Microprocessor controlled roulette game including an optical encoder for sensing the position of the ball on the roulette wheel

Claim 1

A microprocessor controlled roulette game comprising in combination, in a box-like body, a roulette wheel, a first electric motor operatively coupled to said roulette wheel to drive it with at least a first constant set speed, launching means to be operated by the player to launch a ball onto said roulette wheel, playing selecting means effective to be actuated by the player in order to define a stake value, position sensing means, for sensing the position of said ball on said roulette wheel, when said ball is in a rest condition, means for introducing tokens in order to set said stake value, token supplying means for supplying a predetermined number of said tokens in the case of a win by said player, a microprocessor circuit operatively coupled to and controlling said motor, said launching means, said playing selecting means, said position sensing means, and said token supplying means in such a way that, in the case of a win, said token supplying means are caused to supply said predetermined number of said token, means for recovering said ball as said ball is in a rest condition in a case defining a number on said roulette wheel, means for recovering said ball sent to said launching means, said ball recovering means consisting of a swinging arm effective to axially move in a substantially vertical direction for predetermined stroke lengths, as driven by a second electric motor, said first and second electric motors' speed being directly controlled by said player, said arm radially extending with respect to said roulette wheel and having a free end provided with means for engaging said ball and retaining it in a ready condition to be discharged, upon command, into a recovery channel, said ball position sensing means consisting of an optical encoder comprising a perforated disc member, having a plurality of spaced radially extending holes, each hole line being indicative, in a binary code, of a predetermined number from 0 to 36, each said number of said line corresponding to the number of a numbered case or sector of said roulette wheel, said perforated disc being rigid with said roulette wheel driving shaft, said optical encoder further comprising a light emitting diode-phototransistor array effective to read each radially extending hole combination of said perforated disk, a further toothed disc member being provided associated with said driving shaft and cooperating with a stop tooth member for stopping in a predetermined position said perforated disc, said predetermined position substantially corresponding to the position of said light emitting diode-phototransistor array, photocell means associated with the top of the roulette wheel casing and substantially aligned with said light emitting diode-phototransistor array in order to detect the position of said ball on said roulette wheel case.