Control unit and system utilizing the control unit

• US 7,314,413 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2003
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ono, Akihisa, Ogata, Hiroki, Akazawa, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US10/660,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20040048665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a system including a machine capable of retrieving data from a recording medium and of executing a program retrieved from the recording medium in response to an instruction given by an operator to the machine. Particularly, the invention relates to a system which comprises of such machine and a control unit connected to the machine for controlling the machine. The control unit includes: a housing; a pair of diverging grips which are molded integral with said housing and are supportable by both palms of the operator; a plurality of finger-manipulatable controllers mounted on the housing; and a vibration motor mounted within at least one of the grips via a adapter. The vibration motor includes: a casing; a freely rotatable shaft supported by the casing; an eccentric member, mounted on the shaft, having a rotor mounted on the shaft and a plurality of coils mounted on the rotor. Accordingly, when the coils are activated by the electric current, the motor is set in vibration caused by the rotation of the eccentric member. The vibrations of the motor is transmitted to the operator via the grips, thereby providing the operator with enhance virtual reality in the game.

Claims

1. A control unit for communicating with a main unit, comprising a grip supportable by a palm of an operator, an operation button formed on part of said grip, a circuit for transmitting a signal generated in response to an operation of the operation button to the main unit, and a vibration motor located inside the grip, said vibration motor having a casing that consists of a flattened cylindrical upper element and a disk-shaped button plate.

2. The control unit of claim 1 wherein said vibration motor is mounted in a generally parallelpiped motor adapter that is mounted on a relatively flat surface of said grip adjacent said operation button.

3. The control unit of claim 2 wherein said generally parallelpiped motor adapter has plates surrounding said vibration motor and wherein said plates are perpendicular to the relatively flat surface.

4. The control unit of claim 1 further comprising another grip supportable by a palm of the operator.

5. The control unit of claim 4 wherein at least one of the grips is provided with a finger-manipulatable button for pivotal movement.

6. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said finger-manipulatable button is movable toward the flat surfaces of said flattened cylindrical upper element of said vibration motor.