Portable game machine

• US 6,338,679 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Okada, Satoru, Nakai, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin-Wallace, Valencia
• Assistant Examiner(s): White, Carmen D.
• Application Number:
  US09/542,247
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30-31, 463/43-44
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/217 using environment-related information, i.e. information generated otherwise than by the player, e.g. ambient temperature or humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

To a CPU 10 in a portable game machine 1, a temperature detector 5 and a voltage detector 6 are connected. The temperature detector 5 detects an operating temperature of an LCD 4, and the voltage detector 6 detects a power supply voltage supplied by the LCD 4. Following a program stored in on-chip ROM 13, the CPU 10 calculates a driving voltage for the LCD 4 based on the detected temperature and voltage. At the same time, the CPU 10 selects, from among a plurality of character data items which are previously provided, at least one character data item and writes the selected data item into display RAM 11. The detected temperature and voltage each correspond to the character'"'"'s age and action. As a result, correct colors can be displayed even in a case where the LCD 4 is adopting an Electrically Controlled Birefringence method. Further the character selected based on the temperature and voltage is displayed on the LCD 4.

Claims

1. A portable game machine, comprising:

an LCD for displaying a character data item;

an LCD driver for driving said LCD;

a temperature detector for detecting an operating temperature of said LCD;

a voltage detector for detecting a voltage being supplied by a power supply of said portable game machine;

program storage for storing a program;

character data storage for storing the character data item; and

a controller for calculating, based on a program stored in said program storage, a driving voltage in said LCD driver based on the temperature detected by said temperature detector and the voltage detected by said voltage detector, and adjusting said driving voltage so that at least a part of said character data item is displayed with a predetermined color.

2. The portable game machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said character data item has predetermined colors on a dot-per-dot basis, and

said controller controls, based on the detected temperature and the detected voltage, the driving voltage in said LCD driver so that each dot of said character data item is displayed with the predetermined color.

3. The portable game machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said character data storage stores a plurality of character data items, and

said controller selects, based on the detected temperature and the detected voltage, at least one character data item from among said plurality of character data items to display said selected character data item on said LCD.

4. The portable game machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein

each of said plurality of character data items corresponds to at least one of a temperature value and a voltage value, and

said controller selects the character data item based on at least one of the detected temperature and the detected voltage for display.

5. The portable game machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a sound output system for outputting a sound data item; and

sound data storage for storing a plurality of sound data items, wherein

said controller selects, based on the detected temperature and the detected voltage, at least one sound data item from among said plurality of sound data items for output from said sound output system.

6. The portable game machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said program storage, said character data storage and said sound data storage are detachable from said portable game machine.

7. A portable game machine, comprising:

an LCD on which a display color varies depending on a temperature and a voltage;

an LCD driver for driving said LCD;

a temperature detector for detecting an operating temperature of said LCD;

a voltage detector for detecting a voltage of a power supply of said portable game machine;

character data storage for storing a character data item for a game display; and

a controller for reading the character data item stored in said character data storage and controlling a driving voltage in said LCD driver based on the temperature detected by said temperature detector and the voltage detected by said voltage detector so that said character data item is displayed on said LCD with at least a part of said character data item changed by color.

8. The portable game machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein

said plurality of character data items have predetermined colors on a dot-per-dot basis, and

said controller controls, based on the detected temperature and the detected voltage, the driving voltage in said LCD driver so that each dot of said character data item is displayed with the predetermined color.