Movement Information Processing System

• US 20080146329A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konami Sports & Life Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Sports & Life Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Toyama, Motoki, Kodama, Mitsuru, Okubo, Toru, Oishi, Toshimitsu
• Application Number:
  US11/886,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20080146329A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00047 Exercising devices not moving during use benches A63B21/4029; isometric exercising devices A63B21/0023; step exercisers A63B23/0458; walk exercisers A63B23/0464
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/10 Multi-station exercising machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2244/22 Dancing
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0458 Step exercisers without moving parts with movable steps A63B22/04
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• 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 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• 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 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 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 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/208 for storing personal settings or data of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/401 : Secure communication, e.g. using encryption or authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 : using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 : using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 : generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 : Music games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 : involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console

Abstract

The movement information processing system of the present invention includes a screen 5 which displays via a projector 6 guide images GG which induces stepping movements of the feet of players on mats 30 and mats for players where each of the mats 30 detects the stepping position and the stepping movement of each player with respect to the guide images GG. The detected results are evaluated by an evaluation means 116, 120 via a communication section 16 and the evaluation results are displayed on the screen with an image presentation processing control section 112. The system provides exercise guide images that induce players a variety of movements in a highly recognizable manner regardless of the number of players.

Claims

1. A movement information processing system comprising:

a control unit adapted to present, on a single presentation unit, a guide image for giving instruction for various movements to a plurality of players; and

a plurality of terminal units prepared in accordance with the number of the players, and each adapted to detect a movement of an associated one of said players,

wherein;

each of said terminal units includes

a first communication section operable to transmit a result on said detection of the movement of said associated player, to said control unit; and

said control unit includes

a second communication section operable to receive a signal indicative of said detection result from said first communication section in each of said terminal units,

evaluation means operable, based on said detection result signal received by said second communication section, to evaluate the movement of the player relative to each of said terminal units, and

annunciation means operable to provide a result on said evaluation to an annunciation section so as to annunciate said evaluation result.

2. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said presentation unit is combined with said annunciation section.

3. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said control unit includes presentation control means to present said guide image on said presentation unit, said presentation control means being operable to create a plurality of presentation regions for presenting contents related to respective ones of said terminal units, on an image screen of said presentation unit, in a personalized manner with respect to each of said terminal units, and present information about a movement state of the player relative to each of said terminal unit, in a corresponding one of said presentation regions.

4. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 3, wherein said presentation control means includes layout setting means operable, according to said evaluation result obtained by said evaluation means, to set respective positions of said presentation regions on said image screen of said presentation unit.

5. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 2, which includes event annunciation means operable, when the evaluation result obtained by said evaluation means for a specific one of said terminal units meets a predetermined condition, to identify said specific terminal unit, and execute a special attraction for said evaluation result.

6. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 5, wherein said event annunciation means is operable to execute said special attraction on said presentation unit using an image.

7. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 5, wherein said event annunciation means includes voice output means adapted to output said special attraction using voice.

8. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 5, which includes linking means operable to set a correspondence between identification information of each of said terminal units, and identification information of each of the players, which includes player'"'"'s name information, wherein said event annunciation means is operable to annunciate with the inclusion of said player'"'"'s name information during said special attraction.

9. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 5, wherein:

said first communication section has a signal-receiving function;

said second communication section has a signal-transmitting function;

said control unit is operable, when the evaluation result obtained by said evaluation means for a specific one of said terminal units meets said predetermined condition, to transmit to said specific terminal unit a signal for giving an instruction to execute said special attraction; and

each of said terminal units includes motivational annunciation means having at least one of a light generation section, a sound generation section and a vibration generation section, said terminal unit being operable, when it receives said signal for giving an instruction to execute said special attraction, through said first communication section, to instruct said event annunciation means to perform an annunciation operation for said special attraction.

10. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said evaluation means includes response evaluation means operable to evaluate a response of the player relative to each of said terminal units, to said guide image.

11. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 1, which includes a guide information storage section, and a speaker, wherein:

said guide information storage section is adapted to store said guide image in association with each of a plurality of music pieces;

said guide image is a pre-produced image for giving instruction for player'"'"'s stepping in at least one of a frontward/rearward direction and a rightward/leftward direction;

said speaker is adapted to output one or more of said music pieces selected from said guide information storage section;

said presentation control means is operable to present said guide image for giving instruction for said player'"'"'s stepping, in synchronization with output ones of said music pieces; and

each of said terminal units has a mat shape which is formed with two or more stepping regions on at least one of a front/rear side and a right/left side relative to a home position set at a predetermined position, each of said stepping regions being provided with a sensor adapted to detect a stepping movement independently.

12. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 11, wherein said evaluation means includes an exercise-amount evaluation section adapted to evaluate an exercise amount of the player associated with each of the terminal units, based on a result on said detection of the stepping movement against said sensor.

13. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 12, wherein:

said exercise-amount evaluation section is operable to summate the evaluation of the exercise amount of the player associated with each of the terminal units; and

said annunciation means is operable to present a result on said summation when the exercise is completed.

14. The movement information processing system as defined in claim 1, which includes one or more image-taking units disposed to take individual images in positions corresponding to respective ones of said terminal units, wherein:

said presentation control means is operable to additionally present the images taken by a specific one of said image-taking units, on said presentation unit.