JP2009028455A - Bat for virtual batting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bat for a virtual batting system which is realistic, can be enjoyed by everybody, has a simple structure, and is easy to set up. <P>SOLUTION: In a receiving module 200 of a bat 100, an overturn of a batting determination signal is detected with an overturn detecting circuit 202 and a rotary solenoid 114 is driven to rotate with a self-retaining relay circuit 204 and the stopper 112 of a gate mechanism 110 is opened. Then, a weight 106 flies inside a flying cylinder 102 with the centrifugal force by a bat swing and hits a sound-making body 104 to generate a batting sound. When the weight 106 returns inside the flying cylinder 102, it is contained in a containing section 108 because the stopper 112 of the gate mechanism 110 is kept open with the self-retaining relay circuit 204. Then, a push switch 206 is turned on, the self-retaining relay circuit 204 releases itself from its self-retaining state, and the stopper 112 is closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bat used in a virtual batting system using a stereoscopic image.

  As a virtual batting system using a stereoscopic video, for example, there is a “virtual baseball game device and a bat and a catcher mitt used therein” described in Patent Document 1 below. This is to display a stereoscopic image on the screen without using an actual ball like a so-called batting center so that a similar experience can be obtained. The player wears glasses for stereoscopic viewing. Hang and hit the ball in the 3D image with a special bat. The hitting result is determined from an image of how the bat swings, and the corresponding hitting reaction video is displayed on the screen according to the determination result.

  In the bat of FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1, when the receiving unit receives information that the ball has been hit, the relay operates for a moment (non-locking), and driving power is supplied to the plunger coil 12 from the power supply 13. As a result, the plunger shaft 14 strikes the inner wall of the bat 7 and causes the bat 7 to react.

Next, in the example of FIG. 8 of the document 1, an iron ring 15 that can freely slide in the cylinder 16 in the bat 7 is loaded. Initially, the iron ring 15 is fixed to one end of the cylinder (the end close to the receiving unit 18) by the stopper 17. When the receiving unit 18 receives information that the ball 6 has hit the bat 7, the stopper 17 is released, and the iron ring 15 slides inside the cylinder 16 by centrifugal force and strikes the tip of the cylinder 16, causing a reaction action on the bat 7. Let
JP 2003-310812 A

  By the way, although the background art mentioned above presents the basic concept of generating a reaction action on the bat based on the signal that the ball has hit, the specific device configuration is not necessarily clear. For example, in the bat shown in FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1, the relay and the plunger shaft may malfunction due to the centrifugal force generated when the bat is swung. In the bat of FIG. 8, it is unclear how the iron ring with the stopper removed is caught by the stopper again.

  The present invention focuses on the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bat suitable for a virtual batting system having excellent practicality.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a bat for a virtual batting system in which a batting sound is generated based on a batting judgment signal indicating whether or not a player has hit a ball in a throwing image on a screen. The weight storage part provided on the grip side of the body, the weight stored in this storage part, the flying tube for flying the weight by the centrifugal force when swinging the bat, attached to the tip of this flying tube A sounding body with which the weight collides, a receiving module that receives the hit determination signal and detects the presence or absence of hitting, a gate mechanism provided on the weight exit side of the storage portion, and for controlling the opening and closing of the gate mechanism Switching control circuit,
When the receiving module detects a hit, the gate control mechanism opens the gate mechanism so that the weight flies within the flying tube and collides with the sounding body.

  One of the main forms is characterized in that the receiving module detects the presence or absence of a hit from the inversion of the hit determination signal. One of the other forms is that the gate mechanism opens and closes the storage unit by rotating a substantially L-shaped metal fitting inserted into the flying tube within a cross section of the flying tube by a rotary solenoid. It is characterized by performing. According to yet another embodiment, the open / close control circuit drives the rotary solenoid to open in a self-holding state, and releases the self-holding state and closes the weight when the weight returns to the storage unit. It is characterized by that. In still another embodiment, the gate mechanism is provided on the grip side of the bat. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

  According to the present invention, a professional baseball pitcher's video and batting video are stereoscopically viewed, and at the same time, a batting sound is emitted from the bat, so that the stadium gives an impression of being realistic against a professional player. Can experience the greatness and fun of baseball. Further, since the rotary type solenoid is used instead of the slide type solenoid as in the background art described above, the influence of the centrifugal force due to the bat swing is reduced, and a stable operation is possible even at a low voltage. Further, since the solenoid is disposed on the grip side, the influence of centrifugal force is reduced from this point. Furthermore, since it is determined whether or not the ball has hit the bat by reversing the hit determination signal, the influence of disturbance noise can be suppressed, and this also enables stable operation.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.

  Initially, the whole structure of Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated, referring FIG. FIG. 1 shows the entire system according to the present embodiment, and a screen 10 for displaying an image is provided on the right side in the room. A home base 12 and batter boxes 14L and 14R are provided on the left floor surface in the room. Further, a left video projector 18L and a right video projector 18R for projecting left and right videos on the screen 10 are respectively installed on the ceiling surface, and a left for outputting left and right audios is provided on the screen 10. A speaker 20L and a right speaker 20R are provided.

  A laser sensor 22 is provided on the home base 12 described above. The laser sensor 22 is composed of two laser transmitters / receivers 22A and 22B, and the laser light output from them is reflected by mirrors 24A and 24B provided on the home base 12 and laser transmitter / receiver 22A. , 22B. An air compressor 26 is provided on the floor surface at an appropriate position between the screen 10 and the home base 12 so that air is discharged.

  Furthermore, a console box 50 is provided at a corner in the room. The console box 50 includes a coin insertion slot 52, a touch panel 54, and a transmission module 65. The player 60 puts on the stereoscopic glasses 62, holds the bat 100, and stands in the batter box 14L or 14R.

  Next, the electrical configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The laser sensor 22, touch panel 54, and transmission module 65 described above are connected to a control device 70 that controls the operation of the entire system. The control device 70 is also connected to a coin measuring device 53 that measures the number of coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 52 described above. On the other hand, the left and right video projectors 18L and 18R, the left and right speakers 20L and 20R, and the air compressor 26 are connected to a video and audio output device 80 that selects and outputs video signals and audio signals. 80 is connected to the control device 70.

  Among these, the control device 70 includes a hit number counter 72 for counting the number of hits by the player 60, a time counter 74 for counting the time from the start of pitching, and a hit determination for determining whether the hit by the player 60 is a home run or a hit. A portion 76 is provided.

  The basic operations of the control device 70 are batting start / end control and batting determination operation. First, the hitting start / end control is started by coin measurement by the coin measuring device 53. When the player 60 inserts a coin into the coin insertion slot 52 of the console box 50, this is measured by the coin measuring instrument 53. For example, if one coin can be hit three times, three coins can be hit nine times. The nine hits are counted by the hit counter 72.

  Next, the hit determination is performed in consideration of the relationship between the time when the ball passes through the center of the home base 12 and the time when the bat 100 passes over the home base 12 and the swing speed of the bat 100. . Among these, the time when the ball passes through the center of the home base 12 is automatically determined from the start of the video being reproduced. That is, it is the time for the ball to fly a distance of 18.44 m from the pitcher mound to the home base 12, and it varies depending on the pitching speed. In this embodiment, the video / audio output device 80 provides the time signal to the control device 70. On the other hand, the time when the bat 100 passes through the center of the home base 12 is counted by the time counter 74 from the start of the throwing video, and if the counting is stopped when the bat 100 blocks the laser light from the laser sensor 22, This is the count value at the time. More specifically, this is the intermediate time of the time count value when the bat 100 blocks the laser beams output from the laser transmitters / receivers 22A and 22B, but in the following description, it is simply counted by the time counter 74. It will be described as a value. The swing speed of the bat 100 can be obtained from the difference between the time count values when the bat 100 blocks the laser beams output from the laser transmitters / receivers 22A and 22B and the interval between the mirrors 24A and 24B.

  FIG. 3 shows a method of hit determination based on time. This figure shows a virtual ball passing near the home base. The virtual ball BL enters the home base 12 from the laser transmitter / receiver 22B side and passes to the laser transmitter / receiver 22A side. The time TC passing through the center of the home base 12 at this time is automatically determined by the video projected on the screen 10 as described above, and is obtained from the video / audio output device 80 as a time signal. On the other hand, the time TP when the bat 100 of the player 60 passes through the center of the home base 12 is obtained from the count value of the time counter 74 as described above.

  If TC = TP, the player 60 swings so that the ball BL hits the center of the home base 12 and can be considered to be a home run. On the other hand, when the bat passage time TP is deviated from the ball passage time TC, it can be considered that the hit performance is hit and further, it is missed according to the degree of deviation. The hits include second goro, center fly, foul, etc. for convenience.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the bat passage time TP is included in the certain range HR centered on the ball passage time TC, it is determined that the home run is performed, and when the bat passage time TP is included in the preceding and following ranges HTA and HTB. It is determined as a hit, and when the bat passage time TP is included in the outer ranges SWA and SWB, it is determined that the vehicle is idling. If it is determined to be a hit, there may be a simple hit, a double hit or a triple hit, a third goro, a foul, or the like. Which ball to hit is decided randomly. Note that the determination range HR and the like may be changed according to the level of the player 60 such as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. For example, in the case of beginners, the determination ranges HR, HTA, and HTB are set wide, and advanced users are set narrow. A foul determination range may be set separately.

  As a result of the determination in the hit determination unit 76, when it is determined that the home run or hit, a drive signal is output from the control device 70 to the transmission module 65. The transmission module 65 outputs a predetermined hit determination signal from the start of operation, and has a function of inverting the hit determination signal when the drive signal is input.

  Next, the video / audio output device 80 will be described. The video / audio output device 80 has a function of outputting video and audio to be reproduced / displayed based on a signal supplied from the control device 70 and outputting a drive signal to the air compressor 26. The video data 82 includes a pitch video 82A by a professional baseball pitcher, a hit ball video 82B such as a home run or a hit, and time data 82C indicating the time of the ball at a predetermined position from the start of the pitch. As the pitch video 82A, for example, for Chiba Lotte Marines, a pitching form video is prepared for pitcher Naoyuki Shimizu, pitcher Shunsuke Watanabe, pitcher Masahide Kobayashi, pitcher Kubo Yasuhiko, pitcher Yasuhiko Hamada and pitcher Ono. The same applies to other teams. The hit ball image 82B is, for example, a hit before the center, two leftover hits, a short goro, a right fly, a foul, or the like. The audio data 84 includes cheers 84A, cheering sounds 84B, and stadium sounds 84C.

  At the time of pitching, video and audio are selected and output based on a selection signal input from the control device 70. For example, when the player 60 selects Seibu Lions Matsuzaka pitcher on the touch panel 54, a selection signal to that effect is supplied from the control device 70 to the video / audio output device 80. In the video / audio output device 80, the pitching video of the pitcher Matsuzaka is selected from the video data 82 and output to the video projectors 18L and 18R, respectively, and the corresponding audio is selected from the audio data 84 and supplied to the speakers 20L and 20R, respectively. Is output. In addition, a drive signal is output to the air compressor 26 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the pitching video, and air is discharged. The player 60 wears stereoscopic glasses 62 and can view a powerful stereoscopic image with cheers and the like as if the pitcher Matsuzaka projected on the screen 10 is pitching toward himself. In addition, it is possible to obtain a feeling that the ball is facing itself by discharging air. At the time of pitching, a time signal indicating the ball position time is output to the control device 70 as described above.

  On the other hand, after hitting by the player 60, video and audio are selected and output based on the hitting determination signal input from the control device. For example, if the home run is determined, a determination signal indicating the fact and the swing speed is supplied from the control device 70 to the video / audio output device 80. In the video / audio output device 80, a hit ball image 82B of the home run of the corresponding flight distance is selected from the video data 82 and output to the video projectors 18L and 18R, respectively, and corresponding audio is selected from the audio data 84 and the speaker. Output to 20L and 20R, respectively. For example, in the case of a home run, the cheer 84A is reproduced. Thereby, the player 60 can experience a realistic video and sound as if he actually hit a home run in the stadium.

  Next, the configuration of the bat 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 (A) shows the overall structure inside the bat, and FIG. 4 (B) is a perspective view of the grip portion. In these drawings, a flying cylinder 102 is provided inside the bat 100. A sounding body 104 is provided at one end of the flying tube 102 and at the distal end side of the bat 100, and a storage portion 108 for a weight 106 is provided on the grip side of the flying tube 102. When the weight 106 jumps out of the storage unit 108, the weight 106 flies inside the bat along the flying cylinder 102 and collides with the sounding body 104 to generate a striking sound.

  A gate mechanism 110 is provided on the protruding side of the weight 106 of the storage unit 108. The gate mechanism 110 is configured to rotationally drive a stopper 112 that traverses the flying tube 102 by a rotary solenoid 114. More specifically, the drive shaft 114a of the rotary solenoid 114 fixed to the outside of the flying tube 102 is coupled to the stopper 112 via a coupling 114b. The stopper 112 is a substantially L-shaped metal fitting, and is rotatably supported by the flying tube 102 by a support tool 112a. Further, an opening 102a is provided in the flying cylinder 102, and a stopper 112 is inserted into the cylinder from the opening 102a.

  Next, the basic operation of the gate mechanism 110 will be described. In a normal state, the stopper 112 is positioned at the approximate center of the cross section of the flying tube 102. For this reason, even if the weight 106 tries to jump out of the storage unit 108, it hits the stopper 112 and is retained in the storage unit. In this state, when a drive signal is supplied to the rotary solenoid 114 from a relay circuit described later, the drive shaft 114a rotates and the stopper 112 also rotates. Then, the stopper 112 goes out of the flying tube 102, or even in the flying tube, the stopper 112 is shifted from the center of the cross section. For this reason, the weight 106 can jump out of the storage unit 108, fly in the flying cylinder 102, and collide with the sounding body 104.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the bat 100 described above will be described with reference to FIG. The hit determination signal transmitted from the transmission module 65 described above is received by the reception module 200, and the inversion detection circuit 202 detects whether the signal is inverted. The output side of the detection result of the transmission module 65 is connected to the self-holding relay circuit 204. This self-holding relay circuit 204 is connected to the rotary solenoid 114 described above. On the other hand, a push switch 206 for releasing self-holding is provided at the bottom of the storage portion 108 of the weight 106 described above. Further, necessary driving power is supplied from the battery 208 to each circuit.

  Among the above units, the reception module 200 is provided on the head side of the bat 100 as shown in FIG. 4B, and is transmitted from the transmission module 65 in a state where the player 60 holds the bat 100. It is devised so that it can easily receive the radio wave of the hit determination signal. The battery 208 is similarly housed and arranged on the head side of the bat 100, and has a texture that makes the head side heavier. On the other hand, the rotary solenoid 114 is provided on the grip side of the bat 100 so that the influence of the centrifugal force when the player 60 swings the bat 100 is reduced.

  Next, the overall operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The player 60 who plays the game inserts a predetermined number of coins into the coin insertion slot 52 of the console box 50 (step SA). The number of coins inserted is measured by the coin measuring device 53, and the possible number of hits is set in the hit number counter 72 of the control device 70. The player 60 selects a desired pitcher and batting level on the touch panel 54 (step SB). These selection contents are supplied to the control device 70 as a selection signal. Standing on one of the batter boxes 14L and 14R (14R in FIG. 1) with the stereoscopic glasses 62 (step SC), holding the bat 100 (step SD).

  In this state, the weight 106 of the bat 100 is stored in the storage portion 108, and the stopper 112 of the gate mechanism 110 is closed, that is, the weight 106 is positioned in the storage portion 108. Further, for example, an impact determination signal SA shown in FIG. 5 is output from the transmission module 65, and this is received by the reception module 200 of the bat 100.

  The control device 70 drives the laser sensor 22 (step SE) and outputs the selection content to the video / audio output device 80 as a selection signal. Thereby, the video / audio output device 80 outputs a video signal corresponding to the selected pitcher and level to the video projectors 18L and 18R, and outputs a corresponding audio signal to the speakers 20L and 20R. As a result, the corresponding video is displayed on the screen 10 and sound is output from the speakers 20L and 20R (step SF). Further, based on the time data 82C corresponding to the video, a drive signal is output to the air compressor 26 at a corresponding time, and air is discharged. On the other hand, the video / audio output device 80 outputs to the control device 70 as a time signal indicating the start of video and the home base passage time. Thereby, control device 70 starts time counting by time counter 74 (step SG), and time counter 74 counts up (step SH).

  The player 60 views the stereoscopic image of the screen 10 with the stereoscopic glasses 62 and swings the bat 100 when the ball comes on the home base 12. When the bat swing is detected by the laser sensor 22 (Yes in step SI), the control device 70 stops counting by the time counter 74 (step SJ), and performs a hit determination by the hit determination unit 76 from the count value (step SK). ). Then, a drive signal corresponding to the transmission module 65 is output according to the determination result, and the determination result is output to the video / audio output device 80 as a determination signal. In the video / audio output device 80, the hitting video and audio signals corresponding to the determination result are output to the video projectors 18L and 18R and the speakers 20L and 20R and reproduced (step SL).

  On the other hand, the signal hit judgment signal SB shown in FIG. Then, in the receiving module 200 of the bat 100, the inversion detection circuit 202 detects the inversion of the hit determination signal, and the detection signal is output to the self-holding relay circuit 204. Thereby, the rotary solenoid 114 is rotationally driven by the self-holding relay circuit 204, and the stopper 112 of the gate mechanism 110 is opened. In this state, since the player 60 is swinging the bat 100, the weight 106 flies along the flying cylinder 102 by the centrifugal force and collides with the sounding body 104. Thereby, a hitting sound is emitted from the bat 100, and the player 60 can experience a feeling as if he or she hit the ball.

  In the control device 70, the hit number is subtracted by the hit number counter 72. The above operation is repeated until the number of hits corresponding to the number of inserted coins is reached (No in step SM). When the predetermined hit number is reached (Yes in step SM), the game ends.

  The weight 106 that hits the sounding body 104 with the bat 100 then returns within the flying tube 102. More specifically, after swinging the bat 100, the player 60 is ready to stand the bat 100 in preparation for the next bat swing. Then, gravity acts on the weight 106 and returns inside the flying tube 102 toward the storage unit 108. At this time, since the stopper 112 of the gate mechanism 110 is held open by the self-holding relay circuit 204, the weight 106 is accommodated in the storage portion 108. Then, the push switch 206 is turned on, and a signal to that effect is output to the self-holding relay circuit 204. As a result, the self-holding relay circuit 204 releases the self-holding state, the stopper 112 of the gate mechanism 110 is closed, and the weight 106 is confined in the storage portion 108.

As described above, according to this embodiment, there are the following effects.
(1) The baseball pitcher's video and batting video are stereoscopically viewed, and at the same time, the batting sound is emitted from the bat, making it possible to give a realistic impression as if playing a professional player in the stadium. , You can experience the greatness and fun of baseball.
(2) Since the rotary type solenoid is used instead of the slide type solenoid as in the background art described above, the influence of the centrifugal force due to the bat swing is reduced, and a stable operation is possible even at a low voltage. In addition, since the solenoid is arranged on the grip side, the influence of centrifugal force is reduced from this point.
(3) Since it is determined whether or not the ball has hit the bat by reversing the hit determination signal, the influence of disturbance noise can be suppressed, and this also enables stable operation.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, A various change can be added in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. For example, the following are also included.
(1) The virtual batting system shown in the above embodiment is an example, and the bat of the present invention can be applied to various virtual batting systems. For example, you may apply to the system of patent document 1 mentioned above.
(2) In the above embodiment, the sound is emitted from the bat at the time of striking. However, the bat may be struck by a hammer from the inside to emit vibrations, and further various kinds of light may be emitted. You can make your taste.

  According to the present invention, the hitting judgment is performed using the laser beam and the hitting sound is emitted from the bat, which is suitable for a large complex facility such as a shopping center or a health / sports facility.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure in the said Example. It is explanatory drawing explaining the method of the hit | damage determination in the said Example. It is a figure which shows the mechanical structure of the bat in the said Example. It is a figure which shows the electrical structure in the said bat. It is a flowchart which shows the whole operation | movement of the said Example.

Explanation of symbols

10: Screen 12: Home base 14L, 14R: Batter box 18L, 18R: Video projector 20L, 20R: Speaker 22: Laser sensor 22A, 22B: Laser transmitter / receiver 24A, 24B: Mirror 26: Air compressor 50: Console box 52 : Coin slot 53: Coin measuring instrument 54: Touch panel 60: Player 62: Stereoscopic glasses 65: Transmission module 70: Control device 72: Stroke count counter 74: Time counter 76: Strike determination unit 80: Video / audio output device 82 : Video data 82A: Throwing video 82B: Hitting ball video 82C: Time data 84: Audio data 84A: Cheer 84B: Cheering sound 84C: Stadium sound BL: Ball HR, HTA, HTB, SWA, SWB: Determination range TC: Ball passing time TP: Bat passing time 100: 102: Flight tube 102a: Opening 104: Sounding body 106: Weight 108: Storage unit 110: Gate mechanism 112: Stopper 112a: Support tool 114: Rotary solenoid 114a: Drive shaft 114b: Coupling 200: Receiving module 202: Inversion Detection circuit 204: Self-holding relay circuit 206: Push switch 208: Battery

Claims (5)

A bat for a virtual batting system in which a batting sound is generated based on a batting judgment signal indicating whether or not a player has hit the ball in a throwing image on a screen,
The weight storage on the grip side of the bat,
The weight stored in this storage section,
A flying tube for the weight to fly by centrifugal force when swinging the bat,
A sounding body that is attached to the tip of the flying tube and that collides with the weight,
A receiving module for receiving the hit determination signal and detecting the presence or absence of hitting;
A gate mechanism provided on the weight outlet side of the storage unit;
Open / close control circuit for controlling opening / closing of this gate mechanism,
With
A bat for a virtual batting system, wherein when the hit is detected by the receiving module, the gate mechanism is opened by the open / close control circuit, and the weight flies within the flying cylinder and collides with the sounding body. .   The bat for a virtual batting system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving module detects the presence or absence of a hit from the inversion of the hit determination signal.   The said gate mechanism opens and closes the said accommodating part by rotating the substantially L-shaped metal fitting inserted in the said flight tube within the cross section of a flight tube by a rotary solenoid. A bat for a virtual batting system according to 1 or 2.   4. The opening / closing control circuit drives the rotary solenoid to open in a self-holding state, and releases the self-holding state and closes the weight when the weight returns to the storage unit. A bat for the virtual batting system described.   The bat for a virtual batting system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gate mechanism is provided on a grip side of the bat.

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