact with the tile electrode portions T _{0 to} T ₅ of the character tile 13 are arranged in each tile receiving portion 12 of the board 11. Thus, when the character tile 13 is placed on the tile receiving unit 12 and the electrodes contact each other, the character tile identification detection unit 15 acquires the on / off state of each of the board electrode units S _{1 to} S _{5 to} the score calculation unit 16. The data is processed by referring to the rules and dictionary data of the scrabble game, and a game score corresponding to a combination of character strings by the character tiles 13 arranged on the board 11 and a positional relationship with a specific tile receiving unit is calculated. It has come to be.

Here, FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram showing the character tile identification detecting unit 15 having a matrix circuit for extracting each identification signal from each tile receiving unit 12 arranged in a 3 × 3 matrix on the board 11. It is.
In FIG. 4, C _{1 to} C ₃ are switching elements for selecting each row of the matrix, R _{1 to} R ₃ are switching elements for selecting each column of the matrix, and 3 × 3 matrix elements are represented by these elements. On-off signals corresponding to the board electrode portions S _{0 to} S ₅ for identifying the character type of the character tile 13 arranged in each tile receiving portion 12 are determined by specifying the control terminal portions CS and RS, and output terminals. It can be individually taken out from the section OS. For example, by enabling C ₁ and R ₃ , information on the board electrode portions S _{0 to} S ₅ of the tile receiving portion 12 corresponding to the matrix elements (1, 3) can be acquired. In this way, all information data on the board 11 is obtained by sequentially switching from the matrix element (1, 1) to the matrix element (3, 3).

Each matrix circuit includes a resistor and sneak current prevention diode for being connected to the board electrode portions S ₀ to S _5. That is, even if the switch portion is turned off, a phenomenon may occur in which the current flows through the line. Therefore, if a diode is connected in series to each board electrode portion, such a current wraparound is blocked by the diode, so that erroneous detection can be prevented and the reliability of character type detection processing can be improved.

  The score calculation unit 16 is composed of a microcomputer built in the board 11 or an attached personal computer, and is based on a character string database including dictionary data and rule books registered in advance in a memory and a scrubbing game. The game score corresponding to the state of the character tiles arranged in is calculated, and the result is displayed in real time on a liquid crystal panel or a personal computer monitor.

  Since the board game machine 10 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, the character type of the character tile 13 arranged by the player is set to the character identification unit 14 and the character tile identification detection unit 15 of the tile receiving unit 12. The character type of the character tile 13 arranged on the tile receiving unit 12 by using the score calculation unit 16 and collating the combination arrangement of the character tiles 13 on the board 11 with the character string database. Game scores can be calculated. In this way, the word check and score calculation in the board game can be electronically performed automatically, and it is possible to electrically grasp which tile is placed on the board and to quickly perform the scrabble game. Furthermore, since the character identification unit 14 and the character tile identification detection unit 15 can be realized with a simple circuit configuration that abuts each other, the economy and the maintenance are excellent.

  Although the board game machine 10 according to the present embodiment has been specifically described above, the present invention can be applied without being limited thereto. For example, in this embodiment, the character identification unit is realized by a conduction circuit that connects the electrodes. However, two tile electrode units are arranged in the character tile, and a resistance having a specific resistance value corresponding to the character type for each character tile. It is also possible to determine the character type by measuring the resistance value via the board electrode section. In addition, an IC tag may be applied as the character identification unit, and a radio wave transmitted from now on may be received by an IC tag receiving unit arranged in the tile receiving unit to determine the character type. As a result, even if the character tile and the tile receiving unit are in a non-contact state, a signal is received, and the character type can be accurately acquired even if the character tile arranged in the tile receiving unit is slightly misaligned. Further, since a lot of information can be given to the IC tag, it can be widely applied not only to the scrabble game using character tiles but also to various forms of board games.

It is a schematic structure figure of the board game machine concerning an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the character identification part arrange | positioned at each character tile. It is explanatory drawing of the circuit structure which shows the identification method of a character tile. It is a circuit block diagram of the character tile identification detection part provided with the matrix circuit.

Explanation of symbols

10 embodiment of the board game machine 11 Board 12 tile receiving 13 character tiles 14 character identifying unit 15 character tile identification detection section 16 score calculation unit T ₀ through T ₅ tile electrode portion S ₀ to S ₅ board electrode portion C ₁ -C ₃ switching elements R _{1 to} R ₃ switching elements CS, RS control terminal part OS output terminal part

Claims (3)

A plurality of tile receiving units are arranged in a grid pattern on the board, and a predetermined game score is given according to the combination of character tiles arranged alternately by the players in the tile receiving unit and the number of each character type Board game machine
A character identification unit that is provided in the character tile and holds identification information corresponding to the character type;
A character tile identification detection unit that is provided in each of the tile receiving units where the character tiles are arranged and detects the character type via the character identification unit;
A score calculation unit for calculating a game score by checking a combination array of character tiles arranged on the board with a character string database;
A board game machine characterized by comprising: The character identification unit includes a tile electrode unit provided on the back surface of the character tile and connected to an identification circuit corresponding to the character type, and
The character identification detection unit is provided on a surface of the tile receiving unit, and includes a board electrode unit that detects each conductive state of the tile electrode unit by being in contact with the tile electrode unit, respectively. The board game machine according to claim 1.   The IC tag in which the character identification unit is provided in the character tile and transmits a character code corresponding to the character type, and the character identification detection unit is provided in the tile receiving unit and receives a signal radio wave of the IC tag The board game machine according to claim 1, wherein the board game machine is a receiving unit.

Images