Display device, game system, and game method

• US 8,814,686 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Takeda, Genyo, Kawai, Eizi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/541,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20120270651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31, 463/39, 463/40
• US Class Current: 463/39
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• 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 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/209 characterized by low level software layer, relating to hardware management, e.g. Operating System, Application Programming Interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller

Abstract

An example game system includes a home-console type game device, a controller device, and a portable display device. The portable display device includes an infrared emitter capable of emitting infrared light. The controller device wirelessly transmits to the game device operation image data from an image-capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data. The game device receives the operation data from the controller device, and performs game processes based on the operation data. Moreover, the game device compresses first game images, which are generated based on the game processes, to generate compressed image data. The compressed image data is wirelessly transmitted to the portable display device. The portable display device receives the compressed image data from the game device, expands the compressed image data to obtain the game images, and displays the game images.

Claims

1. A game system comprising a game device, a controller device and a portable display device,

the game device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive operation data from the controller device;

a game processor configured to perform game processes based at least in part on the operation data;

an image processor configured to generate first game images based on the game processes;

a compression circuit configured to compress the first game images to generate compressed image data; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the compressed image data to the portable display device,

the controller device comprising;

an image-capturing section configured to detect infrared light;

an inertia sensor;

at least one operation button; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes one or more of image-related data from the image capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data,

the portable display device comprising;

a first infrared emitter;

a receiver configured to receive the compressed image data from the game device;

a decompression circuit configured to expand the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

a display configured to display the first game images obtained by the decompressing.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein:

the game system further comprises a second infrared emitter;

the image processor is configured to generate second game images based on the game processes; and

the game device further comprises;

an output configured to output the second game images to an external display device which is separate from the portable display device; and

the game processor is configured to control light emission of the second infrared emitter.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein:

the game system includes two controller devices; and

the game processor is configured to perform the game processes based at least in part on operation data received from the two controller devices.

4. The game system according to claim 2, wherein the game processor is configured to control light emission of the second infrared emitter and the first infrared emitter in accordance with the game processes.

5. The game system according to claim 4, wherein:

the game processor is configured to generate control data representing control instructions for light emission of the first infrared emitter;

the transmitter of the game device is configured to wirelessly transmit the control data to the portable display device;

the portable display device further comprises a receiver configured to receive the control data from the game device; and

the first infrared emitter is configured to operate based on the received control data.

6. A portable display device capable of wirelessly communicating with a game device, wherein:

the game device receives image-related data from a controller device including an image-capturing section configured to detect infrared light, and to transmit, to the portable display device, compressed image data which is obtained by compressing game images generated based on game processes performed based at least in part on the image-related data; and

the portable display device comprises;

an infrared emitter;

a receiver configured to receive the compressed image data from the game device;

a decompression circuit configured to decompress the compressed image data to obtain the game images; and

a display configured to successively display the game images obtained by the decompressing.

7. The portable display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a touch panel provided on the display;

an inertia sensor; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit to the game device operation data including one or more of touch panel data and inertia sensor data, wherein the game device is configured to perform game processes based at least in part on the operation data.

8. The portable display device according to claim 6, wherein:

the game device is configured to wirelessly transmit game sounds generated based on the game processes to the portable display device; and

the receiver of the portable display device is configured to receive the game sounds from the game device; and

the portable display device further comprises a speaker configured to output the received game sounds.

9. The portable display device according to claim 6, wherein:

the portable display device further comprises a microphone; and

the transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit sound data detected by the microphone to the game device.

10. The portable display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a camera; and

a compression section configured to compress camera images captured by the camera to generate compressed captured image data,

wherein the transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit the compressed captured image data to the game device.

11. The portable display device according to claim 6, comprising:

a plurality of front surface operation buttons provided on a front surface of the portable display device, on which the display is provided, at least first and second ones of the front surface operation buttons being disposed on opposite sides of the display; and

first and second direction input devices configured to specify directions, provided on the front surface on opposite sides of the display,

wherein the operation data further comprises one or more of front surface operation button data and direction input device data.

12. The portable display device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of back surface operation buttons provided on a back surface of the portable display device opposite to a front surface of the portable display device, on which the display is provided; and

a plurality of side surface operation buttons provided on a side surface extending between the front surface and the back surface,

wherein the operation data further comprises one or more of back surface operation button data and side surface operation button data.

13. The portable display device according to claim 6, further comprising a magnetic sensor,

wherein the operation data further comprises magnetic sensor data.

14. The portable display device according to claim 6, wherein the inertia sensor includes a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis gyrosensor.

15. The portable display device according to claim 6, wherein the decompression circuit comprises a codec.

16. The portable display device according to claim 6, further comprising a connector configured to connect the portable display device to another device.

17. The portable display device according to claim 6, wherein the display comprises a touch-screen.

18. A game method carried out in a game system comprising a game device, a controller device and a portable display device, wherein:

the portable display device comprises a first infrared emitter;

the controller device includes an image-capturing section configured to detect infrared light from at least a second infrared emitter, an inertia sensor and at least one operation button, and to wirelessly transmit operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes one or more of image-related data from the image-capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data;

the method comprising the game device performing operations comprising;

receiving operation data from the controller device;

performing game processes based at least in part on the operation data;

generating first game images based on the game processes;

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data; and

wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the portable display device; and

the method further comprises the portable display device performing operations comprising;

receiving the compressed image data from the game device;

decompressing the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

displaying the first game images obtained by the decompressing.

19. A game system comprising a game device, a controller device and a portable display device,

the game device comprising a processing system and a memory in communication with the processing system, the memory storing a program which is executable by the processing system to cause the processing system to perform operations comprising:

generating first game images based at least in part on operation data received from the controller device,

compressing the first game images to generate compressed image data, and

wirelessly transmitting the compressed image data to the portable display device,

the controller device comprising;

an image-capturing section configured to detect infrared light;

an inertia sensor;

at least one operation button; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the operation data to the game device, wherein the operation data includes one or more of image-related data from the image capturing section, inertia sensor data, and operation button data,

the portable display device comprising;

an infrared emitter;

a receiver configured to receive the compressed image data from the game device;

a decompression circuit configured to decompress the compressed image data to obtain the first game images; and

a display configured to display the first game images obtained by the expansion.