FR2698978A3 - Remote control infrared joystick for two-player video games without remarkable interference. - Google Patents

Abstract

This video game joystick remote control device comprises a pair of joystick infrared control blocks (111, 112), operated by two players, for sending respective signals over the same communication channel , by means of an infrared electromagnetic transmission, without it being possible to notice interference between the two players, to the receiver (13) of the video game machine (14) which is connected to the monitor or television receiver ( 15).

Description

The present invention relates to a "joystick" control device

usable for playing

video games.

  Various video games usable on video game devices, such as the "Atari", "Nintendo" and "Sega" entertainment systems, are widely and commonly used today for entertainment at home and elsewhere. Currently, these games are used by means of software programs To play the game, a key block is operated on a device which is held in the hand and which is connected to the game device by means of control wires. In turn, the device is connected to a monitor, a television

  classic being often used as a monitor.

  Any of the commonly available devices of this kind require that the person playing the game or the operator knows that they are physically connected to the game device by wires. getting tangled Furthermore, any commonly available remote control device does not react correctly when two players operate the device at the same time, i.e. identification interference occurs between two signals transmission from two joystick control units. The present invention provides a joystick control device for video games, which does not require any wire connection with the game device, i.e. the joystick control device of the present invention uses electromagnetic transmission techniques to remotely control

the video game device.

  Another advantage of the present invention is that two manual joystick controls can be operated by two players at the same time, using two transmission signals having

different pulse widths.

  Another advantage of the present invention is that the two manual joystick control devices can be used independently and simultaneously, the receiver being able to identify and decode the two transmission signals with different pulse widths transmitted respectively by the

  joystick control apparatus.

  Yet another advantage of the present invention is

  that there are practically no directional effects.

  An additional advantage of the present invention is that the device is compatible with most computer-based video game machines and

commonly available.

  In general, the present invention aims to provide a joystick control device for video games or the like, wherein first and second manual control devices are each provided with a button or a switch for selecting a player-1 or a player-2, and each joystick contains at least one key or an additional switch for a function control Each manual control apparatus is provided with means for transmitting a electromagnetic signal in the infrared frequency range This signal is modulated to contain start bits, and both hand control units use the same start bits for their transmission signals The pulse width modulated signal from each control device has a duration TO The first and second manual control devices each have the same repetition period T TO is chosen fa Less than a third of T and T is also chosen to be less than 8.3 seconds Receiving means are provided to receive the signals transmitted at the frequency selected in the frequency range of infrared, and means are provided for detecting the pulse on the signal Pulse width detecting means are provided for detecting the first and second signals, using a high resolution counter and a clock pulse generator The pulses of different widths can be separated and sent to separate decoders Each decoder is designed to decode the signal which has been coded by a transmitter Each decoded control signal is supplied to the video game device through a separate output interface which is compatible with the the joystick interface of the

Video Game machine.

  The present invention will now be described,

  sole title of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Fig 1 is a block diagram of a video game infrared remote control system according to the

present invention.

  Fig l A is a diagram showing a standard configuration of wireless remote control joystick for video game system or PC depending on the

present invention.

  Fig 2 is a block diagram of a first

  transmitter according to the present invention.

  Fig 2 A is a block diagram of a second

  transmitter according to the present invention.

  Fig 2 B is an elevational view of a portable game console with joystick, keys and switches operable by hand according to the present invention. Fig 3 is a block diagram of a receiver

  infrared according to the present invention.

  Fig 4 illustrates the IRJ 1 transmission data format (Infrared Remote Joystick No 1 = Infrared remote control joystick n'1); IRJ 2 transmission data format (infrared remote control joystick # 2); If: data format of the IRJ 1 transmission signal; and 52: format of

  IRJ emission signal 2.

  FIG. 5 represents the data format of the transmission signals of IRJI 1 and IRJ 2 and their binary waveform, represented by different pulse widths and times, with Si and Pi: transmission signal of IRJ 1 and one bit waveform; 52 and P 2:

  IRJ 2 emission signal and one bit waveform.

  Fig 6 shows the definition of the binary logic states of Pl and P 2, both in wave form and

in tabular form.

  FIG. 7 represents two signals SI and 52 mixed together in the same communication channel and the mixed signals received by the receiver, in case 1:

no collision at all.

  FIG. 8 represents signals Si and 52 mixed together in the same communication channel and the mixed signals received by the receiver, in case 2: partial collision (51 and 52 do not overlap at%). FIG. 9 represents the mixed signals 51 and 52 in the form of a timing diagram of the bits, the pulses P1 and P 2 of the mixed signal (partial collision of 51 and 52) appeared separately and having been separated by the receiver. Fig 10 shows the difference in waveform

  between flash mode and carrier mode.

  Fig It is a diagram of the hardware circuits of a transmitter, according to a preferred embodiment of the

present invention.

  To refer to FIG. 1, there is shown a functional diagram of the structure of the infrared joystick control system for a video game according to the present invention, comprising a first transmitter 11, a second transmitter 12 and a receiver 13 connected to a video game machine 14 The first and second transmitters 11, 12 transmit codes of different pulse widths by means of respective infrared light-emitting diodes The signals from the first and second transmitters 11, 12 are received respectively by the receiver 13 and processed by the filtering and decoding process, then transmitted to the video game machine 14 by a circuit

  interface for communication.

  To refer to fig l A, there is shown an arrangement composed of the joysticks of the first and second transmitters in operation with the video game machine via the receiver, the joysticks being designated by 111 and 112 ; the number 13 designates the receiver; the number 14 designates the

  video game and number 15 denotes a monitor.

  To refer to FIG. 2, there is shown a functional diagram of the first transmitter, in which a basic clock 25 delivers a signal to a pulse signal generator 26 for filtering and selection of pulse width, so that start bits 21 and key codes 22 are mixed by means of a mixer 23 and put into the form of the desired digital signal, which is then sent to an infrared transmitter control circuit 24, bringing

  the latter to transmit an infrared signal 27.

  To refer to fig 2 A, there is shown a functional diagram of the second transmitter Its internal structure is similar to that of the first transmitter in fig 2 The only difference between the first transmitter and the second transmitter is the position of the switch Le switch in the first transmitter of fig 2 is placed in position P-1 (PLAYER-1) and the switch in the second transmitter of fig 2 A is placed in the

position P-2 CTOUEUR-2).

  To refer to FIG. 2B, there is shown a portable game console with a joystick, with keys and switches that can be operated by hand according to the present invention, comprising a direction key 131, a left key 132, a right button 132, a selection button 135, a start button, two turbo buttons X and Y, two function buttons A and B and

  two PLAYER-1 / PLAYER-2 selection keys 133, 134.

  To refer to FIG. 3, a functional diagram of the receiver is shown there. The infrared signal 27 coming from one or the other transmitter is received by a diode 31 and amplified by a pre-amplifier 32,

  then detected by a pulse width detector 33.

  The clock signal necessary for the pulse width detector 33 is supplied by a clock pulse generator 38 After its detection, the signal is sent to a P1 decoder 34 if it has been identified as originating from the PLAYER -1, or it is sent to a P 2 35 decoder if it has been identified as emanating PLAYER-2 After being processed in the Pl 34 decoder or in the P 2 35 decoder, the signal is decoded and converted into the code corresponding and sent to the Video Game machine via a PLAYER-1 36 output interface or an output interface

PLAYER-2.

  FIG. 4 represents the transmission data format according to the present invention, namely the transmission data format of IRJ 1 (infrared remote control joystick n'1), the transmission data format of 1 RJ 2 ( infrared remote control joystick no. 2)>, 3 start bits plus 12 bits of Si data (waveform of IRJ emission signal 1? and 3 start bits plus 12 bits of 52 data (waveform of the IRJ 2 emission signal) A 16-bit control data signal at the output of the decoder for the "Super NINTENDO" game machine is also represented. The signals emitted by each of the joystick control devices with brushes are designated hereafter by IRJ 1 and IRJ 2 respectively Preferably, IRJ 1 and IRJ 2 are each constituted by a 15-bit signal having a duration TO Each signal comprises a group of start bits, which always has the configuration logic "101" Since the logical state e negative is used in each joystick, the start bits "101" generate a pulse (16 us for IRJ 1 and 48 jus for IRJ 2) The group of start bits (start pilot signal) is detected by the receiver to start receiving data bits

that follow.

  FIG. 5 represents the transmission data formats of IRJI and IRJ 2 and their binary waveform, represented by different pulse widths and cut-off times, with Si and Pi: transmission signal of IRJ 1 and one bit waveform; 52 and P 2 IRJ 2 emission signal and one bit waveform; Pi: the pulse width is 16 gs at the high voltage level and 240 jis at the low voltage level; the duration of each bit is 256 gs; P 2: the pulse width is 48 ys at the high voltage level and 208 is at the low voltage level; the duration of each bit is 256 ys; The logical state of the two transmission data is defined as negative logic. Fig 6 shows, in table form and

  graphics, defining logical states.

  Pulse / signal form: Pulse No pulse Definition 1/0 of a bit: O 1 Duration of a bit: 256 is 256 ps Duration high level Cut-off time, (pulse width) low level Pulse 1 ( P 1) 16 ps 240 ls Impulse 2 (P 2) 48 us 208 is So that the two infrared joystick control units (IRJI and IRJ 2> share the same communication channel and are nevertheless in able to operate simultaneously, original methods are applied according to the present invention The signals

  emitted by IRJ 1 and IRJ 2 are shown in fig 7.

  They are designated by 51 and 52 respectively IRJI 1 and IRJ 2 both transmit data in pulses, each of which has a duration TO according to what is indicated in FIG. 7 The repetition period of the signals coming from IRJI and IRJ 2 is the same and has a duration T, as shown in fig 7 The frequency of recurrence of data transmission is 1 / T for IRJ 1 and IRJ 2 In this preferred embodiment, we choose: TO = 256 is x 15 = 3840 jus = 3.84 ms T = 3 TO = 11.52 ms Fig. 7 also shows the two signals Si and 52 mixed together in the same communication channel, in the case where the mixed signals received by the receiver does not present a collision at all (case 1 t The probability of non-collision of the data-1 and of

  data-2 is: Pnc = 1-2 T 0 / T = 1/3.

  Fig. 8 represents the two signals Si and 52 mixed together in the same communication channel, in the case where the mixed signals received by the receiver presenting a partial collision (case 2: Si and 52 do not overlap at 10014) The probability partial collision of data-1 and data-2 is

Pc = 2 T 0 / T = 2/3.

  FIG. 9 represents the mixed signals Si and 52 in the form of a timing diagram of the bits The pulses FI and P 2 of the mixed signal (partial collision of Si and 52) appeared separately and can be separated by a receiver according to the present invention The probability of bit-by-bit collision of data-1 and data-2 is Pbit-c = (16 + 48) / 256 = 1/4 during a partial collision of data-1 and data- 2 The overall probability of collision can be calculated bit by bit by multiplying 1/4 by 2/3 and the product is 1/6 for a transmission period T i.e. the probability of non-collision of the bits for a transmission is 5/6 = 83.3% Since T <16.6 ms (refresh period of a television image> and the image refresh rate or retinal persistence is 33.3 ms for an average human eye, the operator or user of the joystick cannot perceive data loss

of transmission.

  Fig 10 shows the difference in waveform between flash mode and carrier mode: Flash mode: A signal without higher frequency (carrier frequency) appears for the time defined as the on time This means a voltage of high level or low level without high speed switching; Carrier mode: frequency modulation is carried out during the running time, for high frequency switching while the lower frequency signal is at high level. To refer to fig 11, a diagram of the hardware circuits of a transmitter according to the present invention, in which IC 1 and IC 2 are start bit and key signal coders; IC 3 and IC 4 are respectively a frequency divider and a counter; IC 5 is a clock pulse generator (500 k Hz); IC 6 and IC 7 as well as IC 8 are pulse generators, selected by Si, to produce pulses of 16 gs and 48 gs in width respectively. According to what has been indicated, the present invention is capable of ensuring that signals coming from different joysticks are received by the same communication channel and are identified and decoded

  according to different pulse widths.

Claims (8)

  1. Remote control device with infrared joystick, comprising a first transmitter (11), a second transmitter (12) and a receiver (13), this receiver being connected to a video game machine (14), said first and second transmitters each comprising an infrared light-emitting diode (27) controlled so as to send to said receiver, through the air, a respective signal of pulse width different from the other, in order to allow the signal to be processed by the filtering and detection process, then sent to said video game machine by an interface circuit (31-37), in order to control the operation of said video game machine.   2. A joystick infrared remote control device according to claim 1, wherein said first and second transmitters (11,12) each include a base clock (25) for supplying a signal to a pulse signal generator ( 26) for filtering and pulse width selection, to allow start bits (21) and key codes (22) to be mixed using a mixer (23) and formatted the desired digital signal, which is then sent to an infrared transmitter control circuit (24) to cause the latter to transmit an infrared signal.   3. A joystick infrared remote control device according to claim 2, wherein the infrared signal is received by a diode (31) in it 12 2698978   said receiver (13), amplified by a pre-amplifier (32) and detected by a pulse width detector which receives a clock signal from a pulse width detector (33>, then it is sent to a PLAYER-1 decoder (34) if the infrared signal has been identified as coming from player N i, or sent to a PLAYER-2 decoder (35) if the infrared signal has been identified as coming from player N 2, to allow that the infrared signal is decoded and converted into the corresponding code and sent to said video game machine via a PLAYER-1 output interface (36) or a   PLAYER-2 output interface (37).   4. A remote control infrared device with a joystick according to claim 1, in which the probability of non-collision of the data-1 and the   datum-2 of said receiver (13) is: Pnc = 1-2 T 0 / T = 1/3.   5. An infrared joystick control & distance device according to claim 1, in which the probability of non-collision of the bits of data-1 and data-2 of said receiver (13) for a transmission is: 5/6 = 83.3%.   6. Remote control device by infrared & joystick according to claim 1, in which the probability of partial collision of data-1 and data-2 of said receiver (13) is: Pnc = 2 T 0 / T = 2/3. 7. A remote control infrared device with a joystick according to claim 1, in which the probability of bit-by-bit collision of the data-1 and the data-2 of said receiver (13) is: Pbit-c = (16 + 48) / 256 = 1/4.   8. An infrared joystick control & distance device according to claim 1, in which the total probability of bit-by-bit collision of data-1 and data-2 of said receiver (13) is 1/4 x 2/3 = 1/6.