Rhythm action game apparatus and method

• US 20060266200A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Codemasters Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Codemasters Incorporated
• Inventors: Goodwin, Simon Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 7,528,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/611
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6063 for sound processing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/40 Rhythm
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/076 for extraction of timing, tempo; Beat detection tempo display G10H2220/081; tempo control G10H2210/375
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 : Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces game background music G10H2210/026; musical game scoring or performance evaluation G10H2210/091
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/346 : Hopscotch sensing mats, i.e. including several step sensing zones, e.g. for detection of rhythmic dancing in time to background music according to stepping indications games involving music G10H2220/135; performance evaluation or scoring G10H2210/091, videogames in general A63F13/00

Abstract

A rhythm action game apparatus comprising an audio analyser adapted to analyze a music track and provide corresponding rhythm data, and a sequence generator adapted to generate game play cues according to said rhythm data. There is also disclosed a music processor comprising an audio analyser adapted to analyze a music track and provide corresponding rhythm data, and an audio post processor adapted to reconfigure the music track controlled by the rhythm data.

Claims

1. A rhythm action game apparatus comprising:

an audio analyser adapted to analyze a music track and provide corresponding rhythm data; and

a sequence generator adapted to generate game play cues according to said rhythm data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio analyser further comprises at least one beat detector.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each beat detector further comprises at least one frequency filter adapted to provide a filtered portion of said music track by isolating a predetermined frequency band of said music track.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one frequency filter is an Infinite Impulse Response filter.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the beat detector further comprises a beat resonator adapted to detect beats within the filtered portion of the music track and to determine a beat period of the detected beats of the filtered portion of the music track.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the beat resonator is further adapted to detect a phase difference between the detected beat period and further successive detected beats within the filtered portion of the music track.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the beat resonator is further adapted to provide a confidence factor, said confidence factor being indicative of the correlation between the detected beat period and further successive detected beats within the filtered portion of the music track.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the beat resonator further comprises a phase locked loop.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the audio detector further comprises a plurality of beat detectors.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the audio analyser further comprises at least one section detector, said section detector being adapted to detect discrete sections within the music track.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one section detector detects sections from the confidence factor of the at least one beat resonator.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the audio analyser further comprises a correlator, adapted to provide a plurality of outputs for use in generating a dance or other sequence of cues for response, dependent upon weighted values of the outputs of the plurality of beat detectors and the at least one section detector.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the correlator further comprises a neural network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a dance controller, adapted to alter parameters of the at least one beat detector dependent upon the plurality of outputs from the correlator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a memory adapted to store predetermined dance data, and wherein the sequence generator generates cues for responses from said dance data stored in said memory according to said rhythm data.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audio input device, for supplying music tracks to said audio analyser for analysis.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audio pre-processor, adapted to process the music track prior to input into the beat detectors.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the audio pre-processor processes the music track to produce a delta wave output corresponding to the difference between a left and a right stereo channel of said music track.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an input device adapted to detect inputs from a user and a comparator, adapted to compare said input from a user with the generated cues for responses and provide an output dependent upon the difference between the two.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an audio post processor adapted to reconfigure the music track controlled by the rhythm data in response to the comparison of the input data with the generated cues for responses.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the audio post processor filters the left and right stereo channels to produce a rotating sound field.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

means for detecting an unique identification parameter of said music track; and

a static memory for storing said unique identification parameter.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a identification comparator, adapted to compare a plurality of stored unique identification parameters with a detected unique identification parameter of a selected music track.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the unique identification parameter is any one of a checksum of a music track data file, a hash value derived from a table of contents of a source medium containing the music track, or a catalogue number embedded in said source medium.

29. A computer readable medium comprising computer program code adapted to provide the apparatus of claim 1, when put into effect on a suitably equipped computer or game console.

25. A music processor comprising

an audio analyser adapted to analyze a music track and provide corresponding rhythm data;

and

an audio post processor adapted to reconfigure the music track controlled by the rhythm data.

26. A music processing system comprising an audio analyser, adapted to analyze a music track and provide corresponding rhythm data, wherein the audio analyser comprises:

at least one Infinite Impulse Response filter;

a resonator uniquely associated with a one of the at least one frequency filter; and

a correlator for providing rhythm data on the basis of the outputs of the frequency filters and resonators.

27. A rhythm action game apparatus adapted to analyze an audio signal provided by a user and to generate a sequence of cues for responses on the basis of that analysis.

28. A method of producing cues for responses in a rhythm action game, comprising:

analysing a music track to provide rhythm data corresponding to detected beats within the music; and

generating a sequence of game play cues for response according to said rhythm data.

30. A computer readable medium carrying computer program code adapted to provide a rhythm action game upon execution on suitably equipped computer, comprising:

an audio analyser element, adapted to analyze a music track and provide corresponding rhythm data; and

a sequence generator element, adapted to generate game play cues according to said rhythm data.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 30, wherein the audio analyser element further comprises at least one beat detection component.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein each beat detection element further comprises at least one frequency filter element, adapted to provide a filtered portion of said music track by isolating a predetermined frequency band of said music track.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the at least one frequency filter element is an Infinite Impulse Response filter.