INPUT SYSTEM ENABLING CONNECTION OF EVEN EXPANSION EQUIPMENT FOR EXPANDING FUNCTION, THAT TRANSMITS RELATIVELY LARGE AMOUNT OF DATA, TO PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20100262718A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: IKENO, Koji, Yamazaki, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• 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 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• 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 13/428 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 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection

Abstract

A processor determines whether a prescribed period of time has elapsed or not. When the processor has determined that the prescribed period of time has elapsed, the processor determines whether a mode 0 is set or not. When it is determined that the mode 0 is set, a wireless packet including remote controller button data, remote controller acceleration data and remote controller DPD data is generated. Then, the generated wireless packet is transmitted to a game device. When the processor has determined that a mode 1 is set, a wireless packet including remote controller information including the remote controller button data and the remote controller acceleration data and biological information including previous pulse wave data, present pulse wave data and light reception level data, instead of the remote controller DPD data, is generated.

Claims

1. An input system constituted of peripheral equipment for transmitting data to an information processing device and expansion equipment that can be connected to said peripheral equipment,

said peripheral equipment including

a first data generation unit for generating first input data, and

a communication unit capable of transmitting a prescribed amount of transmission data to said information processing device,

said expansion equipment including an expansion equipment data generation unit for generating expansion equipment data, and

said communication unit transmitting, in a first mode, said first input data generated by said first data generation unit in such a manner that it is included in said transmission data, and transmitting, in a second mode, said expansion equipment data input from said expansion equipment in such a manner that it is included in said transmission data, instead of said first input data.

2. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said peripheral equipment further includes a second data generation unit for generating second input data, and

said communication unit transmits, in said first mode, said first and second input data in such a manner that they are included in said transmission data, and transmits, in said second mode, said second input data generated by said second data generation unit and said expansion equipment data in such a manner that they are included in said transmission data.

3. The input system according to claim 2, wherein

said communication unit has a transmission data generation unit for generating said transmission data, and

in a third mode, said transmission data generation unit generates reduced expansion equipment data obtained by reducing a data amount of said expansion equipment data input from said expansion equipment and generates said transmission data including said first and second input data and said reduced expansion equipment data.

4. The input system according to claim 2, wherein

said second input data is acceleration data.

5. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said communication unit establishes wireless communication with said information processing device.

6. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said expansion equipment and said peripheral equipment are connected through a wire to each other.

7. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said communication unit has a transmission data generation unit for generating said transmission data, and

in a third mode, said transmission data generation unit generates reduced expansion equipment data obtained by reducing a data amount of said expansion equipment data input from said expansion equipment and generates said transmission data including said first input data and said reduced expansion equipment data.

8. The input system according to claim 6, wherein

said expansion equipment data includes compensation data for compensating for data, and

said transmission data generation unit generates, in said third mode, said reduced expansion equipment data without including said compensation data.

9. The input system according to claim 6, wherein

said expansion equipment data generation unit outputs, as said expansion equipment data, a plurality of pieces of data in accordance with a sampling frequency that can be adjusted in response to an instruction to said peripheral equipment, and

said transmission data generation unit indicates adjustment of said sampling frequency of said expansion equipment.

10. The input system according to claim 6, wherein

said expansion equipment data is constituted of a plurality of pieces of data each constituted of a plurality of bits, and

said transmission data generation unit generates said reduced expansion equipment data in which the number of bits in each piece of data has been reduced.

11. The input system according to claim 6, wherein

said reduced expansion equipment data is smaller in a data amount than said expansion equipment data.

12. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said first input data is coordinate indication data.

13. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said peripheral equipment includes an image pick-up portion for obtaining picked-up image data, and

said first input data is the picked-up image data itself obtained by said image pick-up portion or data obtained by subjecting the picked-up image data obtained by said image pick-up portion to prescribed operation processing.

14. The input system according to claim 1, wherein

said expansion equipment data is biological information data.

15. An information processing system, comprising:

an information processing device,

operation equipment for said information processing device; and

expansion equipment that can be connected to said operation equipment,

said operation equipment including

an operation data generation unit for generating operation data,

a coordinate indication data generation unit for generating coordinate indication data, and

a communication unit capable of transmitting a prescribed amount of transmission data to said information processing device,

said expansion equipment including an expansion equipment data generation unit for generating expansion equipment data, and

said communication unit transmitting, in a first mode, said operation data generated by said operation data generation unit and said coordinate indication data generated by said coordinate indication data generation unit in such a manner that they are included in said transmission data, and transmitting, in a second mode, said operation data and said expansion equipment data input from said expansion equipment in such a manner that they are included in said transmission data, instead of said coordinate indication data.