Target video game avoiding erroneous counts

• US 4,205,847 A
• Filed: 11/23/1977
• Issued: 06/03/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Loewe OPTA GmbH (Loewe Technologies GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Loewe OPTA GmbH (Loewe Technologies GmbH)
• Inventors: Wahl, Peter, Steiger, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Hum, Vance Y.
• Application Number:
  US05/854,228
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 273/85 G, 273/1 E, 273/101.1, 273/101.2, 273/DIG. 28, 358/142, 358/93
• US Class Current: 463/5
• 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 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• 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 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

A target videogame employing a screen with a moving light spot symbol and a target detector. A frequency selective circuit is provided for selecting the electrical signals generated by the light entering a photosensor in the target detector according to their frequency relationship with respect to the line scanning and frame scanning frequency.

Claims

1. A videogame including a line and frame scanned television receiver comprising:

a circuit for generating a light spot symbol on a line-scanned screen of a television receiver;

a target detector directable to the light spot symbol moving on the screen;

a photosensor incorporated in the target detector for receiving light energy emitted from the light spot on the screen;

a trigger arm attached to the target detector for actuating a switch which controls signals to be sent to the television display set through cables or wireless transmission;

an output stage of the target detector for sending signals which are modulated by the frequency selected light pulses for a hit of the target and which are unmodulated for a direction missing shot;

an input stage for receiving the signals sent by the output stage;

an amplification stage for amplifying the signals received from the input stage;

a pulse converter stage connected to the amplification stage for generating a pulse of a first duration for an incoming modulated signal and for generating a pulse of a second duration different from the first duration for an incoming unmodulated signal;

integration stages with different time constants to which the pulses from the pulse converter are fed for providing a control signal when the pulses surpass a defined threshold;

and counting and display stages for receiving control signals from the integration stages and for counting and displaying the occurrences of hits and shots wherein said counting stage comprises electronic counters including evaluation circuits for counting these signals for registering a hit if the time cycle coincides for actuating the trigger arm of the target detector and for the pulse resulting from conversion of the light impinging on the photosensor and for registering a shot corresponding to actuation of the trigger arm and which causes the moving light spot on the screen to extinguish automatically when a hit occurs, said moving light spot being modulated with the line scanning and frame frequency; and

a frequency selective circuit for selecting and evaluating the electrical signals generated by the light received in the photosensor of the target detector when the direction of the target detector coincides with the moving light spot symbol such that only pulses of the light spot symbol with the frequency of the line or frame scanning are transmitted to the evaluation circuits.

2. The videogame according to claim 1 comprising:

a demodulator which is fed with the line scanning frequency selected signals from the photosensor;

a switching stage controlled by the demodulator and receiving pulses with frame scanning frequency; and

a coincidence stage for comparing the signal from the switching stage with the pulse resulting from the actuation of the trigger arm and the following switch and providing signals to be emitted by a transmitting stage.

3. The videogame according to claim 1 comprising:

a demodulator which is fed with the line scanning frequency selected signals from the photosensor;

a switching stage controlled by the demodulator and receiving pulses with frame frequency; and

a modulator connected to the trigger arm switch which modulator provides either scanning line frequency or frame frequency modulated signals depending on the time of triggering or which provides a continuous signal during the time of actuation of the trigger if a selected signal from the photosensor is not present.

4. The videogame according to claim 1, wherein the integration stage for storing the impulses corresponding to the modulated signal comprises an input monoflop circuit which is provided with such a small time element suitable for preventing the pulse derived from the unmodulated signal from being stored in the integrators.

5. The videogame according to claim 1, wherein the target detector is shaped like a gun.

6. The videogame according to claim 1, wherein the target detector is shaped like a rifle.

7. The videogame according to claim 1, wherein the photosensor is a photodiode.