EP0074516A2 - Billiards table - Google Patents

Abstract

A billiard table has a playing area bordered by a cushion. The pockets found in a typical pool billiard table are replced by sensor fields disposed in the plane of the playing area having contactless sensors associated therewith responsive to the presence of a billiard ball. The output signals of the sensors are applied to a visual indicator.

Description

As is well known, there are two main types of billiards, namely German or pool billiards and French billiards. The former has three openings with ball catchers on the long sides in corners and in the center for receiving balls. These, so-called game balls, are played with a driver ball. In billiard billiards, the game board, which is usually covered with a stretched green cloth, is designed as a smooth surface. In addition, it is also known to divide the playing area into chalk lines in such a way that only a certain number of billiards can be played in each of the squares (squad billiards).

With the well-known gaming tables, it is not possible to play the well-known billiard games at the same time. It is therefore the object of the invention to create a billiard that can be used equally for billiard billiards, pool billiards and / or squad billiards.

This object is achieved in that the holes are replaced by hole fields lying in the plane of the playing surface, to which a contactless initiator responsive to the presence of a billiard ball is assigned, the output signal of which is given to a display device.

In the billiard according to the invention, the holes required for a pool billiard are replaced by a corresponding marking on the playing field, to which initiators are assigned, which register the presence of a billiard ball in the area of the marking or a field and give a corresponding output signal to a display device. In this way, the playing field can also be used for conventional billiards or for squad billiards.

Another advantage is that the dimensions of the playing area can be greatly reduced. The conventional pool billiard requires 16 balls of a given diameter. In the billiard according to the invention, the game balls can be omitted and only the driver ball is required. At most a game ball can be used to increase the level of difficulty.

However, not only the dimensions of the playing surface can be changed, but also the geometry of the playing field. The playing field can be triangular so that it can be set up in a corner or together with the same billiards. In the case of a triangular playing surface, the playable boards are shaped in such a way that every hole field can be played over the board, regardless of where the driver ball is located. This is e.g. reached with curved sections towards the playing surface.

All proximity switches or the like which are customary in technology are suitable as initiators. Contactless initiators have the advantage that they can be attached to the underside of the game board, preferably in a lower recess in such a way that the thickness of the board is considerably reduced in the area of the initiator. In this embodiment, capacitive or inductive initiators are preferred. In one embodiment of the invention, an inductive coil is preferably used as the initiator, which is part of an oscillation circuit. The ball then contains electrically conductive or magnetically acting material or is made entirely of this material, so that the entry of the ball into the area of the initiator results in a damping of the oscillation circuit. This damping will electronically determined and leads to a signal for the display device.

It goes without saying that other initiators, for example on an optical basis, can also be used.

If the initiators are designed in such a way that they respond differently to different material, it is advantageous according to a further embodiment of the invention if the billiard balls consist of different material. For example, the driver ball can be made of a material to which the initiator does not respond, while the toy ball causes the initiator to respond. Furthermore, game balls can consist of different materials and accordingly cause different signals from the initiator. As a result, the individual playing ball can be assigned a value which can be displayed accordingly in the display device.

In addition to this possibility, the electronic circuit allows the individual pool fields to be assigned different values or individual pool fields to be switched on or off. Furthermore, the pool markers can be switched so that they have to be imported in a specific chronological order in order to obtain a maximum game result. Furthermore, the usual competition conditions can be set using two displays and a switch getting produced. Hole fields 1 to 7 are assigned to the first game and the same hole fields to the second player as 9 to 15, while the eighth hole field is considered a neutral field for both players. The players must therefore ensure that the switch is in the correct position before each recording.

It also goes without saying that the billiard can also be associated with obstacles which are removable or permanently installed. The obstacles are in turn provided with appropriate initiators, which generate an output signal for the display device when the balls hit the obstacle.

For the operation of an electronic circuit arrangement for the billiard according to the invention, it is advantageous according to a further embodiment if the output signal of several initiators is given in parallel to a timing element, the output signal of which is also given to the display device and sets it. The timer in turn is set when the initiator first responds and then runs for a given time which is slightly longer than the maximum runtime of the ball after hitting a first marker. After the set time has elapsed, the display device is deactivated so that there are no false readings or false counts.

There has already been mentioned the possibility of evaluating the individual balls differently. Alternatively, according to a further embodiment of the invention, there is the possibility that the initiator can be connected to a value level that assigns each initiator signal to a value and that the value signal is assigned to a count via a computer level. and display device is given. In the valence level, you can arbitrarily set which value should be sent to the signal of an initiator. A computer is then controlled via the computer, which displays the total value obtained in a known manner, for example with a digital numerical display. In the valence level, a certain chronological order can also be set, which specifies the order in which the individual pool fields or other markings of the billiard must be played.

According to a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the individual initiators can each be connected to a separate display, but the displays can be arranged in the same configuration as perforated fields on the game board. For example, each initiator can be assigned an indicator light that lights up and goes out again when the associated initiator is actuated by a ball. The goal of the game can be to actuate the individual initiators with a minimum number of shots. A difficulty means that the individual initiators in a certain chronological order to operate. Finally, according to a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the separate displays can be controlled by a random generator and a selection key is provided with which the control of a display is held arbitrarily. The random generator controls the individual displays cyclically, but randomly at regular intervals, and it is up to the player to arbitrarily record a desired display. The player will endeavor to record the display that is the most favorable for the respective game situation, ie which field or which marker can be played most favorably.

According to a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that a second time stage is provided which is connected to the display device and which deactivates the display device after a predetermined period of time after the display device has responded for the first time. This time step can be important when the billiard according to the invention is used commercially. While there is automatically a time limit for the game in the pool billiard due to the disappearance of the balls in the holes, this is not the case with the billiard according to the invention. The time level ensures that the game is automatically ended. If the billiard according to the invention is only used as a pool billiard, the neutral field can be designed as a hole in order to end the game after the neutral field has been played.

An embodiment of the invention is described below described in more detail by drawings.

• Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a schematically illustrated billiard according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a section through the representation according to FIG. 1 along the line 2-2.
• 3 shows an electronic circuit example for a billiard according to FIGS. 1 and 2.
• Fig. 4 shows in perspective a triangular pool billiard according to the invention.
• 5 to 7 show different possibilities of an adjustable band.

Before going into the details shown in the drawings, it should be assumed that each of the features shown and described is of importance for the invention, either individually or in conjunction with features of the claims.

1 schematically shows a billiard 10 with a rectangular game board or surface 110 which is surrounded by a board 120. Eight circular ones can be seen on the playing surface 110 Markings 113, of which the ones on the edge correspond to the holes of the conventional pool billiards. The two perforated fields on the longitudinal center line are also provided, one of which (No. 8) corresponds to the neutral and the other to a conventional ball. While holes are provided in the normal pool billiards, in the case of the billiards according to FIG. 1, the marking 113 is only flat, which therefore does not influence the playing path of a ball.

In the area of the markings 113, the game board 11 has recesses 114 on the underside, in which an induction coil 115 is arranged and fastened in a suitable manner. The game board 11 is preferably made of a material which is magnetically ineffective and therefore does not affect the field 11.6 of the induction coil 115. A billiard ball 117 made of an electrically conductive or magnetically acting material influences the field 116 when it enters the area of the marking. This influence can be converted into an initiator signal by an electronic circuit.

1 can be played with only one driver ball which activates the initiators. Play balls as necessary with conventional pool billiards can be omitted. Therefore, the size of the playing field 110 can be reduced considerably.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, only the position of the holes in a pool billiard is marked. It goes without saying that other markings and obstacles can also be provided, which can be equipped in the same way with an initiator, as is shown schematically in FIG. 2.

3 shows an exemplary circuit arrangement for a billiard according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The stages 20 and 21 show contactless initiators, similar to the induction coil 15. It goes without saying that in the case of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 six such initiators must be provided. The induction coils 20, 21 act with oscillation circuits 22 and 23, respectively together. The occurrence of a correspondingly acting billiard ball in the measurement range of an initiator results in a corresponding _B edämpfung of the oscillation circuit 22 and 23, respectively, an initiator signal can be derived from which in a known manner. In the case of the initiator 20, the initiator signal leads via a switch 24 to a value level 25. In the case of the initiator 21, the value level 25 is activated directly. In the value level, a certain value can be arbitrarily assigned to the incoming initiator signal in order to provide the markings to be played or played with a different level of difficulty. In the value level 25, a chronological order can also be specified in which the individual initiator signals must appear so that they are evaluated. This can, for example, increase the level of difficulty of a pool billiard.

The value signals coming from the value level 25 are summed up in the computer 26 and counted in the counter 27 connected to the computer 26 and displayed by a numerical display 28 which is connected to the counter via a decoder 29.

A time stage 30 is also connected to the oscillation circuits 22, 23. If an initiator responds 20 or 21, the timer 30 is triggered and sets the counter 27. After the time set arbitrarily in the time stage 30, the counter 27 is deactivated. The time to be set in the timer 30 is slightly longer than the maximum time that a ball played after it has activated a first initiator.

A power supply unit 31 supplies the individual stages with energy in the manner shown. A battery supply can optionally also be provided.

Another time stage 32 is used to set a game time. After the end of the playing time, the counter 27, which is connected to the timer 32, is deactivated.

Individual signal lamps 34 can be controlled via a transistor stage 33 (extremely schematic illustration). Each signal lamp 34 belongs to a specific marking or to a specific field, for example to the fields 13 of the billiard according to FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, only the control of the transistor stage 33 via the induction coil 20, the oscillation circuit 22 and the switch 24 is shown . It is understood that all initiators belonging to a billiard can control the transistor stage 33. If an initiator is activated by a ball, the associated signal lamp 34 lights up, or vice versa, it is switched off. In this way, the individual markings, fields or the like can be displayed on the game table. The goal of the game can be to play the individual fields individually or in a predetermined order. The signal lights 34 indicate whether this goal has been achieved.

Finally, a random generator 35 is provided which is connected to the transistor stage 33. With the help of the random generator 35, the individual signal lights 34 are actuated one after the other in a clocked manner, although the sequence is random. With the help of a push button switch 36, the player can try to light up the signal light he wants to "hold". This is advantageous if the respective game situation makes the playing of the associated field appear particularly favorable.

With the help of a switch 38, the signal lights 34 can be extinguished. The display of the digital display device 28 can be deleted with the aid of a switch 37.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the pool of the billiard is designed so that an impact of a ball leads to a usable signal. For this purpose, several initiators are assigned to the gang. These can react to pressure or impact, for example, but can also work electro-optically. In the circuit diagram according to FIG. 3, such an initiator or the plurality of initiators is designated 37a. The initiator 37a is connected to a further counter 38a, which can be set to a desired number of steps. With the features described, a gang game can be specified, for. B. three-band game, d. H. the ball must first touch the gang three times and then hit a target. The counter 38 determines whether the gang has been touched three times. Only then is an output signal given to the computer 26, which then carries out the game evaluation in the manner described above.

The individual indicator lights 34, which are assigned to each pool, also have their own assigned key switch 39, of which only one is shown in FIG. 3. With help the key switch 39, one or more displays 34 can be selected, so that the corresponding fields or pools are selected which have to be played by the player. The connection via the value level 25 to the computer 26 is such that the computer 26 only registers the selected pool markings and suppresses the others.

4, a billiard table 50 is shown in perspective, the playing surface 51 of which is approximately triangular. Two bands 51, 53 converge at right angles. At the other ends they are connected to one another by four straight band sections 54 of equal length. The outer band sections 54 form a right angle with the bands 52 and 53, while the remaining band sections 54 lie at an obtuse angle to one another. Eight perforated fields 113 are arranged along the bands 52 to 54. As can be seen from FIG. 4, five perforated fields 113 are assigned to the vertices, while two are arranged between the ends of the bands 52 and 53 and a third perforated field lies approximately in the middle. In contrast to the other perforated fields, the central perforated field is recessed, while the others, as in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, lie in the plane of the playing surface. As in FIG. 1, they are each linked to an initiator. As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, two numbers are assigned to the perforated fields at the edge, one number each for a player and the second number is assigned to a second player. The middle hole with the number 8 is deepened and corresponds to the neutral ball in the conventional pool billiard, which is to be played last. If field 8 is played, the driver ball, which is the only one used, falls into the table and can only be removed from the table at 55 by inserting a coin in a coin actuation device 54.

A display box 56 is arranged in the apex of the bands 52 and 53, which has two optical displays 57 and 58 with lamps 59. The optical display corresponds to the shape of the playing surface 51, the lamps 59 corresponding to the perforated fields 113. Furthermore, the display box 56 contains two digital numerical displays 60 and 61 as well as a recording numerical display 62. Pressure switches 63 serve to activate the respective displays 57 and 58. Likewise, digit displays 60, 61 can be switched on optionally. A switch 64 ensures that either the series 1 to 7 or 9 to 15 is played by the first or second player. In this way, the pool billiards can be played in a conventional manner. The switches 66 are used to delete the optical display 57 and 58.

The electronic pool table shown in Fig. 4 can be placed in the corner of a room so that it can only be played from the board sections 54.

The same is the case when several, for example four, pool tables of the type shown in FIG. 4 are grouped together. Care must then be taken that all perforated fields 113 can be reached from the playable side, either in direct impact or by touching the board. In order to improve the playing of the individual perforated fields 113, the bands 52, 53 have band sections 67, 68 which are convexly curved toward the playing surface 51.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a band section 70 which is adjustably mounted along a guide 71 and can be moved in both directions, indicated by the double arrow 72. A shifted position is indicated in dashed lines. A billiard ball 73 can be played and reflected against the band section 70 in accordance with the lines drawn. The band section shown in FIG. 5 can correspond, for example, to the band section 67 or 68 according to FIG. 4.

6 shows a concavely curved band section 74, which in turn is adjustable along a guide 71.

Fig. 7 shows a lever-like band section 75 which is pivotally mounted at one end at 76 in order to allow a different reflection of the played ball 73.

It goes without saying that a logic circuit can be connected between the initiators, which are assigned to the individual perforated fields 113, and the display device, which enables various evaluations of the signals of the initiators. For example, a link can be made in such a way that pool points again played by a first player can be attributed to the opponent.

Instead of a display device which displays the hits separately, the initiators assigned to the game or hole fields can themselves directly effect a hit display. The same applies to initiators assigned to the gang. The display initiators can be mechanical elements, e.g. Flaps or levers. You can also respond to pressure or optically to show players that a hit has been made.

Such a pool billiard can still be played as a billiard billiard because there is still a smooth playing surface. In the case of a direct hit display of the above type, however, 15 perforated fields must be provided for the pool billiards, 1 to 7 each for the first player, 9 to 15 for the second player and one perforated field (No. 8) as a neutral field. The latter can also be provided with a hole to make the driver ball disappear. It is understood that the last-mentioned version can only be played with a driver ball without a player ball.

Claims (26)

1. Pool billiard with a playing area bounded by a board, in which a plurality of holes are arranged, and playing fields marked on the playing area which are assigned to some holes, characterized in that the holes are provided by hole fields (113.) Lying in the plane of the playing area (110, 51) ) are replaced, to which a contactless initiator (115), which responds to the presence of a billiard ball, is assigned, the output signal of which is given to an optical display device (56). 2. Pool billiards with a rectangular playing surface, characterized in that the corners and the centers of the longer boards are each assigned a hole field and in the middle of the longitudinal center line two spaced hole fields. 3. Pool billiard according to claim 1, characterized in that the playing surface (51) is approximately triangular and the perforated fields (113) are arranged on the boards and in the center of the field. 4. Pool billiard according to claim 3, characterized in that the central hole number 8 is sunk. 5. Pool billiard according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the longer band consists of several, preferably four of the same length, straight and at an obtuse angle arranged partial band pieces (54). 6. Pool billiard according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that on the two shorter bands (52, 53) arc-shaped sections (67, 68) extending into the playing surface (51) are formed. 7. Pool billiard according to claim 6, characterized in that the sections (67, 68) are convex or concave. 8. Pool billiard according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the board sections (70, 74) are mounted displaceably in the direction of the board. 9. Pool billiard according to one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the optical display device (56) in the region of the longer band (54) opposite tip is attached. 10. Pool billiard according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the optical display device (56) depicts the playing field (51) by lamps (59). 11. Pool billiard according to claim 10, characterized in that a numerical display (60, 61) is additionally provided. 12. Pool billiard according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the playing field image (57, 58) and / or numerical display (60, 61) are provided twice, which can optionally be switched on via a switch (64). 13. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the initiator is an induction coil (15) which is part of an oscillation circuit. 14. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the initiator (15) is arranged below the playing surface level. 15. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the billiard balls consist of different materials. 16. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the output signals are given to a plurality of initiators (21, 22) in parallel on a timer (30), the output signal is also given to the display device and sets it. 17. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the initiator (20, 21) can be connected to a value level (25) which assigns each initiator signal to a value and the value signal via a computer level (26) to a counter and display device (27, 28, 29) is given. 18. Billiard according to one of claims 1-17, characterized in that the individual initiators can each be connected to a separate display (34). 19. Billiard according to claim 18, characterized in that the separate displays (34) can be controlled by a random generator (35) and a selection key (36) is provided with which the control of a display (34) is held arbitrarily. 20. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that a second time stage (32) connected to the display device is provided, which deactivates the display device after a predetermined period of time after the first response of the display device. 21. Billiard according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the band (12) is assigned one or more initiators (37a) which emits a signal when touched by a ball and the initiator (37a) with another Counter (38a) is connected, which can be set to a predetermined number of steps and only emits an output signal when the initiator (37a) has received output signals corresponding to the set number of steps. 22. Billiard according to one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that each initiator display (34) is assigned a separate switch (39) and an initiator signal is only given to the display device (26, 27, 28) when it is through its Switch (39) is stopped. 23. Pool billiard with a playing area delimited by a gang, in which several holes are arranged as well as marked playing fields assigned to some holes, characterized in that the holes are replaced by hole fields lying in the plane of the playing surface and an indicator initiator is assigned to each hole field which immediately indicates the impact of a ball on the hole field. 24. Pool billiard according to claim 23, characterized in that the display initiator is a lever or a flap or the like. 25. Pool billiard according to claim 23, characterized in that the display initiator responds to the pressure or optically to the presence of a ball. 26. Pool billiard according to one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that fifteen playing fields are provided, one of which can have a hole.

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