Electronic game machine and main body apparatus and controllers used therein

• US 5,558,577 A
• Filed: 05/25/1995
• Issued: 09/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Shuhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/450,843
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 273/434, 273/435, 273/438, 273/148 B, 273/85 G, 273/DIG. 28, 364/410, 345/156-158, 345/161, 345/1, 340/825.03, 340/825.71, 340/825.72, 340/825.73, 340/825.74, 340/825.77
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• 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 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0382 Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

To present an electronic game machine simple in constitution and excellent in extendability. A main body apparatus comprises an interface having one port and connectors connected in parallel to this one port. Connectors have corresponding capacitors setting channel numbers to corresponding connectors based on different capacitive values. The controllers detect the channel numbers assigned thereto according to the capacitors relating to the corresponding connectors. The I/O circuit sends out read commands including channel numbers to the controllers through port. The controllers detect whether the channel included in the read command coincides or not with the channel number detected. The controller transmits the signal showing its own operation status to the interface when a coincidence condition is detected.

Claims

1. An electronic game machine comprising a main console having a plurality of connectors, and a plurality of controllers detachably connected to corresponding ones of the plurality of connectors, wherein said main console comprises:

a central processing unit,

an I/0 circuit relaying signals between said central processing unit and said connectors, and having a port to which the connectors are connected in parallel relative to each other, and

a plurality of channel number specifying means corresponding to said connectors, for defining different parameters corresponding to different channel numbers associated with said connectors;

and wherein each controller comprises;

channel number detecting means for detecting the channel number associated with said controller, said detection based upon said channel number specifying means corresponding to said corresponding one of the connectors;

and wherein said I/O circuit comprises;

read command sending means for sending a read command including one of said channel numbers to each controller through the port; and

each of said controllers further comprises;

coincidence detecting means for detecting whether said one channel number included in the read command coincides with the channel number associated with said controller as detected by said channel number detecting means, and

operation status signal transmitting means for transmitting an operation status signal to the I/O circuit when said coincidence detecting means detects the coincidence of channel numbers.

2. An electronic game machine of claim 1, wherein said I/O circuit and connectors are connected by one data signal line, and

the read command from the I/O circuit and the operation status signal from each controller are transmitted serially in two directions by said data signal line.

3. An electronic game machine of claim 1, wherein each of said channel number specifying means is a corresponding capacitor for setting channel numbers having individually different capacitive values, and

said channel number detecting means detects the channel number by measuring the time constant when charging the corresponding capacitor.

4. A main console of an electronic game machine having a plurality of connectors to which a plurality of controllers are correspondingly detachably connected comprising:

a central processing unit,

an I/O circuit for relaying signals between said central processing unit and said connectors, and having a port to which the connectors are connected in parallel relative to each other, and

a plurality of channel number specifying means corresponding to said connectors, for defining different parameters corresponding to different channel numbers associated with said connectors;

wherein each controller detects the channel number associated with said controller, on the basis of said channel number specifying means of said corresponding connector,

and wherein said I/O circuit comprises;

read command sending means for sending a read command including one of said channel numbers to each controller through the port; and

each controller transmits an operation status signal to said I/O circuit when the channel number included in the read command coincides with the channel number associated with said controller.

5. Controllers detachably connected to a plurality of connectors provided in a main console of an electronic game machine, comprising:

a plurality of channel number specifying means defining different parameters corresponding to different of said connectors provided in said main body apparatus,

channel number detecting means for detecting a defined channel number corresponding to one of said connectors,

means for supplying a read command including a reference channel number corresponding to one of said connectors to receive the read command,

coincidence detecting means for detecting whether the channel number included in the read command coincides with the defined channel number detected by the channel number detecting means, and

operation status signal transmitting means for transmitting an operation status signal to said main console, in response to a detection by said coincidence detecting means of a coincidence between the reference channel number and the defined channel number.

6. A video game system comprising:

a main console having a main processor to run the video game and at least one I/O port to which a plurality of connectors each relay status signals, each connector having an element uniquely identifying the respective connectors to the I/O port; and

a plurality of controllers having status switches, the controllers detachably connected to respective ones of the plurality of connectors to provide said respective ones of the plurality of connectors with said status signals.

7. A video game system according to claim 6, wherein the elements uniquely identifying the respective connectors are capacitors of differing values.

8. A video game system according to claim 6, further comprising an I/O circuit connected to the main processor and having the I/O port.

9. A video game system according to claim 6, whereby the controllers are connected through the respective connectors to the elements uniquely identifying the respective connectors, and whereby each controller includes a detector to identify the connector to which the controller is attached based on the element of said connector.

10. A video game system according to claim 6, further including a tap having a tap port to which a plurality of tap connectors each relay status signals, each tap connector having an element uniquely identifying the respective tap connectors.

11. A video game system according to claim 10, whereby the tap is detachably connected to one of the connectors of the main console, and whereby the elements uniquely identify all connectors and tap connectors.