GAME CONTROLLER

• US 20170354868A1
• Filed: 02/02/2017
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: KANEKO, Kazumasa, OKAMURA, Takanori, YAMAGUCHI, Masaya
• Granted Patent: US 10,441,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

An example of a game controller includes within a housing a first substrate on a front surface and a second substrate on a back surface. On a front surface of the first substrate, switches for various operation buttons are provided, and on a back surface of the first substrate, an NFC antenna is provided. Further, on a second substrate, a control circuit for controlling contactless communication performed using the NFC antenna, a control circuit for controlling operation data indicating whether or not the operation buttons are pressed, and the like are placed.

Claims

1. A game controller capable of reading data from an external storage device through contactless communication, the game controller comprising:

a first substrate provided in a housing; and

a second substrate provided in the housing and placed closer to a back surface of the game controller than the first substrate is, wherein

an antenna used for the contactless communication is placed on the first substrate.

2. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

the antenna is placed on a back surface of the first substrate.

3. The game controller according to claim 2, wherein

a switch for detecting an operation on an operation button is provided on a front surface of the first substrate.

4. The game controller according to claim 3, wherein

the switch is placed at a position corresponding to a region included in the housing and surrounded by the antenna.

5. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

a control circuit for controlling the contactless communication is placed on the second substrate.

6. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

an analog stick is placed on a front surface of the second substrate.

7. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

when the first substrate and the second substrate are projected onto a plane parallel with a front of the game controller, the projected first substrate overlaps at least a part of the projected second substrate.

8. The game controller according to claim 1, wherein

when the switch and the antenna are projected onto a plane parallel with a front of the game controller, the projected switch is placed in a region surrounded by the projected antenna.