Ski simulator

• US 6,582,300 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Original Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Tatsuya, Sugimori, Yuji, Inoue, Hideki, Sugawara, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): Enatsky, Aaron L.
• Application Number:
  US09/887,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20010049322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/6, 463/7, 463/30, 463/32, 463/36, 273/441, 273/444, 273/445, 482/70, 482/71, 482/79, 482/146, 482/901, 482/902, 434/253
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0644 with display speed of moving landscape controlled by the user's performance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/18 for skiing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/807 Gliding or sliding on surfaces, e.g. using skis, skates or boards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/302 specially adapted for receiving control signals not targeted to a display device or game input means, e.g. vibrating driver's seat, scent dispenser
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8041 Skating using skis, skates or board

Abstract

A game machine executes a game program in response to a control signal given by rotating imitation mechanism driven by a player to display an object corresponding to the player on a display device. The game machine includes a rotation detector, a control unit, and a display for displaying the ski course with the trace of the skis according to the display data of the trace generated by the control unit.

Claims

1. A game machine, executing a game program in response to a control signal given by operating imitation means by a player and displaying an object corresponding to the player, comprising:

an imitation operation detector for detecting a direction and a degree of operation of the imitation operation means and generating the control signal;

a control unit for obtaining current position data of said object on a course from course data and the control signal, generating polygon data showing a track of said object according to said position data, and generating display data of the tracks for displaying on a display screen according to said generated polygon data of the tracks; and

a display for displaying said tracks of the object with the course according to said display data of the tracks generated by said control unit.

2. A game machine, executing a game program in response to a control signal given by rotating imitation operation means by a player to display an object corresponding to the player on a display device, comprising:

a rotation detector for generating the control signal by detecting a rotation of the imitation operation means;

a storage medium for storing at least position data, predetermined width data, and inclination data on a plurality of passing points of a predetermined route on a course;

a control unit for obtaining position data showing a current position of the object on said course according to data of the course and the control signal, detecting said position is out of the predetermined width of the course, obtaining a progress vector of a direction where the object'"'"'s position is close to the predetermined route, and generating a driving signal for driving the imitation operation means according to said progress vector; and

an imitation operation means driver for rotatably driving the imitation operation means according to said driving signal of the imitation operation means generated by said control unit.

3. A game machine in which a game program is executed in response to a control signal given by rotating imitation operation means by a player to display an object corresponding to the player on a display device, comprising:

a rotation detector for generating the control signal by detecting a rotation of the imitation operation means;

a storage medium for storing at least position data, predetermined width data, and inclination data on a plurality of passing points of a predetermined ski course;

a control unit for obtaining position data showing the current position of the player on said course according to data of the course and the control signal, detecting that said position is corresponding or is close to that of an obstacle on said course, obtaining a progress vector of a direction where the player'"'"'s position is close to the predetermined route, and generating a driving signal for driving the imitation operating means according to said progress vector; and

a driver for rotatably driving the imitation operating means according to said driving signal generated by said control unit.

4. A game machine, executing a game program in response to a control signal given by rotating imitation operating means by a player to display an object corresponding to the player on a display device, comprising:

an imitation operating means rotation detector for generating the control signal by detecting a direction of the imitation operating mean;

a storage medium for storing at least position data on a plurality of passing points on a predetermined course, predetermined width data on said passing points of said course and inclination data on said course;

a control unit for obtaining position data showing the current position of the player on said course according to data of course and the control signal, detecting that said position is corresponding to or is close to that of an obstacle on said course, obtaining a new progress vector for reducing a difference of an angle between the progress vector of the player and an ideal progress vector towards a direction for tying the passing points, and generating a driving signal for driving the imitation operating means according to said progress vector; and

a driver for rotatably driving the imitation operating means according to said driving signal generated by said control unit.

5. A machine in which a game program is executed in response to a control signal given by rotating imitation operating means by a player to display an object corresponding to the player on a display device, comprising:

an imitation operating means rotation detector for generating the control signal by detecting a rotation of the imitation operating means;

a storage medium for storing at least course data having data of a predetermined route on a course;

a control unit for obtaining position data showing the current position of the player on said course according to said control signal and generating the driving signal of the imitation operating means to move said position to the predetermined route; and

a driver for rotatably driving the imitation operating means according to said driving signal on the imitation operating means generated by said control unit.

6. A game machine in which a game program is executed in response to a control signal given by operating imitation operation means by a player to display an object corresponding to the player, comprising:

a storage medium for storing at least course data having data of a predetermined route on a course;

a control unit for obtaining position data showing a current position of the object on a course according to the control signal and generating a driving signal of the imitation operation means to move said position to the predetermined route; and

a driver for driving the imitation operation means according to said driving signal generated by said control signal.