Game system

• US 7,635,301 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SSD Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ueshima, Hiromu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Peter Dung Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel; Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US10/511,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20050176485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 463 2- 5, 463/7, 463/50, 463/202, 463 36- 39, 463/30, 463/31, 473198-200, 473221-225, 473/459, 473/461
• US Class Current: 463/3
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

A tennis game system includes a game machine connected to a television set via an AV cable, and a racket-shaped input device for inputting operation to the game machine. A game player instructs a ball striking player to strike a ball on a monitor screen by operating the racket-shaped input device. At this time, a game processor included in the game machine calculates a predicted return position of a ball returned by the opposite player, compares a current position of the ball striking player with the predicted return position, and judges whether the predicted return position is within a ball strikable range for the ball striking player. If a judgment means judges that the predicted return position is out of the ball strikable range, a ball striking position movement means, i.e. the game processor moves the ball striking position.

Claims

1. A game system including a game machine and an input device, under which a player plays a game having a rally state using said input device, wherein during the rally state,

said input device comprises an acceleration sensor for generating an acceleration correlation signal when said player actually swings said input device in a real space, and a transmission unit for transmitting said generated acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

and

said game machine displays a ball on a monitor screen through execution of a game program in which a CPU player character controlled by a computer program plays against a player character controlled by said player, and further comprises;

a first calculation unit for calculating a predicted return position of said ball returned by said CPU player character;

a judgment unit for judging whether a current position of said player character is in a ball strikable range by comparing said predicted return position and the current position of said player character;

a ball striking position movement unit for automatically moving a ball striking position of said player character to be approximated to said predicted return position in which said judgment unit judges that the current position is out of the ball strikable range, wherein the ball striking position of said player character remains at the current position if the current position is within the ball strikable range, and is always moved to be approximated to said predicted return position when the current position is out of the ball strikable range without inactivating said player character to allow said player to continue participating the game;

a swing detection unit for detecting whether said input device has been actually swung or not; and

a second calculation unit for calculating an initial speed vector of said ball after received when said swing detection unit has detected a swing in which the position of said ball exists in a ball receivable range that is three-dimensionally defined, from a position of said ball and acceleration of said input device according to said acceleration Correlation signal, wherein the initial speed vector is calculated based on coordinates of said ball on the screen and a magnitude of a swing of said input device.

3. A game system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

said input device further includes an operating switch;

said transmission unit transmits an operation signal from said operating switch together with said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine; and

said game machine further comprises a position movement unit for moving said ball striking position on said monitor screen from forward position to backward position or from backward position to forward position, in response to said operation signal transmitted from said input device.

4. A game system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said transmission unit of said input device includes an infrared light-emitting element for transmitting said acceleration correlation signal by means of infrared light.

5. A game system according to claim 4, wherein

said transmission unit digital-modulates and transmits said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

and

said game machine digital-demodulates said acceleration correlation signal transmitted by said transmission unit.

2. A game system including a game machine and two or more input devices, under which two or more players play a game having a rally state using said input devices, wherein during the rally state,

said input devices each comprise an acceleration sensor for generating an acceleration correlation signal when one of said players actually swings said input device in a real space, and a transmission unit for transmitting said generated acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

said game machine runs a game program in which said two or more players play the game and displays said ball on a monitor screen, and further comprises;

a first calculation unit for calculating a predicted return position of a ball returned by an opposite player character controlled by one of said players;

a judgment unit for judging whether a ball striking player character controlled by another of said players is in a ball strikable range by comparing said predicted return position and a current position of said ball striking player character;

a ball striking position movement unit for automatically moving a ball striking position for said ball striking player character to be approximated to said predicted return position when said judgment unit judges that the current position is out of the ball strikable range, wherein the ball striking position of said ball striking player character remains at the current position if the current position is within the ball strikable range, and is always moved to be approximated to said predicted return position when the current position is out of the ball strikable range without inactivating said ball striking player character to allow said two or more players to continue participating the game;

a swing detection unit for detecting whether said input device has been actually swung or not; and

a second calculation unit for calculating an initial speed vector of said ball after received when said swing detection unit has detected a swing in which the position of said ball exists in a ball receivable range that is three-dimensionally defined, from a position of said ball and acceleration of said input device according to said acceleration correlation signal.

6. A method for controlling a game having a rally state displayed on a game machine and played by a player using an input device, the gaming machine comprising a processor and the input device, during the rally state, the method comprising:

generating an acceleration correlation signal when said player actually swings said input device in a real space;

transmitting said generated acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

displaying, by the game machine, a ball on a monitor screen through execution via the processor of a game program in which a CPU player character controlled by a computer program plays against a player character controlled by said player;

calculating, via the processor, a predicted return position of said ball returned by said CPU player character;

judging via the processor, whether a current position of said player character is in a ball strikable range by comparing said predicted return position and the current position of said player character;

automatically moving, via the processor, a ball striking position of said player character to be approximated to said predicted return position in which said judgment unit judges that the current position is out of the ball strikable range, wherein the ball striking position of said player character remains at the current position if the current position is within the ball strikable range, and is always moved to be approximated to said predicted return position when the current position is out of the ball strikable range without inactivating said player character to allow said player to continue participating the game;

detecting, via the processor, whether said input device has been actually swung or not; and

calculating, via the processor, an initial speed vector of said ball after received when a swing is detected in which the position of said ball exists in a ball receivable range that is three-dimensionally defined, from a position of said ball and acceleration of said input device according to said acceleration correlation signal, wherein the initial speed vector is calculated based on coordinates of said ball on the screen and a magnitude of a swing of said input device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

said input device includes an operating switch and a transmitting unit, the transmitting unit transmits an operation signal from said operating switch together with said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine, and

wherein the method further comprises moving, via the processor, said ball striking position on said monitor screen from forward position to backward position or from backward position to forward position, in response to said operation signal transmitted from said input device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said input device includes transmitting unit having an infrared light-emitting element for transmitting said acceleration correlation signal by means of infrared light.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

said transmission unit digital-modulates and transmits said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

and

said game machine digital-demodulates said acceleration correlation signal transmitted by said transmission unit.

10. A method for controlling a game having a rally state displayed on a game machine played by two or more players using two or more input devices, the game machine comprising a processor and the two or more input devices, during the rally state, the method comprising:

generating acceleration correlation signals when the two or more players actually swing said two or more input devices in a real space;

transmitting said generated acceleration correlation signals to said game machine, wherein said game machine runs a game program in which said two or more players play the game and displays a ball on a monitor screen;

calculating, via the processor, a predicted return position of a ball returned by an opposite player character controlled by one of said players;

judging, via the processor, whether a ball striking player character controlled by another of said players is in a ball strikable range by comparing said predicted return position and a current position of said ball striking player character;

automatically moving, via the processor, a ball striking position for said ball striking player character to be approximated to said predicted return position when said judgment unit judges that the current position is out of the ball strikable range, wherein the ball striking position of said ball striking player character remains at the current position if the current position is within the ball strikable range, and is always moved to be approximated to said predicted return position when the current position is out of the ball strikable range without inactivating said ball striking player character to allow said two or more players to continue participating the game;

detecting, via the processor, whether said two or more input devices have been actually swung or not; and

calculating, via the processor, an initial speed vector of said ball after received When a swing is detected in which the position of said ball exists in a ball receivable range that is three-dimensionally defined, from a position of said ball and acceleration of said input device according to said acceleration correlation signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein

each of said input devices includes an operating switch and a transmission unit;

said transmitting unit transmits an operation signal from said operating switch together with said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine, and

wherein the method further comprises a position movement unit for moving said ball striking position on said monitor screen from forward position to backward position or from backward position to forward position, in response to said operation signal transmitted from said input device.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein each of said input devices includes a transmission unit having an infrared light-emitting element for transmitting said acceleration correlation signal by means of infrared light.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein

said transmission unit digital-modulates and transmits said acceleration correlation signal to said game machine;

and

said game machine digital-demodulates, via the processor, said acceleration correlation signal transmitted by said transmission unit.