Apparatus and method for identifying identity and position of chess-like game piece by means of weight

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for identifying the identity and position of a chess-like game piece by means of weight are provided. By means of a solution buoyancy module, a photoelectric sensing component, and a weight sensing chip circuit in the apparatus, the weight of the piece is calculated based on buoyant force, and the identity of the piece and the real-time position thereof on a board are determined based on the calculated weight.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for identifying the identity and position of a piece by means of weight, the apparatus comprising:
 a housing with a surface film;   a liquid cavity secured to the surface film, wherein the liquid cavity includes solution and a buoyancy plate, and the liquid cavity has volume scale values for indicating the volume of the liquid;   a weight sensing chip circuit, comprising a master control chip positioned thereon; and   a photoelectric sensing component connected to the weight sensing chip circuit, wherein the photoelectric sensing component is configured to read the volume scale value and feed it back to the master control chip,   wherein when a piece is put on the surface film and the surface film squeezes downward on the buoyancy plate to at least partially submerge it in the solution, and the master control chip is configured to calculate the weight of the piece based on changes in the volume scale value before and after the piece is put on the surface film, and to identify the identity and position of the piece based on the weight.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is used as a square on the board and the square is arranged in a matrix on the board, and the position of the piece is indicated by the rank and file values of the square in the matrix. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the piece has a counterweight such that each piece has a different weight and the weight of each piece corresponds to its identity. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the weight sensing chip circuit is further configured to:
 calculate the volume of the solution displaced by the buoyancy plate based on a change in the volume scale value before and after the piece is put on the surface film;   calculate the buoyant force borne by the piece and the buoyancy plate based on the volume; and   determine the weight of the piece based on the calculated buoyant force.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy plate is a PE foam with a lower density than the solution, and the solution is a black sodium chloride solution with a sodium chloride ratio of 25%. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a metal shrapnel positioned underneath the weight sensing chip circuit, and the metal shrapnel is used to cause the weight sensing chip to contact the FPC signal line on the board for energizing so as to connect to the mainboard in the board. 
     
     
         7 . A method for identifying the identity and position of a piece by means of weight, wherein the method is performed by a weight sensing control module, and the weight sensing control module comprises a liquid cavity including a solution and a buoyancy plate, a photoelectric sensing component, and a weight sensing chip circuit, the method comprising:
 reading, by the photoelectric sensing component, the volume scale value of the solution in the liquid cavity and feeding it back to the weight sensing chip circuit;   under a condition that the piece is put on the weight sensing control module so that at least a portion of the buoyancy plate is immersed in the solution, calculating, by the weight sensing chip circuit, the weight of the piece based on the change in the volume scale value before and after the piece is put; and   determining, by the weight sensing chip circuit, the identity and position of the piece based on this weight.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the calculating, by the weight sensing chip circuit, the weight of the piece based on the change in the volume scale value before and after the piece is put further comprising:
 calculating, by the weight sensing chip circuit, the volume of the solution displaced by the buoyancy plate based on the change in the volume scale value before and after the piece is put;   determining, by the weight sensing chip circuit, the buoyant force born by the piece and the buoyancy plate based on the calculated volume; and   calculating, by the weight sensing chip circuit, the weight of the piece based on the buoyant force.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the piece has a counterweight such that each piece has a different weight and the weight of each piece corresponds to its identity. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the weight sensing control module comprises a housing, wherein the housing is used as a square for positioning the piece and the square is arranged in a matrix on the board, wherein the position of the piece is indicated by the rank and file values of the square in the matrix.