Patent Application
20170211917
The present disclosure relates to a dart system, and more particularly, to a dart pin including a user identification module.
In general, a dart pin refers to a “small arrow” and a dart game is a game that involves scoring points by throwing an arrow-shaped dart pin to a circular target marked with figures. A dart game has an advantage in that anybody can enjoy the dart game anytime and anywhere if only an arrow-headed dart pin and a dart target are available. In recent years, as various game methods have been developed and a scoring method has been organized, the dart game has been developed as a worldwide leisure, and therefore, men and women of all ages have conveniently enjoyed the dart game.
In general, participants of the dart game need to participate in the game at the same time and in the same space in order to enjoy the dart game. However, with development of communication technology, electronic dart game apparatuses have been developed in which each of the participants of the dart game may remotely participate in the dart game so as to participate in the game over temporal and spatial constraints and remotely transmit a play result or a play process thereof through a communication network. The electronic dart game apparatuses may electrically sense a hitting point of the dart target and automatically aggregate scores and provide the aggregated scores to a player.
However, most of the existing technologies related to such a dart game system just describe the dart game apparatus and a dart game server, and an approach to provide a better user experience by strengthening the shape and function of the dart pin is not actually made.
The present disclosure has been made in an effort to increase a user's experience in playing a dart game by enhancing the shape and function of a dart pin.
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a dart pin in order to implement the aforementioned object. The dart pin includes: a tip forming one end of the dart pin and having one end which may contact a dart target of a dart game apparatus; a barrel of which one end is coupled with the other end of the tip to form a body of the dart pin; a shaft of which one end is coupled with the other end of the dart barrel; and a flight forming the other end of the dart pin and having one end coupled with the other end of the shaft, and herein, a user identification module may be coupled to one of the tip, the barrel, the shaft, and the flight.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a dart game apparatus. The dart game apparatus may include: a dart target capable of accommodating a thrown dart pin; a network connection unit for communication with a dart game server through a network; and a user recognition unit communicating with a user identification module coupled with the dart pin to receive data included in a user identification module of the dart pin.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, since the shape and function of a dart pin can be enhanced, a user's experience can be increased when playing a dart game.
Various embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings and similar reference numerals are used to represent similar elements throughout the drawings. In the specification, various descriptions are presented to provide appreciation of the present disclosure. However, it is apparent that the embodiments can be executed without the specific description. In other examples, known structures and apparatuses are presented in a block diagram form in order to facilitate description of the embodiments.
‘Component’, “module”, “system”, and the like which are terms used in the specification designate a computer-related entity, hardware, firmware, software, and a combination of the software and the hardware, or execution of the software. For example, the component may be a processing process executed on a processor, the processor, an object, an execution thread, a program, and/or a computer, but is not limited thereto. For example, both an application executed in a computing device and the computing device may be the components. One or more components may reside in the processor and/or the execution thread and one component may be localized in one computer or distributed among two or more computers. Further, the components may be executed by various computer-readable media having various data structures, which are stored therein. The components may perform communication through local and/or remote processing according to a signal (for example, data transmitted from one component, which interacts with other components in a local system and a distribution system, to another system through a network such as the Internet) having one or more data packets, for example.
The description of the presented embodiments is provided so that those skilled in the art of the present disclosure use or implement the present disclosure. Various modifications of the embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented herein, but should be analyzed within the widest range which is consistent with the principles and new features presented herein.
The terms “dart” and “dart pin” used in the specification may be used interchangeably. Moreover, the terms “player” and “user” used in the specification may also be used interchangeably. Moreover, the terms “point” and “area” used in the specification may also be used interchangeably.
The dart game apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a dart target (alternatively, dart board) 110, a sensing unit 120, a user input unit 130, an output unit 140, a camera unit 150, a network connection unit 160, a user recognition unit 170, a memory 180, a controller 190, and the like. The components illustrated in
The dart target 110 may include a score board in which a bullseye is positioned at the center and there are areas segmented by concentric circles centered at the bullseye and straight lines extending radially from the bullseye and individual scores are assigned to the areas, respectively. Multiple holes into which a tip of a dart may be inserted may be formed on the score board.
The dart target 110 includes a display 142 to be described below to variably change score deployments of the dart target 110 and shapes of areas to which the scores are assigned. In this case, the dart target 110 includes a light transmissive touch pad in the display 142 to be stacked to take a form of a touch screen.
The sensing unit 120 may sense a play of a dart game user performed with respect to the dart target 110. That is, when the dart pin is thrown by the user and reaches the dart target 110, the sensing unit 120 may sense which part of the dart target 110 the dart pin reaches. The sensing unit 120 may enable a play of an actual user to be evaluated. The sensing unit 120 may sense which area of the dart target 110 a thrown dart pin hits or immediately convert the hitting into the score, with respect to a play in which the user throws the dart pin. The sensing unit 120 electrically converts a score corresponding to the area which the dart pin hits to transmit the converted score to the controller 190. Alternatively, the sensing unit 120 may transmit an electrical signal corresponding to the region where the dart pin hits to the controller 190 and herein, the controller 190 may calculate a score corresponding to the electrical signal.
The user input unit 130 receives an input of the user for controlling the dart game apparatus 100. The user input unit 130 may include various types of input means including a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad (resistive/capacitive), a jog wheel, a jog switch, a keyboard, and the like. The user input unit 130 may also include cameras 151 to 153, a microphone, or the like. Additionally, the user input unit 130 may also include a short range communication module (not illustrated) to be described below. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user input unit 130 may be configured to include the short range communication module (not illustrated) of the network connection unit 160. When the user input unit 130 includes the short range communication module of the network connection unit 160, the user input unit 130 may be configured to receive a user input which is input by an external console device. As short range communication technology, Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), near field communication (NFC), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, or the like may be used. For example, when the user input unit 130 performs the short range communication using infrared communication, the external console device may be an infrared remote controller. Alternatively, when the user input unit 130 performs the short range communication using a Bluetooth function, the external console device may be a mobile device including a Bluetooth module. The mobile device including the Bluetooth module may be, for example, a smart phone including the Bluetooth module.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the user input unit 130 uses the short range communication, the user input unit 130 may communicate with the short distance module attached to or inserted into the dart pin.
The user may select a dart game mode, a match making request, a match authentication, the number of dart game players, a dart game play mode, and the like through the user input unit 130. For example, the user may select the number of dart game players, the dart game play mode (a zero one game, a cricket game, a count-up game, and the like), the dart game mode (a single play, a network play, and the like), an online/offline match making request, and the match approval through the user input unit 130.
The user input unit 130 receives a signal by sensing a key operation or a touch input of the user or receives speech or a motion of the user through the cameras 151 to 153 or the microphone to convert the received signal, speech, or motion into an input signal. To this end, a known speech recognition technology or a motion recognition technology may be used.
The output unit 140 which is used for generating an output related with sight, hearing, or touch may include the sound output unit 141, the display 142, the illumination unit 143, and the like.
The sound output unit 141 may output audio data received from the network connection unit 160 or stored in the memory 180 in a game sound effect, a reward, a game motion guide, a game method description, and the like. The sound output unit 141 may also output a sound signal related with a function (e.g., a game effect sound) performed by the dart game apparatus 100. The sound output unit 141 may also output a speech of a game player or a third person using another dart game apparatus 320 (see
The display 142 displays (outputs) information processed in the dart game apparatus 100. For example, when the dart game apparatus 100 is in a game play mode guidance mode, the display 142 may output a selectable game play mode. Additionally, when the dart game apparatus 100 receives the online/offline match making request, the display 142 may output a match making stand-by player list. Further, when the dart game apparatus 100 is playing a game, the display 142 may display the score sensed through the sensing unit 120 or output an image acquired by photographing the game player or the third person using another dart game apparatus received through the network connection unit 160.
Additionally, when the dart game apparatus 100 measures the speed of the dart pin, the display 142 may display the measured speed information of the dart pin or display the speed information of the dart pin of the other person and/or comparison information with previously determined predetermined speed information.
The display 142 may include at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display, and a 3D display. Some of the displays may be configured as a transparent or light transmissive type to view the outside through the displays. This may be called a transparent display and a representative example of the transparent display includes a transparent OLED (TOLED), and the like.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, according to an implementation form of the dart game apparatus 100, two or more displays 142 may exist. For example, in the dart game apparatus 100, the plurality of displays may be separated from each other or integrally disposed on one surface, and further, disposed on different surfaces, respectively. For example, the display 142 may include both a display disposed at an upper end of the dart target 110 and a display disposed at a lower end of the dart target 110, or may include one display thereof. However, a location where the aforementioned displays are disposed is an example, and the display may be disposed at various locations for a demand due to a design or a visual effect.
The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display 142 or capacitance generated at the specific portion of the display 142 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect touch pressure as well as a touched position and area. When there is a touch input for the touch sensor, a signal(s) corresponding to the touch input is(are) sent to a touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal(s) and thereafter, transmits data corresponding thereto to the controller 190. As a result, the controller 190 may recognize which area of the display 142 is touched.
The illumination unit 143 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event of the dart game apparatus 100. Examples of the event which occurs from the dart game apparatus 100 include identification of the dart game player, winning or losing of the game, direct hit of the dart, a change of the dart game player, game over, and the like. The illumination unit 143 may include a light emission diode (LED) and notify the occurrence of the event to the user through flickering of the LED. The LEDs are disposed on the bottom of the dart target 110 to be flickered according to a flickering pattern which is pre-stored according to the occurrence of the event. For example, one or more LEDs may be allocated to respective parts of the dart target 110. The allocated LEDs are disposed on the bottom of the dart target 110 and may be disposed in a direction orienting the outside of the dart game apparatus 100. When the LEDs irradiate light, the light irradiated by the LEDs may pass through the dart target 110 made of a transparent or translucent material to transfer a visual output to the user. Alternatively, the light irradiated by the LEDs may transfer the visual output to the user through a gap existing in the dart target 110.
The output unit 140 may also output another form other than a video signal or an audio signal, for example, a signal for notifying the occurrence of the event by vibration. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in
The camera unit 150 includes multiple cameras 151 to 153, and as a result, an image frame processed by the cameras 151 to 153 may be stored in the memory 180 or transmitted to the outside through the network connection unit 160. The camera unit 150 may be constituted by one camera or constituted by two or more cameras according to a use environment.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera unit 150 may be disposed to photograph two or more points on a movement route of the dart pin. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera unit 150 may include a plurality of cameras and the respective cameras may be disposed to photograph point(s) corresponding thereto, respectively. When the plurality of cameras exists, the speed of the dart pin may be measured by using the plurality of cameras. The information on the measured speed may be transferred to the controller 190 or the memory 180.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, at least some cameras of the camera unit 150 may be disposed to photograph an image frame including the dart target 110 and other cameras may be disposed to photograph an image frame directly related with a game rule in the dart game play. For example, the camera may be disposed to photograph a throw-line on which the dart is thrown in order to photograph the image frame directly related with the dart game rule. The multiple cameras 151 to 153 included in the camera unit 150 may be disposed to photograph at least some image frames to overlap with each other. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the camera unit 150 includes one camera, the camera may be a panoramic camera disposed to photograph both at least a part of the dart target 110 and the image frame (e.g., the throw-line in the dart game) directly related with the game rule.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera unit 150 may be disposed to photograph a part of the throw line and/or the player together with two or more points on the movement route of the dart pin. Alternatively, the camera unit 150 may be disposed to photograph at least a part of the dart target 110 together with two or more points on the movement route of the dart pin. The purpose may be to determine an illegal action of the player and to measure the speed of the dart pin. The camera unit 150 may perform the above-described photographing through one camera or may perform the above-described photographing through a plurality of cameras.
For example, in playing the dart game, illegal actions may be roughly classified into two aspects. As a first aspect, an action in which the player crosses the throw line may be provided as an example and as a second aspect, an action in which the player personally presses the dart target may be provided as an example. In the present disclosure, two cameras so as to determine both of two types of illegal actions may be used, in which one camera may photograph an operation of the player including a throw line and the other camera may photograph the dart target. Accordingly, since the above-described technical feature of the present disclosure may not only check whether the player just plays the game over the throw line, but also determine whether the player or the third person personally presses the dart game target, fairness and reliability may be ensured in enjoying the dart game.
Accordingly, the dart game apparatus 100 may maximize the entertainment side while ensuring the reliability and fairness of the dart game by efficiently using one or more cameras.
Further, the number, arrangement, and angle directions of cameras in the dart game apparatus 100 may be changed based on the dart game mode, the characteristics and size of the dart game apparatus, user setting, and user information. For example, only one camera may be disposed to photograph the entire moving area of the dart pin.
The network connection unit 160 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the dart game apparatus 100 and a wired/wireless communication system or between the dart game apparatus 100 and a network on which the dart game apparatus 100 is positioned. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network connection unit 160 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The network connection unit 160 may include a wired/wireless Internet module for accessing the network. As the wireless Internet technology, wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), wireless broadband (Wibro), world interoperability for microwave access (Wimax), high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), or the like, may be used. As wired Internet technology, digital subscriber line (XDSL), fibers to the home (FTTH), power line communication (PLC), or the like may be used.
Further, the network connection unit 160 includes a short-range communication module to transmit and receive data to and from an electronic apparatus positioned in a comparatively short range from the dart game apparatus 100 and including the short-range communication module. As short range communication technology, Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), NFC, infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like may be used.
Further, the network connection unit 160 may communicate with a dart game server. For example, when the short range communication module of the dart game apparatus 100 receives user information or identification information on the dart pin via the short range communication module attached to or inserted into the dart pin, the network connection unit 160 communicates with the dart game server to receive or retrieve the user information or identification information for the dart pin from the server.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network connection unit 160 may sense a connection state of the network and a transceiving speed of the network. Data received through the network connection unit 160 may be output through the output unit 140, stored through the memory 180, or transmitted to other electronic apparatuses positioned in a short range through the short range communication module.
In addition, when the dart game apparatus 100 measures the speed of the dart pin, the information on the speed of the dart pin may be transmitted to a mobile or a PC of the player based on the identification information of the player by the network connection unit 160.
The user recognition unit 170 recognizes unique information of a long range user by using a radio wave through the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, an NFC technology, or the like which is a kind of short range communication technology. For example, the user may possess a card, a mobile terminal, or unique dart game equipment, for example, his/her own personal dart equipment (for example, the dart pin), which includes an RFID module. Information (e.g., a personal ID, an identification code, and the like of the user registered in the database server (DB) (see
The user recognition unit 170 may include various technologies (e.g., short range communication technology such as Bluetooth, and the like or short range communication technology using an IC chip) that may transmit and receive unique information of the user by a contact/non-contact method in addition to the RFID technology. Further, the user recognition unit 170 may include a biodata identification module that identifies biodata (speech, a fingerprint, and a face) of the player by interworking with the microphone of the user input unit 130, the touch pad, the camera unit 150, and the like.
The memory 180 may store a program for a motion of the controller 190 therein and temporarily or permanently store input/output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, or the like) therein. The memory 180 may store data regarding various patterns of vibrations and sounds output during the touch input on the touch screen. The memory 180 may include at least one type of storage medium of a flash memory type storage medium, a hard disk type storage medium, a multimedia card micro type storage medium, a card type memory (for example, an SD or XD memory, or the like), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The dart game apparatus 100 may operate in connection with a web storage performing a storing function of the memory 180 on the Internet.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 180 may store at least some of photographed data acquired by photographing at least two points on the movement route of the dart pin. In addition, the memory 180 may store the user information or identification information of the dart pin according to a user identification module coupled to the dart pin. In addition, the memory 180 may delete photographed data which is not loaded by another component or another device such as the controller 190, and the like among the stored photographed data after a predetermined time.
In an additional embodiment of the present disclosure, the information which may be stored in the memory 180 may include a record for each user's personal recording contest/time/place/game type, a game record for each dart pin of the user, a game record (when a separate recognition means and a separate recognition number are granted to a pin and a barrel) for each pin-barrel combination of the user, speed/game record information for each used dart pin of the user, and the like.
The controller 190 generally controls all motions of the dart game apparatus 100. For example, in the case of the dart game, the score sensed through the sensing unit 120 is collected for each game participant, the collected score is transmitted to and received from another dart game apparatus 200 connected through the network, and a game winning/losing record, the score, and the like according to the collected result are recorded. The controller 190 may perform pattern recognition processing to recognize a motion input, a write input, and the like performed on the touch screen or camera as a text or an image. Further, the controller may perform speech recognition by using a speech-to-text (STT) function to recognize the speech input through the microphone as text.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 190 determines time frame data for each of at least two points at least partially based on a time when the dart pin reaches the dart target and loads photographed data corresponding to the determined time frame data, respectively to calculate the speed of the dart pin. Herein, the time frame data may be determined with respect to the respective points before the time when the dart pin reaches the dart target based on at least one of the time when the dart pin reaches the dart target, average speed information of the dart pin, and distance information among the points. For example, a time which is earlier than the time when the dart pin reaches the dart target by 0.02 seconds may be determined with respect to one point (for example, a first point) and a time which is earlier than the time when the dart pin reaches the dart target by 0.01 second may be determined with respect to another point (for example, a second point).
Additionally, the controller 190 may calculate the speed of the dart pin by determining a distance difference between the points from the loaded photographed data and a time difference between the time frame data for the respective points. For example, the speed (for example, 10 m/s) of the dart pin may be determined based on a distance difference (for example, 30 cm) between the predetermined points (for example, the first point and the second point) and a time difference (for example, 0.03 seconds) between the photographed data acquired by photographing the points. That is, the controller 190 may calculate the speed of the dart pin by V=ΔD÷ΔT. Herein, V may mean the speed of the dart pin, T may mean the time difference between the photographed data for the respective points, and ΔD may mean the distance difference between the points.
Alternatively, the controller 190 may calculate the speed of the dart pin by V=(ΔD×COS θ)÷ΔT. Herein, θ may mean a snaking angle of the dart pin. That is, the movement route of the thrown dart pin may have a curve shape. Accordingly, the controller 190 corrects the snaking angle of the dart pin by analyzing the loaded photographed data value of the dart pin to more accurately determine the speed of the dart pin.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 190 may generate statistical data for each dart pin based on the data received by the user recognition unit of the dart game apparatus. Further, the controller 190 may determine providing an additional reward based on the data received by the user recognition unit of the dart game apparatus.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the controller 190 senses that the capacity of the memory is exceeded, the controller 190 may allow the image to be deleted in order from the oldest image among the photographed data stored in the memory 180. In addition, the controller 190 may control the memory 180 to delete the unloaded photographed data after a specific time period.
As illustrated in
Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a computer-readable recording medium or a recording medium readable by a device similar to the computer by using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof. According to hardware implementation, the embodiment described herein may be implemented by using at least one of ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), DSPDs (digital signal processing devices), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electric units for performing other functions. In some cases, the embodiments described in the specification may be implemented by the controller 190 itself. According to software implementation, embodiments such as a procedure and a function described in the specification may be implemented by separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described in the specification. A software code may be implemented by a software application written by an appropriate program language. The software code may be stored in the memory 180 and executed by the controller 190.
As illustrated in
The dart target 110 may be disposed so that a dead center is positioned at a position (for example, 5 feet 8 inches in a vertical direction from the ground) according to a rule of the dart game. The illumination units 143-1, 143-2, and 143-3 may be disposed at various parts of the dart game apparatus 100 to transfer various and variable visual effects to the player of the dart game apparatus 100. For example, the illumination unit 143-1 is disposed at the side of the dart target 110 and may serve to irradiate an illumination to the dart target 110. The illumination unit 143-1 may also output a predetermined illumination effect according to an event of the dart game. Further, the illumination unit 143-1 may output illumination effects having various colors.
The illumination unit 143-2 may be formed to be extended in a vertical direction along a forward projection of the housing H. Like the illumination unit 143-1, the illumination unit 143-2 may output a predetermined illumination effect according to an event of the dart game and output illumination effects having various colors.
The illumination unit 143-3 may be disposed on the top and/or the side of the housing H. The illumination unit 143-3 may output a predetermined illumination effect according to an event of the dart game and output illumination effects having various colors. Particularly, the illumination unit 143-3 may output an illumination effect for an event related with the user recognition unit.
Selectively, the dart game apparatus 100 may be selectively connected with another dart game apparatus and include a dart plate P which is extended in a horizontal direction. The dart plate P may further include an illumination unit 143-4. The dart plate P may be integrally coupled with or selectively attached to or detached from the dart game 100.
When the dart plate P is integrally coupled with or selectively attached to the dart game apparatus 100, the dart plate P may be electrically connected with the dart game apparatus 100. The illumination unit 143-4 of the dart game apparatus 100 may be disposed along the outside of the dart plate P as illustrated in
Although not illustrated in
The housing H of the dart game apparatus 100 may include the display 142 disposed in the user direction. The display 142 may display information required for the user according to the progress of the dart game (for example, a collected score, information on a player which is playing the game, a score required for clearing the corresponding game, information of an opposite player which does not play the game, information on a speed of the dart pin, information of comparison of the speed of the dart pin, and the like). The display 142 may display a visual effect according to an event depending on the progress of the dart game. For example, when the user continuously hits a bullseye at the dead center of the dart target 100 with three dart throw chances, the display 142 may display a pre-stored motion picture corresponding to the corresponding event. The motion picture may be stored in the memory 180 of the dart game apparatus 100) or received from a server through the network connection unit 160.
The display 142 may provide the user with visual and audible effects according to occurrence of the event by interlocking with the illumination units 143-1, 143-2, 143-3, and 143-4 and the sound output unit 141. In other words, when a predetermined event occurs, the display 142, the illumination units 143-1, 143-2, 143-3, and 143-4, and the sound output unit 141 may output an illumination effect, a display effect, and a sound effect with respect to the corresponding event together.
In
The user input unit 130 may be configured in a key pad button form as illustrated in
The sound output unit 141 is also disposed on the front surface of the housing H of the dart game apparatus 100 to output a sound. The number and disposed positions of sound output units 141 may also be variously modified.
The camera unit 150 may be mounted on the top of the housing H of the dart game apparatus 100 as illustrated in
Although not illustrated in
The contents illustrated in
As illustrated in
Multiple users may enjoy the game in the same space at the same time by using the same first dart game apparatus 310. However, when a second player P2 positioned at a remote range from the first player P1 intends to participate in the dart game, the second dart game player P2 is connected with one or more servers (the media server MS, the replay server RS, and the game server GS) through the network by using a second dart game apparatus 320 to transmit and receive information to and from the first dart game apparatus 310, thereby performing the game.
The first dart game apparatus 310 and the second dart game apparatus 320 may transmit and receive information via one or more servers (the media server MS, the replay server RS, and the game server GS) or the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320 may directly transmit and receive the information therebetween.
The game may be performed by differentiating places at which both players P1 and P2 play at the same time or performed by a method in which both players P1 and P2 play the dart game at different places at different time and decide winning/losing or a ranking by storing play contents in the DB server DB. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more various numbers of players may participate in one game.
The media server MS may store game play moving pictures of the dart game players P1 and P2, which are stored by using the camera or the microphone stored in the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the media server MS may be included in the DB server DB.
The replay server RS may store dart game execution moving pictures of the users. The stored moving pictures are transmitted to the dart game apparatus according to requests of the users to be replayed in the dart game apparatus. The replay server RS may be included in the DB server.
Further, although not illustrated, in the additional embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay server may connect or relay data communication between the plurality of dart game apparatuses 310 and 320. The relay server forms a communication network among the plurality of dart game apparatuses 310 and 320 positioned at the remote range to allow a peer-to-peer (P2P) network to be formed.
The game server GS may exchange information (a score acquired by each game player, the speed information of the dart pin, the user information, dart pin identification information, and information for mutual communication among the respective game players) between the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320, transmit an advantage or a warning based on a game rule through the respective dart game apparatuses 310 and 320, or in addition, perform transmission and reception of information required to perform the dart game and control of the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320. The game server GS aggregates winning/losing of the game and scores of the respective game participants 310 and 320, the average speed information of the dart pin, and the like to transmit the aggregated winning/losing of the game, scores, and average speed information to the DB server.
The DB server may store personal information of the respective game participants 310 and 320, the winning/losing of the game, and the speed information of the dart pin, the ranking information, the score information for each game, or a replay moving picture for each game. The DB server may store the information segmented for each user. The DB server may grant a unique code to each user and manage information for each user by using the unique code. The unique code may be stored in the user identification module (the NFC, the dart pin to which the RFID or the IC chip is coupled, an RFID card or an RFID module stored in the mobile terminal) possessed by each user. As a result, the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320 may identify each game participant through the included user authentication unit 170. The DB server may also grant the unique code for identification even to the respective dart game apparatuses 310 and 320 and manage the game data for each identification code granted to the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user may access a web server WS by using a mobile device (including electronic apparatuses such as a mobile terminal, a cellular phone, a PDA, a PDP, and the like, which have a mobile communication function) 330 or a PC 340. The web server WS may be connected with the mobile device 330 and/or the PC 340 by the Internet or an Intranet. Further, the web server WS may be connected even with the dart game apparatuses 310 and 320. The web server WS is connected with the DB server DB to provide the game data stored in the DB server to the player.
Hereinafter, the rules of a representative dart game and stats of the player associated therewith will be described.
The dart game which may be executed by the dart game apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a 01 game (zero-one game), a cricket game, a count-up game, a match-up mode, and the like.
The 01 game is performed by two teams (alternatively, two players)' throwing the dart to the dart target alternately one round at a time. One round includes three dart throwing motions. An object of the game is that the sum-up of scores in each round reaches a target score (a score of a multiple of 100 or 1000 plus 01 point, such as 301, 501, 701, 901, 1101, 1501 points, and the like). The target score and a play round may be arbitrarily adjusted according to the number of players that participate in the round.
In the cricket game, the round is performed by throwing three darts in a first round similarly to the 01 game. The standard cricket game may be performed by using only a bull region at the center of the dart target, and 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, and 15 point regions. When the corresponding cricket figures are hit with 3 marks, this is marked as a location of the player and when the corresponding cricket figures are hit with 4 marks or more, scores corresponding to the figures are added up to compete with the scores. Herein, double regions and triple regions of the dart target may be calculated with 2 marks and 3 marks, respectively. While the corresponding cricket figure is marked as the location of the player, when a counterpart of the player also marks 3 as cricket figure, the corresponding cricket figure is regarded to be closed and no score may be added any longer. The object of the game may be set to acquire a high score until a regulation round ends or close all cricket figures and obtain a higher score than the counterpart.
The count-up game is a game at which the player wins who acquires the highest score within a predetermined number of rounds.
In addition to the aforementioned games, various types of games may be played by the dart game apparatus 100 and the play mode of the dart game apparatus 100) is not limited to the aforementioned game schemes. For example, by measuring the speed of a dart pin and utilizing the measured speed, a variety of additional game modes may be created. As one example, a game mode may be created, in which an additional point is provided to a user who throws the dart pin at a speed value that best matches a predetermined speed value. Alternatively, in addition to the above-described general game mode, after calculating the average speeds of the dart pins of famous dart game players and storing the calculated average speeds in advance, data acquired by comparing the average speed of the dart pin of the general player with the speed of a specific player among the famous players is output to further strengthen the entertainment aspect of the dart game.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the stats of the player may be defined according to the corresponding game rule independently from the winning or losing of the count-up game, the cricket game, and the 01 game.
For example, points per dart (PPD) may be calculated by dividing a total score which the player earns by the number of dart throwing times in the 01 game. Alternatively, marks per round (MPR) may be calculated by calculating the number of marking times of the player in one round. For example, in the cricket game, when the player performs three dart throwing motions in one round and the darts hit triple 15, single 19, and double 20 in the three dart throwing motions, respectively, the MPR becomes (3+1+2)/1=6.00 (MPR). In a subsequent round, when the player performs three dart throwing motions and the darts hit mark fail, double 18, and single 20 in the three dart throwing motions, the MPR becomes (3+1+2+0+2+1)/2=4.5 (MPR).
The PPD and the MPR as the stats of the player may also be stored as personal data or identification data of the player. Alternatively, in the count-up game, an average score of the player per game, a highest score record of the player per game, and the like may be stored as the stats of the player.
The dart game apparatus 100 may play the dart game according to the corresponding mode and transmit a game record per player to a game server GS or a DB server DB. The game server GS or DB server DB may calculate the PPD and/or MPR for each player according to the corresponding game record and store the calculated PPD and/or MPR as accumulated PPD and/or MPR stats of the player. Further, the game server GS or the DB server DB may individually store the game record of the player. For example, in the 01 game, the count-up game, or the cricket game which the player played in the past, the game server GS or the DB server DB may record information on a segment part of a dart which the player hits with each dart pin. The game server GS or DB server DB may store accumulated (average) PPD and/or MPR data and highest PPD and/or MPR data of the player.
The game server GS or the DB server DB may be two physically separated servers. Alternatively, the game server GS or the DB server DB may be one physically integrated server and be distinguished according to roles performed in the server. Further, as described above, one server may serve as both the game server GS and the DB server DB.
The game server GS or the DB server DB may store personal stats of the player and rating (alternatively, grade (class)) may be granted to the player according to the corresponding stats. The rating and/or grade (class) that may be granted to the player in accordance with the PPD and/or MPR may be stored as personal data or personal identification information.
The dart pin 400 in
As illustrated in
In addition, the shape of the dart pin 400 illustrated in
The tip 401 may form one end of the dart pin 400 and one end may contact the dart target of the dart game apparatus. That is, the tip 401 may directly hit the dart target (alternatively, dart board). In the case of the hard dart (alternatively, steel dart), the tip 401 may be made of a metallic material and in the case of the soft dart, the tip 410 may be made of a plastic material. The tip 401 may also be referred to as a short tip or a long tip according to the size of the tip 401 in the case of the soft dart.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, one end of the barrel 402 is coupled with the other end of the tip 401 to form a body of the dart pin 400. In general, the barrel 402 may be made of metal and may have various weights, materials, weight centers, cutting methods, and the like. For example, the metal which may configure the barrel 402 may include various types of metals including brass, tungsten, nickel, and a combination thereof.
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the weight of the dart pin 400 may depend on the shape and the material of the barrel 402. For example, the weight of the dart pin 400 may be 16 to 20 g (in the case of a soft dart) or 20 to 50 g (in the case of a hard dart). The weight of the dart pin 400 is just an example and various weights may be available according to a user preference and the dart game rule.
Further, the barrel 402 may have various weight centers and a trajectory when the dart pin 400 is thrown may vary according to the location of the weight center of the barrel 402.
One end of the shaft 403 may be coupled with the other end of the barrel 402. The shaft 403 may connect the barrel 402 and the flight 404. The shaft 403 may have various lengths or materials and become one element for determining the weight center of the dart pin 400.
The flight 404 may form the other end of the dart pin 400) and one end may be coupled with the other end of the shaft 403. The flight 404 may be associated with a flight of the dart pin 400 and a flight trajectory of the thrown dart pin 400 may vary according to the shape of the flight 404. The flight 404 may be made of various materials including plastic, fabric, and the like.
The components 401, 402, 403, 404 and 405 of the dart pin 400 may be coupled to each other in various forms. For example, each of the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 may include a female or male-shaped groove or protrusion and as each of the barrel 402 or the shaft 403 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, two components may be coupled to each other. Additionally, the components 401, 402, 403, 404, and 405 of the dart pin 400 may be connected to each other by various coupling and attachment methods including injection molding, ultrasonic fusion, and the like.
The dart pin 400 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may have a user identification module 405. The user identification module 405 may include the short range communication modules including the Bluetooth, the NFC, the RFID, the IC chip, and the microchip.
The user identification module 405 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be coupled with at least one of the tip 401, the barrel 402, the shaft 403, and the flight 404 of the dart pin 400. For example, the user identification module 405 may be attached onto the outer periphery or inserted into the inside of the shaft 403. When the user identification module 405 is inserted into the inside of the shaft 403, the shaft 403 may include an opening for forming a space for inserting the user identification module 405 into the inside of the shaft 403.
As another example, the user identification module 405 may have a ring shape or a circular shape to be attached to cover the outer periphery of the shaft 403. When the user identification module 405 is attached onto the outer periphery of the shaft 403, the user identification module 405 may serve as a handle part of the dart pin 400 which may provide an excellent grip feeling for the dart to the user. Alternatively, the user identification module 405 may display the handle part of the dart pin 400. The user identification module is attached on the side of one of the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 to display the handle part of the dart pin 400.
Further, the user identification module 405 may include a shape attachable to/detachable from the dart pin 400.
As yet another example, the user identification module 405 may be (detachable from) attachable to a part (for example, a rear part) of the flight 404 to allow the user to control the flight trajectory or the weight center of the dart pin 400.
Accordingly, when the tip 401 of the dart pin 400 contacts the dart target of the dart game apparatus, the user information, the identification information, or the unique number of the dart pin 400 may be transferred to the dart game apparatus through the user identification module 405.
As still yet another example, the user identification module 405 may have a pipe shape to cover the outer periphery of the shaft 403 of the dart pin 400.
In the aforementioned example, it is described that the user identification module 405 is coupled with the shaft 403 of the dart pin 400 as an example, but the user identification module 405 may be coupled to the tip 401, the barrel 402, and/or the flight 404 of the dart pin 400 in a similar method.
For example, in the case where the user identification module 405 is attached to the outer periphery of the barrel 402 made of the metal material, in order to prevent an interference phenomenon of an electromagnetic wave caused by the metallic material, a pipe or ring-shaped member made of a separate nonconductive material may be bound to the outer periphery of the barrel 402 and the user identification module 405 may be attached to the outer periphery of such a member.
Alternatively, the user identification module 405 may be coupled to surround the outer periphery of a portion of the component of the dart pin 400 and a separate cover is additionally coupled to surround the outer periphery of the coupled user identification module 405 to protect the user identification module 405 from an external impact.
As illustrated in 4B, the user identification module 405 may, for example, be coupled to a portion of a ring-shaped binding portion to be coupled to one component (for example, the shaft 403) of the dart pin 400.
The aforementioned coupling method is just an example and the user identification module 405 may be coupled to the dart pin 400 without the separate binding portion or the user identification module 405 may be coupled to the dart pin 400 together with binding portions having various shapes. That is, various coupling methods between the dart pin 400 and the user identification module 405 may also exist.
The example illustrated in
As illustrated in
In
In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the user identification module 405 may be inserted into a space of a joining portion of the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 of the dart pin 400. When the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 are coupled to each other, in the case where a radius or a diameter of one component of the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 is manufactured with a larger size, the user identification module 405 may be formed with a thickness as large as the difference of the radius or diameter. As a result, as the user identification module 405 is inserted, the coupling of the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 may be strengthened.
Although the barrel 402 and the shaft 403 have been described in the above example, the component(s) into which the user identification module 405 is inserted is(are) not limited thereto.
Additionally, the user identification module 405 may be coupled to a plurality of components among the components of the dart pin 400. For example, when there are a first user identification module coupled to the barrel 402 and a second user identification module coupled to the shaft 403, a game record, speed information, user information, reward effect, and the like may be stored depending on a combination of the components, i.e., for each barrel-shaft of the user.
A dart game system 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a dart (pin) 501, a dart game apparatus 502, and a dart game server 503.
When the user throws the dart pin 501 in playing the dart game, or when the dart pin 501 reaches the dart target, the identification information of the dart pin or the user information may be transferred to the dart game apparatus 502 through the user identification module coupled with the dart pin 501 (504). As described above, the user authentication unit of the dart game apparatus 502 may be configured to perform the short range communication with the user identification module.
For example, when the user identification module 405 of the dart pin 501 is implemented with the technology of the NFC, the user identification module of the dart pin 501 may be a passive NFC (i.e., serve as a tag) and the user authentication unit of the dart game apparatus 502 may include an active NFC (i.e., serve as a reader). In addition, both the user identification module 405 and the user authentication unit may operate in an active communication mode. In this case, the user authentication unit of the dart game apparatus 502 and the user identification module 405 of the dart pin 501 communicate with each other using a self-generated radio frequency (RF) field to allow P2P communication.
The NFC module may operate at a frequency of, for example, 13.56 MHz, and a mode in which the NFC module may operate may include a card mode (or a card emulation mode), a Read/Write mode, a P2P mode, and the like. Herein, the card emulation mode may be implemented, for example, in such a manner that the information stored in the user identification module 405 as the passive tag is transmitted to the active reader (e.g., the user authentication unit). As another example, the Read/Write mode may be implemented in such a manner that the user identification module 405 reads the passive tag information of the user authentication unit. As yet another example, the P2P mode means a mode in which both the user authentication unit of the dart game apparatus 502 and the user identification module 405 of the dart pin 501 may actively communicate with each other as described above.
In an additional embodiment of the present disclosure, when the user identification module 405 and the user authentication unit are implemented through the RFID technology, these components may operate as RFID tags and/or RFID readers. The RFID tags and the RFID readers may be constituted by antennas and/or chips. For example, the user identification module 405 may include the RFID tag and the user authentication unit may include the RFID reader.
Such an RFID tag may be classified into a passive type, a semi-passive type, and an active type depending on used power. The passive type may mean the case where data is read and communication is performed only by the power of the reader, the semi passive type may mean the case where self-power such as a battery, or the like is embedded in the tag and the self-power is thus used for reading the data and the power of the reader is used for the communication, and the active type may mean the case where the power of the tag is used for both reading the data and the communication. Further, the RFID tag and the RFID reader may be divided into low frequency identification (LFID) (120 to 140 KHz), a high-frequency identification (HFID) (13.56 MHz), an ultra high-frequency identification (UHFID) (868 to 956 MHz), and the like according to a used frequency.
Referring back to
In addition, the dart game apparatus 502 (e.g., network connection unit) may transfer the information transferred from the dart pin to the dart game server 503 (506). In this case, the dart game server 503 may authenticate the user or the dart pin by retrieving the identification information of the user or dart pin matching the received information (507).
Then, the dart game server 503 may transmit the information regarding the authenticated user or dart pin to the dart game apparatus 502. In this case, the information transmitted from the dart game server 503 to the dart game apparatus 502 may include various statistical information including the authentication information of the user, the identification information of the user, a personal record of the user, a record for each tournament/time/place/game type, an accuracy rate, a game record for each dart pin of the user, the reward effect, a record for each component of the dart pin or for each combination of components, the speed of the dart pin, and the like.
Herein, the reward effect may include rewards having various shapes by the unit of the dart pin. For example, the reward may include outputting an image, speech, and or video pre-stored per user (UX enhancement), providing additional scores in the case of a specific user or dart pin (score enhancement), providing a separate effect when performing a specific mission with a specific user or dart pin (mission providing), allowing only a dart pin authenticated with respect to a specific tournament to be used (used as entry cost of a tournament), and the like.
Then, the dart game apparatus 502 may generate or output the reward effect based on the information received from the server 503. Additionally, the operations of the server 503 may be implemented by the dart game apparatus 502 (e.g., controller and/or memory).
Technical features illustrated in
When the dart pin 601 is thrown by the user, the user identification module included in the dart pin 601 and a user authentication unit 602 of the dart game apparatus 100 may exchange data through the short range communication.
For example, when the user holds the dart pin 601 and prepares for throwing the dart pin 601, or when the dart pin 601 is thrown or the dart pin 601 is thrown to reach the dart target, the identification information included in the dart pin 601 may be transferred to the dart game apparatus 100. In this case, the dart game apparatus 100 may perform a log-in procedure for performing the dart game based on the transferred identification information. That is, the log-in procedure may be implemented through the short range communication between the dart pin 601 and the user authentication unit 602 of the dart game apparatus 100 without a separate log-in procedure.
That is, the unique number may be assigned to each dart pin 601, such a unique number may be transferred to the dart game apparatus and the server, and the server may retrieve a user number matching the unique number to finally implement more entertainment type user recognition. Alternatively, the user information may be input in the dart pin 601, and the inputted user information may be transferred to the dart game apparatus to recognize the user at the dart game apparatus.
Therefore, through the short range communication between the user identification module coupled to the dart pin 601 and the user authentication unit 602 of the dart game apparatus, it is possible to allow the user to enjoy a user experience better than the dart game apparatus in the related art in performing the dart game.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that information and signals may be expressed by using various different predetermined technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips which may be referred in the above description may be expressed by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or predetermined combinations thereof.
Those skilled in the art of the present disclosure will appreciate that various exemplary logic blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, and algorithm steps can be implemented by electronic hardware, various types of programs or design codes (designated as “software” herein for easy description), or a combination thereof described in association with the embodiments disclosed herein. In order to clearly describe the intercompatibility of the hardware and the software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in association with functions thereof. Whether the functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on design restrictions given to a specific application and an entire system. Those skilled in the art of the present disclosure may implement functions described by various methods with respect to each specific application, but it should not be analyzed that the implementation determination departs from the scope of the present disclosure.
Further, various embodiments presented herein may be implemented as manufactured articles using a method, an apparatus, or a standard programming and/or engineering technique. The term “manufactured article” includes a computer program, a carrier, or a medium which is accessible by a predetermined computer-readable device. For example, a computer-readable medium includes a magnetic storage device (for example, a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic strip, or the like), an optical disk (for example, a CD, a DVD, or the like), a smart card, and a flash memory device (for example, an EEPROM, a card, a stick, a key drive, or the like), but is not limited thereto. Further, various storage media presented herein include one or more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term “machine-readable media” includes a wireless channel and various other media that can store, posses, and/or transfer command(s) and/or data, but is not limited thereto.
It will be appreciated that a specific order or a hierarchical structure of steps in the presented processes is one example of exemplary accesses. It will be appreciated that the specific order or the hierarchical structure of the steps in the processes within the scope of the present disclosure may be rearranged based on design priorities. Appended method claims provide elements of various steps in a sample order, but it does not mean that the method claims are limited to the presented specific order or hierarchical structure.
The description of the presented embodiments is provided so that those skilled in the art of the present disclosure can use or implement the present disclosure. Various modifications of the embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments presented herein, but should be analyzed within the widest range which is consistent with the principles and new features presented herein.
Related contents in the best mode for carrying out the present disclosure are described.
The present disclosure may be used for a dart game apparatus, a dart game method, a personal authentication, a dart pin, dart game equipment, a user authentication, and the like.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2014-0098160 | Jul 2014 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2015/008017 | 7/30/2015 | WO | 00 |
