Operating device and image processing system using same

• US 7,126,584 B1
• Filed: 01/08/1999
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Mitsunori, Koshima, Kazuo, Nishiumi, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, DAVID LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/227,350
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-166, 463/37, 463/38, 463/2, 463/5, 463/40, 463/44
• US Class Current: 345/161
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 : by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 : for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 : for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8005 : Athletics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 : Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/0474 : characterised by means converting mechanical movement into electric signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04759 : Light-sensitive detector, e.g. photoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04777 : with additional push or pull action on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 : the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 : using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 : Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 : Force feedback applied to a joystick
• 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: G06F 3/016 : Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 : Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 : Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 : Perspective computation

Abstract

An operating device is connected to an image processing apparatus that generates image data to be displayed on a display according to a program. The operating device supplies a signal for providing variation to the image data to be generated by the image processing apparatus. A joystick includes a lever and a disc interlocked therewith so that the rotation of the disc is detected by a photo-interrupter. The pulse from the photo-interrupter is counted by a counter, which counter is reset depending upon a reset signal. The reset signal is supplied to the counter when three of buttons are simultaneously depressed, or when a power supply is turned on, or otherwise from a CPU of the image processing apparatus.

Claims

1. For use with a video game system console having a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program to create a display simulating a three-dimensional world, and a portable storage device having a memory for storing video game instructions including instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to display a player-controlled object and for causing said player controlled object to move at various different speeds, a player controller comprising:

a joystick control member;

detecting circuitry for generating joystick data indicative of the amount of joystick angular inclination and inclined direction;

processing circuitry for responding to a command from said game program executing processing system to transmit said joystick data to said game program executing processing system, whereby said game program executing processing system is operable to determine the direction and speed for said player controlled object.

2. A player controller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said video game program executing processing system is operable to display a plurality of player controlled objects and is operable to respond to said angular inclination data to select one of said player controlled objects for game play.

3. A player controller in accordance with claim 1, further including a removable expansion device having a data bus coupled thereto, said data bus being operable to transmit data to said expansion device received from said game program executing processing system.

4. A player controller in accordance with claim 3, wherein said expansion device includes a memory.

5. A player controller in accordance with claim 1, wherein said detecting circuitry includes a first counter indicative of joystick inclination with respect to a first axis and a second counter indicative of joystick inclination with respect to a second axis.

6. A player controller in accordance with claim 1, wherein instructions in said portable storage device memory control said game program executing processing system to display the object in one of an acceleration mode and a deceleration mode.

7. For use with a video game system having a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program to create a display simulating a three-dimensional world, and at least one player controller having a joystick control member, detecting circuitry for generating joystick data indicative of the amount of joystick angular inclination and inclined direction and processing circuitry for processing commands from said video game executing processing system, said video game executing processing system responding to data generated by said player controller to modify said display, a portable storage device for controlling the operation of said video game system console comprising:

a memory media for storing video game instructions and graphics data;

a connector for coupling said video game instructions and said graphics data from said memory media to said video game system console;

said video game instructions including instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to send a command to said player controller to transmit said joystick data indicative of the amount of joystick angular inclination and inclined direction to said game program executing processing system and to cause said game program executing processing system to control the direction and speed of said player controlled object based upon the angular inclination and inclined direction of said joystick control member.

8. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 7, wherein said player controller includes a removable expansion device having a data bus coupled thereto, said data bus being operable to transmit data to said expansion device received from said game program executing processing system, and wherein said instructions in said memory media include instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to send a command to said player controller to send data to said expansion device.

9. A player controller in accordance with claim 8, wherein said instructions in said memory media include instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to send a command to said player controller to retrieve data from said expansion device.

10. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 8, wherein said expansion device includes a memory.

11. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 7, wherein said detecting circuitry includes a first counter indicative of joystick inclination with respect to a first axis and a second counter indicative of joystick inclination with respect to a second axis and where said joystick data transmitted to said game program executing processing system is obtained from said first counter and said second counter.

12. A portable storage device in accordance with claim 7, wherein instructions in said portable storage device memory control said game program executing processing system to display the object in one of an acceleration mode and a deceleration mode.

13. For use with a video game system console having a game program executing processing system for executing said video game program to create a display simulating a three-dimensional world, and at least one player controller having a joystick control member, said video game executing processing system responding to data generated by said player controller to modify said display, a portable storage device for controlling the operation of said video game system console comprising:

a memory media for storing video game instructions and graphics data;

a connector for coupling said video game instructions and said graphics data from said memory media to said video game system console;

said video game instructions including instructions for causing said game program executing processing system to display a plurality of player-controlled objects each having a distinctive associated motion characteristic and instructions to respond to changes in the joystick position to control the selection of one of said plurality of player-controlled objects having a distinctive motion characteristic, wherein at least one distinctive motion characteristic is the maximum speed at which a player-controlled object is able to appear to move.

14. A portable storage device according to claim 13, wherein instructions in said memory media control said game program executing processing system to select one of said plurality of player-controlled objects in response to detecting the angle of inclination of said joystick.

15. A portable storage device according to claim 13, wherein instructions in said memory media control said game program executing processing system to output a command to the controller requesting operating state data.

16. A portable storage device according to claim 15, wherein instructions in said memory media control said game program executing processing system to respond to said operating state data received from said player controller to determine the amount of inclination of the joystick.

17. A portable storage device according to claim 13, wherein instructions in said memory media control said game program executing processing system to calculate the moving speed of a displayed object for a current display frame in response to joystick amount of inclination data and to store said moving speed.

18. A portable storage device according to claim 13, wherein instructions in said memory media control said game program executing processing system to compare the actual moving speed of a displayed object in a previous frame with a predetermined speed.