KR102427236B1 - Apparatus and method for controlling user interface in online game based on vacal information - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for a server to control a user interface based on voice information in an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention, the method comprising: receiving the voice information from a user terminal connected to the online game controlled by the server; searching a database previously linked with the server for a control command corresponding to the voice information; and controlling the user interface in the online game according to the searched control command.

Description

A method and apparatus for controlling a user interface in an online game based on user voice information

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a user interface based on voice information in an online game. More specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for providing a service for controlling a user interface in an online game based on the user's voice information to promote convenience and interest of the user.

Recently, as various types of multimedia devices increase due to the development of technology, the number of people who enjoy games through various devices, for example, wired and wireless communication devices such as computers, mobile phones, and PDA's, or videos, is increasing.

In addition, as the number of people who enjoy games increases, the types of games provided are also increasing. Meanwhile, these games may be played offline or online.

As the number of such various games increases, game providers are making efforts to introduce many users to the games they provide.

The prior art uses an input device in which a control command is inputted by a hand, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a joystick, to control a character in a game. The use of such an input device may make it difficult for a user who is new to the game to smoothly play the game, and may reduce interest.

Therefore, in recent years, a method for solving these problems has been devised.

An object of the present invention is to propose a method for controlling a user interface based on voice information in an online game.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the above technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the following description.

In the method for a server to control a user interface based on voice information in an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, the user terminal is connected to the online game controlled by the server. receiving voice information; searching a database previously linked with the server for a control command corresponding to the voice information; and controlling the user interface in the online game according to the searched control command.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, when receiving first voice information and second voice information from the user terminal, it corresponds to a first control command corresponding to the first voice information and the second voice information Searching for a second control command to be used, and continuously controlling the user interface in the online game according to the searched first control command and the second control command, the input of the first voice information and the second voice information The input may be a predetermined time interval.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control command may be stored in advance in the database in correspondence with each of a plurality of pieces of voice information made of a synonym for yum.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, a control command corresponding to the target syllable and the operation syllable in the voice information is respectively searched for, the one or more searched control commands are grouped into one group, and the grouped control The user interface in the game can be controlled by using a command as one control execution unit.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, when a plurality of characters having the same target syllable in the online game exist, a control command for a specific character determined based on a predetermined criterion may be searched for.

According to the present invention as described above, the effects described below can be obtained. However, the effect obtainable through the present invention is not limited thereto.

First, according to the present invention, a user who plays the game for the first time can play the game more smoothly.

Second, according to the present invention, there is an effect of reducing control errors compared to an input device for inputting a control command by hand.

Third, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to propose an apparatus for implementing the above method.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the above technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the following description.

1 is a diagram for explaining a game system for an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention to which the present invention can be applied.
2 is a flowchart of a method in which a server controls a user interface based on user voice information in an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 discloses an embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 discloses another embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 discloses another embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through a plurality of voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the appended drawings is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced.

Only the present embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the present invention is complete, and the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, is provided, and the present invention is to be defined by the scope of the claims. only

In some cases, in order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present invention, well-known structures and devices may be omitted or shown in block diagram form focusing on core functions of each structure and device. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to describe the same components throughout this specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "comprising or including" a certain component, it does not exclude other components unless otherwise stated, meaning that other components may be further included. do.

In addition, the term “…unit” described in the specification means a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, "a or an", "one", and like related terms in the context of describing the present invention are used in both the singular and the plural unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by the context. It can be used in the meaning of including.

In addition, specific terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are provided to help the understanding of the present invention, and unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, refer to the present invention. It has the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which it belongs. The use of these specific terms may be changed to other forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the appended drawings is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced.

1 is a diagram for explaining a game system for an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention to which the present invention can be applied.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a game server 100 and a terminal 200 , and the terminal 200 can access the game server 100 through a network 300 . have.

The game server 100 provides the same game environment through game contents to the terminal 200 that executes the game in conjunction with each other. Accordingly, the terminal 200 may execute a game in the same game environment. Here, the game content may be a game application.

The terminal 200 of the user who wants to enjoy the game may connect to the game server 100 through the network 300 , receive the game content from the game server 100 , and then execute the game by interworking with each other.

In addition, the terminal 200 receiving the game content transmits and receives game progress data required for game execution between the terminals 200 to proceed with the game. The game progress data is data generated according to the user's manipulation of the terminal 200, and is data generated according to an input for the user to manipulate a character in the game. For example, the game progress data means data for a target character to react according to the command, when a user manipulates a character of the fighting game to give a command such as an attack action to the opponent's character, assuming a fighting game. Here, the plurality of terminals 200 may mutually transmit and receive game progress data through the network 300 or by interworking through a peer-to-peer (P2P) method.

The game server 100 may basically include a communication module, an authentication module, and a patch module. In addition, the game server 100 may further include a storage module and a control module.

The communication module transmits and receives data through the terminal 200 and the network 300 . Depending on the type of the network 300 , the communication module may include one or more of a wired communication function for transmitting and receiving digital signals through a cable and a wireless communication function for transmitting and receiving wireless signals through a cable, depending on the protocol applied to the network 300 . Therefore, it may further include a function to process data.

The authentication module is a means for determining whether the game user is a registered user, and registers the user through a subscription procedure. Whenever the terminal 200 accesses the game server 100 , the authentication module may perform user authentication by using the user's identification information input by the user during user registration. For example, the identification information includes an identifier (ID) of a user and a password (Password) corresponding thereto.

The patch module executes the update of the game application, which is the game content installed in the terminal 200 of the user connected for the game. That is, the patch module checks the version of the game application installed on the connected terminal 200 , and if it is not the latest version, transmits and installs the latest version of the game application program to the connected terminal 200 .

The authentication module and patch module are configured to authenticate the user before the actual game execution, and to allow the user to download or update the game, and the game service provision process by this is omitted in detail to clarify the gist of the invention do.

The storage module stores game data according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as described above, the game data may be at least one of game history information and game-related personal information. The storage form of such a storage module may be stored according to a file system or may be stored according to a database system. Here, the database system may be included as a separate module in the server. Alternatively, the database system may be configured as a separate device separated from the server and configured in conjunction with the server.

The control module requests game data from at least one of the plurality of terminals 200 through the communication module according to the network state of the plurality of terminals 200 that interwork with each other to execute the game, and receives and stores the requested game data You can control it to be saved in the module. The control module may receive the game data at a preset storage time point and store it in the storage module. As described above, in the case of a game composed of a plurality of stages, the storage time may be when any one stage ends, when the game data backup cycle arrives, or when the game ends. When the above-described storage time arrives, the control module compares the network state of the terminal 200 that is running the game by interworking with each other. The network state includes a line cost and a data transfer rate, and the control module may compare the network state of the terminal 200 through any one of the line cost and the data transfer rate.

Accordingly, the control module compares the line cost of the plurality of terminals 200, requests game data from the terminal 200 having a lower line cost among the plurality of terminals 200, and receives the game data through this. can be saved

In addition, the control module compares the data transfer rates of the plurality of terminals 200, requests game data from the terminal 200 having a higher data transfer rate among the plurality of terminals 200, and receives and stores the game data through this. have.

And the control module compares the data transfer rates of the plurality of terminals 200, and requests each of the plurality of terminals 200 for game data in an amount proportional to the data transfer rates of each of the plurality of terminals 200 in the whole game data, , it is possible to receive and store game data through this. At this time, the control module merges the game data received from each of the plurality of terminals 200 and stores it in the storage module.

The control module receives game data from a plurality of terminals 200 that are interlocked with each other to execute a game, and stores it in the storage module 140, so that even if an error occurs during the game, the game data is not completely lost, By providing game data, users can continue playing the game from the time the game data is saved.

The terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be exemplified by a mobile communication terminal 200 device, a PDA, a notebook computer, a PC, a TV, a notepad, a portable game machine, and the like, and is connected to the network 300 by wire or wirelessly. This is possible, and it may be any kind of device having a configuration capable of executing game contents.

The terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit, an input unit, an output unit, a storage unit, and a control unit.

The communication unit communicates with the other terminal 200 or the game server 100 through the network 300 or directly communicates with the other terminal 200 to transmit and receive data, in particular, for transmitting and receiving game data. Here, the communication unit may include at least one of a wireless communication unit and a wired communication unit. The wireless communication unit may include at least one of a wireless network communication unit, a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication unit, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) communication unit 223 .

The wireless communication unit is a configuration for transmitting and receiving data according to a wireless communication method, and when the terminal 200 uses wireless communication, the game data is transmitted to another terminal using any one of the wireless network communication unit, the wireless LAN communication unit, and the wireless fan communication unit. 200 or the game server 100 may be transmitted or received.

The wireless network communication unit is for transmitting and receiving data by accessing the network 300 through the base station. When the wireless network communication unit receives game data from the control unit, it may connect to the network 300 through the base station and transmit the game data to the game server 100 or another terminal 200 . In addition, the wireless network communication unit may access the network through the base station to receive game data or game progress data from another terminal 200 or the game server 100, and provide the received game data or game progress data to the control unit. .

The wireless LAN communication unit is for performing communication according to a wireless LAN (WLAN) method. When the wireless LAN communication unit receives the game data from the control unit, it may access the network through an access point (AP) and transmit the game data to the other terminal 200 or the game server 100 . In addition, the wireless LAN communication unit may access the network 300 through the access point, receive game data from another terminal 200 or the game server 100, and provide the received game data to the control unit.

The wireless fan communication unit is for transmitting and receiving data according to the wireless fan (WPAN) method, and is for directly sending and receiving data between the terminals 200 through wireless communication of a shorter distance than the wireless network communication unit and the wireless LAN communication unit. The wireless fan communication unit may transmit/receive game progress data directly to and from another terminal 200 . In addition, when the wireless fan communication unit can be connected to the gateway directly or through multi-hop, the wireless fan communication unit may connect to the network 300 through the gateway to transmit/receive game data. Such a wireless fan communication unit may exemplify communication according to Bluetooth, infrared communication (IrDA), ZigBee, or the like.

The wired communication unit is for transmitting and receiving data by wire. In particular, the wired communication unit may connect to the network 300 through a wire to transmit or receive game data to the game server 100 or another terminal 200 . For example, when the terminal 200 is a device that is difficult to carry, such as a PC or a TV, and the installation is fixed, the terminal 200 connects to the network 300 using a wired communication unit, and connects to another network through the network 300 . It is possible to transmit and receive game data or game progress data with the terminal 200 or the game server 100 .

The input unit is a means for receiving any one of a user's command, selection, data, and information, and includes a plurality of input keys and function keys for receiving numeric or character information and setting various functions or for receiving voice information. It may include a microphone. The input unit detects a user's key input and transmits an input signal according to the sensed key input to the control unit. For example, the input unit may use any type of input means that may be developed in the future in addition to conventional input devices such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a joystick, and a microphone.

The output unit is a means for outputting the result or information according to the operation of the terminal 200 so that the user can recognize it through various senses such as sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste, etc. However, it may include an audio output means for outputting audio information as an audible sound, and a haptic output means for outputting haptic information recognized by touch. In particular, the output unit may output the game content provided during the game so that the user perceives it visually, auditory, and tactile sense. For example, the display means may visually display a screen on which the game is executed when the game is executed. Such a display means may be a touch screen. As such, when the display means is formed in the form of a touch screen, the display means may perform some or all of the functions of the input unit. In addition, the game screen and the game execution sound (such as background music or sound effect) may be audibly output through the audio output means.

The storage unit is a device for storing data, and includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. Such a storage unit may store an operating system, game content, and the like. In particular, the storage unit may store game data generated according to the execution of the game. Also, the storage unit may store game data received from the game server 100 . In addition, the storage unit may temporarily store the game progress data received from the other terminal 200 . Game content and game data stored in the storage unit may be deleted, changed, or added according to a user's manipulation.

The control unit may be a process device that actually drives an operating system and game contents. For example, the control unit may be a central processing unit (CPU, Central Processing Unit). When the power of the terminal 200 is turned on, the control unit moves an operating system (OS) from the auxiliary storage device of the storage unit to the main storage device, and then performs booting to drive the operating system. In addition, when there is a request for game execution according to a user's operation, the control unit may call the game content stored in advance in the storage unit, receive the game data stored in the game server 100 through the communication unit, and then execute the game. have.

The control unit may perform processing related to a normal game. That is, the control unit transmits the user's game progress data generated according to an input signal input through the input unit to the other terminal 200 through the communication unit while executing the game, or the control unit transmits the game progress data to the other terminal 200 through the communication unit. You can proceed with the game by applying the game progress data received from

Also, the controller may execute the game by applying the game data received from the game server 100 . In addition, the controller transmits and receives game progress data to and from the game server 100 or one or more other terminals 200 to transmit and receive game data to the communication unit when receiving a request for game data transmission from the game server 100 while the game is being played. through the game server 100 .

2 is a flowchart of a method for a server to control a user interface based on user voice information in an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A voice command may be input from a user terminal connected to an online game controlled by the server (S210). Here, the voice command indicates the user's voice signal for the user to control the user interface in the online game. The voice command may be configured as a language of various countries, a coined language, or a combination thereof. The voice command may be input from the input unit of the user terminal 200 . Specifically, a voice command may be received by receiving a voice command input from a microphone or an external microphone included in the user terminal 200 .

A control command corresponding to the voice command may be searched for in a database previously linked with the server (S220). Here, the control command is a language or command on the online game program for changing the user interface in the online game, and may be stored in advance in the database in correspondence with each of a plurality of voice information consisting of a synonym for a sound. The database is a module in a server, a module in a terminal, a separate device or program, and is a device or system in which all control commands for controlling a user interface in an online game are stored. This database is linked with the server and the terminal before or while the online game is played. The terminal transmits the voice command input from the input unit to the database, and may request to search for a control command in the database corresponding to the voice command.

The user interface in the online game may be controlled according to the searched control command ( S230 ). When a control command corresponding to the voice command is searched for in the database, the searched control command is transmitted to the server. The server and the terminal receive the discovered control command. The terminal controls the user interface change to be output to the output unit according to the received control command. And, if necessary, the server may control so that a change in the user interface corresponding to the searched control command is output to another user.

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment in which the server controls the user interface based on user voice information in the online game performed according to the sequence of FIG. 2 will be described below.

FIG. 3 discloses an embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.

The user may change the in-game user interface (eg, whether the item storage screen is output or not) by using voice information through the user's voice. Here, the voice information for changing the user interface may consist of preset syllables.

The screen 310 before voice information input shows an online game execution screen including a character 311 currently controlled by the user. Here, when the user inputs voice information for changing the user interface, the voice information is A control command corresponding to is searched for, and the terminal receiving the control command outputs the screen 320 after inputting voice information indicating that another user character has been selected to the user's output unit.

When the user interface is changed according to voice information for changing the user interface (eg, "inventory" or "open inventory"), the item storage 322 together with the user character 321 as shown in the screen 320 after inputting the voice information ) may be output to the output unit.

When the user re-enters voice information for outputting the item storage box on the screen 320 after inputting the voice information, or inputs voice information set so that the item storage box is not output, the user interface is displayed as the same screen as the screen before the voice information input. can be changed.

FIG. 4 discloses another embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.

The user may change the in-game user interface (eg, whether the game setting screen is output or not) by using voice information through the user's voice. Here, the voice information for changing the user interface may consist of preset syllables.

The screen 410 before voice information input shows the online game execution screen including the character 411 currently controlled by the user. Here, when the user inputs voice information for changing the user interface, the voice information is A control command corresponding to is searched for, and the terminal receiving the control command outputs the screen 420 after inputting voice information indicating that another user character has been selected on the user's output unit.

When the user interface is changed according to voice information (eg, "game setting") for changing the user interface, the game setting 322 is outputted together with the user character 421 as shown in the screen 420 after inputting the voice information. can be output to

When the user re-enters voice information for game setting output on the screen 420 after inputting voice information, or inputs voice information set so that game settings are not output, the user interface is displayed like the same screen as the screen before voice information input. can be changed.

And, when voice information corresponding to the sub-concept of the game setting (screen brightness control, sound control, game speed control, etc.) is input, the user interface so that the screen corresponding to the sub-concept of the game setting is directly output without outputting the game setting screen may be changed.

FIG. 5 discloses another embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through a plurality of voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.

The user may input a plurality of voice information through the user's voice to change the in-game user interface (eg, whether the item storage screen is output and whether the game setting screen is output). Here, the voice information for changing the user interface may consist of preset syllables.

The screen 510 before voice information input shows an online game execution screen including a character 511 currently controlled by the user. Here, when the user inputs voice information for changing the user interface, the voice information is displayed according to the flowchart of FIG. 2 . A control command corresponding to is searched for, and the terminal receiving the control command outputs a screen 520 after inputting voice information indicating that another user character has been selected to the user's output unit.

When the user interface is changed according to the voice information for the user interface change (eg, "inventory and game settings"), the item storage 522 together with the user character 521 as shown in the screen 520 after inputting the voice information may be output to the output unit. After a predetermined time interval, after input of voice information, a game setting 533 may be output to the output unit as well as the user character 521 and the item storage 522 as shown in the screen 530 .

Alternatively, according to the voice information for changing the user interface (eg, “inventory and game settings”), without outputting the screen 520 after inputting the voice information, immediately the user character 521 and the item storage 522 and the game After input of voice information including settings 533 , a screen 530 may be output to the output unit.

When the user inputs voice information corresponding to game settings on the screens 520 and 530 after inputting the voice information, the user interface may be changed such that a screen showing only the item storage box is displayed. Alternatively, when voice information corresponding to the item storage box is input, the user interface may be changed such that a screen showing only game settings is output.

In another embodiment, the user may group the voice information to search for a plurality of control commands through one voice information, so that a plurality of user interface changes may be performed at once. Grouping refers to setting a control command corresponding to a plurality of user interface changes to correspond to one preset voice information in one control execution unit. For example, a plurality of user interface changes such as screen 530 of FIG. 5 may be performed through one piece of preset voice information through grouping.

Meanwhile, the above-described method can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that operates the program using a computer-readable medium. In addition, the structure of the data used in the above method may be recorded in a computer-readable medium through various means. A computer readable medium storing executable computer code for performing various methods of the present invention includes a magnetic storage medium (eg, ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), an optically readable medium (eg, CD-ROM, DVD). storage media, such as).

Those of ordinary skill in the art related to the embodiments of the present invention will understand that it may be implemented in a modified form within a range that does not depart from the essential characteristics of the description. Therefore, the disclosed methods are to be considered in an illustrative and not a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is indicated in the claims rather than in the detailed description of the invention, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

The present invention, a method and apparatus for controlling a user interface based on voice information in an online game, can be applied to various methods and apparatus for controlling a character's motion in a game.

Claims (4)

A method for a server to control a user interface of a user terminal including an output unit based on user voice information in an online game, the method comprising:
receiving voice information from the user terminal connected to the online game controlled by the server;
searching a database previously linked with the server for a control command corresponding to the voice information; and
controlling the user interface in the online game according to the searched control command, and controlling the user terminal to output the change of the user interface through the output unit according to the control command when the user terminal receives the control command including,
A user interface in an online game based on user voice information, in which the user terminal controls the user interface so that the screen before input of voice information is changed to a screen after input of voice information reflecting the control command according to the control command and outputted through the output unit control method.
The method of claim 1,
When receiving the first voice information and the second voice information from the user terminal,
A first control command corresponding to the first voice information and a second control command corresponding to the second voice information are searched for, and the user interface in the online game is based on the searched first control command and the second control command A method of controlling a user interface in an online game based on user voice information, characterized in that there is a predetermined time interval between the input of the first voice information and the input of the second voice information.
The method of claim 1,
The control command is a method of controlling a user interface in an online game based on user voice information, characterized in that it is stored in the database in correspondence with each of a plurality of voice information made of a synonym for a sound.
4. The method of claim 3,
Each of the control commands corresponding to the target syllable and the action syllable in the voice information is searched,
User interface control in an online game based on user voice information, characterized in that the one or more searched control commands are grouped into one and the one grouped control command is used as one control execution unit to control the user interface in the online game. Way.

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