System for remotely controlling a movable object

• US 5,723,855 A
• Filed: 06/19/1995
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hayashida, Kohichi, Yamaoka, Shingo, Kusuda, Kazuhiro, Oh, Ketsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Stephone B.
• Application Number:
  US08/491,797
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.1, 250/206.1, 250/221, 250/222.1, 178/18, 446/444, 446/454, 463/58
• US Class Current: 250/206.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/14 Racing games, traffic games, or obstacle games characterised by figures moved by action of the players racing games using dice A63F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

A system for remotely controlling a movable object includes a drive controller which is provided on the movable object and controls the driving of the movable object in accordance with movement data; an emitter device which is attached to a movable object movable and emits light; a light sensor which receives light emitted from the emitter device to produce light data; a processor which calculates a position of the emitter device attached to the movable object based on the light data from the light sensor; a movement data generator which generates a movement data for the movable object in accordance with the position calculated by the processor; and a movement data sender which sends the generated movement data to the drive controller provided on the movable object.

Claims

1. A racing game system for remotely controlling a movable object comprising:

a drive controller, disposed on the movable object, for controlling driving of the movable object in accordance with movement data;

an emitter device, disposed on the movable object, for emitting light;

a light sensor for receiving light emitted from the emitter device and producing light data;

a processor for calculating a position of the emitter device based on the light data from the light sensor;

a movement data generator means for randomly selecting a predetermined race development data from a plurality of predetermined race development data and generating the movement data for the movable object in accordance with the position calculated by the processor and said randomly selected predetermined race development data; and

a movement data sender for sending the generated movement data to the drive controller.

2. A racing game system according to claim 1, wherein the emitter device is a light emitting element.

3. A racing game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the light sensor includes a lens for focusing a light image on a surface of the light sensor; and

the processor includes a corrector for correcting the calculated position of the emitter device by a possible distortion of the light image by the lens.

4. A racing game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the emitter device is operable to emit light in a frequency band outside a frequency band of visible light; and

the light sensor is operable to receive only light in the frequency band of the light emitted by the emitter device.

5. A racing game system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined race development data consists of a goal position data and a speed data.

6. A racing game system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined race development data is selected from a plurality of kinds of race development data.

7. A racing game system according to claim 1, further comprising an emitter controller for controlling the emitter device to emit light at a specified time.

8. A racing game system according to claim 7, wherein:

the emitter controller directs the emitter device to emit light when the movable object is at a predetermined position for the movable object; and

the processor further identifies the movable object based on the light emission at the predetermined position.

9. A racing game system according to claim 7 wherein:

the emitter device includes a first emitter and a second emitter and the emitter controller has means for controlling the first and second emitters to emit light at different times when the movable object is at a predetermined position for the movable object; and

the processor has means for detecting a running direction of the movable object based on the light data produced by said light sensor in response to the respective light emissions of the first and second emitters at the predetermined position.

10. A racing game system according to claim 1, wherein the processor includes:

a memory for storing the light data from the light sensor in a storage area of the memory;

a designator for designating a portion of the storage area of the memory;

a reader for reading the light data within the designated portion of the storage area; and

a calculator for calculating a position of the movable object based on the read light data.

11. A racing game system according to claim 10, wherein:

the light sensor includes an area sensor provided with photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a matrix; and

the calculator includes;

a counting portion for counting a number of photoelectric conversion elements which have received light from the emitter device based on the light data read by the reader;

a coordinate value accumulating portion for accumulating coordinate values of the photoelectric conversion elements counted by the counter in the memory; and

a calculating portion for calculating a position of the emitter device based on the counted number and the accumulated coordinate values.

12. A racing game system according to claim 10, wherein the designator designates a next portion based on a currently calculated position of the emitter device.

13. A racing game system according to claim 10, wherein the designator includes:

a moved amount calculating portion for calculating a moved amount of the emitter device based on the calculated position of the emitter device; and

a designating portion for designating a next portion based on a currently calculated position of the emitter device and the calculated moved amount.

14. A system for remotely controlling a movable object comprising:

a drive controller, disposed on the movable object, for controlling driving of the movable object in accordance with movement data;

an emitter device for emitting light disposed on the movable object;

a light sensor for receiving light emitted from the emitter device and producing light data;

a processor for calculating a position of the emitter device based on the light data from the light sensor;

a movement data generator for generating the movement data for the movable object in accordance with the position calculated by the processor;

a movement data sender for sending the movement data to the drive controller disposed on the movable object;

an emitter controller for controlling the emitter device to emit light at a specified time;

the emitter device including a first emitter and a second emitter attached to the movable object and the emitter controller having means for controlling the first and second emitters to emit light at different times when the movable object is at a predetermined position for the movable object; and

the processor having means for detecting a running direction of the movable object based on the light data produced by said light sensor in response to the respective light emissions of the first and second emitters at the predetermined position.

15. A system for remotely controlling a movable object comprising:

a drive controller, disposed on the movable object, for controlling driving of the movable object in accordance with movement data;

an emitter device for emitting light disposed on the movable object;

a light sensor for receiving light emitted from the emitter device to produce light data;

a processor for calculating a position of the emitter device based on the light data from the light sensor;

a movement data generator for generating the movement data for the movable object in accordance with the position calculated by the processor;

a movement data sender for sending the movement data to the drive controller disposed on the movable object;

the processor including;

a memory for storing the light data from the light sensor in a storage area of the memory;

a designator for designating a portion of the storage area of the memory;

a reader for reading the light data within the designated portion of the storage area; and

a calculator for calculating a position of the movable object based on the read light data.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein:

the light sensor includes an area sensor having photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a matrix; and

the calculator includes;

a counting portion for counting a number of photoelectric conversion elements which have received light from the emitter device based on the light data read by the reader;

a coordinate value accumulating portion for accumulating coordinate values of the photoelectric conversion elements counted by the counter in the memory; and

a calculating portion for calculating a position of the emitter device based on the counted number and the accumulated coordinate values.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the designator designates a next portion based on a currently calculated position of the emitter device.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein the designator includes:

a moved amount calculating portion for calculating a moved amount of the emitter device based on the calculated position of the emitter device; and

a designating portion for designating a next portion based on a currently calculated position of the emitter device and the calculated moved amount.

19. A racing game apparatus comprising:

movable objects each having;

a drive controller for controlling movement of the respective movable object in accordance with movement data; and

an emitter device for emitting light;

a platform having racing area on which the movable objects are moved;

a light sensor device for receiving light emitted from said emitter devices to produce light data;

a processor for calculating positions of the movable objects based on the light data from the light sensor;

a movement data generator means for randomly selecting a predetermined race development data from a plurality of predetermined race development data and generating the movement data for each of the movable objects in accordance with the positions calculated by the processor and said randomly selected predetermined race development data; and

a movement data sender for sending the generated movement data to each one of the drive controllers provided on the respective movable objects.

20. A system for remotely controlling a movable object comprising:

a drive controller, disposed on the movable object, for controlling driving of the movable object in accordance with movement data;

an emitter device for emitting light disposed on the movable object;

a light sensor for receiving light emitted from the emitter device and producing light data;

a processor for calculating a position of the emitter device based on the light data from the light sensor;

a movement data generator for generating the movement data for the movable object in accordance with the position calculated by the processor;

a movement data sender for sending the movement data to the drive controller;

an emitter controller for controlling the emitter device attached to the movable object to emit light at a specified time; and

the emitter device including a first emitter and a second emitter and the emitter controller having means for controlling the first and second emitters to emit light.