Display tester for game machine

• US 6,128,008 A
• Filed: 07/23/1998
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Sales Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ogawa, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/121,305
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/904, 702/117, 702/119, 702/120, 702/123, 702/108
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/273 Tester hardware, i.e. output processing circuits G06F11/263 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/904 Display with fail/safe testing feature

Abstract

A game machine display testing apparatus reduces man-hours required to test a newly developed or altered game machine display to a great extent. A library (14) generates commands as transmission data to be transmitted to a game machine display 200. The transmission data is displayed on a table provided on a transmission data display unit 38 so that required data can be selected. The selected data is transmitted to the game machine display 200. An image formation CPU emulation unit 16 executes an image formation program that is held in an image formation program holder 17. The image formation program extracts required data from the image data that is held in an image data holding unit 18 and uses the extracted image data so as to compose images that correspond to the generated transmission data. The image formation program then displays the composed images onto a screen 12 of the game machine display testing apparatus that is emulating the game machine display, and extracts image data from the screen 12.

Although the present invention has been explained in reference to the embodiment, it is apparent for those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as clear from the following claims.

Claims

1. A game machine display testing apparatus comprising:

a library holding means for holding a library which generates commands to be supplied from a game machine main control apparatus to a game machine display;

a transmission data generating means for generating transmission data to be transmitted to the game machine display using the library;

a transmission data display means for displaying on a table the generated transmission data;

a transmission data selecting means for selecting required data from the displayed transmission data; and

a transmission controlling means for controlling transmission of the selected transmission data to the game machine display.

2. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the library holding means is a transmission data generation library holding unit for holding a set of data sequences which become a basis for patterns to be displayed on a screen of the game machine display;

the transmission data generating means is a transmission data generating unit for generating a set of transmission data sequences in a form identical to that of commands to be supplied from the game machine main control apparatus;

the transmission data display means is a transmission data display unit that is displayed on a personal computer screen;

the transmission data selecting means has a frame for designating one of a plurality of transmission data to be displayed on the transmission data display means, a pointer shift key for shifting a position of the frame, and a key for designating a transmission speed of the designated transmission data and frames to be transmitted; and

the transmission controlling means has a send-key for discontinuing supply of transmission data to the game machine display, a data transmission directing unit which switches a supply destination of transmission data when the send-key is operated, and a data transmission control unit which controls transmission of the transmission data in accordance with a direction supplied from the data transmission directing unit.

3. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a program holding means for holding an image composition means program for composing images to be displayed on the game machine display;

an image data holding means for holding image data to be used to compose the images;

an image composition emulating means for emulating the image composition means, executing the program being held in the program holding means, extracting required data from the image data being held in the image data holding means, and composing images that correspond to the selected transmission data; and

a display controlling means for emulating the game machine display, and displaying the composed images on a screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

4. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the program holding means is a program ROM equivalent file holding unit for holding a machine language, a content of the machine language being identical to that of a program ROM of the game machine display;

the image data holding means is an image ROM equivalent file holding unit for holding image data, a content of the image data being identical to that of an image ROM of the game machine display;

the image composition emulating means is an image formation CPU emulation unit for emulating functions of an image formation CPU of the game machine display; and

the display controlling means has;

a VDP emulation unit for emulating functions of a VDP of the game machine display; and

a screen picture plotting preparation unit for selecting data on sprites to be turned on from data supplied from the VDP emulation unit, and displaying only the selected data onto the screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

5. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an image data extracting means for extracting a data of an image displayed on the screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

6. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the image data extracting means is a BMP file composition unit for extracting as a file a bit map data of the image being displayed on the screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

7. A game machine display testing apparatus comprising:

a library holding means for holding a library which generates commands to be supplied from a game machine main control apparatus to a game machine display;

a transmission data generating means for generating transmission data to be transmitted to the game machine display using the library;

a transmission data display means for displaying on a table the generated transmission data;

a transmission data selecting means for selecting required data from the displayed transmission data;

a program holding means for holding an image composition means program which composes images to be displayed on the game machine display;

an image data holding means for holding image data to be used to compose the images;

an image composition emulating means for emulating the image composition means, executing the program being held in the program holding means, extracting required data from the image data being held in the image data holding means, and composing images that correspond to the selected transmission data; and

a display controlling means for emulating the game machine display, and displaying the composed images on a screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

8. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the library holding means is a transmission data generation library holding unit for holding a set of data sequences which become a basis for patterns to be displayed on the screen of the game machine display;

the transmission data generating means is a transmission data generating unit for generating a set of transmission data sequences which are identical in form as commands to be supplied from the game machine control apparatus;

the transmission data display means is a transmission data display unit that is displayed on a personal computer screen;

the transmission data selecting means has a frame for designating one of a plurality of transmission data which are displayed on the transmission data display means, a pointer shift key for shifting a position of the frame, and a key for designating a transmission speed of the designated transmission data and frames to be transmitted;

the program holding means is a program ROM equivalent file holding unit for holding a machine language, a content of the machine language being identical to that of a program ROM of the game machine display;

the image data holding means is an image ROM equivalent file holding unit for holding image data, a content of the image data being identical to that of an image ROM of the game machine display;

the image composition emulating means is an image formation CPU emulation unit for emulating functions of an image formation CPU of the game machine display; and

the display control means has a VDP emulation unit for emulating functions of a VDP of the game machine display, and a screen picture plotting preparation unit for selecting data on sprites to be turned on from data supplied from the VDP emulation unit, and displaying only the selected data onto the screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

9. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an image data extracting means for extracting the data of the image being displayed on the screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.

10. A game machine display testing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the image data extracting means is a BMP file composition unit for extracting as a file a bit map data of the image being displayed on the screen of the game machine display testing apparatus.