Input device and game system including the input device

• US 8,409,005 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Hideyasu, Sakai, Toyokazu, Mito, Yasushi, Shimizu, Hidekazu, Takahashi, Hyogo, Ikeuchi, Miho, Horie, Ryo, Hayasaka, Hiroshi, Takada, Hiroyuki, Saeki, Shigeharu, Nasuhara, Naoko, Inami, Tomohiro, Aono, Takuya, Yokoyama, Kazunori, Aoshima, Nayuta, Shamoto, Masayuki, Iikawa, Takehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US13/388,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20120135806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36- 39, 463/46, 463/47
• US Class Current: 463/37
• 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 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• 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 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/342 for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces game background music G10H2210/026; musical game scoring or performance evaluation G10H2210/091

Abstract

An input device is provided which can input operations corresponding to play techniques used in stringed instruments. A guitar controller (10), which comprises a body part (31), a neck part (32) extending from the body part (31) and a head part (33) provided at the front end of the neck part (32), has, in the head part (33), a triaxial acceleration sensor (40) that can detect accelerations.

Claims

1. A music game system, comprising:

an input device imitating a stringed instrument, the input device being located within an operational space and including a body portion, a neck portion extending from the body portion, a head portion provided to a leading end of the neck portion, and an acceleration device that can detect acceleration of the input device; and

an operation guiding device that (i) instructs operation of the input device to a player by determining a plurality of operation moments of the input device included in a predetermined time period from a current time toward a future time in a piece of music being played in a game, (ii) displays an operation instruction sign corresponding to each of the plurality of determined operation moments and an operation reference sign corresponding to the current time arranged in a layout along a time axis on a game screen, and (iii) produces a relative displacement between the operation reference sign and each operation instruction sign according to progress of time in the piece of music so that a location of each operation instruction sign coincides with a location of the operation reference sign at the moment along the time axis that the respective operation moment of the input device is expected;

wherein the operation guiding device includes a motion guiding device that (i) instructs the player to perform a predetermined motion of the input device by displaying a motion instruction sign corresponding to a moment at which the player should carry out the predetermined motion of the input device, displayed in the layout along the time axis on the game screen, and (iii) produces a relative displacement between the motion instruction sign and the operation reference sign according to the progress of time in the piece of music so that a location of the motion instruction sign coincides with a location of the operation reference sign at the moment along the time axis that the predetermined motion is expected, wherein the predetermined motion defines a motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device between two positions located within the operational space.

2. The music game system according to claim 1, wherein the input device imitates a guitar as the stringed instrument.

3. The music game system according to claim 1, wherein a triaxial acceleration detecting device that can detect the acceleration in directions of three axes orthogonal to each other including an extending direction of the neck portion is used as the acceleration detecting device.

4. The music game system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device is a rotation of the neck portion such that the neck portion is directed upright.

5. The music game system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device is a horizontal rotation of the head portion.

6. The music game system according to claim 1, where the predetermined motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device is a motion of the input device along a vertical axis in accordance with a jump of a player.

7. A music game system comprising:

an input device provided with at least one operation portion for imitating a stringed instrument, the input device being located within an operational space and including a body portion, a neck portion extending from the body portion, a head portion provided to a leading end of the neck portion; and

an acceleration device that can detect acceleration of the input device; and

a display device that outputs and displays a game screen;

an audio output device that outputs and plays back game sounds;

a music composition data storage device that stores music composition data for playing back music;

a music playback device that plays back the music from the audio output device based on the music composition data;

a sequence data storage device that stores sequence data describing operation moments of the operation portion during the game; and

an operation guiding device that (i) instructs operation of the input device to a player by determining a plurality of operation moments of the input device included in a predetermined time period from a current time toward a future time in a piece of music being played in a game, (ii) displays an operation instruction sign corresponding to each of the plurality of determined operation moments and an operation reference sign corresponding to the current time arranged in a layout along a time axis on a game screen, and (iii) produces a relative displacement between the operation reference sign and each operation instruction sign according to progress of time in the piece of music so that a location of each operation instruction sign coincides with a location of the operation reference sign at the moment along the time axis that the respective operation moment of the input device is expected;

wherein the operation guiding device includes a motion guiding device that (i) instructs the player to perform a predetermined motion of the input device by displaying a motion instruction sign corresponding to a moment at which the player should carry out the predetermined motion of the input device, displayed in the layout along the time axis on the game screen, and (iii) produces a relative displacement between the motion instruction sign and the operation reference sign according to the progress of time in the piece of music so that a location of the motion instruction sign coincides with a location of the operation reference sign at the moment along the time axis that the predetermined motion is expected, wherein the predetermined motion defines a motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device between two positions located within the operational space.

8. The music game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined motion includes a motion in a Y-axis direction which is parallel to an upper face of the body portion and orthogonal to the extending direction of the neck portion.

9. The music game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined motion includes a motion in a Z-axis direction which is orthogonal to an upper face of the body portion and orthogonal to the extending direction of the neck portion.

10. The music game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined motion includes a motion of the head portion from a position beside the player to a position in front of the player.

11. The game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined motion includes a motion for moving the neck portion from such a position that the neck portion extends toward a side of the player into such a position that the neck portion extends upward in a vertical direction.

12. The music game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device is a rotation of the neck portion such that the neck portion is directed upright.

13. The music game system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device is a horizontal rotation of the head portion.

14. The music game system according to claim 7, where the predetermined motion of the input device detected by the acceleration device is a motion of the input device along a vertical axis in accordance with a jump of a player.