FR2908321A1 - Interactive first-person shooter game practicing device for e.g. game console, has module sending program's shooting signal and signals displacing image till place representing shooting zone that is in form of cross hair, to digital unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a handle (2), and a firearm shaped light gun (1) including LEDs (3) that localize a line of sight of the gun and a sending module, in a space when a detent is pressed. The module sends signals that displace an image displayed by a program at a target zone/image (7) on which the line of sight points, till a dispaly's fixed place representing a program's shooting zone, by rotations of view points, to a digital processing unit (8). The shooting zone is in the form of a cross hair (10) situated at the center of a screen (9), and the module sends a shooting signal of the program.

Description

INTERACTIVE DEVICE FOR VIDEO GAMES TYPE GAME SHOOTING FIRST

  The present invention relates to the field of devices comprising elements capturing certain actions of a user and transforming this information so as to interact with an imaging and sound system such as a screen connected to a game console or a computer. The present invention relates more particularly to a device for the interactive practice of games known as the first person shooter, English First Person Shooter or FPS.

  The main object of the invention is to constitute a new interactive device, realistic and fun for digital processing unit, for performing innovative parts of FPS, including with some of the existing FPS programs, and in particular with respect to the aiming and shooting actions that are among the most important of these games. Among video games running on gaming consoles or computers, games in the category called First 25 Person Shooter (FPS) are among the most popular. FPS games are games characterized in that (i) the images of the game are presented as seen through the eyes of the player-controlled avatar (so-called subjective view), (ii) the images of the game represent, in particular, opponents and (iii) the player draws on the said opponents or elements of the set. This FPS terminology, however, encompasses two different types of games: games compatible with a specific light gun-like interface, in English light gun or related, and games which are not compatible with this interface and which use the conventional interfaces of the digital processing unit on which the game operates, for example the joystick for the game consoles and the keyboard and the mouse for the computers. We will call later FPS light gun games compatible with light gun or related interfaces and conventional FPS other games. These two types of games are described below and make it possible to better understand the interest of the device according to the invention. FPS light gun games are games in the FPS category characterized in that (i) any element 15 appearing on the screen, regardless of its position, may immediately be the target of the player, (ii) the movements of the The player's avatar in the game is step-by-step moves, each of which is defined, controlled and triggered by the game, and not by the player, according to certain criteria, including the number of opponents shot at the current step. The player's interaction with FPS light gun games is done through a hardware interface such as light gun or related, which is usually in the form of a pistol. When the player points this interface towards a point of the screen and presses the trigger, the point targeted by the player is perceived by a specific system of the interface and its coordinates are sent to the game program which updates accordingly its display. For example, if the point is the location of an opponent of the player, the display shows the player hit by a projectile.

  We will use the line of sight later to designate the imaginary line connecting the interface and the image on which the interface points.  This line 2908321 3 represents the imaginary rectilinear trajectory followed by the virtual projectiles coming from the interface and in the case where said interface has the shape of a pistol, revolver or rifle-type firearm, having a barrel, this line 5 is in line with the barrel line of the interface.  Existing methods for capturing the point of the screen on which the light gun interface is pointing have been known for a long time.  There is in particular the method described in patent US4813682 (Nintendo 1987), which consists in displaying on the game screen at the location of the presumed target 15 alternately bright and dark points when the trigger of the light gun is pressed.  In the event that such light signals are identified by a photoelectric system placed in the line of sight of the light gun, it is that the latter points to the presumed target.  Another method disclosed in US4395045 (Sanders 1980) is to display a white screen the time of a screen refresh, and to provide the light gun interface with a photoelectric sensor.  When this sensor 25 is activated, this implies that the point of the screen in front of the sensor has turned to white.  Given the moment when the sensor is activated and the vertical and horizontal speed of the screen scan, we can then deduce the point of the screen on which the line of sight points.  Note that this patent, unlike the previous Nintendo patent, provides a method of locating the target that can operate independently of the gaming program.  Note that a target is considered as target when the player positions his line of sight so that the coordinates of the point of intersection thereof with the screen correspond to the coordinates of the target image. on the screen, which generates a sense of reality of the interface.  If the FPS light gun games offer a real realism 5 since the shooting actions can be done by pointing an interface having the shape of a pistol on the screen, then by pressing the trigger of said pistol, the target point being then modified by the program as if it had been hit by a projectile, these games generally offer a number of levels and a number of interactions with the environment much less than the other type of FPS games, the conventional FPS which are clearly more popular.  Conventional FPSs are games characterized in that (i) the movements of the player's avatar are free: the player may move his avatar in different directions, generally forwards, backwards, stepping aside on the right, side steps on the left, (ii) the player can orient the point of view of his avatar in the game by making rotations along two axes: a vertical axis of rotation passing through the body of the avatar ( the images displayed by the game correspond to those that the avatar would see by turning the head from right to left or vice versa) and a horizontal axis of rotation 25 crossing from left to right the head of the avatar (the images displayed by the game correspond to those that the avatar would see by moving the head up and down or vice versa), (iii) the only place the player can shoot is a fixed point in relation to the screen, hereinafter called Reticle, usually visualized in the game by a reticle or a related symbol.  This reticle is usually located in the center of the screen.  In fact, when a player wants to shoot at an element situated for example on his right, he must modify the subjective view displayed (by moving his avatar or by rotating his point of view) until the The element is placed under the reticle.  The player then fires the shot to reach said element.  In the context of a computer game, the moving actions of the avatar are generally controlled by the keyboard and the rotations from the point of view of the avatar by the mouse interface whose movements along its two axes are translated. in rotations from the point of view of the avatar according to the two axes of vision described above.  As part of a gaming console game, the movements and rotations of the avatar's point of view are generally managed by the action on two buttons, called sticks or joysticks, which each have two axes of 15 freedom. .  A fundamental characteristic distinguishing FPS light gun FPS classic is that in the first players can shoot on all 20 points of the screen, regardless of their position, while in the second players can shoot only on the elements placed at a fixed place, the Reticle, which decreases all the realism of the interaction.  Several interface patents have been filed to increase the realism of conventional FPS games.  A typical example is a computer mouse in the form of a pistol, marketed under the name Pistol 30 Mouse FPS by MonsterGecko.  Such accessories do not exceed, despite what their shape suggests, the functionality of a mouse in that the line of sight of the gun is not taken into account by the conventional FPS to determine the target.  By playing a conventional FPS 35 with such accessories one only draws on the element of the game located under the reticle which is a fixed point of the screen, whatever the target located in the line of sight of the pistol. .  In the current state of the art, conventional FPS can only allow the player to shoot at the location of the Reticle, and if the coordinates of a target other than the Reticle were provided to them, those games could not use this information.  The device according to the invention aims to remedy the shortcomings of the prior art with regard to the existing and future conventional FPS game peripherals, by making it possible to shoot at all possible points of the screen, and not only on those placed under the Reticle, and to use for this a realistic interface, related to the concept of shooting, rather than a keyboard, a mouse or joystick.  The device according to the invention is in the form of a physical interface connected to a digital processing unit.  This physical interface comprises a portion in the form of a firearm, for example of the pistol, revolver or rifle type, hereinafter referred to as a pistol.  The device according to the invention further comprises elements constituting a line of sight.  According to one embodiment, these elements will be made on the pistol by a barrel similar to that of a firearm and at least two fixed points positioned on said barrel and arranged so that their alignment is in alignment with the gun. gun.  According to one embodiment, the line of sight will be accompanied by a laser pointer type device emitting a low intensity laser beam in the extension of the line of sight and assisting the player, by the light spot thus created on the line of sight. screen, to know precisely the point of intersection of the line of sight and the screen where the game is displayed.  The device according to the invention has a module capable of transmitting to the digital processing unit various signals identifiable by conventional FPS type games, and in particular the rotation signals from the point of view of the avatar and the firing signals.  As indicated above, the signals controlling in a conventional FPS game the rotation of the avatar point of view generally correspond, in the computer embodiment, to the signals transmitted by moving a mouse-type interface on these axes of displacement, and in the console embodiment, to the signals emitted by a joystick by actuating a stick.  The signals controlling in a conventional FPS game the firing signal generally correspond, in the computer embodiment, to the signal of the left mouse button and in the console embodiment, to one of the four main signals of FIG. the remote.  The device according to the invention further comprises means for knowing the positioning in the space of the line of sight of the device according to the invention relative to the plane constituted by the screen.  These means, described later, are used during a calibration phase, called screen calibration, prior to the use of the interface, to determine the positioning of the line of sight pointing to the reticle, as well as lines of reference. a target pointing to the four vertices delineating the screen where the game is displayed.  This screen calibration will be done in two steps.  In the first step, the user of the device according to the invention will indicate with the aid of a control device of the device according to the invention that it points the line of sight of the device according to the invention towards the Reticle and validate a correct position using a controller.  The positioning of this line of sight pointing to the reticle 5 will then be memorized by the device according to the invention.  In a second step, the user will point successively to the four vertices delimiting the screen where the game is displayed and will each time validate, with the aid of a control member, the correct positioning of the four lines of sight thus obtained. .  The results of the screen calibration will be memorized by the device according to the invention.  It should be noted that these results will remain valid as long as the means of the device according to the invention for determining the positioning of the line of sight have not been modified.  According to one embodiment, the device according to the invention will have control members which will indicate to the device according to the invention the beginning and the end of the screen calibration process, and which will make it possible to quantify and qualify the results and information of the process. calibration.  According to one embodiment, the means for determining the positioning of the line of sight of the device according to the invention are constituted by a webcam type video camera placed in the barrel of the gun and by a number of light diodes placed around it. of the screen on which will be displayed the images of the game.  The advantage of such an embodiment is that the light diodes, unlike screens, emit infrared which are noticeable by standard webcams.  By applying to the optics of the webcam an infra red filter, retaining only the infra red spectrum, we will obtain images where the diode lights will easily be discernible, which will allow us to deduce their positions.  According to a variant of this embodiment, the light diodes diffuse a light spectrum including a specific wavelength not belonging to the light emissions of the screen and perceptible by a minicamera placed in the barrel of the pistol, and the minicamera is provided with a filter allowing said wavelength to pass.  According to this embodiment, the number and spacing of the diodes to be placed on the sides of the screen will be evaluated according to the opening of the angle of the webcam and the desired minimum distance of use of the device. according to the invention relative to the screen.  According to this embodiment, and after performing the previously described screen calibration giving the positioning and depth with respect to the screen of the lines of sight pointing to the reticle and the four vertices of the screen, the comparison of an image taken by the camera with the images of the calibration will, by the differential of the positions of the light diodes on these images, both in terms of rotation and spacing between them diodes, to know the positioning of the line of current pattern relative to the surface of the screen.  According to another embodiment, a certain number of webcam type cameras will be placed in front of the pistol according to the invention, for example around the screen on which the images of the game will be displayed, and will provide at least two points. separate view of the gun according to the invention.  The latter will include on its surface a number of visual markers easily identifiable in the images from webcams, which will allow to deduce, using Screen calibration previously described, their positioning in space relative to webcams, and 35 as a result the positioning of the line of sight relative to the surface of the screen.  Other embodiments of the invention implement other means for determining the positioning of the line of sight relative to the surface of the screen.  These means may for example borrow the means of the existing art 5 for positioning a solid in space.  The knowledge of the shape of the gun then makes it possible to deduce the position of the line of sight.  The device according to the invention further comprises a module calculating from the positioning of the current line of sight of the pistol relative to the surface of the screen and positioning of the lines of sight pointing to the reticle and the vertices of the the screen, the point of intersection of the line of sight and the screen, referred to by the following Target, and more precisely the coordinates of this point on the plane formed by the screen, taking the reticle as the origin an orthonormal coordinate system (R) with axes parallel to the sides of the screen.  The device according to the invention further comprises a module making it possible to evaluate and send to the digital processing unit to which the device according to the invention is connected, the signals that an interface should have emitted to to move by rotation from the point of view of the avatar a target initially having the coordinates (X, Y) in the coordinate system (R) to the coordinates (0,0) in the same reference, that is to say under the reticle.  In order to understand how such a module works, one can consider the computer embodiment.  In this mode, the signals sent by the device according to the invention by this module are similar to those of a device of the mouse type.  The study of the correspondence between signals emitted by a mouse and displacement of the cursor which results therefrom will make it possible to better understand the operation of this module.  A mouse-type device transmits to a computer for each of its two axes of freedom, signals, called mickey, the number of which depends on the resolution of the mouse as well as the distance on which the mouse was moved next each of its axes.  The resolution of a mouse is typically in the range of 400 mickey per inch (2. 54 cm) which means that by moving the mouse on a given axis and over a distance of one inch, it will send 400 mickey.  This information is provided to the computer per packet, according to the rhythm of the type of bus associated with the mouse interface, generally of the USB, PS2 or RS232 type.  For example, the speed of a USB data bus is usually 125 Hz.  A computer then uses various functions which will convert these mickey into moving images around the reticle in the context of a conventional FPS type program (or moving the mouse cursor within a conventional use of office automation).  The conversion between mickey and image (or cursor) displacement of the program will depend on the number of mickey transmitted to the computer and also other parameters which are the operating system of the computer, the choice by the computer. user of a conversion sensitivity at the level of the operating system but also at the level of the game, the resolution and the size of the screen, as well as the choice of parameters taking into account the variation of the number Mickey transmitted between two packets of information.  Thus, in the context of the operating system known as Microsoft XP and in the case of a USB mouse type interface, the conversion function evaluates the physical speed of mouse movement at each packet reception. information through the USB bus of the computer.  This speed is calculated by the formula: 2908321 12 Vmouse = mickey * Bus Frequency / Mouse Resolution.  The Bus Frequency is generally 125 Hz and the mouse resolution is systematically estimated by said operating system at 400 dpi.  This speed is calculated on the two major axes of the mouse.  From this is deduced the norm, in the vectorial sense, of the speed of the mouse.  The value of this standard is then used as the abscissa of a linear graph 10 giving the ordinate the value of the cursor speed standard on the screen.  The type of linear graph used is chosen by the user of the computer from a number of graphs.  Each of these graphs is composed of a series of 6 segments connected by 5 points of inflection.  The coordinates of these points and therefore the nature of these graphs are known and can moreover be evaluated on any computer operating under this operating system.  The velocity standards report is then applied to each of the velocity coordinates of the mouse, these products giving the coordinates of the cursor velocity on the screen.  The specific displacement of the cursor which results therefrom is then calculated on each of the two axes of the screen by the formula: V pointer = cursor displacement * Screen refresh rate / screen resolution.  Note that the choice of the resolution of the screen, that is to say the definition of the screen (number of horizontal pixels * number of vertical pixels) relative to the useful surface of the screen, belongs to the user in that it can generally opt for one of several screen definitions.  In the case of conventional FPS programs, this cursor movement will be replaced by a displacement of the program images around the reticle and more specifically by a rotation of the images from the point of view of the avatar, such as for example a movement of the cursor 2908321 13 on the right will equate to a vertical axis rotation on the right.  It is important to note that once all of these parameters have been selected by the user and / or set by the computer, the conversion function between mickey and displacement of the decoration (or cursor) is completely determined. which means that at two moments separated in time, a same transmission of mickeys by the mouse-type interface will produce exactly the same displacement of scenery (or cursor).  According to the game console embodiment, the conversion function between joysticks moving and moving the scenery is also completely determined and therefore can be known once the calibration process has been completed.  The module of the device according to the invention evaluates the signals to be supplied to the digital processing unit so as to place a target, whose coordinates in the reference (R) are known, under the reticle by rotation from the point of view of the The avatar therefore relies on an understanding of the functions used by the digital processing units, as illustrated in detail above, and on the knowledge of the various parameters specific to the user and / or the part of video games of which a calibration process described below, to evaluate the values.  In fact, the device according to the invention will comprise a memory, accessible to the other calculation modules of the device according to the invention, where the various functions used by the digital processing units to convert information of an interface of 35 will be listed. mouse or joystick type, in cursor movements or point of view rotations.  These functions are for the most part known and, if necessary, their results being perfectly accessible, can be evaluated by studying the processing units concerned.  The use of the device according to the invention also requires, as indicated, a calibration, which will be called a User Calibration, whose purpose is to enter the parameters specific to the user concerning, for example, the resolution of his screen or the sensitivity transforming the information transmitted in moving scenery such that he could configure it in the classic FPS game he wants to play.  According to one embodiment, this user calibration will proceed by direct interrogation of the user, who will enter his specific parameters via the control organs of the device according to the invention, by using a coding, detailed in the user manual of the device. , to enter both the types of parameters and their value.  According to one embodiment, the user calibration 20 will proceed by trial shots on elements of the game placed at increasing distance from the reticle.  The user will qualify the accuracy of the shot made by the device according to the invention with the aid of the control members of the latter and following a codification that has been explained to him.  According to one embodiment, the device according to the invention will have control members which will indicate to the device according to the invention the beginning and end of the user calibration process, and which will make it possible to quantify and qualify the results and information of the process. calibration.  According to a preferred embodiment, the device according to the invention evaluates, as a function of the various parameters indicated, the minimum number of information packets to be transmitted to the digital processing unit, as well as the number of information items. packet, in order to place the Target under the Reticle.  Moving the Target under the Reticle will then be done in a minimum amount of time.  The device according to the invention also has a command which, when it is activated, triggers a shooting process.  According to one embodiment, this control is placed on the gun and has the shape of a trigger.  When a firing command is triggered, the device according to the invention then proceeds sequentially (i) to the evaluation of the coordinates of the target, (ii) in the case where the target is placed inside the surface of the target. the screen, the transmission of signals to the digital processing unit so that the target is placed under the reticle, (iii) when the target is under the reticle, the transmission of the corresponding signal in the game 20 shooting.  The whole of this shooting process uses only the modules and means already described of the device according to the invention.  According to a preferred embodiment, the device according to the invention sends, following the three-step firing process described above, signals relocating the target to the position it had before the firing command was triggered.  This embodiment is preferential in that the user, by actuating a single firing command, will trigger a series of complex actions of the device according to the invention, comprising the forward and backward movement of the target and the triggering of the signal. of the game, which will have for the user all the appearances of a shot on a target not located in the reticle, which is not achievable on the classic FPS games by activation 2908321 16 of a single command with the current devices of the said games.  According to one embodiment, if the user keeps continuously activated the fire control for a time longer than a given time, the device according to the invention will keep the target at the level of the reticle and will continuously send the firing signals of the game, thus conferring a high firepower to the user.  According to a variant of this embodiment, the device according to the invention will be provided with a command allowing, in the case mentioned, to send at the discretion of the user either a continuous signal of fire or a series of firing signals following a frequency.  The device according to the invention is also provided with commands making it possible to vary the point of view of the avatar.  According to the embodiments, several types of variation of the point of view using the properties already mentioned of the device according to the invention are feasible.  The following two are given as examples and are not limiting.  The first type of variation consists in evaluating in the reference frame originating from the reticle the coordinates of the target, ie the point on the screen on which the line of sight of the pistol points.  Depending on these coordinates and the distance from the target to the reticle, then are transmitted to the set of signals performing a rotation of point of view of the avatar.  These signals are continuously transmitted to the game as long as the point-of-view variation control is activated or as long as the Target is at a distance greater than a fixed distance from the Reticle.  According to a variant of this embodiment, a minimum distance between the target and the reticle will be necessary to trigger the described viewpoint variation.  According to a variant of this embodiment, when the target is off the screen, the described variation in viewpoint will not take place.  According to a variant of this embodiment, the further the target is away from the reticle, the more the device according to the invention sends a large number of signals controlling the rotation of point of view, and therefore the rotation of the point of view will be important. .  According to a variant of this embodiment, the rotation signals from the point of view transmitted by the device according to the invention will be evaluated, on each of the axes of the reference (R), by increasing transformations, continuous and passing through 0 coordinates of the Target.  Thus, by placing the Target to the right of the Reticle (resp.  on the left), the displacement signals sent to the game will correspond to a movement on the right (resp.  left) of the mouse or joystick and thus to a rotation 20 on the right from the point of view of the avatar.  According to a variant of this embodiment, the user of the device according to the invention may, with the aid of control elements, modify in the course of the game the sensitivity and the nature of the functions converting the coordinates of the target into rotation signals from the point of view transmitted by the device, and therefore at a given distance between the target and the reticle, choose more or less rapid rotations.  According to a variant of this embodiment, the point of view variation control member 30 will be designed to be operated in a continuous manner, which is particularly simple and consumes little mechanical energy on the part of the user because of the high frequency of the use of such a variation of point of view in the classic FPS 35 games.  An indicative list of such a command will include a button such as a release-release of the button will trigger the variation that will last until a new release-release has been exerted, a command controlled by a sensor sensitive to touch and whose surface will be distinguished from the rest of the stock by a specific texture, etc.  This first type of variation of point of view makes it possible to have a continuous variation of the point of view.  The second type of variation of point of view consists, when the point of view variation control 10 is activated, to evaluate the coordinates of the target, and, in the case where the target is located on the screen, to send at most fast rotation point of view signals to align the Target with the Reticle.  This second type of variation of point of view is discontinuous and as fast as possible.  According to the embodiments, these two types of variation from the point of view of the avatar can be made either with the aid of different control members, or by using a different control member differently, for example the same button : a prolonged pressure will trigger the first type of variation, which is continuous, and a rapid pressure / release will trigger the second type of variation, which is discontinuous and extremely fast.  It is important to note that the combination of the use of the line of sight of the device of the invention to control the avatar's point of view variations with the ability to shoot at any element located in this line. of sight, even if it is not placed under the reticle, considerably reinforces the coherence and realism of the device according to the invention relative to the universe of shooting where a fundamental rule is to always associate what is viewed with this who is targeted.  According to a computer embodiment, the device according to the invention will not take into account the movement signals of the avatar and will function in fact in addition to a keyboard.  According to one embodiment, the device according to the invention will be provided with various control members, for example of the button type, making it possible to generate signals complementary to those described above, in particular to send the displacement signals of the avatar. , reload, change weapon, access inventory etc.  According to one embodiment of the invention, the control members relating to the armament, such as secondary fire, reloading, the change of weapon, will be placed on the gun.  According to one embodiment of the invention, the gun of the device according to the invention will be provided with a second detent to which will be associated the signal of a second type of firing as often exists in the type of game FPS. classic (usually associated with the right mouse button for computer games).  According to one embodiment of the invention, the pistol will be provided with control members making it possible to vary the nature of the conversions between coordinates of the target and the signals sent to the digital processing unit in order to perform a rotation of the point of view of the avatar.  An example of such an organ will be a pair of buttons, such that, at Constant Target, pressing on one will increase the importance of the rotation of the point of view, and pressing on the other will decrease the importance of such a rotation, thus allowing a finer aim.  According to one embodiment of the invention, the device according to the invention is completed by a handle comprising control buttons triggering some of said complementary signals.  According to an embodiment with handle, the buttons of this handle will include at least one directional button allowing the player to control the 5 movements of his avatar.  According to one embodiment of the invention completed with a handle, the connection between this handle and the rest of the device according to the invention is a wireless link.  According to an embodiment with a handle, the handle will be designed so as to fit under a gun-shaped portion of the gun while retaining all of its available control members.  This will allow the user to use the hand grasping the grip in support of the hand grasping the pistol, and thus to regain a classic position of the sporting shot.  According to a variant of this embodiment, the interlocking between the butt and the handle will allow some mobility of the two parts relative to each other along two axes of freedom.  This mobility will generate game signals that will be programmable by the user.  According to another embodiment, one of the faces of the handle will be a touch screen on which the player can act by pressing the bottom of a stick-shaped part of the pistol having a stylet-shaped appendix.  The game signals thus generated will be programmable by the user.  According to the two previously described embodiments such that the junction of the stick and the handle generates play signals, these signals may be, for example, the physical movement signals of the avatar or the rotation signals from the point of view .  In the latter case, the ratio of the amount of movement of the stock relative to the handle relative to the amount of rotation of the point of view will be particularly high in order to allow very precise shots, and the rotation signals thus created will prevail. on the other rotation signals from the point of view of the device according to the invention, including those by using the line of sight.  This implies in particular that the shot signal of the device will then generate only the firing signal of the game by the reticle.  According to one embodiment, the device according to the invention will be completed by a system of commands actuated by the feet of the user, for example pedal type or carpet.  These commands may include, for example, signals for physical displacement and positioning of the avatar.  Such a system will add realism to the game, while allowing new user body parts to be used to generate these signals and thus reduce the number of signals assigned to other parts of the user's body.  According to one embodiment, a certain number of signals of the control members will be programmable in order to allow the user to adapt the device according to the invention to his suitability.  According to one embodiment, specific actions will be associated with situations where the line of sight of the pistol will no longer point to the screen.  By way of example, a non-exhaustive list of such actions, which may possibly be programmed by the user, includes continuous variations of point of view in the case where the line of sight points to the sides and the top of the line. screen but not down which will be kept as dead zone left to the user to rest his arm, sending the signal of reloading of the weapon of the player in case the latter presses on the command of Shooting by pointing the line of sight at the outside and at the bottom of the Screen, a discontinuous view point variation corresponding to a Target at the nearest end of the line of sight screen in case the player presses the Shooting control by pointing outside and to the sides or top of the Screen, etc.  The device according to the invention is connectable to a digital processing unit.  According to the embodiments, the device according to the invention connects to a digital processing unit, either in place of a joystick or in the place of the mouse, or instead of the mouse and the keyboard. .  According to one embodiment, this connection is made using a cable provided with the appropriate connector.  In another embodiment, this connection is made using a wireless link.  In this case, a receiver will be connectable or embedded in the digital processing unit and a transmitter at the device will transmit to the receiver all of the generated signals.  According to an embodiment with transmitter and receiver, the signals going from the digital processing unit to the peripherals will be transmitted via a wireless link to the device and, as the case may be, returned in the form of a vibration in the handle of the device or the classic gamepad connected to the device.  According to an embodiment with transmitter and receiver and with handle, one of the surfaces of the handle may be such that it can serve as a charger for the electrical unit operating the gun.  According to one embodiment of the invention, the pistol and the positioning means of the line of sight will be provided with a sight stabilizer device for the line of sight and, if appropriate also for the device 2908321 23 d laser pointer-type firing aid, so as to mitigate any tremors of the user.  This stabilizing device can borrow from existing art.  For example, in the case of means for positioning the line of sight by a webcam in the gun barrel, as described above, the webcam may be provided with a prism stabilizer-type binocular stabilizer. variable angle.  According to one embodiment of the invention, the signals sent by the device according to the invention will be transmitted to the user via mechanical, visual and / or auditory elements located at the level of the pistol and / or the handle, so that to increase the realism of the device or to facilitate its learning.  Thus, by way of nonlimiting examples, a mechanical part can move back and forth sensitively in the pistol in case of sending the signal firing or reloading the weapon, a light gauge can indicate to the user the the current sensitivity of the target coordinate conversion functions to point-of-view rotation signals.  According to one embodiment, the signals emitted by the device according to the invention will be accompanied by a specific signal making it possible to identify that the device generating the signals is of the category of the device according to the invention.  Such an identifying signal will make it possible, for example, to ensure, in the event of competitions or network games involving several distant participants, that the competitors are all provided with a device of the same category as that of the device according to the invention. .  The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description, given purely for explanatory purposes, of one embodiment of the invention with a pistol and handle, with reference to the appended figures: ## EQU1 ## FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the use of the device according to the invention; FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the pistol and the handle; FIG. 3 illustrates the functional steps of an orientation variation from the point of view of the avatar; FIG. 4 illustrates the functional steps of a fire control; According to one embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the pistol 1 is held in one hand by the user and the handle 2 is in the other hand.  The line of sight positioning means, aligned with the laser beam 6 of a low frequency laser pointer, comprises a webcam-type video camera placed in the barrel of the gun 1 and light-emitting diodes 3 positioned around the screen. 9.  This means, detailed previously, makes it possible to evaluate the coordinates of the target 7 in the orthonormal frame originating from the reticle 10 and for axes orthogonal axes 20 parallel to the sides of the screen 9.  The signals of the pistol 1 and the handle 2 of the device according to the invention are sent by a wireless link to a receiver 4 connected via a cable 5 to the digital processing unit 8, itself connected to the screen 9 on which is displayed the game running on the processing unit 8.  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the pistol 1 comprises a barrel 11 and a trigger 12, which will have little stroke and will be particularly sensitive so that conventional FPS players using the device according to the invention can have a very good shooting speed.  It also includes a laser pointer 13 which will emit the laser beam 6 in the line of sight, a button 14 whose pressure will control the variation of point of view of

  the avatar according to the two modes which have been previously explained, a continuous pressure on the button 14 triggering the variation of continuous point of view and a brief pressure triggering the discontinuous point of view variation. This button 14 will be operable by the fingertips of the user's hand squeezing the butt of the gun 1 with the right hand. The pistol 1 will also include buttons 5 operable with the thumb of the hand holding the pistol 1, such as the button 17 to which is assigned the reload signal of the weapon and the buttons 15 and 16 whose activation increases or decreases the speed rotation point of view, fixed target, during a continuous variation 10 point of view. Handle 2 has a directional button 19, actuable by the thumb, to which the physical displacement of the avatar is assigned, and eight buttons 18, actuable by the four remaining fingers of the user, whose signals are the complementary signals of the user. Each of these buttons will have a specific visual identification and in particular the buttons used during the calibration of the device according to the invention, as detailed above. The face 20 of the handle will be slightly concave and complementary to the surface located under the butt of the pistol 1, so as to allow the user to place the hand holding the handle 2 in support of the hand holding the pistol 1 and to comfortably place the face 20 under the butt of the pistol 1.

In order to allow use of the device according to the invention for persons taking the pistol 1 with the left hand, the pistol buttons will be doubled symmetrically on both sides of the pistol 1. At the 30 times the signals assigned to the buttons , but also the activation of said buttons may be left to the discretion of the user via an interface. Similarly, the handle 2 will have a symmetry of shape to allow its use of the right hand.

The device according to the invention presents an innovation in the field of conventional games interfaces as there is no game peripherals for these games in the prior art, making it possible to realistically perform the fundamental actions. firing and rotation from the point of view of the avatar.

The device according to the invention makes it possible to grasp and make the conventional FPS games interact with the movements specific to the practice of shooting, by the innovative combination of material means and functional modules 10 described. In particular it allows shooting with the help of a pistol-shaped object on any element appearing on the screen, not limited to the elements located under the reticle, and it ensures the coupling of the visual displacement with the aim, while providing all the signals necessary for the proper operation of said popular conventional FPS programs on video game consoles and personal computers. In doing so, the device according to the invention superimposes on the existing shooting functions conventional FPS, a new shooting function with much higher realism. On the other hand, by an innovative coupling of the shooting and movement functions, the device according to the invention increases the performance of the player in that a rotation of 25 points of view towards an opponent is effected by directing the line of to the latter and that a shot is made by taking advantage of the proximity thus created between the opponent and the line of sight since as soon as the opponent is in the line of sight of the device, the player can trigger a shot. without first placing the opponent under the Reticle. On the other hand, the device according to the invention is also a complementary invention to other interactive products (image capture, capture of body movements etc.). It can thus be integrated into games, experiences or hobbies of unprecedented virtual reality.

The device according to the invention can be used by users playing alone or in a multiplayer mode for conventional FPS type video games, but also be a device made available to participants in sports center courses or in sports halls. 'arcade. The invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that the skilled person is able to realize different variants of the invention without departing from the scope of the patent.

Claims (11)

  1. Device for the interactive practice of shooting in association with an imaging system and sounds constituting a program of the category called first-person shooter operating on a digital processing unit, characterized in that it comprises a pistol (1), having a shape reminiscent of a firearm, on which there are various control members including a detent (12), means (3) for locating in space the line of sight said gun (1) and a module sending to the digital processing unit, when the trigger (12) is pressed, the signals for moving, by rotations of the views displayed by the program, an image displayed by the program at the level of any target zone (7) on which the line of sight points, to the fixed location of the display representing the firing zone of the program, generally in the form of a reticle (10) located in the center of the screen, then e send the firing signal from said program.   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the module of the device according to the invention sends to the digital processing unit, after the firing signal, the signals to replace said target image (7) to the position that she had before the trigger (12) was pressed.   3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the module according to the invention sends to the digital processing unit the signals for moving, by rotation of the views displayed by the program, an image of the program of a location of the display to another, and in particular from the initial location of the image 2908321 29 to the reticle (10), so as to minimize said travel time.   4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the module of the device according to the invention sends uninterruptedly to the digital processing unit the rotation signals of the views displayed by program as long as the target ( 7) is spaced a minimum distance from the reticle 10 (10) and as long as a specific control member (14) of the device is activated.   5. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, when the control member (14) is activated, the module of the device according to the invention sends signals to the digital processing unit generating rotations of the views displayed. by the program all the more important that the Target (7) is far from the Reticle (10). 20   6. Device according to claims 4 or 5, characterized in that, at equal distance between the reticle (10) and the target (7), a control member makes it possible to act on the module of the device according to the invention so as to when the control element (14) is activated, the module sends signals to the digital processing unit generating rotations of the views displayed by the program of greater or lesser importance.   7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the module of the device according to the invention provides the digital processing unit the signals to move in a minimum of time the image of the program located under the target (7) to the reticle (10) when a specific control member is activated. 2908321 30   8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device according to the invention is completed by a handle (2) provided with different control members sending signals to the digital processing unit connected to the device. .   9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the butt of the gun (1) can fit on the upper face of the handle (2) so that the handle (2) and the gun (1) become solidarity.   10. Device according to claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the junction of the butt of the gun (1) and the upper face of the handle (2) is a control member generating at least two types of signals according to the movements of said butt on said upper surface. 20   11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device according to the invention is completed by control members controlled by pressure of the feet of the user.