Tennis game system

• US 20050176485A1
• Filed: 08/11/2003
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ueshima, Hiromu
• Granted Patent: US 7,635,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/4
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A tennis game system includes a game machine connected to a television set via an AV cable, and a racket-shaped input device for inputting operation to the game machine. A game player instructs a ball striking player to strike a ball on a monitor screen by operating the racket-shaped input device. At this time, a game processor included in the game machine calculates a predicted return position of a ball returned by the opposite player, compares a current position of the ball striking player with the predicted return position, and judges whether the predicted return position is within a ball strikable range for the ball striking player. If a judgment means judges that the predicted return position is out of the ball strikable range, a ball striking position movement means, i.e. the game processor moves the ball striking position.

Claims

1. A tennis game system including a game machine and a racket-shaped input device imitating a form of a tennis racket, under which a player plays a tennis game using said racket-shaped input device, wherein

said racket-shaped input device comprises an acceleration sensor for generating an acceleration correlation signal when said player actually swings said racket-shaped input device in a real space, and a transmission means for transmitting generated said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

and

said game machine displays a ball on a monitor screen through execution of a tennis game program in which a CPU player controlled by a computer program plays a match against said player, and further comprises;

a first calculation means for calculating a Predicted return position of said ball returned by said CPU player;

a judgment means for judging whether a current position of said player is in a ball strikable range by comparing said predicted return position and the current position of said player;

a ball striking position movement means for moving a ball striking position of said player in response to a negative judgment by said judgment means;

a swing detection means for detecting whether said racket-shaped input device has been actually swung or not; and

a second calculation means for calculating an initial speed vector of said ball after received when said swing detection means has detected a swing in said ball strikable range, from a position of said ball and acceleration of said racket-shaped input device according to said acceleration correlation signal.

7. A tennis game system according to claim 1 or 6, wherein

said racket-shaped input device further includes an operating switch;

said transmission means transmits an operation signal from said operating switch together with said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine; and

said game machine further comprises a position movement means for moving said ball striking position on said monitor screen from forward position to backward position or from backward position to forward position, in response to said operation signal transmitted from said racket-shaped input device.

8. A tennis game system according to claim 1 or 6, wherein said transmission means of said racket-shaped input device includes an infrared light-emitting element for transmitting said acceleration correlation signal and said operation signal by means of infrared light.

9. A tennis game system according to claim 8, wherein

said transmission means digital-modulates and transmits said acceleration correlation signal and said operation signal to said game machine;

and

said game machine digital-demodulates said acceleration correlation signal and said operation signal transmitted by said transmission means.

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6. A tennis game system including a game machine and two racket-shaped input devices imitating the form of a tennis racket, under which two players play a tennis game using said racket-shaped input devices, wherein

said racket-shaped input devices each comprise an acceleration sensor for generating an acceleration correlation signal when said player actually swings said racket-shaped input device in a real space, and a transmission means for transmitting generated said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

said game machine runs a tennis game program in which said two players play a match and displays said ball on a monitor screen, and further comprises;

a first calculation means for calculating a predicted return position of a ball returned by an opposite player;

a judgment means for judging whether a ball striking player is in a ball strikable range by comparing said predicted return position and a current position of said ball striking player;

a ball striking position movement means for moving a ball striking position for said ball striking player response to a negative judgment by said judgment means;

a swing detection means for detecting whether said racket-shaped input device has been actually swung or not; and

a second calculation means for calculating an initial speed vector of said ball after received when said swing detection means has detected a swing in said ball striking-enabled range, from a position of said ball and acceleration of said racket-shaped input device according to said acceleration correlation signal.