Game apparatus using a video display device

• US 5,662,523 A
• Filed: 07/07/1995
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Original Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Inventors: Shimamura, Kazunari, Takano, Nobuyuki, Yasumaru, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/499,298
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 463/5-7, 463/1-2, 463/30-31, 463/34-38, 463/49, 463/51-52, 273/148 B, 273/DIG. 17, 273/DIG. 28, 434/29, 434/55, 434/43, 434/307 R, 434/58, 434/365, 434/62, 455/6.3, 446/230-231, 345/3-6, 345/8, 472/59-61, 472/68, 472/70, 472/130, 472/133, 472/135, 340/500, 340/515, 340/540, 340/323 R, 395/152, 395/154, 359/458, 359/462, 353/7-8
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• 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 13/54 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• 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 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/17 Head mounted

Abstract

The present invention relates to a game apparatus using a video display device especially a game apparatus that displays an interactive video with a co-driver, particularly a virtual reality video. The game apparatus having a video display device of the present invention comprises, as the basic elements, a plurality of video display devices for displaying a video watched by each of the plurality of players, a plurality of player control units for controlling the video display of the corresponding video display device and an position sensor device for detecting the positions or the movements of the players. Base on the position information of one player detected by the position sensor device, the player control units for the other players control the corresponding video display device to give some change to the displaying video watched by the other players.

Claims

1. A game apparatus for a plurality of players comprising:

a plurality of video display devices provided to each of said players for displaying video which is watched by each of the players;

a position sensor device for detecting the position of each of the players and for outputting a position information signal for each of the players; and

a plurality of player control units, operatively connected to each of said video display devices and said position sensor devices, for controlling said video display of the corresponding video display devices;

wherein, in response to said position information signal of a first player detected by said position sensor device, said player control units for each of the other players control corresponding video display devices to provide a video picture of the first player in the displaying video watched by at least some of each of the other players with any corresponding change of the first player video picture based on a movement of the first player.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players board;

a driver structure provided under the simulated vehicle for moving the simulated vehicle; and

a control unit for controlling the driver structure so as to provide the simulated vehicle with a predetermined movement in synchronous with the content of the displaying video of the video display device.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of player control units are connected in tandem through communication lines, and the position information signal of said one player detected by said position sensor device is sent to the player control units through said communication lines sequentially.

4. A game apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players board;

a driver structure provided under the simulated vehicle for moving the vehicle; and

a control unit for controlling the driver structure so as to provide the simulated vehicle with a predetermined movement in synchrony to the content of the displaying video of the video display device.

5. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of head mounted display devices, one head mounted display device mounted on each head of the players;

said video display device being installed in the corresponding head mounted display device and having a pair of monitors provided in front of a pair of eyes of the player; and

said position sensor device having a plurality of position information generation devices, one each installed in each of the head mounted display devices, for generating a detected output which includes a change in a predetermined magnetic field based on a movement of the player, said position sensor device detecting the movement of the player based on the detected output from the position information generation device.

6. A game apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players board;

a driver structure provided under the simulated vehicle for moving the simulated vehicle; and

a control unit for controlling the driver structure so as to provide the simulated vehicle with a predetermined movement in synchrony to the content of the displaying video of the video display device.

7. A game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

each of said plural player control units further comprises first and second control device for controlling each of the pair of monitors,

each of the first and second control devices comprises a program memory for storing a game program, a central processing unit operatively connected to the game memory for executing said game program, and a video memory connected to the central processing unit, and

each of the first and second control devices controls the video display of the corresponding monitor according to said game program.

8. A game apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players board;

a driver structure provided under the simulated vehicle for moving the simulated vehicle; and

a control unit for controlling the driver structure so as to provide the simulated vehicle with a predetermined movement in synchrony to the content of the displaying video of the video display device.

9. A game apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the pair of monitors displays video based on video data of two-dimensional coordinates which is converted from polygon data of three-dimensional coordinates through projection of the polygon data on a two-dimensional plane perpendicular to a cone of vision for each vantage point of the eyes.

10. A game apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players board;

a driver structure provided under the simulated vehicle for moving the simulated vehicle; and

a control unit for controlling the driver structure so as to provide the simulated vehicle with a predetermined movement in synchrony to the content of the displaying video of the video display device.

19. A game apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players board;

a driver structure provided under the simulated vehicle for moving the simulated vehicle; and

a control unit for controlling the driver structure so as to provide the simulated vehicle with a predetermined movement in synchrony to the content of the displaying video of the video display device.

11. A game apparatus for a plurality of players comprising:

a simulated vehicle for having the players on board;

a driver structure provided with the simulated vehicle for moving the imitated vehicle;

a plurality of head mounted display devices provided for being mounted respectively, one on each head of the players;

a plurality of video display devices, each of which is installed in said head mounted display devices, having a pair of monitors provided in front of a pair of eyes of the player;

a position sensor device having a plurality of position information generation devices, installed in each of said head mounted display devices, for generating a detected output according to the position of the head of the player, and a position sensor unit, operatively connected to said position information generation devices, for receiving said detected output and outputting a position information signal for each of the players;

a plurality of player control units, each player control unit operatively connected to one of said video display devices and said position sensor unit and operatively connected to each other, for providing a video signal to the corresponding video display device and for sharing said position information signal for each of the players;

said player control unit further having a memory storing a game program, and executing said game program in synchronous with each other player control unit so as to output said video signal based on said game program;

wherein according to said position information signal of a first player received from said position sensor unit, said player control unit for each of the other players is provided with said video signal for displaying an image of the first player so that the image of the first player changes based on a movement of the head of the first player; and

a driver control device, operatively connected to said player control units, for controlling said driver structure in synchronous with said execution of the game program.

12. A game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said plural player control units are connected in tandem through communication lines, and the position information signal of said one player is sent from said position sensor unit to one of the player control units and is further sent to the player control units through said communication line sequentially.

13. A game apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said position sensor unit generates said position information signal in a packet format which includes position information signals for a plurality of players, and said packet formatted signal is transferred among said player control units through said communication lines.

14. A game apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said drive control device is connected in a tandem network of the player control units, and each of said player control units provide control data for the movement of the simulated vehicle and adds said control data into said packet formatted signal so that the driver control device receives said movement control data.

15. A game apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said driver control device is connected in a tandem.

16. A game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in response to said position information signal of the first player, said player control unit provided for the first player provides said video signal so that the displaying video for the first player changes based on the movement of the head of the first player.

17. A game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said head mounted display device for each player further comprises a microphone and a speaker which are operatively connected to the player control unit for each of the other players so that each player communicates to each other through said microphone and speaker.

18. A game apparatus for a plurality of players to simulate a common video experience that can be subjectively modified by each player, comprising:

a plurality of video display devices, one for each player, each video display device providing a display screen that covers the eyes of the viewing player and presents a video scene;

means for determining the relative position of each of the players'"'"' heads and providing corresponding position signals; and

means for generating video images on the video display device including a simulated video image of each of the other players that are positioned in the video scene in response to the position signal, and a video scene that is presented relative to the position signal of the viewing player'"'"'s head, whereby the viewing player can alter the video scene by movement of the viewing player'"'"'s head and can be aware of the orientation of the other players'"'"' heads by their simulated video images in the video scene.

20. The game apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the video display devices include a head-mounted display device and a microphone and a speaker wherein a player can communicate with another player.

21. The game apparatus according to claim 20 further including means for generating audio, the audio being varied in response to a corresponding position signal.

22. The game apparatus according to claim 20 further including a support member having a plurality of seats for the players and means for moving the support member in coordination with the video scene.

23. The game apparatus according to claim 21 wherein each head mounted display device has a monitor provided for each eye of a player to provide a difference in parallax for providing three-dimensioned video images.

24. The game apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the means for generating video images includes a player control unit for each player having a first computer unit for providing video images to a right eye and a second computer unit for providing video images to a left eye.

25. The game apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the means for generating video images includes:

a player control unit for each player having a first control device with a first computer for providing video images to a right eye and a second control device with a second computer for providing video images to a left eye, the first control device further comprising;

a sound source circuit means for providing sound;

polygon parameter memory for storing video data;

a display video coordinate conversion circuit means for creating video images from the stored video data; and

a polygon paint execution circuit means for providing color to the video images;

the first control device, in response to the position signal which includes data on each player, generating both sound and video images for the right eye of the player.