JPH0970465A - Knocked-down pin detector for bowling - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately and easily detect the presence/absence of knocked-down pins by obtaining the luminance of the prescribed positions of respective pins and the luminance of the background position of a pin curtain based on pin images picked up after respective throws and comparing them. SOLUTION: When a bowler throws a ball and a ball passing sensor senses the passing of the ball, a CPU 40 instructs the fetching of images for indicating the state of the pins and data image-picked up by a pin video camera 22 are sent to a capture board 52. Then, when a ball arrival sensor 21 senses the arrival of the ball, the CPU 40 sends pin fallen state images to the capture board 52 after the prescribed time. Thus, the CPU 40 obtains the luminance of the prescribed positions of the respective pins and the luminance of the background position for with the pin curtain is directly image-picked up at the position different from the respective pins. Then, a self-standing pin is judged when the luminance of the prescribed position of the corresponding pin is larger than the luminance of the background position for a prescribed amount for the respective pins and the knocked-down pin is judged in the other case.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for use in an automatic bowling score device or the like, which detects an inverted pin of a bowling.

Conventionally, there are the following devices as a device for detecting the inverted pin of the bowling. For example, Japanese Patent Publication 4-81
In Japanese Patent No. 472 publication, all pins arranged on a pin deck are imaged by a video camera and set as reference multi-step brightness data of each pin image, and then each pin screen of the screen from the video camera after pitching An apparatus for measuring the multi-step brightness data of the measurement points and comparing it with the reference multi-step brightness data of each pin image to judge the presence or absence of each pin is described.

Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-65351 discloses that
All the pins arranged on the pin deck are imaged from the upper front by a video camera, the brightness between the brightness of the head and the brightness of the abdomen of each pin is used as a threshold, and the brightness of the rear pins is higher than that of the front pins. As the pin to be judged goes from the front to the back, the size of the threshold is reduced, and the brightness at the position of the head of each pin in the image captured after the pitch is compared with the corresponding threshold. A device for detecting the presence or absence of upright pins is described.

[0004]

All of the methods for detecting a fallen pin disclosed in the above publications are applied after the pitch is made with reference to the brightness or the brightness of the head of the pin in the presence of the upright pin. The presence or absence of an upright pin, that is, the presence or absence of an inverted pin is determined by comparing the brightness or brightness of the head of the pin.

By the way, the pins are arranged on the pin deck, and are laid down by the bowl thrown by the bowler, swept out by the sweeper and put in the pit, and the pins in the pit are taken out by the pinsetter and placed again on the pin deck. The same pin is used many times. For this reason, the white pins may become dirty due to oil, dust, or the like adhering to them, and in general, initially white ones may not be able to maintain whiteness and may become considerably black. Therefore, in the case of such a dirty pin, the brightness or luminance measured from the image captured by the video camera will be considerably low.

[0006] In addition, as the pin illumination lamp which is usually provided in the upper front of the pin deck, a fluorescent lamp is generally used from the economical point of view because a pin colliding with a bowl bounces and hits or breaks. Generally, various colors are mixed and used. Since the brightness of a fluorescent lamp decreases considerably with the time of use, the measured brightness or brightness when the fluorescent lamp is initially used and the measured brightness or brightness when the fluorescent lamp is used for a considerable amount are much lower in the latter than in the former.

Therefore, in the method in which the reference brightness or the brightness is not measured immediately before the pitching but is measured in advance, the pure white pin which is not dirty is targeted, and further, in the state where it is illuminated by a bright fluorescent lamp which has not been used. The obtained standard brightness or brightness is high, while the brightness obtained by measuring the pin dirty by use and the brightness of the fluorescent lamp decreased by use, the brightness is considerably low, and the difference May exceed the width set to determine the presence / absence of the falling pin, and the pin may be mistakenly determined to be the falling pin even though it is self-supporting.

In order to avoid this misjudgment, a method may be considered in which all the pins immediately before the pitch are imaged to obtain the reference brightness or brightness for each pitch, but the image data is processed twice for each pitch. Must be done and the processing becomes complicated.

In the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-65351, it is necessary to measure the abdomen of the pin in order to determine the reference threshold. However, unless the video camera is placed in a special position, the pin in the rear row (for example, pin 5) overlapping the front row generally has its abdomen hidden by the pin in the front row (for example, pin 1). Therefore, for a pin that hides the abdomen, it is necessary to take an image with a video camera to measure the brightness of the abdomen with the purpose of removing the pin in the front row, which is very troublesome work. Moreover, such work cannot be actually performed immediately before the pitching, and cannot be performed frequently. For this reason, the interval for measuring the reference luminance is inevitably long, and thus it is easy to make an erroneous determination of the presence or absence of the inverted pin due to the above-mentioned contamination due to the use of the pin and deterioration of the brightness of the fluorescent lamp with time.

The present invention is capable of accurately and easily detecting the presence or absence of a falling pin without being affected by changes in the environment that affect the detection of the presence or absence of the falling pin, such as dirt on the pin and deterioration of the brightness of the pin illumination lamp over time. An object is to provide a detection device.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus for detecting an inverted pin according to the present invention comprises a lamp arranged on a pin deck for illuminating all the pins and a video camera for picking up the images of all the pins. A device for detecting a fallen pin based on a pin image captured by the video camera, wherein the device detects a predetermined position of each pin arranged based on the pin image captured after each pitch by the video camera. The brightness and the brightness of the background position where the pin curtain is directly imaged at a position different from each pin are obtained, and for each pin, the brightness of the predetermined position of the corresponding pin is relative to the brightness of the background position. It is characterized in that it is provided with a means for judging that it is an independent pin when it is larger than a predetermined amount, and for judging it to be a falling pin otherwise.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a state in which the device for detecting a falling pin according to the present invention is incorporated in an automatic bowling score device. In the figure, 10 is a lane console that generally manages the progress of the bowling game, 12 is an approach sensor for detecting when the bowler starts a pitch, and 14 is an overhead display for displaying the game score and the like. , 16 is a pitching video camera for imaging the bowler's pitching form, 18 is a bowl passage sensor 18 for detecting the passage of the bowl,
20 is a bowl that has been thrown, 21 is a bowl arrival sensor for detecting that the bowl has reached a pin, 22
Is a pin video camera for capturing the state of the pins, 24 is a lamp for illuminating the pins, 26 is a pin deck, 28 is each pin arranged on the pin deck, 30 is a pin setter for setting the pins, 32 Indicates a pin curtain including a pin cushion, respectively.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an automatic bowling score device incorporating the device for detecting a fall pin of the present invention shown in FIG. 40 is a microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”) arranged in the lane console 10, 42 is a bus, and 44 is the lane console 10.
RAM 46 is arranged in the lane console 10, and 46 is an overhead interface connected to the bus 42 in the lane console 10 and has a RAM 48 for storing display data of the overhead display 14, 48 is arranged in the lane console 10. RAM 50 that stores data displayed on the console display 54 via the capture board and connected to the bus 42.
, 52 is a capture board arranged on the lane console 10 and connected to the bus 42, 55 is a touch panel arranged on the console display 54 and connected to the bus 42 and having a function equivalent to a keyboard, Reference numerals 56 respectively denote I / O interfaces 56 arranged on the lane console 10 and connected to the bus 42.

The approach sensor 12, the bowl passage sensor 18, and the bowl arrival sensor 21 are connected to the I / O interface 56, and the detected information is stored in the bus 42.
To the CPU 40 via.

In FIG. 2, the switch 60 receives pitch form data from the pitch video camera 16, pin state data from the pin video camera 22, video data and TV data from the outside. The switch 60 receives a selection signal generated by touching the touch panel 55 via the bus 42 and the I / O interface 56, and passes the selected data to display the selected data on the overhead display 14.
The switch 60 is arranged adjacent to the overhead display 14. The switch 62 receives pitch form data from the pitch video camera 16, pin state data from the pin video camera 22, video data and TV data from the outside. The switch 62 receives the selection signal generated by touching the touch panel 55 via the bus 42 and the I / O interface 56, and selects the selected data to display on the console display 54 via the capture board 52. The captured data is passed to the capture board 52. The switch 62 is arranged on the lane console 10.

The RAM 44 stores a processing program executed by the automatic bowling score device including the falling pin detecting device of the present invention, and has a work area required for the processing and an area for storing data.

Next, the operation of the automatic bowling score device will be briefly described. At the start of the game, a bowler score table and the like are displayed on the overhead display 14 and the console display 54. Approach sensor 1
When the bowler throwing by 2 is detected, the CPU 40
Issues a command to the switch 60 to select the NTSC signal from the pitching video camera 16, and the overhead display 14 displays the pitching form. Next, when the bowl passage sensor 18 senses that the bowl has passed,
The CPU 40 outputs a signal for selecting the NTSC signal from the pin video camera 22 to the switches 60 and 62 to display the pin state on the overhead display 14 and the console display 54. Next, when the bowl arrival sensor 21 detects passage of the bowl, the CPU 4 sends a detection signal.
Send to 0. The CPU 40 detects, for example, about 1.5
After a predetermined time of second, a command is sent to the capture board 52 via the I / O interface 56 to hold the image data of the pin falling state imaged by the pin video camera 22. The predetermined time is actually set individually for each lane in conformity with various pinsetter methods and lane characteristics. The CPU 40 has a capture board 52.
The presence / absence of the inverted pin is detected based on the image data of the inverted state of the pin stored and held in the RAM 44, and the presence / absence of the inverted pin is stored in the RAM 44 in bit units corresponding to each pin. The CPU 40 also calculates a score for each pitch based on the obtained result regarding whether or not there is a fall pin, and further calculates a cumulative score up to the pitch as necessary, and the overhead display 1
4 and the console display 54, the scores are displayed in the form of a score table. Hereinafter, this operation is repeated.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the capture board 52. In FIG. 3, 70 is a switch 6
2, a video decoder for receiving the NTSC signal from 2 and separating it into R, G and B signals, 72 an A / D converter for converting each of the R, G and B analog signals into a digital signal, and 74 a R, G and B signal 76 is a memory for storing each of the digital signals of, and 76 is the data from the console interface 48 (FIG. 2) and the memory 7.
Console display 54 using data from 4
FIG. 2 shows a superimpose processing unit that performs signal processing for superimpose display.
Each of the memories 74 of R, G, and B stores one screen image captured by the pin video camera 22 or the pitch video camera 16 in the form of horizontal 512 × vertical 525 (substantially about 480) pixels and 256 gradations ( That is, 1 byte / pixel)
Remember.

Next, the falling pin detecting device of the present invention will be described.

The present invention was made based on the following findings. That is, the inventor of the present invention, in actuality, in many lanes of many bowling alleys, the black and white brightness of a pin or background measured as described later is represented by a brightness value of a digital value of 0 to 255. Pin 1 is the brightest and has a brightness value of about 250, and the darkest 7 to 10 in the last row.
It was confirmed that the luminance value of the No. pin was about 200 and the luminance value of the background was about 40 to 50. Moreover, these values are only slightly reduced from the above values for the 1st pin even if the pin becomes dirty, and even for the pin in the last row, even if the brightness of the fluorescent lamp deteriorates with time, it reaches up to about 140. On the other hand, the background brightness value is about 60 even when the surface becomes glossy due to the collision of the bowl or the pin during the use of the pin curtain and the brightness becomes high. In addition, the pin illumination lamp is usually installed so that the bowler can be seen, that is, the brightness value of the pin or the background does not need to be set at a special position to detect the falling pin. Was found to be in the above range. Therefore, in one screen imaged after the pitch, even the darkest one of the independent pins after the pitch is higher than the background by about 80. Therefore, the brightness value at the measurement position of the pin and the background brightness are uniform for all the pins. It has been found that the presence or absence of the pin, that is, the presence or absence of the inverted pin can be determined by using a constant value, for example, 80 as the difference from the value.

FIG. 4 shows a portion read out for detecting the fallen pin in one screen of the fallen state of the imaged pin stored in the memory 74 (FIG. 4) of the capture board 52. The portion to be read is 512 pixels wide × 256 pixels vertically from the top of the screen. In FIG. 4, the numbers 1 to 10 described in the screen represent pin numbers, 11 represents the reference brightness measurement point, and the three vertical lines at the head of each pin are Shows the inspection position for detecting the presence or absence of the inverted pin on the pin.
The one vertical line in indicates the reference measurement position. The pin coordinate position for inspection differs depending on the installation position of the pin video camera 22 and the like, and is determined individually after installation.
An example is shown below.

[0023]

[Table 1] Pins X (horizontal) Y (vertical) Width 1 257 155 10 2 204 204 134 7 3 339 135 135 7 4 164 184 118 7 5 274 117 7 7 6 380 118 118 7 7 139 108 5 8 8 225 104 5 9 319 105 5 10 409 106 5 11 444 87 0

In Table 1, the X and Y values represent the position of the central pixel in the vertical direction of the central vertical line among the three vertical lines representing the inspection position in FIG. The width is a value in which the pitch of three vertical lines is represented by the number of pixels. The length of the vertical line shown in FIG. 4 is 7 pixels.

FIG. 5 shows the calculation result of the value representing the brightness of black and white, that is, the luminance value, based on the data read from the memory 74 (FIG. 3) of the capture board 52 for the inverted pin detection screen portion shown in FIG. RAM44 for storing
The black and white luminance value storage area provided in (FIG. 2) is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the brightness of each pixel is represented by 256 gradations and is stored in 1 byte.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an area provided in the RAM 44 (FIG. 2) for storing personal information for storing the detection result of the fall pin. In order to simplify the structure of the storage area, each frame is composed of 6 bytes in the same format from 1 frame to 10 frames. The 1st to 9th frames do not use the 5th to 6th bytes, and the presence or absence of the inverted pin of each pin of each pitch indicates 1 (indicates the inverted pin) or 0 (independent pin) in each bit of 2 bytes. ).
The upper 6 bits of the upper byte are not used.

7 and 8 are flow charts showing the processing operation of the falling pin detecting device of the present invention. Hereinafter, FIG. 7 and FIG.
The processing operation of the falling pin detection device of the present invention will be described along the flow shown in FIG.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, when the bowler throws a bowl and the bowl passage sensor 18 senses the passage of the bowl and sends the signal to the CPU 40, the CPU
40 sends a signal to the switch 62 via the I / O interface 56 to instruct the capture board 52 to capture an image showing the state of the pins. Therefore, the pin state image data captured by the pin video camera 22 is sent to the capture board 52 via the switch 62 in the form of an NTSC signal. Referring to FIG. 3, in the capture board 52, the video decoder 70 receives the NTSC signal indicating the pin state image, divides it into R, G and B signals, and sends them to each A / D converter 72. Each A / D converter 72 converts each corresponding R, G and B analog signal into a digital signal of 8 bits per pixel and sends it to the corresponding memory 74. Each memory 74 is
The received digital signal for one screen is stored for each pixel of 8 bits (1 byte) with respect to horizontal 512 × vertical 525 pixels. Each memory 74 operates so as to overwrite the data stored therein when receiving the next digital signal for one screen. Next, the bowl arrival sensor 21 senses that the bowl thrown by the bowler has arrived and detects the C through the I / O interface 56.
Send a sensing signal to the PU 40.

Next, in step 100 of FIG.
The CPU 40 receives, for example, about 1.5 after receiving the sensing signal.
After a predetermined time of seconds, an instruction signal for causing the capture board 52 to hold the image indicating the pin falling state is sent to the capture board 52 via the I / O interface 56.
In response to this instruction signal, the A / D converter 72 of the capture board 52 stops the A / D conversion, and as a result, each memory 74 displays an image representing the pin falling state in R, G and D.
It is held as a digital signal of. Next, step 10
2, the CPU 40 stores the data held in the memory 74 from the top of one screen 256 as shown in FIG.
Up to the upper side of the screen, that is, the R, G, and B data for the horizontal 512 × 256 pixels are read out in pixel units. The reason why the screen size is reduced in this way is that the CPU 40 facilitates the later-described calculation. Step 1
At 04, the brightness of black and white, that is, the brightness value is calculated from the read data of R, G and B using the following formula, and the result is stored in the RAM 44 in pixel units.

[0030]

## EQU1 ## Y = 0.3R + 0.59G + 0.11B The black and white luminance value of each pixel is represented by a digital value of 0 to 255, and 255 indicates the brightest.

In step 106, horizontal 512 × vertical 2
The brightness value is calculated for all 56 pixels and RAM44
If it is determined that it is stored in, and it is not completed (NO)
Returns to step 102 and repeats the above processing. In step 106, if the above process is completed for all pixels (YES), the process proceeds to step 108. In step 108, the CPU 40 reads the coordinate value of the 11th background measurement position shown in FIG. 4 from the table 1 stored in the RAM 44, and the location corresponding to the read coordinate value of the storage area shown in FIG. The brightness value stored in is read. At this time, the luminance value for 7 pixels is read out in the vertical direction centering on the 11th coordinate position in Table 1. The CPU 40 calculates the average value K _B of the read luminance values of 7 pixels,
It is temporarily stored in the work area of the RAM 44. Next, the process proceeds to A in FIG.

In step 110 of FIG. 8, in order to inspect whether the 1st pin is the inverted pin, the CPU 40 makes N = 1.
And set. In step 112, the CPU 40
Determines whether N = 1, and if so (YES)
Proceeds to step 120. The processes of steps 114 to 118 are not performed because in the case of the 1st pin, the central position shown by the broken line in FIG. 4 overlaps with the 5th pin, and it cannot be determined whether or not the 1st pin is tilted. As the inspection positions on the left and right sides of the 1st pin shown in FIG. 4, positions of the head that do not overlap with the 5th pin are selected. The process is the same as the process for other pins except that the inspection process is not performed on the inspection position at the center of the 1st pin. Therefore, the inspection of the 2nd pin will be described below as an example.

When N is incremented by 1 and N = 2 in step 138, the determination in step 112 is NO, and the routine proceeds to step 114. Step 114
4, the CPU 40 reads the coordinate value of the central position of the 2nd pin shown in FIG. 4 from Table 1 stored in the RAM 44, and stores it in the location corresponding to the read coordinate value of the storage area shown in FIG. Read the stored brightness value. At this time, centering on the coordinate position of Pin 2 in Table 1,
The brightness value for the pixel is read. The CPU 40 calculates the average value K _C of the read luminance values of 7 pixels. In step 116, the CPU 40 reads the previously calculated average background luminance value K _B from the RAM 44 and calculates the difference ΔK _C between the central average luminance value K _C and the average background luminance value K _B. In step 118, the CPU 40 determines whether the difference ΔK _C is 80 or more. If the difference ΔK _C is 80 or more (YES), the process proceeds to step 134 and the CPU 40
Determines that the 2nd pin has not fallen, and sets the bit corresponding to the 2nd pin of the corresponding pitch of the corresponding frame of the personal information storage area shown in FIG. 6 to 0. Next, in step 136, the CPU 40 sets N = 10, that is, 10
It is determined whether or not it has completed up to pin # 2. At present, the process proceeds from N = 2 (pin 2) to step 138, and the CPU 40 sets 1 to N.
Then, the process returns to step 112 to inspect the third pin.

On the other hand, in step 118, the difference ΔK _C
If is smaller than 80 (NO), the process proceeds to step 120. The CPU 40, in steps 120 to 124,
With respect to the inspection position on the left side, the same processing as the above steps 114 to 118 for the central inspection position is performed. Therefore, the description of the processing in steps 120 to 124 will be omitted.

Further, in step 124, the difference ΔK _L
If is larger than 80 (YES), the processing of step 134 and the following steps similar to the case of YES in step 118 is performed. On the other hand, in step 124, the difference ΔK _L is 8
If it is smaller than 0 (NO), the process proceeds to step 126.
In steps 126 to 130, the CPU 40 performs the same processing as the steps 114 to 118 for the central inspection position for the left inspection position. for that reason,
The description of the processing in steps 126 to 130 will be omitted.

In step 136, the difference ΔK _L is 80
If it is larger (YES), the processing from step 134 onward is performed similarly to the case of YES in step 118. On the other hand, in step 130, when the difference ΔK _R is smaller than 80 (NO), the process proceeds to step 132. In this case, it means that the differences between the average luminance value and the background luminance value at the three inspection positions of the 2nd pin are all less than 80. At this time, the CPU 40 determines that the 2nd pin is tilted. , The bit corresponding to the 2nd pin of the corresponding pitch of the corresponding frame of the personal information storage area shown in FIG. 6 is set to 1. Next, in step 136, the CPU 40
N = 10, that is, it is determined whether or not pin 10 has been completed. Currently, N = 2 (pin 2) proceeds to step 138, where C
The PU 40 adds 1 to N and returns to step 112 to inspect the third pin. Step 11 up to pin 10
The processing flow of 2 to 138 is repeated. When the inspection of the 10th pin (N = 10) is completed, the CPU 40 executes the step 1
After the determination of 36, the process returns to the start of FIG. 7 and stands by for the next pitch.

Averaging the luminance values of a plurality of pixels at the measurement position, that is, a plurality of pixels instead of one pixel, 7 pixels in this example, is effective for preventing local stains and scratches on the pin, and external disturbance such as flash from the outside. This is effective in eliminating the influence and increasing the accuracy of the determination of the presence or absence of the falling pin. Further, it is more effective to take pixels in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. Further, in order to deal with lateral displacement of the pins and the like, a plurality of spaced positions are provided at positions where the pins do not overlap each other, and in this example, three at the center and left and right.
It is better to set the measurement positions at one place and as far as possible from each other. In order to secure a more stable background brightness value, the measurement position of the background brightness value or the width or length of the measurement point can be changed as appropriate according to the conditions of the site.

Since the inverted pin detecting device of the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects. That is, since the background brightness value and the brightness value at the inspection position of the pin are obtained from one imaging screen, both brightness values are reduced even if the brightness of the illumination lamp such as a fluorescent lamp is deteriorated with time. However, the margin of the difference does not decrease, and the possibility of making an erroneous determination is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional method of obtaining the reference luminance value of the independent pin from the image captured in advance.

Further, in the method of obtaining the reference luminance value of the self-standing pin based on the pin image captured immediately before the pitching, two images are captured each time to detect the fallen pin, and the reference luminance value and the luminance value at the pin inspection position are detected. In contrast to the complexity of calculating the luminance value twice, the present invention calculates the background luminance value for comparison reference and the luminance value at the pin inspection position at one time from one image pickup screen. The operation is simple.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in a state in which a device for detecting a fall pin according to the present invention is incorporated in an automatic bowling score device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an automatic bowling score device incorporating the device for detecting a falling pin of the present invention shown in FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a capture board 52 shown in FIG.

4 is a top view of the captured pin stored in a memory 74 of the capture board 52 shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a portion of the screen that is read out to detect an inverted pin, a position for measuring a background luminance value, and a position for inspecting the inverted pin of each pin.

FIG. 5 shows R for the screen for detecting the inverted pin shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the area | region for monochrome brightness value storage provided in AM44.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an area provided in a RAM 44 for storing personal information for storing a detection result of a fall pin.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first half of a flow chart showing the processing operation of the inverted pin detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the latter half of a flow chart showing the processing operation of the inverted pin detection device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21: Bowl arrival sensor 22: Pin video camera 40: CPU 44: RAM 52: Capture board 62: Switch 70: Video decoder 72: A / D converter 74: Memory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A device for detecting an inverted pin based on a pin image picked up by the video camera, comprising: a lamp for illuminating all pins arranged on a pin deck; and a video camera for picking up all the pins. Based on the pin image captured after each pitch by the video camera, the brightness at a predetermined position of each pin arranged,
The brightness of the background position where the pin curtain is directly imaged at a position different from each pin is obtained, and for each pin, the brightness of the corresponding position of the corresponding pin is larger than the brightness of the background position by a predetermined amount. A bowling pin fallen pin detection device, characterized in that it is provided with means for determining that the pin is a self-standing pin, and otherwise determining that it is a fall pin. 2. The bowling inverted pin detection device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position of each pin is at a part of the head of the pin. 3. The bowling inversion pin detection device according to claim 1, wherein the position at which each of the pins is directly imaged is a position above the head of the last row pin imaged in the pin image. Bowling down pin detection device characterized by.