U.S. patent number 3,659,853 [Application Number 05/007,591] was granted by the patent office on 1972-05-02 for electronic dice game.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Avco Corporation. Invention is credited to Donald E. Church.
United States Patent |
3,659,853 |
Church |
May 2, 1972 |
ELECTRONIC DICE GAME
Abstract
A dice game simulated by means of two banks of seven electric
lamps each will when activated, by means of a power switch, show
present numbers. Four of the lamps are positioned in the corners of
a square plus two in the middle of opposite sides and one in the
center. The lamps are connected in logic circuitry which when
operated ramdomly illuminates the lamps in such a manner as to
simulate, with equal probability, the six sides of a die. The
circuitry includes a free-running unijunction oscillator having an
output coupled to a six-position ring counter.
Inventors: |
Church; Donald E. (Richmond,
IN) |
Assignee: |
Avco Corporation (Richmond,
IN)
|
Family
ID: |
21727060 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/007,591 |
Filed: |
February 2, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/22 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F
9/0468 (20130101); G07C 15/008 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63F
9/04 (20060101); G07C 15/00 (20060101); A63f
009/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/138A |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Popular Electronics, September 1967, pages 29-34. "Spots Before
Your Eyes." .
"Electronic Dice," by Arthur L. Plevy, pages 82-84 of Electronics
World of October, 1968..
|
Primary Examiner: Oechsle; Anton O.
Assistant Examiner: Kramer; Arnold W.
Claims
I claim:
1. In an electronic dice game having first and second banks of
seven lamps, said lamps being positioned to simulate, when
selectively illuminated, the six sides of a die, the combination
comprising:
a source of direct current;
first and second ring counters, each having six interconnected
stages, means for initially presetting any one of said stages in
each of said ring counters to a conducting state while maintaining
the remainder of said stages in a nonconducting state, each of said
stages comprising a silicon controlled rectifier, one of said
silicon controlled rectifiers being initially preset in a
conducting state while the remainder of said silicon controlled
rectifiers are maintained in a nonconducting state;
means for sequentially shifting the conduction states of the
silicon controlled rectifiers in said stages in each of said
counters whereby only one of the silicon controlled rectifiers in
each counter conducts while the remaining of said silicon
controlled rectifiers are maintained in a nonconducting state, said
means for sequentially shifting said conduction states comprising
the pulse output of first and second free-running oscillators, said
outputs being connected to said first and second ring counters,
respectively, said free-running oscillators having different time
constants so as to produce output pulses having different
repetition frequencies;
first and second diode matrices for selectively connecting
predetermined combinations of said first and second banks of lamps,
respectively, to said source through said sequentially conducting
silicon controlled rectifiers in said first and second counters,
respectively, each of said silicon controlled rectifiers having a
cathode connected to one side of said source, an anode connected to
the other side of said source through one of said diode matrices
and through selected combinations of lamps in a respective bank,
said combinations being selected by said diode matrix, and a gate
electrode, said means for sequentially shifting the conduction
states of said silicon controlled rectifiers including a connection
of said pulse output from a respective oscillator to each of said
gate electrodes, each of said connections including a first
capacitor, and the anodes of adjacent silicon controlled rectifiers
in said ring counter being connected by second capacitors;
and manually operable switch means, said switch means connecting
said source to said oscillators for simultaneously controlling the
energization of said oscillators, the length of time of
energization of said oscillators being random whereby at the end of
such time the probabilities of any one of said stages remaining
conductive is equal to the probability of any other of said stages
remaining conductive.
2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for
initially presetting any one of said silicon controlled rectifiers
includes a connection from said source to said one silicon
controlled rectifier in each of said ring counters, said connection
including a differentiating network connected across said source,
the output of said differentiator being coupled to the gate
electrode of said silicon controlled rectifiers through its
associated first capacitor.
3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said diode matrix
includes a first diode interconnecting a first lamp and a first
silicon controlled rectifier, a second diode interconnecting
parallel connected second and third lamps and a second silicon
controlled rectifier; third and fourth diodes, said third diode
interconnecting said first lamp and a third silicon controlled
rectifier, said fourth diode interconnecting parallel connecting
fourth and fifth lamps and said third silicon controlled rectifier;
a fifth and sixth diode, said fifth diode interconnecting said
parallel connected second and third lamps and a fourth silicon
controlled rectifier, said sixth diode interconnecting said fourth
and fifth parallel connected lamps and said fourth silicon
controlled rectifier; seventh, eighth and ninth diodes, said
seventh diode interconnecting said first lamp and a fifth silicon
controlled rectifier, said eighth diode interconnecting said second
and third parallel connected lamps and said fifth silicon
controlled rectifier, said ninth diode interconnecting said fourth
and fifth parallel connected lamps and said fifth silicon
controlled rectifier; and tenth, eleventh and twelfth diodes, said
tenth diode interconnecting said second and third parallel
connected lamps and a sixth silicon controlled rectifier, said
eleventh diode interconnecting said fourth and fifth parallel
connected lamps and said sixth silicon controlled rectifier, and
said twelth diode interconnecting sixth and seventh parallel
connected lamps and said sixth silicon controlled rectifier.
4. In an electronic dice game having first and second banks of
seven lamps, said lamps being positioned to simulate, when
selectively illuminated, the six sides of a die, the combination
comprising:
a source of direct current;
first and second ring counters, each having six interconnected
stages, means for initially presetting any one of said stages in
each of said ring counters to a conducting state while maintaining
the remainder of said stages in a nonconducting state, each of said
stages comprising a silicon controlled rectifier, one of said
silicon controlled rectifiers being initially preset in a
conducting state while the remainder of said silicon controlled
rectifiers are maintained in a nonconducting state;
means for sequentially shifting the conduction states of the
silicon controlled rectifiers in said stages in each of said
counters whereby only one of the silicon controlled rectifiers in
each counter conducts while the remaining of said silicon
controlled rectifiers are maintained in a nonconducting state, said
means for sequentially shifting said conduction states comprising
the pulse output of first and second free-running oscillators, said
outputs being connected to said first and second ring counters,
respectively, said free-running oscillators having different time
constants so as to produce output pulses having different
repetition frequencies;
first and second diode matrices for selectively connecting
predetermined combinations of said first and second banks of lamps,
respectively, to said source through said sequentially conducting
silicon controlled rectifiers in said first and second counters,
respectively, each of said silicon controlled rectifiers having a
cathode connected to one side of said source, an anode connected to
the other side of said source through one of said diode matrices
and through selected combinations of lamps in a respective bank,
said combinations being selected by said diode matrix, and a gate
electrode, said means for sequentially shifting the conduction
states of said silicon controlled rectifiers including a connection
of said pulse output from a respective oscillator to each of said
gate electrodes;
and manually operable switch means, said switch means connecting
said source to said oscillators for simultaneously controlling the
energization of said oscillators, the length of time of
energization of said oscillators being random whereby at the end of
such time the probabilities of any one of said stages remaining
conductive is equal to the probability of any other of said stages
remaining conductive.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The prior art shows many examples of simulated dice games. The U.S.
Pat. to O'Neil No. 2,012,544 shows a dice game using
electromechanical switching. Recently issued U.S. Pat. No.
3,459,427 issued to Rhodes discloses an electronics dice game, but
its logic circuitry does not simulate real dice. The present
invention is an improvement over the prior art in that it provides
a system in which two dice are simultaneously operated at slightly
different frequencies with realistic simulation of a real dice game
and with simple, inexpensive, reliable, and accurate logic
circuitry.
THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation, partly in block form, of the
overall dice game; and
FIG. 2 is an electronic schematic showing the circuitry for
operating each die.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated embodiment includes two
identical banks of lamps 10 and 12 arranged to realistically
simulate the six sides of a die. That is to say, each lamp
represents a dot of a die, seven such lamps being provided and
arranged so that upon selective illumination, any number from 1 to
6, corresponding to the six sides of the die, can be made to appear
in the proper position. Thus, each bank of seven lamps is arranged
in the general outline of the letter "H", i.e., 1, 5 and 4 are
positioned in one vertical column, while the lamps 2, 6 and 3 are
arranged in a parallel vertical column with the lamp 7 positioned
in the middle, the lamps 1, 2, 3 and 4 being at the corners of a
square. With this arrangement, the various combination of dots from
1 to 6 on the six sides of a die may be represented by
illumination, respectively, of one, the center lamp (7), two, the
diagonal lamps (2,4), three, the opposite diagonal lamps and the
center lamp (1,3,7), four, the four corner lamps (1,2,3,4), five,
the four corner lamps and the center lamp (1,2,3,4,7), and six, the
two vertical rows of lamps (1,2,3,4,5,6).
In order to simulate a dice game, the illumination of the various
combinations of lamps must be random for both dice and there must
be equal probability of any number occurring. This requirement will
be met if the oscillator frequency is stable and independent of its
loads. For this purpose each of the banks of lamps 10 and 12
incorporates logic circuitry which is randomly selected by means of
free-running unijunction oscillators 14 and 16. Both oscillators
are identical except that their resistance capacitance values are
different so that they operate at slightly different pulse
repetition rates. In this way the selection of combinations of
lamps in bank 10 is random, and in addition is different from the
random selection of lamps in bank 12.
Each oscillator includes a unijunction transistor 18 having its
base 1 electrode 20 connected to ground through a resistor 22, its
base 2 electrode 24 connected to a battery 26 through an operating
switch 28 and a power switch 30. A resistor 32 and a capacitor 34
are connected in series between the base 2 electrode 24 and ground.
The emitter electrode 36 of the unijunction transistor 18 is
connected to the junction of resistor 32 and capacitor 34.
When the power switch 30 is closed, voltage from the battery 26 is
applied across respective R.C. networks, each including a capacitor
38 and a resistor 40, to a respective bank of lamps 10 and 12 to
provide an initial setting on each die. Subsequent closing of
operating switch 28 initiates the operation of the oscillators 14
and 16, which operation will continue for as long as the operating
switch 28 is in a closed position.
While the operating switch 28 is closed, the timing capacitor 34 is
charged through the timing resistor 32 until the voltage at the
emitter electrode 36 reaches the unijunction peak point voltage, at
which time the unijunction transistor 18 conducts. This causes
timing capacitor 34 to discharge through resistor 22, thereby
decreasing the emitter voltage until the emitter electrode ceases
to conduct, at which point the unijunction transistor 18 turns off.
Thereafter the timing capacitor 34 recharges through the resistor
32 and the oscillation continues until the switch 28 is opened.
The output from the unijunction transistor appears across the
resistor 22 as a pulse train having a repetition frequency
determined by the values of the resistors 32 and capacitors 34 and
the oscillator 14 differ from those of the same elements in the
oscillator 16. In this way the timing cycles of the oscillators are
different. The randomness results from the fact that the timing
cycle is too fast for human reaction, and therefore any slight
variation in the length of time the operating switch 28 is
maintained depressed results in a random selection of a particular
group of lamps in each bank.
The circuit for the light banks 10 and 12 is shown in FIG. 2 and it
includes a six-stage cathode-coupled ring counter consisting of 6
silicon controlled rectifiers Q1-Q6, each having an anode
electrode, a cathode electrode and a gate electrode. Each
silicon-controlled rectifier has an individual gate drive circuit
for driving the gate electrode with a shift pulse from the
oscillators. Each gate drive circuit includes an associated diode
CR1-CR6 and a respective capacitor C1-C6 and a respective resistor
R1-R6. The shift pulses from the oscillators are applied via shift
line 54. In addition, each silicon controlled rectifier has an
individual "turn off" capacitor C1a-C6a, respectively, each of said
capacitors C1a-C6a being connected to a gate drive circuit through
a respective resistor R1a-R6a.
The lamps 1-7 are connected across the battery 26 in various
combinations sequentially through one of the silicon controlled
rectifiers Q1-Q6 by means of a diode matrix generally indicated at
56, and including diodes D1-D12. The particular light combination
is determined by that silicon controlled rectifier Q1-Q6 which is
in a state of conduction. Thus, when the rectifier Q1 conducts, the
lamp 7 is illuminated by a connection through the diode D1. When
the rectifier Q2 is conducting, the lamps 2 and 4 are
simultaneously illuminated by means of a connection through the
diode D2. When the rectifier Q3 is conducting, the lamps 1 and 3
are illuminated by means of a connection through the diode D4 while
the lamp 7 is illuminated by means of a connection through the
diode D3. When the rectifier Q4 is conducting, the lamps 2 and 4
are illuminated by means of a connection through the diode D5,
while the lamps 1 and 3 are illuminated by means of a connection
through the diode D6. When the rectifier Q5 is conducting, the lamp
7 is illuminated by means of a connection through the diode D7, the
lamps 2 and 4 are illuminated by means of a connection through the
diode D8 and the lamps 1 and 3 are illuminated by means of a
connection through the diode D9. When the rectifier Q6 is
conducting, the lamps 2 and 4 are illuminated by means of a
connection through the diode D10, the lamps 1 and 3 are illuminated
by means of a connection through diode D11, and the lamps 5 and 6
are illuminated by means of a connection through diode D12.
The operation of the ring counter is as follows:
Closure of the power switch 30 applies battery power to the
capacitor 38 and resistor 40 and to one side of the indicating
lamps 1-7. The differentiation action of the capacitor 38 and
resistor 40 generates a pulse at the junction 46. The pulse at
junction 46 may be used to preset any of the silicon controlled
rectifiers Q1-Q6 to its "on" state and initially illuminate any
selected number from one to six, corresponding to the six sides of
a die, to provide any desired combination of the dice. The pulse at
junction 46 is coupled, by way of an example, via capacitor C1 to
the gate electrode of the silicon controlled rectifier Q1. This
pulse presets the silicon controlled rectifier Q1 to its "on"
state, however, the rectifiers Q2-Q6 remain in their "off" state
and capacitors C2-C6 will charge to the battery voltage through
resistors R2-R6, respectively. The commutating capacitors C1a and
C3a through C6a will charge through the lamps 1-7, the various
diodes in the diode matrix and through the conducting silicon
controlled rectifier Q1. Since silicon controlled rectifier Q1 is
in its conducting state, its anode is approximately at ground
potential, and therefore neither the capacitor C2 nor the capacitor
C2a will charge. When the push-button operating switch 28 is
depressed, the oscillators 14 and 16 begin to oscillate and
generate a shift pulse across the respective resistors 22. When
this shift pulse arrives at the shift line 54, only the silicon
controlled rectifier Q2 can be triggered to the "on" condition
since its gate steering diode D2 is the only gate steering diode
not back-biased by a precharged capacitor. However, as the silicon
controlled rectifier turns on, the capacitor C3a discharges and
momentarily drives the common cathode line to the supply voltage.
When the common cathode line momentarily goes positive, the silicon
controlled rectifier Q1 is back-biased and forced to "turn
off".
When the next shift pulse arrives at the shift line 54, silicon
controlled rectifier Q3 turns on and the silicon controlled
rectifier Q2 turns off. This stepping action repeats until Q4, Q5
and Q6 sequentially turn on. Thereafter, the cycle repeats at
Q1.
OPERATING PARAMETERS OF A WORKING EMBODIMENT
The following is an example of the parameters used in a working
embodiment of this invention. While not limiting the scope of the
invention, the parameters may be useful in enabling persons skilled
in the art to make a model of the invention.
Transistor 18 Type 2N4781 Silicon Controlled Rectifiers Q1-Q6 Type
TIC44 Capacitors C1-C6 .005 uf C1a-C6a 2.2 uf 34 1.0 uf 38 .05 uf
Resistors 22 270 ohms 32 (Oscillator 14) 10 K 32 (Oscillator 16)
8.0 K 40 100 K R1-R6 1 K R1a-R6a 10 K
with the particular parameters chosen for the oscillators 14 and
16, the shift frequency output of oscillators 14 is 100 hz. The
shift frequency output of the oscillators 16 is 125 hz.
* * * * *