EP-4738190-A2 - MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

A management system capable of identifying the location of a problem gaming chip is provided. The management system 100 comprises: a camera 21 configured to capture a plurality of gaming chips having a built-in RFID tag storing first information and having second information written on a surface thereof to generate an image; a reading device 31 configured to read the RFID tags of the plurality of gaming chips to obtain the first information of the plurality of gaming chips; an image analysis unit 123 configured to obtain a location of each of the plurality of gaming chips and the second information, based on the image; and a comparison and judgment unit 110 configured to identify a location of a problem gaming chip whose RFID tag is fraudulent, damaged, or possibility thereof, or whose notation is fraudulent or possibly fraudulent, by comparing the first information of the plurality of gaming chips obtained by the reading device 31 with the second information of each of the plurality of gaming chips obtained by the image analysis unit 123.

Inventors

• SHIGETA, YASUSHI

Assignees

• Angel Group Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20211213

Claims (20)

1. A management system, comprising: an image capturing device configured to capture an image of one or more gaming chips, wherein each gaming chip has an embedded RFID tag storing first information and has second information represented on a side thereof to be displayed on the image, the second information being observable from any direction around the circumference of the gaming chip; a reader configured to read the RFID tag of the one or more gaming chips to obtain the first information of the one or more gaming chips; an image analyzer configured to obtain, based on the image, a location of each of the one or more gaming chips and second information of each of the one or more gaming chips; a controller configured to determine an existence of a problem of at least one of problems including no RFID tag or an incorrect RFID tag or a damaged RFID tag or an incorrect notation by comparing, for each gaming chip, the first information of the gaming chip obtained by the reader with the second information of the gaming chip obtained by the image analyzer and identify one or more gaming chips related to the problem.
2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify a gaming chip having the second information for which the first information is not available as one or more gaming chips related to the problem.
3. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify the one or more gaming chips having the second information that does not correspond to the first information as the one or more gaming chips related to the problem.
4. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the second information is coded and represented on a side surface of the gaming chip.
5. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the second information is unique to each gaming chip.
6. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the second information is represented by a matrix pattern, bar code, character string, or dot pattern.
7. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether there is a problem with the RFID tag or the notation using information other than the first and second information of the one or more gaming chips related to the problem.
8. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the second information is represented by an appearance enabling identification of the type of the gaming chip, the image analyzer is configured to determine the respective type of the one or more gaming chips based on the image, the controller is configured to identify the one or more gaming chips related to the problem based on the types determined by the image analyzer.
9. The management system according to claim 8, wherein the appearance enabling identification of the type of gaming chip is provided on a side of surface the gaming chip.
10. The management system according to claim 1, further comprising a housing unit configured to accommodate the one or more gaming chips, wherein the image capturing device is configured to capture the one or more gaming chips housed in the housing unit.
11. The management system according to claim 10, wherein the housing unit is configured to accommodate the one or more gaming chips in an aligned manner.
12. The management system according to claim 10, wherein the housing unit is a chip tray provided on a game table.
13. The management system according to claim 12, wherein the image capturing unit is fixed to the game table.
14. The management system according to claim 1, wherein for each of the gaming chips, the second information of the gaming chip is written on the side surface of the gaming chip.
15. The management system according to claim 7, wherein the first information of the gaming chip is a unique ID that uniquely identifies the gaming chip.
16. The management system according to claim 7, wherein the first information and the second information of the gaming chip are different from each other, the management system further comprises a database configured to record a combination of the first information and the second information for each gaming chip, the controller is configured to perform the comparison with reference to the database.
17. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify the location of one or more gaming chips related to the problem.
18. The management system according to claim 17, further comprising a display device configured to display the location of the one or more gaming chips related to the problem.
19. The management system according to claim 18, wherein the display device is configured to superimpose the locations on an image.
20. The management system according to claim 18, further comprising a housing unit configured to accommodate the one or more gaming chips in a predetermined housing position, wherein the image capturing device is configured to capture the one or more gaming chips accommodated in the housing unit, the display device is configured to display an address of ta housing location of the one or more gaming chips related to the problem in the housing unit.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Patent Application No. 2020-207691, filed in Japan on December 15, 2020, and Patent Application No. 2021-15270, filed in Japan on February 2, 2021, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a management system for managing RFID-equipped gaming chips in a gaming facility (e.g., a casino) that uses gaming chips. BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY Among the many table games played in casinos and other amusement facilities are baccarat and blackjack. In casinos, gaming chips are used for these games. In casinos, RFID tags are embedded in gaming chips to verify that the amounts paid and collected in games are correct, and to identify and manage the location and owner of the gaming chips. RFID-equipped gaming chips are known to the public, for example, International Application Publication No. WO2/008/120749. SUMMARY The RFID tag of an RFID-equipped gaming chip stores, for example, identification information that identifies the gaming chip and information that indicates the value, type, and casino in which the gaming chip is used. By using the information stored in the RFID tag, it is possible to determine the authenticity of the gaming chip. For example, if the information cannot be read when a gaming chip is read by an RFID reader, it can be assumed that the RFID tag is faulty or that it is a counterfeit gaming chip that does not have an RFID tag. The RFID reader can read the RFID tags of multiple RFID-equipped gaming chips (e.g., multiple RFID gaming chips stored in the dealer chip tray of a game table) simultaneously. Therefore, RFID has the advantage that multiple gaming chips can be inspected simultaneously at once, without the need to inspect each gaming chip one by one. On the other hand, it is difficult for the RFID reader to read multiple nearby RFID-equipped gaming chips individually. If the RFID tags of a large number of gaming chips are read at the same time, even though it is possible to find that there is a gaming chip with a problem in its RFID tag (i.e., the RFID tag is faulty, the RFID tag is missing, the information stored in the RFID tag is incorrect, etc.), it is difficult to determine which specific gaming chip has such a problem. In order to identify a gaming chip with a problem from a large number of gaming chips, for example, it is necessary to read the RFID tags of gaming chips one by one with an inspection device, which is a very time-consuming process. In addition, there is a case in which, an RFID tag can be read normally when the inspection device reads the gaming chips one by one, but the RFID tag is not read properly when the reading is done on the table or in a chip tray where the gaming chips are actually used. In this case, even if the inspection device inspects the gaming chips one by one, it will not be able to identify the gaming chips with such a problem. Furthermore, if the RFID tag is faulty, or if there is no RFID tag, it may not even be possible to ascertain the existence of such a gaming chip. The present disclosure provides a management system that can identify a gaming chip with problem in RFID tag. A management system of an embodiment comprises: an image capturing device configured to capture a plurality of gaming chips having a built-in RFID tag storing first information and having second information written on a surface thereof to generate an image; a reading device configured to read the RFID tags of the plurality of gaming chips to obtain the first information of the plurality of gaming chips; an image analysis device configured to obtain a location of each of the plurality of gaming chips and the second information, based on the image; and a control device configured to identify a location of a problem gaming chip whose RFID tag is fraudulent, damaged, or possibility thereof, or whose notation is fraudulent or possibly fraudulent, by comparing the first information of the plurality of gaming chips obtained by the reading device with the second information of each of the plurality of gaming chips obtained by the image analysis device. In the management system described above, the control device may be configured to identify the location of the gaming chips having the second information not corresponding to the first information as the problem gaming chips. In the management system described above, the control device may be configured to identify the location of the gaming chip having the second information, for which the corresponding first information is not obtained, as the problem gaming chip. In the management system described above, the control device may be configured to identify the location of the gaming chip having the RFID tag in which the first information not corresponding to the second information is stored as the problem gaming chip. In the management system described above, the control device may be configured to ide