RU2594553C1 - Peripheral device for playing tabletop game with connection to computer - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: games.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to peripheral devices for playing chess, draughts and other types of games, subject to use of different colour and(or) game functionality figures on game planes with coordinate grids with wire or wireless connection to a computer, and can be used in electronic games with a computer, tournaments with logging results, implementing remote forms of training. Peripheral device comprises a game board with at least one game surface, broken into separate cells, and game figures with marks containing a unique identifier or digital code recorded in corresponding memory cells of the mark. In the game board housing there is one or several printed circuit boards, on which antennae are located in such a way that they are distributed under each cell, a microcontroller connected with a specialised microcircuit of polling the marks, a power supply element, a module of wireless communication with a computer or a server, and on the housing there is a panel with indicators of operation and ports to connect the charging device, removable mass storage devices, a computer, a tablet, a smartphone, a chess clock or other recorders together with the device switch-on button.

EFFECT: provides for expansion of functional capabilities of game devices due to wireless data exchange with the possibility of long-term autonomous operation without external power supply sources, fast polling figures, easy adaptation to variation of communication protocols, reduced time required for preparation of the equipment for tournaments with large number of participants, which reduces the cost of organising competitions, simplifies games arrangement over a network, including the one over the Internet, and improves entertaining of games played with this device.

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Description

The invention relates to peripheral devices for conducting chess, checkers and other types of games, involving the use of different in color and (or) game functional figures on game planes with coordinate grids with a wired or wireless connection to a computer, and can be used in electronic games with computer, tournaments with the recording of results, the implementation of distance learning.

A peripheral device for conducting a chess game with a connection to a computer is known, which has a chessboard including a case with chess cells on the playing surface, an output part of the USB connector connected to a USB cable is fixed on the body, a corresponding cell is placed under each cell of the game surface a sensor for registering the installation of a chess piece on a chess cell, connected through the corresponding signal converter to the output part of the USB connector, the contacts for the source are located in the housing toyannogo voltage, each of the signal converter is a pulse generator (see. RF Patent 2391127, cl. A63F 3/02, publ. 10.06.2010).

The disadvantages of the known device are its low functionality, due to the fact that the device can only recognize the presence of a piece in a certain cell of the board, the device requires a personal computer, there is no possibility of organizing tournaments with the simultaneous use of a large number of game boards, a narrow scope: games only in chess - checker type on standard boards.

There is a method of automatic identification of objects in which data stored in transponders are read or written by radio signals (SandeepLahiri RFID. Implementation Guide = The RFID Sourcebook / Dudnikov S. -M .: Kudits-Press, 2007. - 312 p., Klaus Finkenzeller RFID Handbook. - M.: Dodeka-XXI Publishing House, 2008. - 496 p.). To read information from transponders, mobile or stationary readers are used, consisting of an antenna, the design and characteristics of which depend on the frequency range, and a specialized microcircuit that generates a frequency signal that activates the transponder, followed by reception and processing of the signal from the transponder. The information received by the microcircuit containing the unique transponder code and, if necessary, the data recorded in the transponder memory block are transmitted further for their computer processing.

The disadvantages of this method of identifying objects are low functionality, which consists in the lack of the ability to determine the coordinates of an object in space without using additional mechanical or coordinate devices, the complexity of organizing and configuring transponder polling systems distributed in space.

Closest to the claimed invention analogue is described in US patent No. 6168158 B1 (publ. 02.01.2001). This is a device for determining game pieces on a board, in which there is a game board divided into separate cells, and game pieces of various types that can be placed in these cells, for example chess and a chessboard, the cells are presented in the form of an orthogonal matrix of columns and rows. To determine the type, an oscillatory circuit with a certain resonant frequency is integrated into each figure, depending on its playing function and color. The device scans the entire playing surface or part of it by polling with a given sequence of all receive-transmit antennas located under each game cell inside the device’s case. As a result of a survey of antennas, the type of figures and their location (coordinates) on the playing plane are established, a data packet is generated that reflects the game situation, which is then transmitted via digital channels to a personal computer in the case of a single game or to the server in the event of tournaments. To conduct chess competitions according to specialized rules related to the specifics of the countdown of the game, the device provides for the connection of specialized chess clocks.

The disadvantages of this device are its low speed, noise immunity and maintainability, due to the fact that this device uses an analog signal (resonant frequency) to transmit information about the type of figure. Also, its narrow specialization can be attributed to the disadvantages, since this method is focused only on chess-type games. Significant disadvantages are the need for an external power supply and wired information transfer, which complicates the preparation, organization and conduct of tournaments using such devices.

The technical result, the achievement of which the present invention is directed, is to expand the functionality of the device, increase the speed, reliability, reliability of the transmitted (received) information, maintainability and autonomy through the use of wireless digital data transfer technologies, built-in batteries with support for various methods of charging them, the use of electronic components with a high degree of integration, as well as the method of using transceiver devices properties that form the sensory surface.

The indicated technical result is achieved by a device for playing a board game with a computer connected to it, containing a game board with at least one playing surface, divided into separate cells, and game pieces equipped with tags containing a unique identifier or digital code recorded in the corresponding memory cells of the tag, moreover, in the case of the game board there is at least one printed circuit board on which the antennas are located so that they are distributed under each cell, a microcontroller connected to a specialized chip for polling tags, a battery, a wireless module with a computer or server, and a panel with operation indicators and connectors for connecting a charger, removable storage devices, a computer, tablet, smartphone, chess clock or other recorders and a power button on the device are fixed .

According to the invention, the playing surface is made in the form of a flexible plate or folding surface.

According to the invention, the gaming surface comprises integrated means for displaying information and controlling the game process, for example a chess clock.

According to the invention, pockets for holding game figures are attached externally to a side surface of the housing.

According to the invention, converters are integrated on the gaming or side surfaces of the gaming board to generate electrical energy on known principles, for example, solar panels or wireless chargers used to recharge batteries.

According to the invention, the playing field is composed of several playing surfaces forming a three-dimensional playing field.

According to the invention, the game pieces are equipped with several marks separated by screens to account for their spatial orientation in the game.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, where in FIG. 1 shows the design of the device on the example of the implementation of the game of chess. In FIG. Figure 2 shows a chess piece with an integrated tag in it, where an RFID transponder is used as a tag. In FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of polling antennas using specialized microcircuits and a microcontroller.

On the drawings are indicated: chessboard 1, chess cells 2 on the playing surface, chess pieces 3 with integrated transponders 4 (tags), printed circuit board 5 with antennas 6 and specialized microcircuits 7 polling figures 3, strip 8 with holes for interface and communication connectors, fixed to the side surface of the board body, a battery 9 mounted in a hollow body.

The shape and size of the antennas 6 located on the board 5, depend on the type of transponders used, the size and shape of the game cells, the required detection range of the figures, as well as the sensitivity - the detection range of the labels. To increase speed and reduce power consumption, antennas can be combined in blocks so that the length, electrical and wave characteristics of the connecting elements of the board are identical. For each block or even a separate antenna, a specialized microcircuit 7 is used (Fig. 3), which activates the transponder located in the antenna coverage area and reads information from it. If a block of antennas is connected to chip 7, then activation is performed through a switching device - multiplexer 10, at each time point in this case, one of the antennas 6 of the block is polled. The implementation of the algorithm for polling antennas (row-wise, column-wise or another method of polling) is performed by the microcontroller 11, which generates the appropriate commands for the specialized microcircuit 7, the activation signals of the multiplexers 10, and the microcontroller 11 receives, processes and stores information received from the labels set in the figures 3. Also, the microcontroller 11, if it does not have the necessary communication capabilities, can be connected to a specialized unit 12 that implements the required format wireless or for discharge connection with a personal computer, a game server or network gateway.

As a specialized chip 7, an NXP Semiconductors company MFRC522 chip can be used; microcontroller 11 can be implemented on the basis of Silicon Laboratories C8051F340-GQR chip.

The functioning of the peripheral device for playing games is as follows (considered by the example of a game of chess).

Before conducting a game of chess, a chessboard 1 with chess cells 2 on the playing surface is connected to power from a built-in battery or an external power source, while wireless communication or a wired connection to a personal computer is activated. Figures 3 are placed for playing chess with the tags 4 (RFID transponders) installed in them. The built-in microcontroller 11, having scanned the playing surface by polling with a given sequence of antennas 6, forms a packet of information about the location of the figures on the board, identifies them using unique tag numbers or data arrays contained in the tag memory area, determining the numbers of antennas 6 that received a response . If this is the initial position of the game of chess, then the microcontroller 11 sends a signal to the central or connected computer that the device is ready for the game; in the event that the game continues, a signal of readiness for the game is generated after comparing the current state of the game situation and a saved copy of the game protocol. The microcontroller constantly scans the playing surface and determines the change in the position of the figures by comparing the information received with the position of the figures previously stored in memory (when starting the game, it is compared with the original arrangement of the figures). A change in the position of the pieces on the playing surface, confirmed by a signal of fixing a move made from a chess clock, for example, generated by a player pressing a corresponding key (button), is recorded in the game protocol in the microcontroller’s memory as another move with a fixation of its execution time, a new record in the protocol is transferred to a personal a computer or server in the form of an information package using the appropriate data transfer protocol. The information received by a computer or server is processed in accordance with a predetermined algorithm that implements the required format for conducting competitions or a personal game, made in the form of specialized software.

The moves are stored in the memory of a personal computer or server, and the current stage of the chess game is displayed on the monitor screen or projection devices, the game protocol and the current time are displayed. When organizing chess competitions using this device, special technical means are used, the composition and quantity of which should ensure uninterrupted, conflict-free transmission of information from terminal devices to the server at the required speed.

The use of this invention extends the functionality of gaming devices by organizing wireless information exchange with the possibility of long-term autonomous operation without external power sources, quick polling of figures, easy adaptation to changing information exchange protocols, and reducing the time required to prepare equipment for tournaments with a large number of participants , which reduces the cost of organizing competitions, simplifies the organization of the game on the network, including via the Internet, and Witzlaus entertaining conducted with the game device.

Claims (7)

1. A peripheral device for playing a board game connected to a computer, comprising a game board with at least one playing surface, divided into separate cells, and game pieces equipped with tags containing a unique identifier or digital code recorded in the corresponding memory cells of the tag, in the case of the game board there is one or more printed circuit boards on which the antennas are located so that they are distributed under each cell, a microcontroller connected to a specialized chip an interrogation of tags, a battery, a wireless module with a computer or server, and a panel with operation indicators and connectors for connecting a charger, removable storage devices, a computer, tablet, smartphone, chess clock or other recorders and a power button are fixed on the case. 2. The peripheral device according to claim 1, characterized in that the playing surface is made in the form of a flexible plate or folding surface. 3. The peripheral device according to claim 1, characterized in that the playing surface comprises integrated means for displaying information and controlling the game process, for example, a chess clock. 4. The peripheral device according to claim 1, characterized in that pockets for accommodating game figures are attached externally to the side surface of the housing. 5. The peripheral device according to claim 1, characterized in that on the game or side surfaces of the game board integrated transducers for generating electrical energy on well-known principles, such as solar panels or wireless chargers used to recharge batteries. 6. The peripheral device according to claim 1, characterized in that the playing field is composed of several playing surfaces forming a three-dimensional playing field. 7. The peripheral device according to claim 1, characterized in that the game pieces are equipped with several marks separated by screens to account for their orientation in space in the game.

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