JPH10230077A - Game device controller - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: The present invention relates to a controller of a video game device for playing a game by operating a controller and operating a video image displayed on a display device. It is an object of the present invention to be able to accurately control the position of an object. SOLUTION: At least one controller 14 is provided for operating the motion of the image. Controller 1
4 has an operation part 60 operated by the player.
The player holds the grip 50 of the operation portion 60 and moves the operation portion 60 in the front-rear direction, and a position signal corresponding to the operation portion is output from the controller 14. Grip 50
Are rotatable, and two pulse signals having a phase difference are output in response to the rotation of the grip 50. The movement of the operating part is converted into a rotary movement and converted into a voltage by the volume 106.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a controller for a game device, and more particularly, to a controller for a video game device that operates a controller to operate a video image displayed on a display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Among game devices installed in amusement centers and the like, there are known game devices such as a soccer game, a hockey game, and the like, which play a game by mechanically operating the game device by a player's operation. . For example, taking a soccer game as an example,
This type of mechanical soccer game apparatus incorporates a soccer game into a game, and is usually performed by two players. That is, since the soccer game is a game in which the opponent is played, an opponent to play is required. The two players are located on opposite sides of the game device so as to face each other.

In the above-mentioned soccer game apparatus, a soccer field like a model is provided at the center, and a plurality of small dolls shaped like soccer players are movably provided therein. From each player side of the game device, a control rod for moving a doll of its own team is operably extended. For example, when one team has five players (dolls), five operation sticks are provided on the side of the player corresponding to the team. The five operation sticks are mechanically connected to the corresponding players (dolls). Normally, the movement of the doll is linear, and if the player pushes the control rod forward, the player moves forward, that is, in the direction of the opponent's goal. Conversely, if the player pulls the control rod forward, the player will move backward, that is, toward the goal on his side. This control rod is used not only to move the player back and forth, but also to rotate the player. In other words, by vigorously rotating the player, the player imitates the action of kicking the ball by jumping the ball near the player. The player's rotation is accomplished by rotating the control rod about its longitudinal axis. Accordingly, each of the control rods is connected to the corresponding player (doll) by a mechanism that allows the corresponding player (doll) to move back and forth and rotate at any position.

[0004] Each of the players alternately controls the five players on their own side while holding five control rods, and puts the ball in the goal of the opponent's side. Therefore, the movement of the player by the operation stick is set to be sufficiently quick so that the player can immediately reach the position expected by the player. Normally, the operation rods are connected so that the amount of movement before and after the operation rod is the amount of movement of the corresponding player. That is, the movement amount of the operation stick and the movement amount of the player have a 1: 1 relationship.

[0005]

The above-mentioned conventional mechanical soccer game device or device-type hockey game device has been available as a game device for some time, and has become obsolete as a game. Recently, the mainstream of game machines has shifted to video game machines, and in this regard, the mechanical game machines as described above are becoming less popular. Therefore, it has been considered to combine the fun of the mechanical game device with the fun of the video game by incorporating the elements of the video game into such a mechanical game device. That is, in the case of the above-mentioned soccer game device, a soccer game is displayed on a monitor and a sucker game is performed while manipulating players in the video.

In a conventional video game apparatus, there is a video game apparatus such as the mechanical game apparatus described above, in which an object in a video image, for example, a character is moved to an arbitrary position in response to a player's operation quickly. Did not. A joystick type or tracking ball type controller is used in a conventional video game device. The joystick-type controller is configured so that an object (for example, a character) on an image moves in a direction in which the joystick is tilted. Generally, a contact is provided around the joystick, and an electric signal is generated by connecting a contact in a direction in which the joystick is tilted, and an image is processed by the signal. Therefore, if the joystick continues to be tilted, the movement of the object in the image is also performed continuously. However, the operation of the joystick is only between the tilted position and the neutral position. The position of the character is not directly related. In addition, when trying to move a character on the screen at high speed by such a joystick operation, there is a mismatch between the player's operation feeling and the character's moving speed, and the character cannot be controlled well. was there.

When a trackball is used, the amount of movement of the character on the video can be determined according to the amount of rotation of the trackball. However, when the character is moved at high speed similarly to the joystick, it becomes difficult to grasp the relationship between the amount of rotation of the trackball and the movement position of the character. Therefore, there has been a problem that the position of the character cannot be accurately controlled. Further, although it is possible to control the movement of a character on the screen with a trackball, it is difficult to simultaneously control other characters.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful game device which solves the above-mentioned problems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a video game apparatus which can move, for example, a character on a displayed image at high speed, and in which an operation of a player is instantaneously and accurately reflected on a position of the character on the image. To provide.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a controller for a game apparatus, comprising: a moving section which is moved by being operated by a player, and which outputs a signal indicating the position of the moving section. Provided. According to the above invention,
The game device can be quickly controlled based on the position signal from the controller. Therefore, the correspondence between the operation of the game device and the position of the moving section of the controller can be provided, and the progress of the game played on the game device can be easily controlled.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a controller for a video game apparatus for playing a game based on a video image displayed on a display device, the controller having a moving section which is operated by a player and moves. A controller for a game device, which outputs a signal indicating a position of a moving unit, is provided. According to the above-described invention, the video of the video game device can be quickly moved in response to the position signal from the controller. Therefore, it is possible to provide a correspondence between the position of the image and the position of the moving unit of the controller, and it is possible to easily control the position of, for example, a character in the image.

In the above-mentioned invention, the controller may have a rotating section that is rotated by the player, and may output a signal based on the rotation of the rotating section. Thereby, a rotation signal is output in addition to the position signal, and for example, other movements can be controlled together with the movement of the character in the video of the video game device. Further, the rotating unit may be provided in the moving unit, and the rotating unit and the moving unit may be operable at the same time. As a result, the position signal and the rotation signal are output at the same time, and for example, the movement of the character in the video of the video game device and other movements can be controlled simultaneously.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a moving unit which is operated by a player and moves linearly, and the position of the moving unit is directly proportional to the amount of linear movement of the moving unit. A controller for a game device, which outputs a position signal representing the position. According to the above invention,
Since the position signal from the controller is directly proportional to the amount of movement of the moving unit, it is possible to quickly move, for example, an image of a video game device in accordance with the position signal. Therefore,
Correspondence between the position of the image and the position of the moving section of the controller can be made directly proportional, and the position of, for example, a character in the image can be easily controlled.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a moving unit which is operated by a player and moves linearly, and a position signal representing the position of the moving unit is proportional to the amount of linear movement of the moving unit. A controller for a game device, which outputs the output and changes the proportional ratio, is provided. According to the invention described above, for example, the video of the game device is quickly moved in direct proportion to the movement in a part of the moving range of the moving part, while the proportion of the moving part is changed in a part of the moving range. It is possible to reduce the movement of the image as compared with the movement of. Thereby, delicate control of the motion of the video can be performed.

The rotating section may be provided on the moving section, and the rotating section and the moving section may be operated simultaneously.
As a result, the position signal and the rotation signal are output at the same time, and for example, the movement of the character in the video of the video game device and another movement, for example, the rotation movement can be controlled simultaneously. The controller according to the above-described invention may be configured to include a motion conversion mechanism that converts a linear motion of the moving unit into a rotary motion, and a volume that continuously changes and outputs a voltage based on the rotary motion. Thus, the position of the moving unit is converted into a rotation angle, and the volume can output a voltage corresponding to the rotation angle.

Further, the motion conversion mechanism comprises a belt connected to the moving part and a roller around which the belt is wound, and the belt is fed or wound from the roller by the movement of the moving part. Thereby, the roller may be rotated, and the operation axis of the volume may be connected to the rotation axis of the roller. Thus, the linear motion of the moving unit can be converted into the rotary motion with a simple structure using a combination of the belt and the roller, and the rotation of the operation shaft of the volume can be easily controlled.

Further, the belt may be configured to cover a moving path for moving the moving unit. Accordingly, the motion conversion belt can be used as a cover for covering the movement path, and the controller according to the present invention can be configured with a small number of parts. The rotating unit has a gear-shaped rotating plate, two photosensors for detecting rotation of teeth of the rotating plate are provided, and two pulse signals having a phase difference are output from the two photosensors. It may be. By outputting two pulse signals having a phase difference as the rotation signal, it is possible to determine the rotation direction together with the rotation amount, and for example, it is possible to give diversity to the motion of the video image of the video game device.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a video game apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The video game device 1 is a game device for playing a game imitating a soccer game. The video game device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a game device main body 10, a display device 12, and a plurality of controllers 14. The display device 12 includes a CRT monitor, and is provided on an upper portion of the game device main body 10. The display device 12 is horizontally disposed with the display surface facing upward, and is located at a height suitable for a player to view the display surface from above. As described above, the video game device 1 is a game device for playing a soccer game, and the display device 12
The image of the soccer game viewed from above is displayed on the screen.

On both sides of the display device 12, the game device body 1
A plurality of controllers 14 extending from zero are provided. In the video game device 1 shown in FIG. 1, five controllers 14 are arranged on one side, and five controllers 14 are arranged on the opposite side of the display device 12. Each controller 14 is movable in the front-rear direction as described later. Each controller 14 can be operated independently, and independently controls the movement of the corresponding character (soccer player) on the screen of the display device, as described later.

A start button 16 for starting a game is provided on the player side of the game apparatus body 10. In addition, in order to emit a sound like a real soccer game and increase the sense of reality of the game, a speaker 18 is provided toward a position where each player stands. This speaker 1
8, the operation method of the video game apparatus 1 can be explained by voice.

The game device body 10 of the video game device 1
Is provided with an operation panel 20 used in a conventional video game device. Through this operation panel 20, the player inserts, for example, coins, and selects a one-player game or a two-player game. According to the video game apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the soccer game is displayed as an image on the display device 12, so that one player can play a fictional opponent operated by a computer. In a conventional mechanical soccer game, two or more players must be present in order to play the game. However, according to the video game device of the present invention, a game requiring an opponent player, such as a soccer game, is required. Can be performed by only one player. Also, by utilizing the advantages of the video game device, the displayed video can be switched. For example, when the game ends at the same point, an operation such as switching to a screen for performing a PK game can be easily realized. Further, it is possible to switch the soccer game to another game, for example, a hockey game, and play another game.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing functions of the video game apparatus 1. In the video game apparatus 1, the position signal and the rotation signal are supplied to the electronic control unit 22 by the operation of the controller 14. The electronic control unit 22 is a control unit including an electronic circuit built in the game apparatus main body 10. The electronic control unit 22 includes the controller 1
4 generates an image signal based on the signal from the
2 changes the image displayed. That is, the signal from the controller 14 is converted into an image signal by the electronic control unit 22, and the movement of the soccer player displayed on the display device 22 is controlled. Therefore, when the player operates the controller 14, the soccer player on the video can be moved.

The video game apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is for a soccer game, and a soccer game is displayed on a display device. The soccer players are each a team of six including a goalkeeper, and five players except the goalkeeper can move in the front-back direction. The player of the game controls a soccer player in the opponent's base farther from the player and plays so as to put the ball in the opponent's goal. For example, in FIG. 2, the player A's own soccer players controlled by the player A are three players on both sides and the center in the field FA and two players on the center both sides in the field FB, that is, a total of five players and goalkeepers of their own. . The soccer players that can be controlled by the player B are five soccer players in the field FB and their own goalkeepers. The left-right position of each of the five players substantially corresponds to the left-right position of the corresponding controller, so that it can be understood at a glance which controller 14 can be moved to control which player's movement. . The moving range of each soccer player is shown in the image of the display device, and moves linearly only within this moving range. Goalkeepers can only move left and right. The movement of the goalkeeper is controlled by a controller for controlling the middle player. In other words, when the ball is in the player's own side, the player on his own side cannot play against the ball, so the rotation signal from the controller corresponding to the player on his own side is assigned to the goalkeeper's left-right movement control. I have.

As described above, the movement amount of the soccer player has a correspondence with the movement amount of the operation part 60. Here, the correspondence indicates that there is a proportional relationship between the amount of movement of the soccer player and the amount of movement of the operation portion 60, and also includes changing the ratio of the proportional relationship. The controller 14 is provided with an operation part 60 (corresponding to a moving part) including the grip 50, and the player operates the controller 14 while holding the grip 50 with one hand. The operation part 60 can be moved in the front-rear direction with a relatively small force, and the grip 50 (corresponding to a rotating part) is rotatable around its longitudinal direction. A position signal corresponding to the position of the operation portion 60 in the front-rear direction is supplied to the electronic control unit 22, and a rotation signal corresponding to the rotation of the grip 50 is supplied to the electronic control unit 22. The position signal is used for moving the soccer player back and forth in the image of the display device 12, and the rotation signal is used for rotating the soccer player. The rotation signal is composed of two pulse signals, and a rotation speed and a rotation direction are obtained as described later.

Next, the configuration of the electronic control unit 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic control unit. The electronic control unit 22 is supplied with a position signal and a rotation signal from each controller 14. The position signal supplied from each controller 14 is an analog voltage signal in this embodiment, and is converted into a digital signal by the analog / digital converter 30 first. The position signal digitally converted by the analog / digital converter 30 is supplied to a position calculation unit 32. The position calculation unit 32 calculates the coordinates of the digital position signal in the video of the soccer player, converts the coordinates into a coordinate signal, and calculates the movement amount calculation unit 34 and the image processing unit 36.
To supply. The movement amount calculation unit 34 calculates the difference between the coordinates of the current position of the soccer player in the image on the display device and the coordinates of the previous position to obtain the movement amount of the soccer player. The calculated moving amount is used as a moving amount signal in the image processing unit 3.
6. The calculation of the coordinates by the position calculation unit 32 is performed, for example, every 1/60 second so that the operation of the controller 14 is reflected on the movement of the soccer player without a large delay. If the coordinate position is calculated at such a frequency and reflected on the position of the soccer player, it is possible to make it appear as if the corresponding soccer player is moving at the same time as the player moves the operation portion 60.

The rotation signal supplied from each controller 14 is composed of two voltage pulse signals in this embodiment.
Rotation angle calculation unit 38 and rotation direction calculation unit 40
And supplied to. The rotation angle calculation unit 38 calculates the angle position of the soccer player on the video based on the rotation signal, and supplies the angle position signal to the image processing unit 36 and the rotation amount calculation unit 40. Rotation amount calculation unit 40
Calculates the difference between the current angular position and the previous angular position based on the angular position signal to determine the amount of rotation of the soccer player. The rotation amount signal is supplied to the image processing unit 36.
The rotation direction calculation unit 42 calculates the rotation direction based on the two pulse signals, and supplies the rotation direction signal to the image processing unit 36. The calculation of the rotation angle calculation unit 38 and the rotation direction calculation unit 42 is 1 in this embodiment.
/ 1000 seconds. This is because the calculation of the rotation amount and the rotation direction is performed based on a change in the level of the two pulse signals. In other words, the grip 50 of the controller 14 may be turned very quickly, and it is necessary to read the pulse signal at a cycle that can correspond to the cycle of the pulse. The calculation of the rotation angle and the calculation of the rotation direction are performed using a conventional technique such as that performed by a pulse encoder or the like, and are well known to those skilled in the art.

The image processing unit 36, based on signals from the arithmetic units 32, 34, 38, 40, 42,
An image signal corresponding to the position and angle of the soccer player on the video and the position of the kicked ball is generated and supplied to the display device 12. The speed of the ball kicked by the soccer player is determined based on the past several times of movement calculated by the movement amount calculation unit 34, and the direction in which the ball is kicked out is the direction in which the soccer player is facing at that time. Further, in the present embodiment, when the rotation amount calculated by the rotation amount calculation unit 40 exceeds a predetermined value, the soccer player slides and plays a ball that is not normally reachable. I can do it. Such an operation is an operation achieved by using a video game device, and is a function of increasing the fun of a conventional mechanical soccer game.

In this embodiment, the moving amount of the operation portion 60 is linearly proportional to the movement of the image. However, the moving ratio of the operating portion 60 is linearly proportional to the moving amount of the image. You can also. For example, by reducing the movement of the image with respect to the amount of movement of the operation portion 60 in front of the goal, fine adjustment of the movement or position of the image becomes possible. Therefore, the movement of the soccer player can be made quicker in a region away from the goal, and the soccer player can perform a precise operation in front of the goal, thereby increasing the fun of the game.

The above-mentioned electronic control unit 22 can be created by using an electronic control circuit using a CPU according to the prior art, and a person skilled in the art can easily construct the circuit. The description of the hardware configuration is omitted. Next, the controller 14 will be described. Each of the controllers 14 has the same configuration. Hereinafter, each of the plurality of controllers 14 will be simply referred to as the controller 14 and described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the controller 14, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the inside of the controller 14 shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, components are appropriately omitted to show the inside of the controller 14. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the controller 14 viewed from the side, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the controller 14 viewed from the front side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the controller 14 includes an operation part (moving part) 60 and a controller body 80.
And The operation part 60 has a grip 50 (rotating part) and is movable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the main controller body 80. The operation part 60 has a grip stay 62. The grip 50 is a shaft 50a serving as a center of rotation.
The shaft 50a is supported in the grip stay 62 by a bearing. Therefore, grip 5
Numeral 0 is rotatable in both directions with respect to the grip stay 62. The shaft 50a of the grip 50 is a grip stay 6
A rotating plate 64 formed in a gear shape is attached to the tip of the shaft 50a extending to the opposite side of the shaft stay 2 and extending from the grip stay 62. Therefore, the rotating plate 64 rotates with the rotation of the grip. 2 below the rotating plate 64
Two photo sensors 66 and 68 are provided. The photo sensors 66 and 68 are mounted on a substrate 70,
0 is attached to the grip stay 62 by the attachment member. Each of the photosensors 66 and 68 has a groove, and has a light emitting element and a light receiving element on both sides of the groove. The photo sensors 66 and 68 include the rotating plate 6
The teeth 4 are arranged at a predetermined distance so that when the teeth 4 rotate, the teeth pass through the grooves. Accordingly, a pulse signal is output from each of the photosensors 66 and 68 as the rotating plate 64 rotates. Since the photosensors 66 and 68 are arranged at a predetermined interval, two pulse signals output by rotation of the rotating plate 64 have a predetermined phase difference. The two pulse signals output from the photo sensors 66 and 68 correspond to the rotation signals shown in FIGS.

The operation part 60 is fixed on the slider assembly 74. The slider assembly 74 includes a controller body 80.
Is movably supported by a guide rail 82 extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. In the present embodiment, since the slider assembly 74 and the guide rail 82 employ a moving mechanism used for a machine tool or the like, the slider assembly 74 and the guide rail 82 withstand a large load and maintain smooth sliding with little play even when used for a long time. be able to.

The controller body 80 has a frame 84 formed of a metal plate, and the guide rail 82
Fixed to 4. A front stopper 86 made of hard rubber is provided at a front end portion of the frame 84 in the longitudinal direction, and regulates a forward movement range of the slider assembly 74. That is,
When the slider assembly 74 moves in the forward direction (the direction indicated by the arrow X1 in the figure), the front surface thereof comes into contact with the front stopper 86. Similarly, a rear stopper 88 made of hard rubber is provided at a rear end portion of the frame 84 in the longitudinal direction, and the slider assembly 7 is provided.
4 regulates the backward movement range. That is, when the slider assembly 74 moves in the rearward direction (the direction indicated by the arrow X2 in the drawing), the rear surface comes into contact with the rear stopper 88. Therefore, the slider assembly 74 is connected to the front stopper 86
And the rear stopper 88 can slide.

A lead wire 72 extends from the substrate 70 to output the pulse signals output from the photo sensors 66 and 68 to the outside of the controller 14. Lead 72 extends below frame 84 below slider assembly 74. As the slider assembly 74 moves, the lead wire 72 is given a slack to absorb the moving distance. The slackness of the lead wire 72 causes the slider assembly 7
Most of the lead wires are supported by a band-like elastic support 90 as shown in FIG. 5 so as not to hinder the movement of the lead 4.

At the front end of the frame 84, a front cover drum 92 is rotatably mounted via a bracket. A front cover belt 94 is provided between the front cover belt 92 and the upper surface of the slider assembly 74. The front cover belt 94 is made of a very thin metal band that can be elastically deformed and wound into a coil shape, for example, a stainless steel band for a spring. One end of the front cover belt 94 is fixed to the front cover drum 92, wound around the front cover drum 92 several times, and then the other end is attached to the upper surface of the slider assembly 74. When the slider assembly 74 moves rearward (X2 direction), the front cover belt 94 is pulled rearward, and the front cover drum 92 rotates, so that the front cover belt 9 is rotated.
4 is paid out. Therefore, the space provided for the front movement of the slider assembly 74 is always covered by the front cover belt 94. Thus, it is possible to prevent an accident in which the player accidentally puts a finger into the controller 14 or a foreign object enters the controller 14.

At the rear end of the frame 84, a rear cover drum 96 and a rear cover belt 98 having the same structure as the front cover drum 92 and the front cover belt 94 are provided. Therefore, the rear space of the slider assembly 74 is always covered by the rear cover belt 98. A pinion gear 102 is attached to a rotation center shaft of the rear cover drum 96. The pinion gear 102 is engaged with a gear 104 rotatably supported by a bracket. Further, the rotation shaft of the gear 104 is connected to an operation shaft of a volume (variable voltage controller) 106 attached to the frame 84 via a bracket. That is, the rotation of the pinion gear 102 causes the gear 104 to rotate, and the rotation of the gear 104 causes the operation shaft of the volume 106 to rotate. A predetermined voltage is supplied to the volume 106, and a voltage corresponding to the rotation angle position of the operation shaft is output. Therefore, when the slider assembly 74 moves, the volume 106 is operated via the rear cover belt 98, the rear cover drum 96, the pinion gear 102, and the gear 104, and a voltage corresponding to the current position of the slider assembly 74 is output from the volume 106. Is done. The volume 106 is configured such that its output voltage changes in direct proportion to the rotation angle of its operating shaft,
The value of the voltage output from the volume 106 changes in direct proportion to the amount of movement of the slider assembly 74. Volume 1
The voltage output from 06 corresponds to the position signal shown in FIGS.

When the rear cover belt 98 moves in the X2 direction and is wound up on the rear cover drum 96, the rear cover belt 98 may swell upward in front of the rear cover drum 96. When the rear cover belt 98 rises, the rear cover belt 98 is slackened, and the current position of the slider assembly 74 is not accurately reflected on the output voltage of the volume 106. Therefore, a pressing roller 100 is rotatably provided above the rear cover belt 98 and near the rear cover drum 96. Presser roller 10
Reference numeral 0 is provided at a position where the rear cover belt 98 rotates while abutting in a flat state. Therefore, when the rear cover belt 98 moves in the X2 direction and is wound around the rear cover drum 96, the rear cover belt 98 is prevented from rising upward. As a result, the position of the slider assembly 74 is accurately reflected on the output voltage of the volume.

A right cover 110 and a left cover 112 are attached to the controller body 80 so as to cover the front and rear cover belts 94 and 98 with the operation portion 60 interposed therebetween. Further, a rotary plate cover 114 (see FIG. 6) is provided in a portion of the operation portion 60 where the rotary plate 64 is provided. The controller 14 includes the right cover 110 and the left cover 1
Twelve or less are accommodated in the game device main body 10, and the operation portion 60 is arranged so as to protrude above the game device main body 10.

As described above, in the controller 14 according to the present embodiment, the rear cover belt 98 for covering the inside of the controller 14 is used as a component for transmitting the movement of the slider assembly 74. As a result, the number of components and the manufacturing cost of the controller 14 are reduced, and a highly reliable movement transmission mechanism is achieved. According to the above-described embodiment, the position signal (output voltage from the volume 106) changes proportionally by operating the grip 50 in the front-rear direction, and the rotation signal is generated by rotating the grip 50. Can be output. The operation of moving the grip 50 back and forth and rotating can be easily performed with one hand, and is accurately and proportionally reflected on the image on the display device. Therefore, even if the game player is concentrated on the display screen, the controller can be used. 14 can be easily operated.

Next, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the controller according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a controller 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.
The same components as those shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The controller 200 shown in FIG. 8 has the same sliding mechanism as the sliding mechanism of the slider assembly 74 of the first embodiment. However, grip 5
The rotation plate 64 is not provided on the 0 rotation shaft 50a, but a rotation transmission mechanism 202 is provided instead.
The rotation transmission mechanism 202 is configured by a combination of a corrugated belt and a toothed pulley. In the rotation transmission mechanism 202, a pulley 204 is attached to a tip of the rotation shaft 50a of the grip 50. A rotation transmission shaft 208 is provided on the controller main body 201 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. That is, the rotation transmission shaft 208 is
6 is rotatably supported between the front side wall and the rear side wall. The rotation transmission shaft 208 passes through the slider assembly 74. A toothed pulley 210 is provided inside the slider assembly 74 so as to be slidable with respect to the rotation transmission shaft 208. The toothed pulley 210 can move along the rotation transmission shaft 208 but cannot rotate with respect to the rotation transmission shaft 208. That is, the rotation transmission shaft 208 is formed of, for example, a shaft having a square cross section, and the toothed pulley 210 engages the rotation transmission shaft 208 with a square center hole. The toothed pulley 210 is housed inside the slider assembly 74 and moves as the slider assembly 74 moves. The pulley 2 is attached to the toothed pulley 210 by a corrugated belt 212.
04 rotation is transmitted. Therefore, even if the grip 50 rotates while the slider assembly 74 moves, the rotation of the grip 50 can be reliably transmitted to the rotation transmission shaft 208. Note that tension is applied to the corrugated belt 212 by a pressing wheel 214.

The front end of the rotation transmitting shaft is
, And a rotating plate 64 is attached to the tip. As in the first embodiment described above, the photo sensor 6
Reference numerals 6 and 68 (not shown) are provided in the vicinity of the rotating plate 64, and output a pulse signal as in the first embodiment by rotating the rotating plate 64. Further, in this embodiment, the position of the slide assembly is detected by the light reflection type distance sensor 220 instead of detecting the position based on the voltage change of the variable volume.
The light reflection type distance sensor 220 is attached to the front side of the front wall of the frame 206, and projects infrared rays downward of the slider assembly 74 through an opening provided in the front wall. A reflection plate 222 is attached below the slider assembly 74, and infrared rays are reflected by the reflection plate 222 so that the distance sensor 2
Return to 20. The projected infrared light is slightly inclined with respect to a line perpendicular to the reflection plate 222, and the reflected infrared light returns and enters the light receiving unit of the distance sensor 220. When the slider assembly 74 moves in the front-rear direction, the optical path length of the infrared ray changes, so that the incident position of the infrared ray on the light receiving unit changes according to the distance from the slider assembly 74. The light reflection type distance sensor 220 outputs a signal that changes according to the incident position of the infrared ray on the light receiving unit. This light reflection type distance sensor 220
Is equivalent to the position signal. A commercially available light reflection type distance sensor of this type can be used.

The controller 200 of this embodiment does not have a photosensor in the moving part, and does not need to provide a lead wire between the moving part and the fixed part as in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to output a reliable signal. Also,
Since the mechanism for generating the position signal does not require a power transmission mechanism such as a gear, a highly reliable position signal can be output for a long time.

Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment of the controller according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a controller 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Controller 3
00 outputs a rotation signal using a rotary plate and a position signal using a volume, as in the first embodiment. In the controller 300, the transmission mechanism that transmits the movement amount of the grip to the volume includes a lever that extends downward from an operation portion including the grip. Therefore, the part including the volume is separated from the operation part.

As shown in FIG. 9, the operation portion 302 of the controller 300 is provided so as to be movable along a longitudinal axis 304 extending in the longitudinal direction. The front-rear shaft 304 is provided so as to protrude from an upper portion of the game apparatus main body 10. Therefore,
In order to control five players in a soccer game, five longitudinal axes 304 are provided on one side of the game apparatus body 10.
The front end of the front-rear shaft 304 is supported by the mounting portion 306, and the rear end is supported by the mounting arm portion 308. The attachment unit 306 is, for example, the display device 12 of the game device body 10.
Provided on the side wall of the portion where the
8 is provided on the upper surface of the game device main body 10. Front and rear axis 3
Reference numeral 04 denotes, for example, a hexagonal rod having a sufficient rigidity so as not to be deformed by the operation force of the player. The operation part 302 includes a grip 310 and a front end 312.
And The front end 312 is movable in the front-back direction along the front-back axis 304, but does not rotate with respect to the front-back axis 304. The grip 310 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction together with the front end 312 and to be rotatable about the front-rear axis 304. Thus, the grip 310 is rotatable with respect to the front end 312.

The grip 310 has a flange 314 and a flange 31.
And a rotating plate 316 provided in front of the rotating plate 4. Two photosensors 319 and 320 (only one is shown in the figure) are provided near the rotating plate 316 as in the first and second embodiments, and output a rotation signal. Photo sensor 3
19 and 320 are fixed to a bracket attached to the front end 312.

The game device main body 1 below the operation portion 302
An opening 318 that is elongated in the front-rear direction corresponding to the movement range of the operation portion 302 is provided on the upper surface of the “0”. The lever 320 extends downward from the opening 318.
The upper end of the lever 320 is located at the front end 312 of the operation portion 302.
Is rotatably attached to a moving member 322 connected to the moving member 322. An upper roller 324 and a lower roller 326 are rotatably attached to the moving member 322 so as to sandwich the upper surface of the game apparatus body 10. Therefore, when the operation part 302 moves in the front-back direction, the moving member 322 also moves in the front-back direction.

The lever 320 extends downward in the game apparatus main body 10 from an upper end pivotally attached to the moving member, and has a lower end pivotally connected to a bracket 328 fixed to the game apparatus main body 10. It can be pivoted. A fan-shaped gear 334 that engages with a pinion gear 332 attached to the operation shaft of the volume 330 is fixed to the turning shaft. Therefore, the operation part 3
When 02 moves in the front-rear direction, the lever 320 pivots about the pivot axis, whereby the sector gear 334 pivots.
As a result, the pinion gear 332 rotates and the volume 3
30 is operated. Then, a voltage corresponding to the position signal is output from the volume 330.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the controller according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a moving part 400 provided in a controller according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The controller of the fourth embodiment has no mechanical movement and rotation detection mechanism. The position signal and the rotation signal are achieved by a combination of a magnet embedded in the grip and an axis such as the front-rear axis in the third embodiment described above, in which a plurality of Hall elements are aligned.

As shown in FIG. 10, the moving part 400 of the controller according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention
2 and a flange portion 404. Grip 402 is front-rear axis 4
06 and is rotatable with respect to the longitudinal axis 406. A plurality of elongated magnets 402a are embedded in the grip 402 while being aligned in the circumferential direction. The front-rear shaft 406 according to the present embodiment is a cylindrical rod, so that the grip 402 can move and rotate in the front-rear direction at the same time. A plurality of Hall elements 406a for detecting longitudinal movement and a plurality of Hall elements 406b for detecting rotation are embedded in the longitudinal axis 406 along the longitudinal direction. The forward / backward movement detecting Hall element 406a detects the forward / backward movement of the grip by the forward / backward movement of the magnet 402a. The rotation detecting Hall element 406b detects the rotation of the grip 402 by the movement of the magnet 402a in the rotation direction.

The Hall elements 406a and 406 of this embodiment
According to the combination of b and the magnet 402a, a position signal and a rotation signal can be output without using a mechanical detection mechanism. For this reason, there is an advantage that the controller becomes small and high durability and reliability can be obtained. Next, a fifth embodiment of the controller according to the present invention will be described. In the fifth embodiment of the controller of the present invention, the mechanism for generating the movement signal and the rotation signal is basically the same as the function of a mouse used as an input device such as a computer. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of a controller 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the controller.

As shown in FIG.
Includes a grip 502 and a cylindrical rod 504 extending from the grip 502. The cylindrical rod 504 is supported in the game apparatus body 10 by a bearing 506 so as to be movable back and forth and rotatable. The grip 502 is attached to the rod 504 outside the game apparatus body 10, and the player can move the grip 502 in the front-rear direction while holding the grip 502, and can also rotate around the longitudinal axis.

As shown in FIG. 12, the rod 504 has
Rollers 508a, 508b and 508c are provided rotatably in contact with the outer periphery thereof. The roller 508a is provided to detect the forward and backward movement of the rod 504. The roller 508b is provided to detect rotation of the rod 504 around the longitudinal axis. The roller 508c is provided to support the rod 504.

The roller 508a is in contact with the rod 504, and rotates as the rod 504 moves in the front-rear direction.
On the opposite side of the rod 504 of the roller 508a, a shaft 510 having a rotating plate 510a at one end thereof rotatably abuts. The position of the shaft 510 relative to the roller 508a is such that when the rod 504 moves back and forth,
The rotation plate 510a at the tip of the shaft 510 rotates when the rod 504 is moved in the front-rear direction. This rotation is detected by the photo sensor 512 and a position signal is output.

The roller 508b is in contact with the rod 504, and rotates with the rotation of the rod 504 around the longitudinal axis. On the opposite side of the rod 504 of the roller 508b,
A shaft 514 having a rotating plate 514a at one end thereof is rotatably contacted. Roller 508 of shaft 512
The position for b is such that the rotation of the rod 504 causes the shaft 514 to rotate, so that when the rod 504 rotates about its longitudinal axis, the rotating plate 514a at the tip of the shaft 514 rotates. This rotation is detected by the photo sensor 516 and a rotation signal is output.

The controller of the present embodiment can be operated with the same feeling as a conventional mechanical control rod. In the present invention, the back and forth movement of the operation part of the controller is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various movement detection mechanisms can be used.
For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a contact is provided on the moving portion and a resistor is provided along the moving direction. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which a large number of teeth are aligned like a rack along the moving direction of the operation portion, and the pulse signal is generated by detecting the teeth by a photo sensor provided in the operation portion. Further, it is also possible to provide a configuration in which a large number of magnetic sensors are provided along the moving direction of the operating portion, and a magnet is provided in the moving portion to detect the movement of the magnet.

As described above, in the controller according to the present invention, the combination of the forward / backward movement detecting mechanism and the rotation detecting mechanism is not limited to the disclosed embodiment, but can be various combinations.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to control the game device in accordance with the position signal from the controller. That is, the game device can be controlled in accordance with the position of the moving unit, and the player can easily control the game. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to quickly move the video of the video game device in response to the position signal from the controller. Therefore, it is possible to provide a correspondence between the position of the image and the position of the moving unit of the controller, and it is possible to easily control the position of, for example, a character in the image.

Further, the controller has a rotating section that is rotated by the player, and outputs a signal based on the rotation of the rotating section, so that a rotation signal is output in addition to the position signal. Other movements can be controlled along with the movement of the character in the video. Further, the rotating unit is provided in the moving unit, and the rotating unit and the moving unit can be operated at the same time, so that the position signal and the rotating signal are output at the same time. Can be controlled simultaneously.

Further, according to the present invention, since the position signal from the controller is directly proportional to the moving amount of the moving section, the image of the video game device can be quickly moved in accordance with the position signal. Therefore, the position of the image and the position of the moving unit of the controller can be made to have a corresponding relationship in direct proportion, and the position of, for example, a character in the image can be easily controlled.

Also, by changing the ratio of the correspondence between the position signal from the controller and the moving amount of the moving unit, the operation of the game apparatus by the moving of the moving unit can be more finely controlled. In addition, the controller has a rotating unit that is rotated by the player, and outputs a signal based on the rotation of the rotating unit. Therefore, a rotation signal is output in addition to the position signal. Other movements can be controlled along with the movement of.

Further, the rotating unit is provided in the moving unit, and the rotating unit and the moving unit can be operated at the same time, so that the position signal and the rotation signal are output at the same time. Other movements, for example rotational movements, can be controlled simultaneously. The controller according to the present invention includes a motion conversion mechanism that converts a linear motion of a moving unit into a rotary motion, and a volume that continuously changes and outputs a voltage based on the rotary motion, thereby achieving movement. The position of the unit is converted into a rotation angle, and the volume can output a voltage corresponding to the rotation angle.

The motion converting mechanism comprises a belt connected to the moving section and a roller around which the belt is wound, and the belt is fed out or wound from the roller by the movement of the moving section. By this, the roller rotates and the operation axis of the volume is connected to the rotation axis of the roller, so that the linear motion of the moving part can be converted into the rotary motion with a simple structure by a combination of the belt and the roller. In addition, the rotation of the operation shaft of the volume can be easily controlled.

Further, the belt is configured to cover a moving path for moving the moving unit, and a belt for motion conversion can be used as a cover for covering the moving path, and the controller according to the present invention requires fewer controllers. It can be constituted by the number of parts. The rotating unit has a gear-shaped rotating plate, two photosensors for detecting rotation of teeth of the rotating plate are provided, and two pulse signals having a phase difference are output from the two photosensors. Accordingly, the direction of rotation can be determined together with the amount of rotation, and the motion of the video image of the video game device can be given diversity.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a video game device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the video game device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic control unit of the video game device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a controller of the video game device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the controller of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the controller of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the controller of FIG. 4 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the controller according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the controller according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an operation portion using a Hall element provided in a fourth embodiment of the controller according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a simplified diagram of a fifth embodiment of the controller according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the controller in FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Video game device 10 Game device main body 12 Display device 14, 200, 300, 500 Controller 16 Start button 18 Speaker 20 Operation panel 22 Electronic control unit 30 Analog / digital converter 32 Position calculation unit 34 Movement amount calculation unit 36 Image processing unit 38 Rotation angle calculation unit 40 Rotation amount calculation unit 42 Rotation direction calculation unit 50, 402, 502 Grip 60, 302, 400 Operating part 62 Grip stay 64, 316 Rotating plate 66, 68, 319, 320 Photosensor 70 Substrate 72 Lead wire 74 Slider assembly 80, 201 Controller body 82 Guide rail 84 Frame 86 Front stopper 88 Rear stopper 90 Elastic support 92 Front cover drum 94 Front cover belt 96 Rear Bar drum 98 Rear cover belt 100 Holding roller 102 Pinion gear 104 Gear 106 Volume 110 Right cover 112 Left cover 114 Rotating plate cover 202 Rotation transmission mechanism 206 Frame 204 Pulley 208 Rotation transmission shaft 210 Toothed pulley 212 Corrugated belt 214 Press wheel 220 Light reflection Mold distance sensor 222 Reflector 304 Front / rear shaft 306 Mounting part 308 Mounting arm 312 Front end 314,404 Flange 320 Lever 322 Moving member 324 Upper roller 326 Lower roller 328 Bracket 330 Volume 332 Pinion gear 334 Sector gear 402a Magnet 406 Front / rear shaft 406a , 406b Hall element 504 Rod 506 Bearing 508a, 508b, 508c Roller 510, 514 Shaft 510a, 51 a rotating plate 512 and 516 photosensor

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A controller for a game device, comprising: a moving unit which is moved by being operated by a player, and which outputs a signal indicating the position of the moving unit. 2. A controller for a game device for playing a game based on a video image displayed on a display device, the controller having a moving part operated by a player and moving, and a signal indicating the position of the moving part. A controller for a game device, which outputs the following. 3. The game device controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller has a rotating unit that is rotated by a player, and outputs a signal based on the rotation of the rotating unit. 4. The controller according to claim 3, wherein the rotating unit is provided in the moving unit, and the rotating unit and the moving unit can be operated simultaneously. 5. A moving unit which is operated by a player and moves linearly, and outputs a position signal indicating a position of the moving unit in direct proportion to a linear moving amount of the moving unit. Game device controller. 6. A moving unit which is operated by a player and moves linearly, and outputs a position signal indicating the position of the moving unit in proportion to the amount of linear movement of the moving unit. A controller for a game device, wherein the controller is changed. 7. The controller according to claim 5, wherein the controller has a rotating unit operated by a player, and outputs a rotation signal based on a rotating motion of the rotating unit. 8. The controller according to claim 7, wherein the rotating unit is provided in the moving unit, and the rotating unit and the moving unit can be operated simultaneously. 9. A motion conversion mechanism for converting a linear motion of the moving section into a rotary motion, and a volume for continuously changing and outputting a voltage based on the rotary motion. 9. The game device controller according to claim 5. 10. The motion conversion mechanism includes a belt connected to the moving unit, and a roller around which the belt is wound, and the belt is fed or wound from the roller by the movement of the moving unit. 10. The controller for a game device according to claim 9, wherein the roller is rotated by being operated, and an operation axis of the volume is connected to a rotation axis of the roller. 11. The controller according to claim 10, wherein the belt covers a moving path for moving the moving unit. 12. The rotating unit has a gear-shaped rotating plate,
12. The photosensor according to claim 7, wherein two photosensors for detecting rotation of the teeth of the rotary plate are provided, and two pulse signals having a phase difference are output from the two photosensors.
A controller for a game device according to any one of the preceding claims.