Wireless game controller with fast connect to a host

• US 20050221896A1
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Wei, Lum, Richard, Gordon, Gary L.
• Application Number:
  US10/817,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221896A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/71 using secure communication between game devices and game servers, e.g. by encrypting game data or authenticating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/73 Authorising game programs or game devices, e.g. checking authenticity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• 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 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/201 Playing authorisation given at platform level
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/404 characterized by a local network connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/715 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/7154 with means for preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A game controller operates in a wireless mode and is previously bound to a game console. To reestablish a wireless communication connection between the game controller and game console, the game console transmits its unique console identification that the game controller compares to a previously stored console identifier. The game controller in turn sends its unique controller identifier to the game console which compares it to a previously stored controller identifier. An adaptive frequency hopping technique is used to eliminate bad channels in a predetermined frequency hopping sequence.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a host to execute a video game; and

a game controller that establishes a wireless communication connection to the host by receiving a unique console identifier (ID) from the host and comparing the received console ID with a previously stored console ID in a memory of the game controller.

2. The gaming system as recited in claim 1, wherein the host and game controller are previously bound by the game controller sending a controller ID to the host and the host sending a console ID to game controller.

3. The gaming system as recited in claim 1, wherein the host comprises an RF module to scan for good and potentially bad channels in a radio band used for the wireless communication connection.

4. The gaming system as recited in claim 1, wherein the game controller comprises an RE Module to scan for good and potentially bad channels in a radio band used for the wireless communication connection.

5. The gaming system as recited in claim 1, wherein the game controller comprises a wireless interface to communicate with the host using an RF radio band comprising multiple channel frequencies.

6. The gaming system as recited in claim 5, wherein the receiving comprises the game controller wait at a particular channel frequency until the host transmits the unique console ID on the channel frequency.

7. The gaming system as recited in claim 1, wherein the host comprises:

a processor;

a RF module to scan for good and potentially bad channels in a radio band used for the wireless communication connection, wherein a channel list is created identifying the good and potentially bad channels; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store the unique console ID, the channel list, a frequency hopping sequence, and controller IDs of game controllers that are bound to the host.

8. The gaming system as recited in claim 7, wherein the channel list and frequency hopping sequence is sent to the game controller if the host identifies a received controller ID from the game controller with one of the controller IDs stored in the memory of the host.

9. The gaming system as recited in claim 1, wherein the host comprises one of a game console or a personal computer.

10. A game controller to wireless connect to a host when the game controller recognizes a console ID transmitted by the host and the host recognizes a controller ID transmitted by the game controller.

11. A game controller as recited in claim 10, embodied as a general-purpose controller with one or more multi-function actuators.

12. A game controller as recited in claim 10, comprising:

a RF module to receive the console ID and transmit a controller ID to the host;

a memory to store a previous console ID; and

a wireless interface to communicate with the host.

13. A host in a video gaming system comprising:

a processor;

an RF module to continuously scan for and identify good and potentially bad channels in a radio band used for wireless communication to a game controller, wherein the good and potentially bad channels are identified in a channel list; and

a memory used to store the channel list and a frequency hopping sequence, wherein potentially bad channels identified in the channel list are omitted in the frequency hopping sequence when the wireless communication takes place with the game controller.

14. A game controller comprising:

a processor;

an RF module to wirelessly communicate with a host in a gaming system, and to receive a frequency hopping sequence and a channel list of good and potentially bad channels from the host; and

a memory used to store the channel list and the frequency hopping sequence, wherein potentially bad channels identified in the channel list are omitted in the frequency hopping sequence when wireless communication takes place with the host.

15. A method of establishing a wireless communication connection between a host and a game controller comprising:

transmitting from the host a host identification packet;

receiving at the game controller the host identification packet;

determining at the game controller whether a host identifier contained in the host identification packet matches a previously stored host identifier;

sending a controller identification packet from the game controller to the host if the host identifier of the host identification packet matches the previously stored host identifier, and

acknowledging at the host the controller identification packet if a controller identifier in the controller identification packet matches a previously stored controller identifier.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the transmitting uses one of a number of channels in frequency hopping sequence unique to the host.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the receiving uses a random channel in a number of channels of an RF radio band used for the wireless communication such that the random channel is changed until the game controller is able to receive the first identification packet.

18. The method as recited in claim 15 further comprising scanning for good and potentially bad channels in a radio band comprising multiple channels used for the wireless communication connection.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the scanning uses a received signal strength indication technique.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the scanning uses a packet error rate technique.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the scanning is performed by the host.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the scanning is performed by the game controller.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising creating a channel list from the scanning.

24. For use with a gaming system, a storage medium having instructions that, when executed on the gaming system, performs acts comprising:

detecting when a host and game controller have been previously bound to one another;

establishing a wireless communication connection between the host and game controller; and

hopping through various channels using a unique frequency hopping sequence.

25. A storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the detecting comprises identifying console and controller identifiers unique to the host and game controller.

26. A storage medium as recited in claim 24, further having instructions that, when executed on the gaming system, performs acts comprising:

scanning for good and bad channels; and

using only the good channels when hopping through the various channels in the unique frequency hopping sequence.